Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, Modern Physics, Superconductors It’s one of the most stubborn open questions of modern physics: What’s the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity? All superconductors need some way of binding their electrons, which are fermions, into quasiparticles called Cooper pairs, which act as bosons. The low-temperature superconductivity in metals is well describedContinue reading “Superconductivity and Electron Pairs…”
Category Archives: Modern Physics
Algebraic Analysis…
Masaki Kashiwara—Abel Prize Laureate 2025. Peter Badge/Typos1/The Abel Prize Topics: Abel Prize, Mathematics, Modern Physics, Research Masaki Kashiwara, this year’s Abel Prize winner, co-founded a new field of mathematics called algebraic analysis. One of the landmarks of Kyoto, the home of mathematician Masaki Kashiwara, is the Kamo River. At certain points, there are stepping stonesContinue reading “Algebraic Analysis…”
Challenging the Standard Model…
Excited helium nuclei inflate like balloons, offering physicists a chance to study the strong nuclear force which binds the nucleus’s protons and neutrons. Kristina Armitage/Quanta Magazine Topics: Modern Physics, Nobel Prize, Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Steven Weinberg, Theoretical Physics A new measurement of the strong nuclear force, which binds protons and neutrons together, confirms previousContinue reading “Challenging the Standard Model…”
Quantum Vortexes…
A new study by KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stanford University revises of our understanding of quantum vortices in superconductors. Pictured, an artist’s depiction of quantum vortices. Credit: Greg Stewart, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Topics: Modern Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Research, Superconductors Within superconductors little tornadoes of electrons, known as quantum vortices, can occur, whichContinue reading “Quantum Vortexes…”
Removing the Spookiness…
Conceptual artwork of a pair of entangled quantum particles. Credit: Science Photo Library/Alamy Stock Photo Topics: Modern Physics, Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Theoretical Physics Quantum entanglement is a complex phenomenon in physics that is usually poorly described as an invisible link between distant quantum objects that allows one to instantly affect the other. Albert Einstein famously dismissedContinue reading “Removing the Spookiness…”
Slits in Time…
The classic double-slit experiment leads to characteristic interference patterns. Credit: Russell Knightly/SPL Topics: Modern Physics, Optics, Quantum Mechanics A celebrated experiment in 1801 showed that light passing through two thin slits interferes with itself, forming a characteristic striped pattern on the wall behind. Now, physicists have shown that a similar effect can arise with twoContinue reading “Slits in Time…”
Flashing Droplets, Optical Tweezers…
Atomic analog: when a beam of light is shone into a water droplet, the light is trapped inside. (Courtesy: Javier Tello Marmolejo) Topics: Modern Physics, Optics, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Optics, Research Light waves confined in an evaporating water droplet provide a useful model of the quantum behavior of atoms, researchers in Sweden and Mexico haveContinue reading “Flashing Droplets, Optical Tweezers…”
Fusion Shot in the Arm…
A laser fusion power plant proposed by Longview Fusion Energy Systems would generate 1000 MWh or more of electricity. The plant would compress fusion fuel by using an indirect drive, the same approach used at the National Ignition Facility, which in December announced that it had produced ignition and gain, the first time that fusion researchersContinue reading “Fusion Shot in the Arm…”
Graphullerene…
Credit: Nicoletta Barolini Topics: Chemistry, Graphene, Materials Science, Modern Physics, Nanotechnology Graphullerene, an atom-thin material made of linked fullerene subunits, gives scientists a new form of modular carbon to play with. Carbon, in its myriad forms, has long captivated the scientific community. Besides being the primary component of all organic life on earth, material formsContinue reading “Graphullerene…”
Quipu…
Topics: Lasers, Modern Physics, Quantum Computer, Quantum Mechanics Physicists have devised a mind-bending error-correction technique that could dramatically boost the performance of quantum computers. When the ancient Incas wanted to archive tax and census records, they used a device made up of a number of strings called a quipu, which encoded the data in knots. Fast-forwardContinue reading “Quipu…”
Physics and Nano 