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Category: particle physics – Page 151

Decoherence by warm horizons

Recently Danielson, Satishchandran, and Wald (DSW) have shown that quantum superpositions held outside of Killing horizons will decohere at a steady rate. This occurs because of the inevitable radiation of soft photons (gravitons), which imprint a electromagnetic (gravitational) “which-path’’ memory onto the horizon. Rather than appealing to this global description, an experimenter ought to also have a local description for the cause of decoherence. One might intuitively guess that this is just the bombardment of Hawking/Unruh radiation on the system, however simple calculations challenge this idea—the same superposition held in a finite temperature inertial laboratory does not decohere at the DSW rate. In this work we provide a local description of the decoherence by mapping the DSW setup onto a worldline-localized model resembling an Unruh-DeWitt particle detector.

Linus Pauling Was Right: Scientists Confirm Century-Old Electron Bonding Theory

A breakthrough study has validated the existence of a stable single-electron covalent bond between two carbon atoms, supporting Linus Pauling’s early 20th-century theory and opening avenues for chemical research.

Covalent bonds, in which two atoms share a pair of electrons, form the foundation of most organic compounds. In 1931, the Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling suggested that covalent bonds made from just a single, unpaired electron could exist, but these single-electron bonds would likely be much weaker than a standard covalent bond involving a pair of electrons.

Since then, single-electron bonds have been observed, but never in carbon or hydrogen. The search for one-electron bonds shared between carbon atoms has stymied scientists.

Engineers create a chip-based tractor beam for biological particles

Traditional , which trap and manipulate particles using light, usually require bulky microscope setups, but chip-based optical tweezers could offer a more compact, mass manufacturable, broadly accessible, and high-throughput solution for in biological experiments.

However, other similar integrated optical tweezers can only capture and manipulate cells that are very close to or directly on the chip surface. This contaminates the chip and can stress the cells, limiting compatibility with standard biological experiments.

Using a system called an integrated optical phased array, the MIT researchers have developed a new modality for integrated optical tweezers that enables trapping and tweezing of cells more than a hundred times further away from the chip surface.

New materials and techniques show promise for microelectronics and quantum technologies

The next generation of handheld devices requires a novel solution. Spintronics, or , is a revolutionary new field in condensed-matter physics that can increase the memory and logic processing capability of nano-electronic devices while reducing power consumption and production costs. This is accomplished by using inexpensive materials and the magnetic properties of an electron’s spin to perform memory and logic functions instead of using the flow of electron charge used in typical electronics.

New work by Florida State University scientists is propelling spintronics research forward.

Professors Biwu Ma in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Peng Xiong in the Department of Physics work with low-dimensional organic metal halide hybrids, a new class of hybrid materials that can power optoelectronic devices like solar cells, light-emitting diodes, or LEDs and photodetectors.

Evidence of ‘Negative Time’ Found in Quantum Physics Experiment

Physicists showed that photons can seem to exit a material before entering it, revealing observational evidence of negative time.

By Manon Bischoff & Jeanna Bryner

Quantum physicists are familiar with wonky, seemingly nonsensical phenomena: atoms and molecules sometimes act as particles, sometimes as waves; particles can be connected to one another by a “spooky action at a distance,” even over great distances; and quantum objects can detach themselves from their properties like the Cheshire Cat from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland detaches itself from its grin. Now researchers led by Daniela Angulo of the University of Toronto have revealed another oddball quantum outcome: photons, wave-particles of light, can spend a negative amount of time zipping through a cloud of chilled atoms. In other words, photons can seem to exit a material before entering it.

Could adding extra dimensions help solve the quantum gravity puzzle?

Adding extra dimensions to a theory known as “fuzzy gravity” may help bridge the gap between quantum mechanics and relativity.

A recent study has made strides toward solving one of physics’ biggest puzzles: including all known particles and interactions into the theory of quantum gravity.

The solution is to modify the quantum description of gravity dubbed “fuzzy gravity” by introducing extra dimensions to spacetime. In this theory, spacetime is treated not as a continuous entity but by a grid of discrete points, and adding extra dimensions to this grid results in the occurrence of other fields and particles.

Scientists hope a new take on superconductivity could spark more advances in the field

Understanding this unique form of superconductivity is crucial and could lead to exciting applications, like functional quantum computers.

A newly synthesized material made from rhodium, selenium, and tellurium, has been found to exhibit superconductivity at extremely low temperatures.

“The scientists believe the material’s behavior might stem from the excitation of quasiparticles — disturbances within the material that behave like particles — making it a ” topological” superconductor. This is significant because these quasiparticles’ quantum states could potentially be more resilient, remaining stable even when the material or its environment changes.

Thought To Be Impossible: Scientists Propose Groundbreaking Method To Detect Single Gravitons

A quantum sensing experiment now has the potential to identify single gravitons — the particles that make up gravity — which was considered impossible until now. A team led by Stevens professor Igor Pikovski has recently proposed a method to detect individual gravitons, believed to be the quantum building blocks of gravity. They suggest that with advancements in quantum technology, this experiment could become a reality in the near future.

Webb Telescope Unveils New Chemical Insights on Pluto’s Moon Charon

What secrets can Pluto’s moon, Charon, reveal about the formation and evolution of planetary bodies throughout the solar system? This is what a recent study published in Nature Communications hopes to address as an international team of researchers led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to conduct the first-time detection of hydrogen peroxide and carbon dioxide on Charon’s surface, which adds further intrigue to this mysterious moon, along with complementing previous discoveries of water ice, ammonia-bearing species, and organic materials, the last of which scientists hypothesize could explain Charon’s gray and red surface colors.

“The advanced observational capabilities of Webb enabled our team to explore the light scattered from Charon’s surface at longer wavelengths than what was previously possible, expanding our understanding of the complexity of this fascinating object,” said Dr. Ian Wong, who is a staff scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute and a co-author on the study.

Detecting hydrogen peroxide is significant since it forms from the broken-up oxygen and hydrogen atoms after water ice is exposed to cosmic rays, solar wind, or solar ultraviolet light. This indicates that the Sun’s activity influences surface processes so far away, with Charon being approximately 3.7 billion miles from the Sun. The researchers determined that Charon’s carbon dioxide serves as a light coating on Charon’s water-ice heavy surface. While the surface of Charon was studied in-depth from NASA’s New Horizons mission in 2015, these new findings provide greater understanding of the physics-based processes responsible for Charon’s unique surface features.

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