Archive for the ‘particle physics’ category: Page 417
Jul 16, 2019
Have fusion, will travel
Posted by Klaus Baldauf in categories: particle physics, space travel
The idea of propelling rockets and spaceships using the power of the atom is nothing new: the Manhattan Project in the mid-1940s as well as countless endeavours by NASA in the following decades all explored the possibility of using fission-based reactions to provide lift-off thrust. Today, progress made in controlled nuclear fusion has opened a new world of possibilities.
Jul 15, 2019
Path to Million Qubit Quantum Computers Using Atoms and Lasers
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics
Atom Computing is building quantum computers using individually controlled atoms.
Ben has shown that neutral atoms could be more scalable, and could build a stable solution to create and maintain controlled quantum states. He used his expertise to lead efforts at Intel on their 10nm semiconductor chip, and then to lead research and development of the first cloud-accessible quantum computer at Rigetti.
Jul 15, 2019
Physicists Reverse Time for Tiny Particles Inside a Quantum Computer
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: computing, mathematics, particle physics, quantum physics
Time goes in one direction: forward. Little boys become old men but not vice versa; teacups shatter but never spontaneously reassemble. This cruel and immutable property of the universe, called the “arrow of time,” is fundamentally a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics, which dictates that systems will always tend to become more disordered over time. But recently, researchers from the U.S. and Russia have bent that arrow just a bit — at least for subatomic particles.
In the new study, published Tuesday (Mar. 12) in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers manipulated the arrow of time using a very tiny quantum computer made of two quantum particles, known as qubits, that performed calculations. [Twisted Physics: 7 Mind-Blowing Findings]
At the subatomic scale, where the odd rules of quantum mechanics hold sway, physicists describe the state of systems through a mathematical construct called a wave function. This function is an expression of all the possible states the system could be in — even, in the case of a particle, all the possible locations it could be in — and the probability of the system being in any of those states at any given time. Generally, as time passes, wave functions spread out; a particle’s possible location can be farther away if you wait an hour than if you wait 5 minutes.
Jul 15, 2019
The Crisis In Theoretical Particle Physics Is Not A Moral Imperative
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: ethics, particle physics
Why I don’t think problems in particle theory should dictate research directions in other subfields.
Jul 14, 2019
Scientists Just Unveiled The First-Ever Photo of Quantum Entanglement
Posted by Paul Battista in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics
In an incredible first, scientists have captured the world’s first actual photo of quantum entanglement — a phenomenon so strange, physicist Albert Einstein famously described it as ‘spooky action at a distance’.
The image was captured by physicists at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and it’s so breathtaking we can’t stop staring.
It might not look like much, but just stop and think about it for a second: this fuzzy grey image is the first time we’ve seen the particle interaction that underpins the strange science of quantum mechanics and forms the basis of quantum computing.
Jul 14, 2019
Bacteria Could Help Mass-Produce Wonder Material Graphene At Scale
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: particle physics, sustainability
There’s no doubting that graphene, a single layer of graphite with the atoms arranged in a honeycomb hexagonal pattern, is one of science’s most versatile new materials. Capable of doing everything from filtering the color out of whisky to creating body armor that’s stronger than diamonds, graphene exhibits some truly unique qualities. However, while some mainstream uses of graphene have emerged, its use remains limited due to the challenge of producing it at scale. The most common way to make graphene still involves using sticky tape to strip a layer of atoms off ordinary graphite.
That’s something that researchers from the University of Rochester and the Netherlands’ Delft University of Technology have been working to change. They’ve figured out a way to mass produce graphene by mixing oxidized graphite with bacteria. Their method is cost-efficient, time-efficient, and sustainable — and may just make graphene a whole lot more available in the process.
“In our research, we have used bacteria to produce graphene materials on a bulk scale, and we showed that our material is conductive, and both thinner and able to be stored longer than chemically produced graphene materials,” Anne Meyer, professor of biology at the University of Rochester, told Digital Trends. “These properties demonstrate that our bacterial graphene would be well suited for a variety of applications, such as electrical ink or lightweight biosensors. Our approach is also incredibly simple and environmentally friendly compared to chemical approaches. All we have to do is mix our bacteria with the graphene precursor material, and leave them sitting on the benchtop overnight.”
Jul 13, 2019
Welcome to Experiments that Time has Forgotten!
Posted by Richard Christophr Saragoza in categories: particle physics, space
Courtesy of Microcosmos ISBN 0 521 30433 4
© Cambridge University Press 1987
fig. 7.
Continue reading “Welcome to Experiments that Time has Forgotten!” »
Jul 12, 2019
Strange warping geometry helps to push scientific boundaries
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: computing, mathematics, particle physics, space, transportation
Atomic interactions in everyday solids and liquids are so complex that some of these materials’ properties continue to elude physicists’ understanding. Solving the problems mathematically is beyond the capabilities of modern computers, so scientists at Princeton University have turned to an unusual branch of geometry instead.
Researchers led by Andrew Houck, a professor of electrical engineering, have built an electronic array on a microchip that simulates particle interactions in a hyperbolic plane, a geometric surface in which space curves away from itself at every point. A hyperbolic plane is difficult to envision—the artist M.C. Escher used hyperbolic geometry in many of his mind-bending pieces—but is perfect for answering questions about particle interactions and other challenging mathematical questions.
The research team used superconducting circuits to create a lattice that functions as a hyperbolic space. When the researchers introduce photons into the lattice, they can answer a wide range of difficult questions by observing the photons’ interactions in simulated hyperbolic space.
Jul 11, 2019
Super-Asymmetry powered by Wikia
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: cosmology, particle physics, quantum physics
The concept of super-asymmetry is related to super-symmetry string theory.
In particle physics, “supersymmetry” is a proposed type of space-time symmetry that relates two basic classes of elementary particles: bosons, which have an integer-valued spin, and fermions, which have a half-integer spin. Each particle from one group is associated with a particle from the other, known as its super-partner, the spin of which differs by a half-integer.
While most of the science discussed in the show has it’s basis with real-world science, the concept of super-asymmetry is fairly unique to the world of “The Big Bang Theory”. Amy and Sheldon are working on a new theory or concept for string theory and appear to be on the road to a Nobel Prize.