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…”
Category Archives: Quantum Mechanics
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…”
Scanning With a Twist…
How it works: illustration of the quantum twisting microscope in action. Electrons tunnel from the probe (inverted pyramid at the top) to the sample (bottom) in several places at once (green vertical lines) in a quantum-coherent manner. (Courtesy: Weizmann Institute of Science) Topics: Chemistry, Entanglement, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics When the scanning tunneling microscope debuted inContinue reading “Scanning With a Twist…”
Spooky Action Between Friends…
Credit: Petrovich9/Getty Images Topics: Entanglement, Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Research, Theoretical Physics Reference: Albert Einstein colorfully dismissed quantum entanglement—the ability of separated objects to share a condition or state—as “spooky action at a distance.” Science.org For the first time, scientists have observed quantum interference—a wavelike interaction between particles related to the weird quantum phenomenon of entanglement—occurring betweenContinue reading “Spooky Action Between Friends…”
Rule Breakers…
Credit: Matt Harrison Clough (original image at link) Topics: Entanglement, High Energy Physics, Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics Breaking the rules is exciting, especially if they have been held for a long time. This is true not just in life but also in particle physics. Here the rule I’m thinking of is called “lepton flavor universality,”Continue reading “Rule Breakers…”
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…”
Quantum Charging…
Topics: Alternate Energy, Battery, Green Tech, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics Note: I’m in the semifinals of the 3-Minute Thesis competition, so I decided to focus on my presentation. Wish me luck. This does, however, relate to our need as a species to get off fossil fuels as soon as possible, so things like Ukraine, Crimea, andContinue reading “Quantum Charging…”
Aharonov-Bohm Effect…
Topics: General Relativity, Gravity, Modern Physics, Quantum Mechanics The idea that particles can feel the influence of potentials even without being exposed to a force field may seem counterintuitive, but it has long been accepted in physics thanks to experimental demonstrations involving electromagnetic interactions. Now physicists in the US have shown that this so-called Aharonov-BohmContinue reading “Aharonov-Bohm Effect…”
Quantum AI…
Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Materials Science, Quantum Mechanics Quantum materials known as Mott insulators can “learn” to respond to external stimuli in a way that mimics animal behavior, say researchers at Rutgers University in the US. The discovery of behaviors such as habituation and sensitization in these non-living systems could lead to new algorithmsContinue reading “Quantum AI…”
Quantum Exorcism…
Topics: Chemistry, History, Materials Science, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics Thermodynamics is a strange theory. Although it is fundamental to our understanding of the world, it differs dramatically from other physical theories. For that reason, it has been termed the “village witch” of physics.1 Some of the many oddities of thermodynamics are the bizarre philosophical implications of classicalContinue reading “Quantum Exorcism…”
Physics and Nano 