Newswise: Physics Sponsored By AIP

Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, February 2023

Story tips: Neutrons uncover hydrogen's hidden role in twisting iron; Entangled quantum particles are viable in space; Reused car batteries rev up electric grid; Pulling the shades for energy savings

Complex subsurface of Mars imaged by Chinese rover Zhurong

Ground-penetrating radar from China's Martian rover Zhurong reveals shallow impact craters and other geologic structures in the top five meters of the red planet's surface.

Securing supply chains with quantum computing

New research in quantum computing at Sandia National Laboratories is moving science closer to being able to overcome supply-chain challenges and restore global security during future periods of unrest.

When the light is neither "on" nor "off" in the nanoworld

Whether the light in our living spaces is on or off can be regulated in everyday life simply by reaching for the light switch. However, when the space for the light is shrunk to a few nanometers, quantum mechanical effects dominate, and it is unclear whether there is light in it or not.

Four classes of planetary systems

In our solar system, everything seems to be in order: The smaller rocky planets, such as Venus, Earth or Mars, orbit relatively close to our star.

Upsurge in rocket launches could impact the ozone layer

The ozone layer, which protects life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun, was severely damaged in the 1980s and 1990s due to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) -- chemicals used in aerosols and refrigeration.

The Perfect Pour: Model Predicts Beer Head Features

Researchers have analyzed brewing with numerical simulations to predict an array of beer foam features. Publishing their work in Physics of Fluids, they demonstrate that their model can determine foam patterns, heights, stability, beer/foam ratio, and foam volume fractions. The study presents the first use of a computational approach called a multiphase solver to tackle beer heads.

The Roar and Crackle of Artemis 1

When the Artemis 1 mission was launched in November, it became the world's most powerful rocket, and with liftoff came a loud roar heard miles away. In JASA Express Letters, researchers report noise measurements during the launch at different locations around Kennedy Space Center. The data collected can be used to validate existing noise prediction models, which are needed to protect equipment as well as the surrounding environment and community. These data will be useful as more powerful lift vehicles are developed.

Particles Pick Pair Partners Differently in Small Nuclei

The protons and neutrons that build the nucleus of the atom frequently pair up in fleeting partnerships called short-range correlations. These can form between a proton and a neutron, between two protons, or between two neutrons. Scientists recently discovered that in helium-3 and tritium, which have small, light nuclei, some types of correlations are less common than they are in larger, heavier nuclei.

The surprising similarities of packed particles

The ways in which particles, such as sand or liquid droplets, behave during various mechanical processes is well studied.

Creating 3D objects with sound

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and the Heidelberg University have created a new technology to assemble matter in 3D.

Tracing the origin of life

The origin of life is one of the great questions of mankind. One of the prerequisites for the emergence of life is the abiotic - not by living beings caused chemical - production and polymerization of amino acids, the building blocks of life.

How protein-rich droplets form

The study is part of the "THz calorimetry" project, which received a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant. "The visionary idea in the project was to combine two powerful techniques in Physical Chemistry - laser spectroscopy and calorimetry," explains the grantee, Martina Havenith.

Research Reveals Thermal Instability of Solar Cells but Offers a Bright Path Forward

A new type of solar technology has seemed promising in recent years. Halide perovskite solar cells are both high performing and low cost for producing electrical energy - two necessary ingredients for any successful solar technology of the future. But new solar cell materials should also match the stability of silicon-based solar cells, which boast more than 25 years of reliability.

First-of-its-kind instrument officially ushers in new era of X-ray science

Arizona State University has officially begun a new chapter in X-ray science with a newly commissioned, first-of-its-kind instrument that will help scientists see deeper into matter and living things. The device, called the compact X-ray light source (CXLS), marked a major milestone in its operations as ASU scientists generated its first X-rays on the night of Feb. 2.

Could Space Dust Help Protect the Earth from Climate Change?

Dust launched from the moon's surface or from a space station positioned between Earth and the sun could reduce enough solar radiation to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Space dust as Earth's sun shield

Dust launched from the moon's surface or from a space station positioned between Earth and the sun could reduce enough solar radiation to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The canyons on Pluto's moon, Charon, may have formed from the freezing of an internal ocean

"A combination of geological interpretations and thermal-orbital evolution models implies that Charon had a subsurface liquid ocean that eventually froze," said SwRI's Dr. Alyssa Rhoden, a specialist in the geophysics of icy satellites, particularly those containing oceans, and the evolution of giant planet satellite systems.

PREX, CREX, and Nuclear Models: The Plot Thickens

Recent experiments involving a tiny left-right asymmetry in electron scattering off lead-208 and calcium-48 indicate a disagreement between the experiments' results and the predictions of global nuclear models. This result indicates a need to investigate limitations of current nuclear models or other sources of uncertainty. This has repercussions for scientists studying topics from neutron skins to nuclear symmetry energy to neutron star physics.

Microscopy Images Could Lead to New Ways to Control Excitons for Quantum Computing

Excitons are drawing attention as possible quantum bits (qubits) in tomorrow's quantum computers and are central to optoelectronics and energy-harvesting processes. However, these charge-neutral quasiparticles, which exist in semiconductors and other materials, are notoriously difficult to confine and manipulate. Now, for the first time, Berkeley Lab researchers have created and directly observed highly localized excitons confined in simple stacks of atomically thin materials. The work confirms theoretical predictions and opens new avenues for controlling excitons with custom-built materials.

Optimal Layout for a Hospital Isolation Room to Contain COVID-19 Includes Ceiling Vent

Researchers recently modeled the transmission of COVID-19 within an isolation room at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, U.K. Their goal was to explore the optimal room layout to reduce the risk of infection for health care staff. To accomplish this, they used an adaptive mesh finite-element computational fluid dynamics model to simulate 3D spatial distribution of the virus within the room -- based on data collected from the room during a COVID-19 patient's stay. They share their findings and guidance in Physics of Fluids.

How to reverse unknown quantum processes

In the world around us processes appear to follow a certain time-direction: dandelions eventually turn into blowballs. However, the quantum realm does not play by the same rules. Physicists from the University of Vienna and IQOQI Vienna have now shown that for certain quantum systems the time-direction of processes can be reversed. This demonstration of a so-called rewinding protocol has been published in the Journal "Optica".

Scientists detect molten rock layer hidden under earth's tectonic plates