In the quantum world, processes can be separated into two distinct classes. One class, that of the so-called “perturbative” phenomena, is relatively easy to detect, both in an experiment and in a mathematical computation. Examples are plentiful: the light that atoms emit, the energy that solar cells produce, the states of qubits in a quantum … Read more
The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 slotted in the final missing piece of the Standard Model puzzle. Yet, it left lingering questions. What lies beyond this framework? Where are the new phenomena that would solve the universe’s remaining mysteries, such as the nature of dark matter and the origin of matter-antimatter asymmetry? One … Read more
Black holes are among the most intriguing and enigmatic objects in the universe, representing the mysterious endpoints of gravity’s relentless pull. These cosmic entities, born from the collapse of massive stars or through other astrophysical processes, possess such intense gravitational fields that not even light can escape their grasp. The concept of a black hole … Read more
Physicists have observed a novel quantum effect termed “hybrid topology” in a crystalline material. This finding opens up a new range of possibilities for the development of efficient materials and technologies for next-generation quantum science and engineering. The finding, published in Nature, came when Princeton scientists discovered that an elemental solid crystal made of arsenic … Read more
Researchers at the Quantum Machines Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) are studying levitating materials—substances that can remain suspended in a stable position without any physical contact or mechanical support. The most common type of levitation occurs through magnetic fields. Objects such as superconductors or diamagnetic materials (materials repelled by a … Read more
Iron screws and other so-called ferromagnetic materials are made up of atoms with electrons that act like little magnets. Normally, the orientations of the magnets are aligned within one region of the material but are not aligned from one region to the next. Think of packs of tourists in Times Square pointing to different billboards … Read more
One of the greatest problems in modern physics is to reconcile the enormous difference between the energy carried by random fluctuations in the vacuum of space, and the dark energy driving the universe’s expansion. Through new research published in The European Physical Journal Plus, researchers led by Enrico Calloni at the University of Naples Federico … Read more