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Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 06.05.2021

Supernovae Twins Open Up New Possibilities for Precision Cosmology
By Bob Cahn Cosmologists have found a way to double the accuracy of measuring distances to supernova explosions - one of their tried-and-true tools for studying the mysterious dark energy that is making the universe expand faster and faster. The results from the Nearby Supernova Factory (SNfactory) collaboration, led by Greg Aldering of the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), will enable scientists to study dark energy with greatly improved precision and accuracy, and provide a powerful crosscheck of the technique across vast distances and time.

Physics - 06.05.2021

Cell cytoskeleton as target for new active agents
Through a unique combination of computer simulations and laboratory experiments, researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have discovered new binding sites for active agents - against cancer, for example - on a vital protein of the cell cytoskeleton. Eleven of the sites hadn't been known before.

Physics - Materials Science - 05.05.2021

A material-keyboard made of graphene
Researchers at ETH Zurich have succeeded in turning specially prepared graphene flakes either into insulators or into superconductors by applying an electric voltage. This technique even works locally, meaning that in the same graphene flake regions with completely different physical properties can be realized side by side.

Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 05.05.2021

FASER is born: new experiment will study particles that interact with dark matter
The newest experiment at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is now in place at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. FASER , or F orw a rd S earch E xpe r iment, was approved by CERN's research board in March 2019. Now installed in the LHC tunnel, this experiment, which seeks to understand particles that scientists believe may interact with dark matter, is undergoing tests before data collection commences next year.

Physics - 04.05.2021

Wireless broadband connectivity enhanced by a new communication design
A study published in the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications , by Konstantinos Dovelos and Boris Bellalta, members of the Wireless Networking research group, with the participation of researchers from Queen's University Belfast (UK). Current wireless networks such as Wi-Fi, LTE-Advanced, etc., work in the lower radio spectrum, below 6 GHz.

Physics - Computer Science - 03.05.2021

ETH Zurich and PSI found Quantum Computing Hub
ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) establish a joint centre for the development of quantum computers. Its aim is to advance the realization of quantum computers based on both ion traps and superconducting components. ETH Zurich provides 32 million francs for this centre, which will host around 30 researchers.

Physics - Health - 03.05.2021

A physics perspective on wound healing
Scientists from the University of Geneva and UZH have used a statistical physics approach to identify the lengthscales of key intercellular interactions which govern tissue healing. In material physics understanding how systems interact across the interfaces separating them is of central interest. But can physical models clarify similar concepts in living systems, such as cells?

Computer Science - Physics - 30.04.2021

’Bat-sense’ tech generates images from sound
Scientists have found a way to equip everyday objects like smartphones and laptops with a bat-like sense of their surroundings. At the heart of the technique is a sophisticated machine-learning algorithm which uses reflected echoes to generate images, similar to the way bats navigate and hunt using echolocation.

Physics - Life Sciences - 30.04.2021

Physicists reveal how motion can be generated by frustration
University of Chicago scientists lay out a theory for the emerging field of non-reciprocal matter When two people want different things, frustration is inevitable. But these non-reciprocal interactions can also occur not just between people, but in the natural world. In a paper published April 14 in the journal Nature , a team of University of Chicago scientists described how systems composed of many objects that have such non-reciprocal interactions can evolve in surprising ways.

Physics - Computer Science - 29.04.2021

Machine learning algorithm helps unravel the physics underlying quantum systems
Scientists from the University's Quantum Engineering Technology Labs (QETLabs) have developed an algorithm that provides valuable insights into the physics underlying quantum systems - paving the way for significant advances in quantum computation and sensing, and potentially turning a new page in scientific investigation.

Physics - Chemistry - 29.04.2021

How acidic are atoms?
The acidity of molecules can be easily determined, but until now it was not possible to measure this important property for atoms on a surface. With a new microscopy technique from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), this has now been achieved. The degree of acidity or alkalinity of a substance is crucial for its chemical behavior.

Physics - Health - 28.04.2021

The shape of light changes our vision
Scientists at the UNIGE have shown that the response of the retina to light depends not only on the intensity of the light perceived by the eye, but also on its temporal shape and the order in which the colours are organized. Vision is a complex process that has been successfully deciphered by many disciplines -physics, biochemistry, physiology, neurology, etc.-: The retina captures light, the optic nerve transmits electrical impulses to the brain, which ultimately generates the perception of an image.

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 28.04.2021

Black hole-neutron star collisions may settle dispute over Universe’s expansion
Studying the violent collisions of black holes and neutron stars may soon provide a new measurement of the Universe's expansion rate, helping to resolve a long-standing dispute, suggests a new simulation study led by researchers at UCL. Our two current best ways of estimating the Universe's rate of expansion - measuring the brightness and speed of pulsating and exploding stars, and looking at fluctuations in radiation from the early Universe - give very different answers, suggesting our theory of the Universe may be wrong.

Physics - Materials Science - 27.04.2021

Ion Beams Mean a Quantum Leap for Color-Center Qubits
A new way to form self-aligned 'color centers' promises scalability to over 10,000 qubits for applications in quantum sensing and quantum computing. -By Joe Chew Achieving the immense promise of quantum computing requires new developments at every level, including the computing hardware itself.  A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)-led international team of researchers has discovered a way to use ion beams to create long strings of "color center" qubits in diamond.

Health - Physics - 26.04.2021

Scientists design ’nanotraps’ to catch and clear coronavirus from tissue
Potential COVID-19 treatment pairs nanoparticles with immune system to search and destroy viruses Researchers at the University of Chicago have designed a completely novel potential treatment for COVID-19: nanoparticles that capture SARS-CoV-2 viruses within the body and then use the body's own immune system to destroy them.

Physics - Materials Science - 26.04.2021

Advances for the application of nanofluids to energy storage systems
Energy storage systems are key technologies for achieving the transition to renewable energies, which can become more viable if the energy efficiency of the former improves. At present, more than 70% of concentrated solar power systems have integrated thermal energy storage (TES). Such power plants reached an installed capacity of 4.5 GW at the end of 2019.

Physics - Electroengineering - 26.04.2021

New measurements call spin liquids into question
Is it possible to transmit information through a material in the form of electron spins? New measurements show: not in the way that scientists had been working on for decades. It is an old dream of solid-state physics: "spin liquids" are a hypothetical state of matter with exotic magnetic properties.

Physics - Innovation - 23.04.2021

Energy-saving gas turbines from the 3D printer
Neutrons "see" internal stress in components from additive manufacturing 3D printing has opened up a completely new range of possibilities. One example is the production of novel turbine buckets. However, the 3D printing process often induces internal stress in the components which can in the worst case lead to cracks.

Physics - 23.04.2021

Quantum steering for more precise measurements
Quantum systems consisting of several particles can be used to measure magnetic or electric fields more precisely. A young physicist at the University of Basel has now proposed a new scheme for such measurements that uses a particular kind of correlation between quantum particles. In quantum information, the fictitious agents Alice and Bob are often used to illustrate complex communication tasks.

Physics - 22.04.2021

Asteroseismologists confirm that older stars rotate faster than expected
Stars spin faster than expected as they age according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Birmingham which uses asteroseismology to shed new light on this emerging theory. All stars, like the Sun, are born spinning. As they grow older, their spin slows down due to magnetic winds in a process called 'magnetic braking'.