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Physics - 10:02

Chasing neutrinos in Greenland
VUB leads pioneering project to search for cosmic particles from space with radio antennas Researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) are part of a unique installation on the Greenland ice cap that will try to observe almost elusive particles from space. The Radio Neutrino Observatory Greenland (RNO-G) is a pioneering project that uses a new method to detect cosmic neutrinos with very high energy using radio antennas.

Materials Science - Physics - 29.07.2021

Simulated microgravity system created to experiment with materials
Crystallization studies conducted in space laboratories, which are costly and unaffordable for most research laboratories, showed the valuable effects of microgravity during the crystal growth process and the morphogenesis of materials. Now, a research study led by a scientific team of the University of Barcelona, has created an easy and efficient method to achieve experimentation conditions of microgravity on Earth that simulate those in space.

Physics - Materials Science - 29.07.2021

Spin-sonics: Acoustic wave gets the electrons spinning: Team of researchers first to demonstrate spin of a nano-sonic wave
A team of German and American researchers from Augsburg, Münster, Edmonton, West Lafayette and Munich have detected the rolling movement of a nano-acoustic wave predicted by the famous physicist and Nobel prize-winner Lord Rayleigh in 1885. In a study published in the journal "Science Advances", the researchers use a nanowire inside which electrons are forced onto circular paths by the spin of the acoustic wave.

Physics - Chemistry - 29.07.2021

High-precision frequency measurement
Many scientific experiments require highly precise time measurements with the help of a clearly defined frequency. Now, a new approach allows the direct comparison of frequency measurements in the lab with the atomic clock in Bern, Switzerland. For many scientific experiments, today's researchers require a precise reference frequency that allows them to calibrate the time measurements made by their equipment.

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 27.07.2021

On the hunt for ’hierarchical’ black holes
Black holes, detected by their gravitational wave signal as they collide with other black holes, could be the product of much earlier parent collisions. Such an event has only been hinted at so far, but scientists at the University of Birmingham in the UK, and Northwestern University in the US, believe we are getting close to tracking down the first of these so-called 'hierarchical' black holes.

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 26.07.2021

Planets form in binary systems without getting crushed
Astronomers have developed the most realistic model to date of planet formation in binary star systems. Planet formation in binary systems is more complicated, because the companion star acts like a giant eggbeater, dynamically exciting the protoplanetary disc Roman Rafikov The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute for Extra-terrestrial Physics, have shown how exoplanets in binary star systems - such as the 'Tatooine' planets spotted by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope - came into being without being destroyed in their chaotic birth environment.

Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 26.07.2021

On eternal imbalance
Some physical systems, especially in the quantum world, do not reach a stable equilibrium even after a long time. An ETH researcher has now found an elegant explanation for this phenomenon. If you put a bottle of beer in a big bathtub full of ice-cold water, it won't be long before you can enjoy a cold beer.

Life Sciences - Physics - 26.07.2021

New imaging system brings brains into sharper focus
One of the greatest challenges in science is the study of the brain's anatomy and cellular architecture. Accurately visualising the brain's complex structure at high resolutions is critically important for improving our understanding of the functions of the central nervous system. A promising new technique, developed by scientists in Italy, the UK and Germany, is now bringing the microscopic details of the brain into sharper focus even over macroscopic volumes.

Chemistry - Physics - 22.07.2021

Silicon with a Two-Dimensional Structure
Heidelberg chemists succeed in producing synthesis and complete characterisation for the first time Silicon, a semi-metal, bonds in its natural form with four other elements and its three-dimensional structure takes the form of a tetrahedron. For a long time, it seemed impossible to achieve the synthesis and characterisation of a two-dimensional equivalent - geometrically speaking, a square.

Physics - 22.07.2021

Gaming graphics card allows faster, more precise control of fusion energy experiments
UW researchers have developed a method that uses a gaming graphics card to control plasma formation in their prototype fusion reactor. Shown here is a view from inside the reactor: Plasma (bright streams) enters from the injectors on the top of the device and then organizes into a ring around the two cones visible in the middle (view here is from the side of the ring).

