Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: particle physics – Page 3

The quantum black hole with (almost) no equations by Professor Gerard ‘t Hooft.

How to reconcile Einstein’s theory of General Relativity with Quantum Mechanics is a notorious problem. Special relativity, on the other hand, was united completely with quantum mechanics when the Standard Model, including Higgs mechanism, was formulated as a relativistic quantum field theory.

Since Stephen Hawking shed new light on quantum mechanical effects in black holes, it was hoped that black holes may be used to obtain a more complete picture of Nature’s laws in that domain, but he arrived at claims that are difficult to use in this respect. Was he right? What happens with information sent into a black hole?

The discussion is not over; in this lecture it is shown that a mild conical singularity at the black hole horizon may be inevitable, while it doubles the temperature of quantum radiation emitted by a black hole, we illustrate the situation with only few equations.

About the Higgs Lecture.

The Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences is delighted to present the Annual Higgs Lecture. The inaugural Annual Higgs Lecture was delivered in December 2012 by its name bearer, Professor Peter Higgs, who returned to King’s after graduating in 1950 with a first-class honours degree in Physics, and who famously predicted the Higgs Boson particle.

Continue reading “Higgs Lecture 2025: The quantum black hole with (almost) no equations” | >

Sir Joseph John Thomson (18 December 1856 – 30 August 1940) was an English physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906 “in recognition of the great merits of his theoretical and experimental investigations on the conduction of electricity by gases.” [ 1 ]

In 1897, Thomson showed that cathode rays were composed of previously unknown negatively charged particles (now called electrons), which he calculated must have bodies much smaller than atoms and a very large charge-to-mass ratio. [ 2 ] Thomson is also credited with finding the first evidence for isotopes of a stable (non-radioactive) element in 1913, as part of his exploration into the composition of canal rays (positive ions). His experiments to determine the nature of positively charged particles, with Francis William Aston, were the first use of mass spectrometry and led to the development of the mass spectrograph. [ 2 ] [ 3 ]

Thomson was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the conduction of electricity in gases. [ 4 ] Thomson was also a teacher, and seven of his students went on to win Nobel Prizes: Ernest Rutherford (Chemistry 1908), Lawrence Bragg (Physics 1915), Charles Barkla (Physics 1917), Francis Aston (Chemistry 1922), Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (Physics 1927), Owen Richardson (Physics 1928) and Edward Victor Appleton (Physics 1947). [ 5 ] Only Arnold Sommerfeld’s record of mentorship offers a comparable list of high-achieving students.

Read more | >

Researchers at Swansea University have discovered a way to use mirrors to dramatically reduce the quantum noise that disturbs tiny particles—a breakthrough that might seem magical but is rooted in quantum physics.

When scientists measure extremely small objects, such as nanoparticles, they face a difficult challenge: simply observing these particles disturbs them. This happens because photons, particles of light, used for measurement “kick” the they hit, an effect known as “backaction.”

In a new study published in Physical Review Research, a team from the university’s Physics Department has revealed a remarkable connection, that this relationship works both ways.

Read more | >

Swinburne researchers have discovered unexpected and entirely new quantum behaviors that only occur in one-dimensional systems, such as electrical current. Their new paper, published in Physical Review Letters, explores a fundamental question in quantum physics: what happens when a single “impurity” particle, such as an atom or electron, is introduced into a tightly packed crowd of identical particles.

Nearly every material in the world contains small imperfections or extra particles; understanding how these “outsiders” interact with their environment is key to figuring out how materials conduct electricity, create light, or respond to external forces.

A team at the Center for Quantum Technology Theory at Swinburne studied this in the setting of a one-dimensional optical lattice (a kind of artificial crystal made with ) using a well-known theoretical framework called the Fermi-Hubbard model.

Read more | >

For the first time, a research team has successfully produced one of the most neutron-rich isotopes, hydrogen-6, in an electron scattering experiment.

The experiment at the spectrometer facility at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) was a joint effort among the A1 Collaboration at the Institute of Nuclear Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and scientists from China and Japan. The team presents a new method for investigating light, neutron-rich nuclei and challenges our current understanding of multi-nucleon interactions.

“This measurement could only be carried out thanks to the unique combination of the excellent quality of the MAMI and the three high-resolution spectrometers of the A1 Collaboration,” emphasized Professor Josef Pochodzalla from the JGU Institute of Nuclear Physics. Researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai in China as well as from Tohoku University Sendai and the University of Tokyo in Japan were involved in the experiment.

Read more | >

RIKEN physicists have devised a theoretical method to probe elusive Majorana fermions in topological superconductors by leveraging their unique electromagnetic responses, paving the way for breakthroughs in quantum material science. A new theoretical approach for exploring exotic particles on the

Read more | >

In the future, quantum computers could rapidly simulate new materials or help scientists develop faster machine‐learning models, opening the door to many new possibilities.

But these applications will only be possible if quantum computers can perform operations extremely quickly, so scientists can make measurements and perform corrections before compounding error rates reduce their accuracy and reliability.

The efficiency of this measurement process, known as readout, relies on the strength of the coupling between photons, which are particles of light that carry , and artificial atoms, units of matter that are often used to store information in a quantum computer.

Read more | >

Electrolyzers are devices that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity and via a process known as electrolysis. In the future, these devices could help to produce hydrogen gas from water, which is valuable for a wide range of applications and could also be used to power fuel cells and decarbonize energy systems.

At the core of the water electrolysis process are electrochemical reactions known as hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs). In basic (i.e., alkaline) conditions, these reactions tend to be slow, which in turn hinders the performance of electrolyzers.

In recent years, energy researchers have been trying to design new electrode-aqueous interfaces or identify that could speed up HERs and thus enhance the ability of electrolyzers to produce hydrogen. One of the HER catalysts most employed to date is platinum, yet its performance is limited by a process known as hydrogen binding. This process entails the strong adherence of hydrogen atoms to its surface, which can block reaction sites and slow down HERs.

Read more | >

For the first time, researchers can study the microstructures inside metals, ceramics and rocks with X-rays in a standard laboratory without needing to travel to a particle accelerator, according to a study led by University of Michigan engineers.

The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

The new technique makes 3D X-ray diffraction—known as 3DXRD—more readily accessible, potentially enabling quick analysis of samples and prototypes in academia and industry, as well as providing more opportunities for students.

Read more | >

Exotic nuclei near and beyond the proton drip line exhibit a range of unique decay processes, including β-delayed proton emission, α decay, and direct proton radioactivity. Spectroscopic studies utilizing high-efficiency, low-threshold detection systems have become essential for exploring the intricate properties of these nuclei.

In research, play a crucial role as their characteristics can provide key clues for revealing the nature of nuclear forces and testing nuclear structure theoretical models. However, due to the extreme rarity and difficulty in measuring these decay processes, related research has always faced numerous challenges.

Read more | >