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Category: particle physics – Page 304

Quantum tunnels allow particles to break the light-speed barrier

In the fascinating realm of quantum physics, particles seem to defy the laws of classical mechanics, exhibiting mind-bending phenomena that challenge our understanding of the universe. One such phenomenon is quantum tunneling.

In quantum tunnels, particles appear to move faster than the speed of light, seemingly breaking the fundamental rules set by Einstein’s theory of relativity.

However, a group of physicists from TU Darmstadt has proposed a new method to measure the time it takes for particles to tunnel, suggesting that previous experiments may have been inaccurate.

This Interactive Museum Concept Lets You Experience Sound Paintings

In February, we covered a curious setup that allows you to control digital particles in real time by blowing air into a sensor, created by visual artist Steven Mark Kübler. But what if you had a whole museum of such unusual interactive artworks?

This is what Kübler has been wondering as well. He presented a concept of a room filled with sound paintings manipulated with viewers’ actions. You can see him blowing on the sensor to make particles in a tank-like container splash and part like water. The experience was created using Arduino’s controller and the TouchDesigner visual development platform.

What Lies Beyond the Observable Universe?

Inflation: The leading theory for the universe’s earliest moments, cosmic inflation, proposes that the universe underwent a brief period of exponential expansion an instant after the Big Bang. This process would have enlarged a minuscule volume of space to a tremendous size, much larger than our observable universe. Inflation neatly explains the flatness and uniformity we observe. But it also suggests that our entire observable universe is a tiny bubble in a vast inflated expanse.

Infinite replicas: If the universe is truly infinite, then everything that occurs within our observable universe must recur an infinite number of times beyond our cosmic horizon. The number of possible particle configurations in any finite volume is large but limited. In an infinite expanse, each configuration, no matter how unlikely, will be realized somewhere, and not just once but an infinite number of times. There would be infinite copies of our observable universe, infinite Milky Way galaxies, infinite Earths, and even infinite versions of you pondering this article. It’s a dizzying but inevitable consequence of an endless cosmos.

Scientists discover single atom defect in 2D material can hold quantum information at room temperature

Scientists have discovered that a “single atomic defect” in a layered 2D material can hold onto quantum information for microseconds at room temperature, underscoring the potential of 2D materials in advancing quantum technologies.

The defect, found by researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Cambridge using a thin material called (hBN), demonstrates spin coherence—a property where an electronic spin can retain —under ambient conditions. They also found that these spins can be controlled with light.

Up until now, only a few have been able to do this, marking a significant step forward in quantum technologies.

NA64 uses the high-energy SPS muon beam to search for dark matter

The NA64 experiment started operations at CERN’s SPS North Area in 2016. Its aim is to search for unknown particles from a hypothetical “dark sector.” For these searches, NA64 directs an electron beam onto a fixed target. Researchers then look for unknown dark sector particles produced by collisions between the beam’s electrons and the target’s atomic nuclei.

Seeing the color of entangled photons in molecular systems

Spectroscopy is the study of how matter absorbs and emits light and other radiation. It allows scientists to study the structure of atoms and molecules, including the energy levels of their electrons. Classical optical spectroscopy relies on the way particles of light called photons interact with matter. These classical spectroscopy techniques include one-photon absorption (OPA) and two-photon absorption (TPA).

Beautiful and Charming: Physicists Discover a New Tetraquark

A new study unveils the existence of a tetraquark composed of beauty and charm quarks, advancing our knowledge of subatomic particle physics and strong force interactions.

Exploring the complex domain of subatomic particles, researchers at The Institute of Mathematical Science (IMSc) and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) have recently published a novel finding in the journal Physical Review Letters. Their study illuminates a new horizon within Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), shedding light on exotic subatomic particles and pushing the boundaries of our understanding of the strong force.

Quantum Coherence: Harvard Scientists Uncover Hidden Order in Chemical Chaos

If you zoom in on a chemical reaction to the quantum level, you’ll notice that particles behave like waves that can ripple and collide. Scientists have long sought to understand quantum coherence, the ability of particles to maintain phase relationships and exist in multiple states simultaneously; this is akin to all parts of a wave being synchronized. It has been an open question whether quantum coherence can persist through a chemical reaction where bonds dynamically break and form.

Now, for the first time, a team of Harvard scientists has demonstrated the survival of quantum coherence in a chemical reaction involving ultracold molecules. These findings highlight the potential of harnessing chemical reactions for future applications in quantum information science.

“I am extremely proud of our work investigating a very fundamental property of a chemical reaction where we really didn’t know what the result would be,” said senior co-author Kang-Kuen Ni, Theodore William Richards Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics. “It was really gratifying to do an experiment to find out what Mother Nature tells us.”

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