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Advanced X-ray technique enables first direct observation of magnon spin currents

Spintronics is an emerging field that leverages the spin, or the intrinsic angular momentum, of electrons. By harnessing this quantum-relativistic property, researchers aim to develop devices that store and transmit information faster, more efficiently, and at higher data densities, potentially making devices much smaller than what is possible today. These advances could drive next-generation memory, sensors, and even quantum technologies.

A key step toward this future is the control of “spin currents,” the flow of angular momentum through a material without an accompanying electrical charge current. However, spin currents have proven notoriously difficult to measure directly—until now.

In a new study, a research team led by scientists at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory—used a technique called resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) to detect a current formed by the flow of magnons, quantized spin-wave excitations in a material’s magnetic structure.

Exotic phase of matter realized on quantum processor

Phases of matter are the basic states that matter can take—like water that can occur in a liquid or ice phase. Traditionally, these phases are defined under equilibrium conditions, where the system is stable over time. But nature allows for stranger possibilities: new phases that emerge only when a system is driven out of equilibrium. In a new study published in Nature, a research team shows that quantum computers offer an unparalleled way to explore those exotic states of matter.

Unlike conventional phases of , the so-called nonequilibrium quantum phases are defined by their dynamical and time-evolving properties—a behavior that cannot be captured by traditional equilibrium thermodynamics.

One particularly rich class of nonequilibrium states arises in Floquet systems— that are periodically driven in time. This rhythmic driving can give rise to entirely new forms of order that cannot exist under any equilibrium conditions, revealing phenomena that are fundamentally beyond the reach of conventional phases of matter.

Why tiny droplets stick or bounce: The physics of speed and size

When a droplet of liquid the size of a grain of icing sugar hits a water-repelling surface, like plastics or certain plant leaves, it can meet one of two fates: stick or bounce. Until now, scientists thought bouncing depended only on how repellent the surface was and how the droplet lost its impact energy. Speed, they assumed, didn’t matter.

Now, new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that speed is actually the deciding factor—and that only bounce within a “Goldilocks zone,” or just the right speed range.

“Bouncing only happens in a very narrow speed window,” said Jamie McLauchlan, first author of the study and Ph.D. student at the University of Bath.

Measuring electron pulses for future compact ultra-bright X-ray sources

In a step toward making ultra-bright X-ray sources more widely available, an international collaboration led by the University of Michigan—with experiments at the U.K.’s Central Laser Facility—has mapped key aspects of electron pulses that can go on to generate laser-like X-ray pulses.

These X-ray pulses have the potential to advance chemistry, biology, and physics by enabling researchers to measure the way molecules behave in great detail. The technique may also be useful in clinical medicine for imaging soft tissues and organs.

Because the pulses are so short, quadrillionths of a second (femtoseconds) long, they can take snapshots of chemical reactions, revealing the choreography of atoms and molecules, including larger biomolecules such as proteins. These studies are valuable for both basic research, down to quantum mechanics, and applications of chemistry such as drug discovery.

1,500-Year-Old Mystery Solved: Scientists Rewrite the Origins of the World’s First Pandemic

USF and FAU researchers identify bacterium behind 1,500-year-old pandemic mystery. For the first time, scientists have obtained direct genomic evidence of the bacterium responsible for the Plague of Justinian, the earliest known pandemic in recorded history. The outbreak, which struck the Eastern

Dark Matter “Wind” May Finally Be Detectable With New Superconducting Tech

Physicists have created a novel detector capable of probing dark matter particles at unprecedentedly low masses. About 80 percent of the universe’s mass is believed to be dark matter, yet the makeup and organization of its particles remain largely unknown, leaving physicists with fundamental ques

Microsoft Fixes 80 Flaws — Including SMB PrivEsc and Azure CVSS 10.0 Bugs

Microsoft on Tuesday addressed a set of 80 security flaws in its software, including one vulnerability that has been disclosed as publicly known at the time of release.

Of the 80 vulnerabilities, eight are rated Critical and 72 are rated Important in severity. None of the shortcomings has been exploited in the wild as a zero-day. Like last month, 38 of the disclosed flaws are related to privilege escalation, followed by remote code execution (22), information disclosure (14), and denial-of-service.

“For the third time this year, Microsoft patched more elevation of privilege vulnerabilities than remote code execution flaws,” Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at Tenable, said. “Nearly 50% (47.5%) of all bugs this month are privilege escalation vulnerabilities.”

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