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Category: physics – Page 4

The heaviest proton emitter: New type of atomic nucleus discovered

For the first time in almost 30 years, the heaviest nucleus decaying via proton emission has been measured. The previous similar breakthrough was achieved in 1996.

The radioactive decay of atomic nuclei has been one of the keystones of nuclear physics since the beginning of nuclear research. Now the heaviest nucleus decaying via proton emission has been measured in the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The was written as part of an international research collaboration involving experts in theoretical nuclear physics and published in Nature Communications on 29 May 2025.

“Proton emission is a rare form of radioactive decay, in which the nucleus emits a proton to take a step toward stability,” says Doctoral Researcher Henna Kokkonen from the University of Jyväskylä

What if the Big Bang wasn’t the beginning? Research suggests it may have taken place inside a black hole

The Big Bang is often described as the explosive birth of the universe—a singular moment when space, time and matter sprang into existence. But what if this was not the beginning at all? What if our universe emerged from something else—something more familiar and radical at the same time?

In a new paper, published in Physical Review D, my colleagues and I propose a striking alternative. Our calculations suggest the Big Bang was not the start of everything, but rather the outcome of a gravitational crunch or collapse that formed a very massive black hole—followed by a bounce inside it.

This idea, which we call the black hole , offers a radically different view of cosmic origins, yet it is grounded entirely in known physics and observations.

New research challenges everything we know about the Big Bang

The Big Bang is often described as the explosive birth of the universe – a singular moment when space, time and matter sprang into existence. But what if this was not the beginning at all? What if our universe emerged from something else – something more familiar and radical at the same time?

In a new paper, published in Physical Review D, my colleagues and I propose a striking alternative. Our calculations suggest the Big Bang was not the start of everything, but rather the outcome of a gravitational crunch or collapse that formed a very massive black hole – followed by a bounce inside it.

This idea, which we call the black hole universe, offers a radically different view of cosmic origins, yet it is grounded entirely in known physics and observations.

The Physics of Size: Could Mini-Me Jump as High as Full-Size Me?

Sometimes I watch videos on YouTube. There was this fun Veritasium video with an interesting interview question from Google. It goes something like this.

You are shrunk down to the size of a nickel and put in a blender. How do you escape before the blender is turned on?

The answer is apparently that you just jump out. The idea is that a 5 centimeter tall person could jump just as high as a normal sized person. I mean, it sort of makes sense — there are many dogs that can jump as high as a horse, right?

Star quakes and monster shock waves: Researchers simulate a black hole consuming a neutron star

Across the cosmos, many stars can be found in pairs, gracefully circling one another. Yet one of the most dramatic pairings occurs between two orbiting black holes, formed after their massive progenitor stars exploded in supernova blasts. If these black holes lie close enough together, they will ultimately collide and form an even more massive black hole.

Sometimes a black hole is orbited by a neutron star—the dense corpse of a star also formed from a supernova explosion but which contains less mass than a black hole. When these two bodies finally merge, the black hole will typically swallow the neutron star whole.

To better understand the extreme physics underlying such a grisly demise, researchers at Caltech are using supercomputers to simulate black hole–neutron star collisions. In one study appearing in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the team, led by Elias Most, a Caltech assistant professor of theoretical astrophysics, developed the most detailed simulation yet of the violent quakes that rupture a neutron star’s surface roughly a second before the black hole consumes it.

Magnetic curtains on the sun: Solar telescope reveals ultra-fine striations that shape surface dynamics

A team of solar physicists has released a new study shedding light on the fine-scale structure of the sun’s surface. Using the unparalleled power of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, built and operated by the National Solar Observatory (NSO) on Maui, scientists have observed, for the first time ever in such high detail, ultra-narrow bright and dark stripes on the solar photosphere, offering unprecedented insight into how magnetic fields shape solar surface dynamics at scales as small as 20 kilometers (or 12.4 miles).

The level of detail achieved allows us to clearly link these stripes to the ones we see in state-of-the-art simulations—so we can better understand their nature. These stripes, called striations and seen against the walls of solar convection cells known as granules, are the result of curtain-like sheets of magnetic fields that ripple and shift like fabric blowing in the wind.

As light from the hot granule walls passes through these magnetic “curtains,” the interaction produces a pattern of alternating brightness and darkness that traces variations in the underlying . If the field is weaker in the curtain than in its surroundings, it appears dark; if it is relatively stronger, it appears bright.

Squid study sparks interdisciplinary insight into the physics of growth

Often, physics can be used to make sense of the natural world, whether it’s understanding gravitational effects on ocean tides or using powerful physics tools, like microscopes, to examine the inner workings of the cell. But increasingly, scientists are looking at biological systems to spark new insights in physics. By studying squid skin, researchers have identified the first biological instance of a physical phenomenon called “hyperdisorder,” bringing new understanding into how growth can affect physics.

Published in Physical Review X, an interdisciplinary team from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) studied the effect of growth on pattern development within squid skin cells.

By combining experimental imaging methods with theoretical modeling, they found new insights into the unusual arrangement of these cells, and created a general model of hyperdisorder applicable to a wide variety of growing systems.

“Einstein Was Right All Along”: This Atomic Clock on the ISS Is Putting General Relativity to Its Ultimate Test

IN A NUTSHELL 🚀 The PHARAO mission will launch an atomic clock to the International Space Station to test Einstein’s theory of general relativity. ⏰ This clock aims to measure time with unprecedented precision, detecting variations even at levels equivalent to a one-meter altitude change. 🔬 Advances in atomic clock technology, including laser-cooling techniques, enhance

Redefining physics to roll a ball vertically

Researchers from the University of Waterloo have achieved a feat previously thought to be impossible—getting a sphere to roll down a totally vertical surface without applying any external force.

The spontaneous rolling motion, captured by high-speed cameras, was an unexpected observation after months of trial, error, and theoretical calculations by two Waterloo research teams.

“When we first saw it happening, we were frankly in disbelief,” said Dr. Sushanta Mitra, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering and executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology.