Experimental Physics

Scientists Measure the Shortest Unit of Time Ever in ‘Zeptoseconds’

Credit: BBC UK.The quantity of time it takes a light particle to pass a hydrogen molecule was measured by a team of researchers to produce the smallest unit of time ever. A trillionth of a billionth of a 2nd is the unit of measurement known as a zeptoseconds. That consists of a decimal point,...

Scientists Produce Fusion at 100 Million Kelvin for 20 Seconds

Tokamak geometry and the parameter evolution of a FIRE mode. a, The plasma configuration of a FIRE mode in KSTAR. Credit: Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05008-1A team of researchers connected with several institutions in South Korea, working with two coworkers from Princeton University and one from Columbia University, has accomplished a new milestone in the development of...

The First Room-Temperature Superconductor Has Finally Been Discovered

When squeezed to high pressure between two diamonds (shown), a material made of carbon, sulfur and hydrogen can transmit electricity without resistance at room temperature.It is here: Researchers have reported the exploration of the first room-temperature superconductor after more than one century of waiting.The discovery evokes daydreams of futuristic technologies which could improve electronics...

Key Advance In Physics Research Might Help Enable Super-Efficient Electrical Energy

Superexchange magnetic interactions in transition-metal oxides. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2207449119Today, an international group of scientists led by Séamus Davis, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and University Cork, has announced outcomes that reveal the atomic mechanism behind high-temperature superconductors. The searchings for are released in PNAS.Superconductors are...

Robotic Motion In Curved Space Defies Common Laws of Physics

Experimental realization of a swimmer on a sphere with actuated motors on a freely rotating boom arm. Credit: Georgia TechWhen humans, animals, also machines move throughout the world, they always press against something, whether it is the ground, air, or water. Until currently, physicists thought this to be a constant, following the law of...

New Proof That Water Separates Into Two Different Liquids At Low Temperatures

Credit: CC0 Public DomainA new kind of "phase change" in water was first recommended 30 years ago in a research study by scientists from Boston University. Because the shift has been predicted to happen at supercooled problems, however, confirming its presence has been challenging. That is because, at these low temperatures, water really does...

Physicists Make Significant Gains In Race For Room-Temperature Superconductivity

A team of physicists from UNLV's Nevada Extreme Conditions Lab (NEXCL) used a diamond anvil cell, a research device similar to the one pictured, in their research to lower the pressure needed to observe a material capable of room-temperature superconductivity. Credit: courtesy of NEXCL.Less than 2 years after shocking the science world with the discovery...

Researchers Design Compact High-Power Laser Using Plasma Optics

The L3 HAPLS at ELI Beamlines Research Center in the Czech Republic. Credit: ELI BeamlinesLawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have developed a compact multi-petawatt laser that uses plasma transmission gratings to overcome the power restrictions of traditional solid-state optical gratings. The design might allow the construction of an ultrafast laser up to 1,000...

Three Papers Highlight the Results Of Record 1.3 Megajoule Yield Experiment

On the one-year anniversary of achieving a yield of more than 1.3 megajoules at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility, the scientific results of this record experiment have been published in three peer-reviewed papers: one in Physical Review Letters and two in Physical Review E. This stylized image shows a cryogenic target used for these record-setting inertial fusion experiments. Credit:...

Did the scientists at CERN discover proof of completely novel physics?

The detector at the Large Hadron Collider’s CMS experiment, pictured during the machine’s shutdown. Credit: Samuel Joseph Hertzog, Julien Marius Ordan/CERNAfter running for a decade, there were high expectations that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the colossal accelerator at CERN, would uncover new particles that could aid in the understanding of the most profound mysteries...