Bit by bit, physicists are winnowing down the potential masses for hypothetical particles called axions. If they exist, the subatomic particles could make up dark matter, a mysterious source of…
Category: Physics
Drones could help create a quantum internet
The quantum internet may be coming to you via drone. Scientists have now used drones to transmit particles of light, or photons, that share the quantum linkage called entanglement. The…
The new light-based quantum computer Jiuzhang has achieved quantum supremacy
A new type of quantum computer has proven that it can reign supreme, too. A photonic quantum computer, which harnesses particles of light, or photons, performed a calculation that’s impossible…
Galileo’s famous gravity experiment holds up, even with individual atoms
According to legend, Galileo dropped weights off of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, showing that gravity causes objects of different masses to fall with the same acceleration. In recent years,…
A measurement of positronium’s energy levels confounds scientists
Positronium is positively puzzling. A new measurement of the exotic “atom” — consisting of an electron and its antiparticle, a positron — disagrees with theoretical calculations, scientists report in the…
To live up to the hype, quantum computers must repair their error problems
Astronaut John Glenn was wary about trusting a computer. It was 1962, early in the computer age, and a room-sized machine had calculated the flight path for his upcoming orbit…
A newfound quasicrystal formed in the first atomic bomb test
In an instant, the bomb obliterated everything. The tower it sat on and the copper wires strung around it: vaporized. The desert sand below: melted. In the aftermath of the…
Morphing noodles start flat but bend into curly pasta shapes as they’re cooked
This pasta is no limp noodle. When imprinted with carefully designed arrangements of grooves, flat pasta morphs as it cooks, forming tubes, spirals and other shapes traditional for the starchy…
Capturing the sense of touch could upgrade prosthetics and our digital lives
On most mornings, Jeremy D. Brown eats an avocado. But first, he gives it a little squeeze. A ripe avocado will yield to that pressure, but not too much. Brown…
Microscopic images reveal the science and beauty of face masks
Studying fabrics at very high magnification helps determine how some face masks filter out particles better than others. And the close-ups reveal an unseen beauty of the mundane objects that…
