news 2013

Superconductivity and magnetic fields are normally seen as rivals - very strong magnetic fields normally destroy the superconducting state. Physicists have now demonstrated that a novel superconducting state is only created in the material CeCoIn 5 when there are strong external magnetic fields. This state can then be manipulated by modifying the field direction.

A small band of particle-seeking scientists at Yale and Harvard has established a new benchmark for the electron's almost perfect roundness, raising doubts about certain theories that predict what lies beyond physics' reigning model of fundamental forces and particles, the Standard Model.

International team including UAlberta physicist discovers double star that could prove a prediction of Einstein's theory of gravity. In this illustration of an AM CvN binary star system, a small, heavy white dwarf star pulls material from its larger but less dense companion star. This week, astronomers announced the first observation of one of these rare double-star systems in its developing stages.

A team of material scientists, chemical engineers and physicists from the University of Pennsylvania has made another advance in their effort to use liquid crystals as a medium for assembling structures. In their earlier studies, the team produced patterns of "defects," useful disruptions in the repeating patterns found in liquid crystals, in nanoscale grids and rings.

AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have proposed the first design of a cloaking device that uses an external source of energy to significantly broaden its bandwidth of operation. Andrea Alù, associate professor at the Cockrell School of Engineering , and his team have proposed a design for an active cloak that draws energy from a battery, allowing objects to become undetectable to radio sensors over a greater range of frequencies.

The lithium-ion batteries that power our laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles could have significantly higher energy density if their graphite anodes were to be replaced by lithium metal anodes. Hampering this change, however, has been the so-called dendrite problem. Over the course of several battery charge/discharge cycles, particularly when the battery is cycled at a fast rate, microscopic fibers of lithium, called "dendrites," sprout from the surface of the lithium electrode and spread like kudzu across the electrolyte until they reach the other electrode.

South Pole Telescope scientists have detected for the first time a subtle distortion in the oldest light in the universe, which may help reveal secrets about the earliest moments in the universe's formation. The scientists observed twisting patterns in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background—light that last interacted with matter very early in the history of the universe, less than 400,000 years after the Big Bang.

13 Dec 2013 Research by a University of Manchester scientist has been included in the top 10 breakthroughs in physics in 2013, as judged by Physics World magazine. Dr Roman Gorbachev was highly commended for research he and his team carried out the first measurement of Hofstadter's butterfly in a solid-state system.

A molecule containing a noble gas has been discovered in space by a team including astronomers from Cardiff University. The find was made using a Cardiff-led instrument aboard Europe's Herschel Space Observatory. The molecule, argon hydride, was seen in the Crab Nebula, the remains of a star that exploded 1,000 years ago.

Physics World honour latest accolade for IceCube Collaboration scientists, including a team from UAlberta. IceCube Collaboration scientists toast the completion of their Antarctic particle detector in December 2010. Now they have a new reason to cheer. (Photo: Chad Carpenter. IceCube/NSF) It's not every day that one has a hand in creating a new scientific field that could vastly improve our understanding of the universe.

Noble gas molecules have been detected in space for the first time in the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant, by astronomers at UCL. Watch a video explaining the findings Led by Professor Mike Barlow (UCL Physics & Astronomy) the team used ESA's Herschel Space Observatory to observe the Crab Nebula in far infrared light.

An international team of astronomers has measured for the first time the abundance of phosphorus created in a supernova explosion - a vital clue to understanding how life in the universe is possible. The team's observational results show that phosphorus is 100 times more abundant in the remains of a supernova than elsewhere in the galaxy, confirming that massive exploding stars are the crucibles in which the element is created.

Solar cells made with low-cost, nontoxic copper-based quantum dots can achieve unprecedented longevity and efficiency, according to a study by LANL and Sharp Corporation. "For the first time, we have certified the performance of a quantum dot sensitized solar cell at greater than 5 percent, which is among the highest reported for any quantum dot solar cell," said Hunter McDaniel.

When soup is heated, it starts to boil. When time and space are heated, an expanding universe can emerge, without requiring anything like a "Big Bang". This phase transition between a boring empty space and an expanding universe containing mass has now been mathematically described by a research team at the Vienna University of Technology, together with colleagues from Harvard, the MIT and Edinburgh.

A revolutionary instrument that will expedite the discovery of new, artificial forms of matter with unprecedented electronic and magnetic properties will be funded by a $4.13 million gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The new instrument, to be called the Moore CONQUEST (Creation and Observation of Novel Quantum Electronic Structures) facility, will integrate three separate pieces of cutting-edge technology for synthesizing and studying such materials.

Two EPFL scientists have shown how to achieve a dramatic increase in the capacity of optical fibers.

A new technique developed at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source could help scientists better understand and improve the materials required for high-performance lithium-ion batteries that power EVs and other applications. The technique, which uses soft X-ray spectroscopy, measures something never seen before: the migration of ions and electrons in an integrated, operating battery electrode.

At a CERN seminar November 26th, Aliaksandr (Sasha) Pranko of the Physics Division at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) presented key direct evidence that the "Higgs-like" particle discovered at CERN last year does what a Higgs is supposed to do: it couples not only to other bosons but to fermions as well.

For a copy of the paper, go to http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/apl/103/20/10. Nano Electronic Diamond Devices and Systems group Researchers at the University of Glasgow have found an improved method to introduce mobile electronic charge into synthetic diamond. The improved method will increase the stability and performance of electronic components such as transistors made from diamond and lead to a new generation of tough and durable electronic systems that could be used in space.

Contrary to many textbook illustrations, electrons aren't just balls floating around an atom. In quantum theory, they're more like little tops, exhibiting "spin," and each creating its own tiny magnetic field. Learning how best to manipulate these spins could open up technological advances in everything from quantum computers to encryption protocols to highly sensitive detectors.