Phonons are discrete units of vibrational energy predicted by quantum mechanics that correspond to collective oscillations of atoms inside a molecule or a crystal. When such vibrations are produced by light interacting with a material, the vibrational energy can...
A new way of enhancing the interactions between light and matter, developed by researchers at MIT and Israel's Technion, could someday lead to more efficient solar cells that collect a wider range of light wavelengths, and new kinds of...
Using the physics equivalent of the strobe photography that captures every twitch of a cheetah in full sprint, researchers have used ultrafast spectroscopy to visualize electrons interacting as a hidden state of matter in a superconductive alloy.
It takes intense,...
The Higgs field is like an endless ocean through which all matter swims. Some particles are like sponges and sop up mass as they lumber along, while others are as sprightly as tiny minnows and dart right through.
The Higgs...
Curvy baseball pitches have surprising things in common with quantum particles described in a new physics study, though the latter fly much more weirdly.
In fact, ultracold paired particles called fermions must behave even weirder than physicists previously thought, according...
Using some of the world's most powerful supercomputers, an international team including scientists from several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories has released the highest-precision calculation of a fundamental property of protons and neutrons known as nucleon axial...
Quantum computers promise to advance certain areas of complex computing. One of the roadblocks to their development, however, is the fact that quantum phenomena, which take place at the level of atomic particles, can be severely affected by environmental...
Experimental results from the XENON1T dark matter detector limit the effective size of dark matter particles to 4.1X10-47 square centimeters—one-trillionth of one-trillionth of a centimeter squared—the most stringent limit yet determined for dark matter as established by the world's...
Any solid surface immersed within a plasma, including those in satellite engines and fusion reactors, is surrounded by a layer of electrical charge that determines the interaction between the surface and the plasma. Understanding the nature of this contact,...
Nearsightedness, or myopia, is an increasing problem around the world. There are now twice as many people in the US and Europe with this condition as there were 50 years ago. In East Asia, 70 to 90 percent of...
Diamond is the strongest naturally occurring material on Earth. It is also renowned for its high stiffness, exceptional thermal conductivity, high chemical resistance, and high optical transparency. Although these remarkable properties make diamond highly desirable for scientific and technological...
