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Category: particle physics – Page 26

Physicists create a new kind of time crystal that humans can actually see

Imagine a clock that doesn’t have electricity, but its hands and gears spin on their own for all eternity. In a new study, physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have used liquid crystals, the same materials that are in your phone display, to create such a clock—or, at least, as close as humans can get to that idea. The team’s advancement is a new example of a “time crystal.” That’s the name for a curious phase of matter in which the pieces, such as atoms or other particles, exist in constant motion.

The researchers aren’t the first to make a time crystal, but their creation is the first that humans can actually see, which could open a host of technological applications.

“They can be observed directly under a microscope and even, under special conditions, by the naked eye,” said Hanqing Zhao, lead author of the study and a graduate student in the Department of Physics at CU Boulder.

Atoms, ja, atoms’: Physics pioneer key to microscopy ‘revolution in resolution

Seventy years ago, in Osmond Laboratory on Penn State’s University Park campus, Erwin W. Müller, Evan Pugh Research Professor of Physics, became the first person to “see” an atom. In doing so, Müller cemented his legacy, not only at Penn State, but also as a pioneer in the world of physics and beyond.

Floquet effects unlock graphene’s potential for future electronics

Graphene is an extraordinary material—a sheet of interlocking carbon atoms just one atom thick that is stable and extremely conductive. This makes it useful in a range of areas, such as flexible electronic displays, highly precise sensors, powerful batteries, and efficient solar cells.

A new study—led by researchers from the University of Göttingen, working together with colleagues from Braunschweig and Bremen in Germany, and Fribourg in Switzerland—now takes graphene’s potential to a whole new level. The team has directly observed “Floquet effects” in graphene for the first time.

This resolves a long-standing debate: Floquet engineering—a method in which the properties of a material are very precisely altered using pulses of light—also works in metallic and semi-metallic quantum materials such as graphene. The study is published in Nature Physics.

A twist in spintronics: Chiral magnetic nanohelices control spins at room temperature

Spintronics, or spin-electronics, is a revolutionary approach to information processing that utilizes the intrinsic angular momentum (spin) of electrons, rather than solely relying on electric charge flow. This technology promises faster, more energy-efficient data storage and logic devices. A central challenge in fully realizing spintronics has been the development of materials that can precisely control electron spin direction.

In a new development for spin-nanotechnology, researchers led by Professor Young Keun Kim of Korea University and Professor Ki Tae Nam of Seoul National University have successfully created magnetic nanohelices that can control electron spin.

This technology, which utilizes chiral magnetic materials to regulate electron spin at room temperature, has been published in Science.

Polaritons enable tunable and efficient molecular charge transfer across broader spectrum of light

Polaritons are quasiparticles emerging from strong interactions between light particles (i.e., photons) and matter excitations (e.g., excitons). Over the past few years, researchers have found that these quasiparticles can alter fundamental chemical and physical processes.

Particle detector proves precision as it prepares to probe properties of quark-gluon plasma

A new and powerful particle detector just passed a critical test in its goal to decipher the ingredients of the early universe. The sPHENIX detector is the newest experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and is designed to precisely measure products of high-speed particle collisions.

A light-programmable, dynamic ultrasound wavefront

The notion of a phased array was initially articulated by Nobel Prize recipient K. F. Braun. Phased arrays have subsequently evolved into a formidable mechanism for wave manipulation. This assertion holds particularly true in the realm of ultrasound, wherein arrays composed of ultrasound-generating transducers are employed in various applications, including therapeutic ultrasound, tissue engineering, and particle manipulation.

Importantly, these applications—contrary to those aimed at imaging—demand high-intensity ultrasound, which complicates the electrical driving requirements, as each channel necessitates its own independently operational pulse circuitry and amplifier. Consequently, the majority of phased array transducers (PATs) are constrained to several hundred elements, thereby restricting the capability to shape intricate ultrasound beams.

To date, there exists no scalable methodology for the powering and control of phased array transducers.

The Universe’s Engine Is Changing: DESI Hints Dark Energy Isn’t What We Thought

DESI observations suggest black holes may generate dark energy by consuming stellar matter. The idea resolves puzzles about neutrino mass and cosmic expansion. These are remarkable times for probing some of the most profound mysteries in physics, made possible by advanced experiments and increasi

Here we glow: New organic liquid provides efficient phosphorescence

The nostalgic “glow-in-the-dark” stars that twinkle on the ceilings of childhood bedrooms operate on a phenomenon called phosphorescence. Here, a material absorbs energy and later releases it in the form of light. However, recent demand for softer, phosphorescent materials has presented researchers with a unique challenge, as producing organic liquids with efficient phosphorescence at room temperature is considered difficult.

Now, researchers at the University of Osaka have attempted to tackle this problem by producing an organic liquid that phosphoresces in the ambient environment. This discovery is published in Chemical Science.

Traditional materials that can phosphoresce at contain heavy metal atoms. These phosphors are used to create the colored electronic displays we utilize every day, such as those in our smartphones. Organic materials, which contain carbon and (similar to materials found in nature), are more environmentally friendly.

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