Discovering Evidence of Superradience in the Alpha Decay of Mirror Nuclei
Nuclei can absorb energy, pushing the nuclei into excited states. When these states decay, the nuclei emit different particles. The interplay between these decay channels and the internal characteristics of the excited states gives rise to phenomena such as superradiance. In superradiance, a nucleus with high excitation energy has excited states so dense that neighboring excited states overlap. Scientists recently found evidence of the superradiance effect in the differences between decaying states in Oxygen-18 and Neon-18.
Study revealed rainforest releases oxidized organic molecules that form aerosol particles in tropical free troposphere
Oxidized organic molecules originating from the Amazon rainforest are crucial components contributing to the formation of aerosol particles in the tropical free troposphere, according to a new study led by the University of Helsinki.
Unveiling the secrets of liquid iron under extreme conditions
Iron is the most abundant element by mass on Earth. Despite being so common and well-studied, iron still manages to puzzle scientists by exhibiting electric and magnetic behaviors that are not fully comprehensible.
US-Japan fusion materials collaboration marks 40 years of progress
Creating energy the way the sun and stars do -- through nuclear fusion -- is one of the grand challenges facing science and technology. What's easy for the sun and its billions of relatives turns out to be particularly difficult on Earth. On Earth, scientists must generate, confine and sustain a superhot gas called plasma -- heated to 10 times the temperature of the center of the sun -- to cause a fusion reaction. Although terrestrial plasmas can be confined magnetically, what materials can withstand near such high temperatures and the relentless impact of energetic neutrons? That question is central to the development of economical fusion power plants to provide abundant and carbon-free energy. Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been working with Japanese scientists under the Japan-U.S. Fusion Cooperation Program for decades to determine the answer.
Novel algorithm improves understanding of plasma shock waves in space
Scientists have used a recently developed technique to improve predictions of the timing and intensity of the solar wind's strikes, which sometimes disrupt telecommunications satellites and damage electrical grids.
Stronger tape engineered through the art of cutting
Adhesive tape fulfills many purposes, from quickly fixing household appliances to ensuring a reliable seal on a mailed package. When using tape with a strong bond, removing it may only be possible by scraping and prying at the tape's corners, hoping desperately that surface pieces don't tear away with the tape.
Fondant: Where Baking and Thermodynamics Mix
Researchers in Germany have studied the kinetic and thermodynamic processes of sugar crystallization in the making of fondant. In Physics of Fluids, they combine a controlled kneading machine with light microscopy to precisely observe the process of fondant creation and link it to theoretical physics models.
New Driver for Shapes of Small Quark-Gluon Plasma Drops?
New measurements of how particles flow from collisions of different types of particles at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have provided new insights into the origin of the shape of hot specks of matter generated in these collisions. The results may lead to a deeper understanding of the properties and dynamics of this form of matter, known as a quark-gluon plasma (QGP).
Headlines involving the fascinating (and perilous) world of oceanography and marine biology can be viewed on the Marine Science channel
The recent tragic loss of the Titan submersible in the depths of the North Atlantic has brought the fascinating (and very dangerous) world of Oceanography and Marine Science to the forefront. Below are some recent stories that have been added to the Marine Science channel on Newswise, including expert commentary on the Titan submersible.
Junjie Zhu : Then and Now / 2012 Early Career Award Winner
Supported by his Early Career Research Program award, physicist Junjie Zhu's work at the CERN Large Hadron Collider led to the first-ever evidence of two rare but important physics processes. These interactions produce the particles responsible for nuclear decay.
Webb Makes First Detection of Crucial Carbon Molecule
Carbon compounds form the foundations of all known life, and as such are of a particular interest to scientists working to understand both how life developed on Earth, and how it could potentially develop elsewhere in our universe. As such, the study of interstellar organic (carbon-containing) chemistry is an area of keen fascination to many astronomers. An international team of astronomers has used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to detect a carbon compound known as methyl cation for the first time. This molecule is important because it aids the formation of more complex carbon-based molecules. It was found in a young star system with a protoplanetary disk, 1,350 light-years away in the Orion Nebula.
