Lurking for decades: researchers have discovered Pines’ demon, a collection of electrons in a metal that behaves like a massless wave. It is illustrated here as an artist’s impression. (Courtesy: The Grainger College of Engineering/University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) Topics: Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Research, Solid-State Physics, Theoretical Physics For nearly seven decades, a plasmon knownContinue reading “Pines’ Demon…”
Category Archives: Quantum Mechanics
Quantum Slow Down…
Topics: Chemistry, Computer Science, Quantum Computer, Quantum Mechanics Scientists at the University of Sydney have, for the first time, used a quantum computer to engineer and directly observe a process critical in chemical reactions by slowing it down by a factor of 100 billion times. Joint lead researcher and Ph.D. student Vanessa Olaya Agudelo said,Continue reading “Quantum Slow Down…”
Tunnel Falls…
Chip off the old block: Intel’s Tunnel Falls chip is based on silicon spin qubits, which are about a million times smaller than other qubit types. (Courtesy: Intel Corporation) Topics: Applied Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Quantum Computer, Quantum Mechanics Intel – the world’s biggest computer-chip maker – has released its newest quantum chip and has begun shippingContinue reading “Tunnel Falls…”
Beyond Attogram Imaging…
When X-rays (blue color) illuminate an iron atom (red ball at the center of the molecule), core-level electrons are excited. X-ray excited electrons are then tunneled to the detector tip (gray) via overlapping atomic/molecular orbitals, which provide elemental and chemical information about the iron atom. Credit: Saw-Wai Hla Topics: Applied Physics, Instrumentation, Materials Science, Nanomaterials,Continue reading “Beyond Attogram Imaging…”
Straining Moore…
Topics: Applied Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics, Semiconductor Technology Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel who died earlier this year, is famous for forecasting a continuous rise in the density of transistors that we can pack onto semiconductor chips. James McKenzie looks at how “Moore’s law” is still going strong afterContinue reading “Straining Moore…”
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…”
ALPS and Dark Matter…
Magnet row of the ALPS experiment in the HERA tunnel: In this part of the magnets, intense laser light is reflected back and forth, from which axions are supposed to form. Credit: DESY, Marta Maye Topics: Dark Matter, Materials Science, Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics The ALPS (Any Light Particle Search) experiment, which stretches a totalContinue reading “ALPS and Dark Matter…”
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…”
Strange Metals II…
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Topics: Applied Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Metamaterials, Quantum Mechanics The behavior of so-called “strange metals” has long puzzled scientists—but a group of researchers at the University of Toronto may be one step closer to understanding these materials. Electrons are discrete, subatomic particles that flow through wires like molecules of water flowingContinue reading “Strange Metals II…”
Physics and Nano 