Physicists have been hoping for this moment for a long time: For many years, scientists all around the world have been searching for a very specific state of thorium atomic nuclei that promises revolutionary technological applications. It could be used, for example, to build a nuclear clock that could measure time more precisely than the … Read more
The U.S. nuclear physics community is preparing to build the electron–ion collider (EIC), a flagship facility for probing the properties of matter and the strong nuclear force that holds matter together. The EIC will allow scientists to study how nucleons (protons and neutrons) arise from the complex interactions of quarks and gluons. A project led … Read more
Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime caused by the acceleration of massive objects, such as merging black holes or neutron stars. Predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity in 1915, these waves were detected for the first time in 2015, marking a revolutionary breakthrough in astrophysics and opening a new window … Read more
What is the mass of a neutrino at rest? This is one of the big unanswered questions in physics. Neutrinos play a central role in nature. A team led by Klaus Blaum, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, has now made an important contribution in “weighing” neutrinos as part of … Read more
The periodic table is a tabular arrangement of chemical elements, organized by their atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties. It provides a systematic way to categorize and understand the behavior of elements based on their shared characteristics. Dmitri Mendeleev is credited with developing the first periodic table in 1869, arranging elements by their … Read more
Scientists are getting a more detailed look than ever before at the electrons they use in precision experiments. Nuclear physicists with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have shattered a nearly 30-year-old record for the measurement of parallel spin within an electron beam—or electron beam polarimetry, for short. The achievement sets … Read more
In a groundbreaking scientific endeavor spearheaded by physicists at Monash University, a pioneering exploration into the fundamental physics of the universe has unfolded. Chronicled in a seminal international review published in Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics, this research marks a significant leap forward after nearly a decade of dedicated work by scientists at the … Read more
At the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), scientists and their collaborators have synthesized two novel isotopes—osmium-160 and tungsten-156—marking a significant advancement in our understanding of nuclear structures. This breakthrough, detailed in a publication in Physical Review Letters and recognized as an Editors’ Suggestion, has unveiled intriguing insights, hinting … Read more
At the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University, an international research team has achieved a significant milestone by creating five new isotopes, effectively bringing celestial phenomena closer to Earth. Reported in Physical Review Letters, these isotopes—thulium-182, thulium-183, ytterbium-186, ytterbium-187, and lutetium-190—mark the inaugural batch of new isotopes synthesized at FRIB, a … Read more
Ultra-intense ultrashort lasers wield a vast array of applications, spanning basic physics, national security, industrial services, and healthcare. In the realm of basic physics, these lasers stand as formidable tools for delving into strong-field laser physics, laser-driven radiation sources, laser particle acceleration, and vacuum quantum electrodynamics. The trajectory of peak laser power has witnessed a … Read more
Neutron-star cores stand as cosmic vaults harboring matter at densities unmatched in our present universe—up to two solar masses squeezed into a mere 25 km diameter. Picture these astrophysical marvels as colossal atomic nuclei; gravity wields its force, compressing their cores to densities surpassing individual protons and neutrons by magnitudes. These extreme densities spark intrigue … Read more
The electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum of all electromagnetic waves, arranged according to their frequencies or wavelengths. It encompasses a vast range of phenomena, from the familiar visible light to the more exotic realms of radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays. This spectrum serves as a foundational concept in physics … Read more
Physics, often referred to as the fundamental science, is a branch of natural science that seeks to understand the fundamental principles governing the behavior of matter and energy in the universe. It is a discipline that explores the properties of the smallest particles at the quantum level and the vastness of cosmic structures at the … Read more
Marie Curie (1867–1934) was a pioneering physicist and chemist of Polish and French descent. She became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains the only person to have received Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields. Curie’s groundbreaking research on radioactivity, conducted alongside her husband Pierre Curie, led to the discovery of … Read more
The universe’s expansion, governed by the Hubble-Lemaitre constant, has sparked a cosmic conundrum known as the “Hubble tension.” This enigma arises from conflicting values obtained through different measurement methods. Enter a proposed resolution from researchers at the Universities of Bonn and St. Andrews: an alternative gravity theory. Their study, now published in the Monthly Notices … Read more
Mass–energy equivalence is a profound and revolutionary concept that lies at the heart of modern physics. The equation E=mc², formulated by Albert Einstein in 1905, encapsulates this principle and signifies the intrinsic relationship between mass (m) and energy (E). This equation has far-reaching implications, reshaping our understanding of the universe and paving the way for … Read more
Nuclear fission is a fundamental process in nuclear physics, with profound implications for both energy production and our understanding of the universe. This process involves the splitting of atomic nuclei into smaller fragments, releasing a significant amount of energy. To comprehend nuclear fission, one must delve into its discovery, underlying principles, applications, and associated challenges. … Read more
Physics delves into the mysteries of the universe, and one intriguing aspect explored at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the creation of quark-gluon plasma during high-energy ion collisions. While heavy atomic nuclei were traditionally thought necessary for its formation, recent analyses from the LHCb experiment involving proton-proton and proton-ion collisions challenge this notion. When … Read more
An international research consortium has marked a significant stride towards a new era of atomic clocks. Operating at the European XFEL X-ray laser, these scientists have engineered a remarkably precise pulse generator using the element scandium. This groundbreaking development achieves an unprecedented level of accuracy, equivalent to one second in 300 billion years—approximately a thousand … Read more
A team of nuclear theorists from several institutions, including Brookhaven National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Temple University, Adam Mickiewicz University of Poland, and the University of Bonn in Germany, collaborated to predict the spatial distributions of charges and momentum of “up” and “down” quarks within protons using supercomputers. Their findings, recently published in Physical Review … Read more