Ramon Barthelemy wins 2023 LGBTQ+ Educator of the Year
Out to Innovate has recognized exemplary individuals with LGBTQ+ Educator, Engineer, and Scientist of the Year for over 15 years.
Building the semiconductor workforce of the future
The University of Utah is one of thirteen founding partner members of the Northwest University Semiconductor Network, a partnership with and created by Micron Technology, Inc. whose goal is to help develop the next generation of the United States' semiconductor industry's workforce.
Physicists discover a new switch for superconductivity
Under certain conditions -- usually exceedingly cold ones -- some materials shift their structure to unlock new, superconducting behavior.
Einstein and Euler put to the test at the edge of the Universe
The cosmos is a unique laboratory for testing the laws of physics, in particular those of Euler and Einstein. Euler described the movements of celestial objects, while Einstein described the way in which celestial objects distort the Universe.
Never-Before-Seen Way to Annihilate a Star
Astronomers studying a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) with the Gemini South telescope, operated by NSF's NOIRLab, may have detected a never-before-seen way to destroy a star. Unlike most GRBs, which are caused by exploding massive stars or the chance mergers of neutron stars, astronomers have concluded that this GRB came instead from the collision of stars or stellar remnants in the jam-packed environment surrounding a supermassive black hole at the core of an ancient galaxy.
Desde Chile descubren una nueva forma de aniquilar una estrella
Luego de estudiar un poderoso estallido de rayos gamma (GRB por sus siglas en ingles) con el telescopio de Gemini Sur, que opera NOIRLab de NSF y AURA en la Region de Coquimbo, en Chile, un equipo de astronomos investigan si estan ante la presencia de una forma nunca antes vista de destruccion estelar. A diferencia de la mayoria de los GRBs, que son provocados por la explosion de estrellas masivas o por la fusion de estrellas de neutrones, los investigadores concluyen que este particular GRB que observaron desde Chile, fue el resultado de una literal colision de estrellas o de remanentes estelares en el entorno compacto que rodea a un agujero negro supermasivo en el nucleo de una galaxia muy antigua.
Combining twistronics with spintronics could be the next giant leap in quantum electronics
Twistronics isn't a new dance move, exercise equipment, or new music fad.
Researchers enhance electron-phonon coupling strength in low-dimensional strontium ruthenate
Electrons inside crystals interact closely with phonons, defined as the discrete unit of crystal vibrations.
Fusion Simulations Reveal the Multi-Scale Nature of Tokamak Turbulence
Creating efficient, self-sustaining fusion power requires good confinement of the heat in the plasma. This requires understanding particle and energy losses due to turbulence. A new analysis studied the complex interaction in turbulence between the slow, large-scale motion of hydrogen fuel ions and the fast, small-scale motion of electrons. It found that this so-called "multi-scale turbulence" is mostly responsible for the heat losses in the edge region of tokamak experiments.
Accelerating aerial image simulations for optimal lithography
Lithography, an essential process in the semiconductor industry, lies at the heart of the manufacturing technology for modern-day electronics.
Study Reveals a New Finding Helping to Solve the "Spin Crisis"
New research findings published in Physical Review Letters provides theorists with new input for calculating how much gluons--the gluelike particles that hold quarks together within protons and neutrons--contribute to a proton's spin.
When the First Stars Turned On: The Origins of the Universe
All stories start somewhere - even the incomprehensibly vast expanse above us has a beginning. Scientists have long studied the cosmos, searching for answers to the "how's" and "why's" of life, and that effort continues to this day. From concepts such as 'Cosmic Dawn' and 'redshift,' UNLV astronomer and computer scientist Paul La Plante focuses on topics that improve our understanding of where it all began.
Scientists demonstrate terahertz wave camera can capture 3D images of microscopic world in major breakthrough
Loughborough University scientists are the first to demonstrate that a terahertz wave camera can capture 3D images of microscopic items hidden inside small objects.
Direct Photons Point to Positive Gluon Polarization
A new publication by the PHENIX Collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) provides definitive evidence that gluon "spins" are aligned in the same direction as the spin of the proton they're in. The result, just published in Physical Review Letters, provides theorists with new input for calculating how much gluons--the gluelike particles that hold quarks together within protons and neutrons--contribute to a proton's spin.