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Category: particle physics

QUT researchers have identified a new material which could be used as a flexible semiconductor in wearable devices by using a technique that focuses on the manipulation of spaces between atoms in crystals.

In a study published in Nature Communication, the researchers used “vacancy engineering” to enhance the ability of an AgCu(Te, Se, S) semiconductor, which is an alloy made up of silver, copper, tellurium, selenium and sulfur, to convert body heat into electricity.

Vacancy engineering is the study and manipulation of empty spaces, or “vacancies,” in a crystal where atoms are missing, to influence the material’s properties, such as improving its mechanical properties or optimizing its electrical conductivity, or thermal properties.

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A team of Lehigh University researchers has successfully predicted abnormal grain growth in simulated polycrystalline materials for the first time—a development that could lead to the creation of stronger, more reliable materials for high-stress environments, such as combustion engines. A paper describing their novel machine learning method was recently published in Nature Computational Materials.

“Using simulations, we were not only able to predict abnormal grain growth, but we were able to predict it far in advance of when that growth happens,” says Brian Y. Chen, an associate professor of computer science and engineering in Lehigh’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science and a co-author of the study. “In 86% of the cases we observed, we were able to predict within the first 20% of the lifetime of that material whether a particular grain will become abnormal or not.”

When metals and ceramics are exposed to continuous heat—like the temperatures generated by rocket or airplane engines, for example—they can fail. Such materials are made of crystals, or grains, and when they’re heated, atoms can move, causing the crystals to grow or shrink. When a few grains grow abnormally large relative to their neighbors, the resulting change can alter the material’s properties. A material that previously had some flexibility, for instance, may become brittle.

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Researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have proposed a key indicator that may reveal the emergence of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) by analyzing particle “fingerprints” generated in heavy-ion collisions.

Published in Physics Letters B, the study provides a new perspective for exploring the evolution of matter in the .

About 13.8 billion years ago, within a millionth of a second after the Big Bang, the universe existed in an ultra-hot and dense state. Instead of protons and neutrons, the fundamental building blocks of matter were free quarks and gluons—a unique state known as QGP. As the universe expanded and cooled, the QGP gradually condensed into the we recognize today.

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Working with the Quantum Statistical Physics (PQS) group, Dengis developed a protocol for rapidly generating NOON states. “These states, which look like miniature versions of Schrödinger’s famous cat, are quantum superpositions,” he explains. “They are of major interest for technologies such as ultra-precise quantum sensors or quantum computers.”

The obstacle of time

The main challenge? Manufacturing these states normally takes far too long. We’re talking tens of minutes or more, which often exceeds the lifetime of the experiment. The cause? An energy bottleneck, a “sharp bend” in the system’s evolution that forces it to slow down.

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Asymmetric interactions between molecules may serve as a stabilizing factor for biological systems. A new model by researchers in the Department of Living Matter Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) reveals the regulatory role of non-reciprocity.

The scientists aim to understand the physical principles based on which particles and molecules are able to form living beings, and eventually, organisms. The work is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Most organizations, including companies, societies, or nations, function best when each member carries out their assigned role. Moreover, this efficiency often relies on spatial organization, which arose due to rules or emerged naturally via learning and . At the , cells operate in a similar way, with different components handling .

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“Metaphysical Experiments: Physics and the Invention of the Universe” by Bjørn Ekeberg Book Link: https://amzn.to/4imNNk5

“Metaphysical Experiments, Physics and the Invention of the Universe,” explores the intricate relationship between physics and metaphysics, arguing that fundamental metaphysical assumptions profoundly shape scientific inquiry, particularly in cosmology. The author examines historical developments from Galileo and Newton to modern cosmology and particle physics, highlighting how theoretical frameworks and experimental practices are intertwined with philosophical commitments about the nature of reality. The text critiques the uncritical acceptance of mathematical universality in contemporary physics, suggesting that cosmology’s reliance on hypological and metalogical reasoning reveals a deep-seated faith rather than pure empirical validation. Ultimately, the book questions the limits and implications of a science that strives for universal mathematical truth while potentially overlooking its own inherent complexities and metaphysical underpinnings. Chapter summaries:
- Cosmology in the Cave: This chapter examines the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva to explore the metaphysics involved in the pursuit of a “Theory of Everything” linking subatomic physics to cosmology.
- Of God and Nature: This chapter delves into the seventeenth century to analyze the invention of the universe as a concept alongside the first telescope, considering the roles of Galileo, Descartes, and Spinoza.
- Probability and Proliferation: This chapter investigates the nineteenth-century shift in physics with the rise of probabilistic reasoning and the scientific invention of the particle, focusing on figures like Maxwell and Planck.
- Metaphysics with a Big Bang: This chapter discusses the twentieth-century emergence of scientific cosmology and the big bang theory, shaped by large-scale science projects and the ideas of Einstein and Hawking.
- Conclusion: This final section questions the significance of large-scale experiments like the JWST as metaphysical explorations and reflects on our contemporary scientific relationship with the cosmos.

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Chemists have confirmed a 67-year-old theory about vitamin B1 by stabilizing a reactive molecule in water—a feat long thought impossible. The discovery not only solves a biochemical mystery, but also opens the door to greener, more efficient ways of making pharmaceuticals.

The molecule in question is a carbene, a type of carbon atom with only six valence electrons. Generally, carbon is stable with eight electrons around it. With only six electrons, it is chemically unstable and highly reactive. In water, it usually decomposes instantly. But for decades, scientists have suspected that vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, may form a carbene-like structure in our cells to carry out vital reactions in the body.

Now, for the first time, researchers have not only generated a stable carbene in water, they’ve also isolated it, sealed it in a tube, and watched it stay intact for months. This discovery is documented in a paper published last week in Science Advances.

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Catalytic conversion of waste CO2 into value-added fuels and chemicals offers unprecedented opportunities for both environmental protection and economic development. Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has garnered significant attention for its ability to efficiently convert CO2 into clean chemical energy under mild conditions. However, the relatively high energy barrier for *COOH intermediate formation often becomes the determining step in CO2RR, significantly limiting reaction efficiency.

Inspired by , a team led by Prof. Jiang Hai-Long and Prof. Jiao Long from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) developed a novel strategy to stabilize *COOH intermediate and enhance electrochemical CO2 reduction by constructing and modulating the hydrogen-bonding microenvironment around catalytic sites. Their work is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In this work, the team co-grafted catalytically active Co(salen) units and proximal pyridyl-substituted alkyl (X-PyCn) onto Hf-based MOF nanosheets (MOFNs) via a post decoration route, affording Co&X-PyCn/MOFNs (X = o, m or p representing the ortho-, meta-, or para-position of pyridine N relative to alkyl chain; n = 1 or 3 representing the carbon atom number of alkyl chains) materials.

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