An illustration of the structure of an atom. (KTSDesign/SciencePhotoLibrary/Getty Images)An experiment involving the collision of specialized lead atoms with high-speed particles has revealed an astonishing finding.Rather than the expected perfect spherical shape, the core of the isotope known as lead-208 (208Pb) appears unexpectedly flattened.The Surprising Results of the Experiment on Lead-208This discovery indicates that atomic...
Credit: PixabayA groundbreaking experiment smashing special lead atoms with high-speed particles has revealed an unexpected twist in nuclear physics.Physicists from the University of Surrey expected lead-208 (208Pb) to have a perfectly spherical nucleus. Instead, their findings showed a slightly flattened shape, challenging long-held assumptions about atomic structure.A Puzzle at the Heart of Nuclear Physics208Pb...
Credit: PixabayWhen Isaac Newton penned his famous laws of motion in 1687, he likely never imagined they would still spark debate over 300 years later. Writing in Latin, he outlined three fundamental principles governing motion in the universe. Over the centuries, scholars have translated, analyzed, and debated them extensively.However, philosopher of language and mathematics...
Credit: PixabayResearchers have found a way to preserve quantum properties in 3D materials using magnetic confinement. By stabilizing excitons—energy-carrying quasiparticles—through the magnetic properties of chromium sulfide bromide, they address a major challenge in quantum technology.Quantum effects typically only work at small scales, making them hard to apply in real-world systems like quantum computers. However,...
Credit: PixabayIn search of the source of time, University of Surrey physicists Thomas Guff, Chintalpati Umashankar Shastry, and Andrea Rocco examined what they likened to a hot quantum bathtub beneath the endless stretch of eternity.No matter how hard we try, we can't remember what will happen tomorrow—and physicists still don't know why.They didn't find...
Credit: PixabayElectrons forced through a maze of twisted carbon layers behave in unexpected ways. Researchers from the University of British Columbia, the University of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, and Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science have discovered a strange new state of matter in graphene’s electrical currents.Their findings confirm predictions about electron behavior in...
In 1927, physicists gathered to discuss the recent formulation of quantum mechanics, at the Solvay Conference on Physics in Brussels. Many important figures were in attendance, including Werner Heisenberg (back row, third from right) and Erwin Schrödinger (back row, sixth from right.) Albert Einstein is front row center.Pictorial Press Ltd./Alamy Stock PhotoA century ago,...
Researchers have discovered a novel way that surface acoustic waves interact with magnetic materials, leading to a surprising asymmetric diffraction effect. This could revolutionize acoustic-based communication technologies. Credit: SciTechDaily.comBy experimenting with nanoscale magnetic materials, researchers have uncovered an asymmetric diffraction pattern in surface acoustic waves (SAWs)—a phenomenon previously seen only in optics. This breakthrough...
Can quantum systems become more disordered, as thermodynamics would predict? Yes, they can – if a proper definition of “entropy” is used. Credit: TU WienResearchers at TU Wien have resolved a long-standing paradox in quantum entropy, proving that even in isolated quantum systems, disorder naturally increases, aligning quantum mechanics with thermodynamics.The second law of...
Credit: PixabayScientists at the University of Jyväskylä’s Accelerator Laboratory have precisely measured the atomic masses of radioactive lanthanum isotopes, uncovering an unexpected anomaly in their nuclear binding energies. This discovery sheds light on the formation of elements heavier than iron and raises questions about nuclear structure.At the IGISOL facility, researchers produced short-lived, neutron-rich lanthanum...