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 21.07.2021

Long-period oscillations of the Sun discovered
Ten years of data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory combined with numerical models reveal the deep low musical notes of the Sun   (mps) A team of solar physicists led by Professor Laurent Gizon of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) and the University of Göttingen in Germany has reported the discovery of global oscillations of the Sun with very long periods, comparable to the 27-day solar rotation period.

Physics - Chemistry - 20.07.2021

Laser improves the time resolution of CryoEM
Scientists have devised a new method that can speed up the real-time observation capabilities of cryo-electron microscopy. In 2017, Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their contributions to cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM), an imaging technique that can capture pictures of biomolecules such as proteins with atomic precision.

Materials Science - Physics - 20.07.2021

Plasma tech could replace one of world’s rarest materials
New plasma coating technology could see the phase-out of rare earth metal indium that is used in smartphone glass and dimmable windows, which is predicted to run out in 10 years. A team led by a researcher from the University of Sydney has developed a low-cost, sustainable, and readily available technology that can dim the screens of electronic devices, anti-reflection automobile mirrors, and smart architectural windows at a fraction of the cost of current technology.  It would replace one of the world's scarcest - yet highly ubiquitous in use - modern materials: indium.

Physics - Chemistry - 20.07.2021

Main Attraction: Scientists Create World’s Thinnest Magnet
A one-atom-thin 2D magnet developed by Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley could advance new applications in computing and electronics The development of an ultrathin magnet  that operates at room temperature could lead to new applications in computing and electronics - such as high-density, compact spintronic memory devices - and new tools for the study of quantum physics.

Physics - 19.07.2021

Understanding the physics in new metals
Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), working in an international team, have developed a new method for complex X-ray studies that will aid in better understanding so-called correlated metals. These materials could prove useful for practical applications in areas such as superconductivity, data processing, and quantum computers.

Life Sciences - Physics - 19.07.2021

Deconstructing the Infectious Machinery of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus
Scientists collaborate to model the complex protein responsible for SARS-CoV-2 replication, revealing its potential weak spots for drug development In February 2020 , a trio of bio-imaging experts were sitting amiably around a dinner table at a scientific conference in Washington, D.C., when the conversation shifted to what was then a worrying viral epidemic in China.

Physics - 16.07.2021

Simplified method for calibrating optical tweezers: Broadband measurement of viscoelasticity with reduced measurement time
Measurements of biomechanical properties inside living cells require minimally invasive methods. Optical tweezers are particularly attractive as a tool. It uses the momentum of light to trap and manipulate microor nanoscale particles. A team of researchers led by Cornelia Denz from the University of Münster has now developed a simplified method to perform the necessary calibration of the optical tweezers in the system under investigation.

Life Sciences - Physics - 15.07.2021

The virus trap
Hollow nano-objects made of DNA could trap viruses and render them harmless To date, there are no effective antidotes against most virus infections. An interdisciplinary research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now developed a new approach: they engulf and neutralize viruses with nano-capsules tailored from genetic material using the DNA origami method.

Physics - Chemistry - 14.07.2021

Nanosphere at the quantum limit
Researchers at ETH Zurich have trapped a tiny sphere measuring a hundred nanometres using laser light and slowed down its motion to the lowest quantum mechanical state. Based on this, one can study quantum effects in macroscopic objects and build extremely sensitive sensors. Why can atoms or elementary particles behave like waves according to quantum physics, which allows them to be in several places at the same time?

Physics - 14.07.2021

Heisenberg Under the Microscope
The quantum movements of a small glass sphere could be controlled for the first time in Vienna by combining microscopy with control engineering, setting the course for future quantum technologies. A football is not a quantum particle. There are crucial differences between the things we know from everyday life and tiny quantum objects.