Making Matter from Collisions of Light
Scientists have used a powerful particle accelerator to create matter (and antimatter)--electrons (and positrons)--directly from collisions of light. The idea of creating matter from light stems from Einstein's famous E=mc2 equation, but using light energy to test this idea--and proving that the photons are real and long-lived, not "virtual" and short-lived--has been challenging. This marks the first time scientists have achieved this process in a single direct step.
New footprinting technique helps answer questions about proteins in living systems
Chemists demonstrated an innovative footprinting method to answer questions about proteins in biological systems with applications in drug design, binding and screening.
Tug of sun, moon could be driving plate motions on 'imbalanced' Earth
A study led by geophysicist Anne M. Hofmeister proposes that imbalanced forces and torques in the Earth-moon-sun system drive circulation of the whole mantle. The new analysis provides an alternative to the hypothesis that the movement of tectonic plates is related to convection currents in the Earth's mantle.
Gender bias in lab groups not rooted in personal preference
Gender bias in physics labs - where women typically work more on the computer and on communication tasks, while men more often handle equipment - is not rooted in personal preference, according to new Cornell research.
Researchers simulate SARS-COV-2 transmission and infection on airline flights
A study published in Indoor Air simulated the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on a flight from London to Hanoi and on another flight from Singapore to Hangzhou.
Towards quantum simulation of false vacuum decay
Phase transitions are everywhere, ranging from water boiling to snowflakes melting, and from magnetic transitions in solids to cosmological phase transitions in the early universe.
Impossible material made possible inside a graphene sandwich
Atoms bind together by sharing electrons. The way this happens depends on the atom types but also on conditions such as temperature and pressure. In two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene, atoms join along a plane to form structures just one atom thick, which leads to fascinating properties determined by quantum mechanics. Researchers at the University of Vienna in collaboration with the Universities of Tubingen, Antwerp and CY Cergy Paris, together with Danubia NanoTech, have produced a new 2D material made of copper and iodine atoms sandwiched between two graphene sheets. The results were published in the journal Advanced Materials.
For the First Time, Scientists Rigorously Calculate Three-Particle Scattering from Theory
Quarks and gluons are found deep inside protons and neutrons but also combine in less common configurations to make other subatomic particles. A new theory method aids in scientists' efforts to study these configurations by predicting which less-common particles an experiment will produce. The method allowed physicists to make the first complete numerical prediction from theory for a three-particle system consisting of three positively charged pions.
Physics of cilia explain sperm's successful swimming
Sperm can't claim all the credit for their strong swimming. Carpets of tiny hairs lining the inside of the fallopian tubes give them an extra boost, propelling them upwards. Now, UO theoretical physicist John Toner has an explanation for how these hairs, called cilia, move fluids and small particles in the body. He's created a mathematical model that explains how the cilia align to move particles in a consistent direction. The fluid flowing above the cilia help the hairs to wave in the same direction and push the particles along. He and his colleagues describe the equations in two new papers, published in December in Physical Review E and Physical Review Letters.
Automating Blood Smears for Easier Malaria Diagnosis
In Review of Scientific Instruments, researchers have developed devices to automate blood smears. Their devices, called autohaem smear and smear+, can consistently create high-quality smears equivalent to those created by human experts, automating the smearing process so every smear is correct and consistent. A key goal of the project was to make the devices accessible to as many people as possible, so the researchers designed their devices to be easy to build, using readily available or 3D-printed components.
Owl Wing Design Reduces Aircraft, Wind Turbine Noise Pollution
In Physics of Fluids, researchers used the characteristics of owl wings to inform airfoil design and significantly reduce trailing-edge noise. The team used noise calculation and analysis software to conduct a series of detailed theoretical studies of simplified airfoils with characteristics reminiscent of owl wings. They applied their findings to suppress the noise of rotating machinery. Improving the flow conditions around the trailing edge and optimizing the shape of the edge suppressed the noise.
New research may help scientists unravel the physics of the solar wind
A new study led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers, using data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe, provides insight into how solar wind is generated and accelerated, bringing scientists one step closer to being able to predict "space weather."
Department of Energy Announces $6 Million for Plasma Science Research
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a plan to provide up to $6 million to support frontier plasma science experiments at several plasma research facilities across the nation.
Forging Solar Energy Solutions One Perovskite at a Time
How one UNLV student's research could help NASA land a space probe on Venus.
Ironing out the interiors of exoplanets
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and collaborators have used lasers at the National Ignition Facility to experimentally determine the high-pressure melting curve and structural properties of pure iron up to 1,000 GPa (nearly 10,000,000 atmospheres), three times the pressure of Earth's inner core and nearly four times greater pressure than any previous experiments to model the interior structure and dynamics of expolanets.
Go on a science adventure with PPPL's Science on Saturday Lecture series
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's Science on Saturday lecture series features cutting-edge science talks by researchers from around the country. It will be held online again this year beginning Jan. 29
Live Celebration, Q&A: Brookhaven Lab's 75th Anniversary
Brookhaven National Laboratory will kick-off its 75th anniversary with a live-streamed celebration. Meet three of the Lab's leaders as they share their vision for the future of particle physics, climate science, quantum information science, and more. Then, the panel will answer questions from a live, virtual audience.
Partnership focuses on cutting-edge glass technology
The University of Adelaide's Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) has partnered with The Coretec Group, Inc. to develop a glass to be used in the US company's CSpace, a 3D static volumetric display technology. This project will be jointly funded by the University of Adelaide.
Avoiding Chains of Magnetic Islands May Lead to Fusion Paradise
Magnetic confinement fields in tokamaks can contain areas called magnetic islands in which plasma particles move extra quickly, preventing the plasma from reaching fusion temperatures. Researchers have now observed the spontaneous formation of a structure in the plasma with multiple magnetic islands. These "heteroclinic islands" do not merge into each other while embedded in a larger magnetic field tube. This information will aid the design and operation of future fusion reactors.
Common household cleaner can boost effort to harvest fusion energy on Earth
Path-setting findings demonstrate for the first time a novel regime for confining heat in stellarators. The demonstration could advance the twisty design as a blueprint for future fusion power plants.
Artificially altered material could accelerate neuromorphic device development
Neuromorphic devices -- which emulate the decision-making processes of the human brain -- show great promise for solving pressing scientific problems, but building physical systems to realize this potential presents researchers with a significant challenge. An international team has gained additional insights into a material compound called vanadium oxide, or VO2, that might be the missing ingredient needed to complete a reliable neuromorphic recipe.
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Better than donuts? Here are a baker's dozen of research stories from 2021 at PPPL that you don't want to miss
Thirteen stories that highlight PPPL findings during the past year.
Say hello to a record-setting isotope
In collaboration with an international team of researchers, Michigan State University has helped create the world's lightest version, or isotope, of magnesium to date. Forged at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at MSU, or NSCL, this isotope is so unstable, it falls apart before scientists can measure it directly. Yet this isotope that isn't keen on existing can help researchers better understand how the atoms that define our existence are made.