Researchers at Brown University have made a groundbreaking discovery in the world of squash, uncovering the physics behind the elusive “nick shot.” This shot, which involves hitting the ball in a way that makes it roll back flat on the ground, has long been a source of fascination for squash players. By using a pressurized…
Science on The Soothsayer / page 8
A groundbreaking experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has shed new light on the behavior of gluons inside atomic nuclei. By studying the rare process of photoproduction, researchers have gained a deeper understanding of how gluons are distributed in nuclear matter, a crucial step towards understanding the nature of protons within nuclei. The…
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery about the origins of little red dot galaxies, tiny, compact galaxies that existed in the early universe. According to a new study, these galaxies were born with almost no spin, which explains their small size. The researchers propose that they formed from dark matter halos with low spin speeds,…
Researchers from Belgium and France have made a significant breakthrough in microwave photonics by developing a single silicon chip that can process both optical and microwave signals. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize wireless communications by enabling smaller, more energy-efficient devices that can transmit high-speed data. The chip’s versatility and scalability make it an…
The James Webb Space Telescope has made history by directly imaging an exoplanet for the first time. The newly discovered world, with a mass similar to Saturn, orbits a young star called TWA 7, which is surrounded by a debris disk. The discovery was made possible by the telescope’s coronagraph, which blocked out the star’s…
A recent study by the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris has discovered that the majority of occupations in the French labour market act as “condenser” occupations, attracting workers from various backgrounds but offering limited options for further mobility. The researchers used a statistical physics analysis to identify four main clusters of jobs, including “diffuser,” “channel,” “hub,”…
Graph theory, a foundational tool in mathematics, has been revolutionizing our understanding of complex systems. Maria Chudnovsky, a leading mathematician at Princeton University, has made significant contributions to the field by solving the decades-old perfect graph problem. This breakthrough has far-reaching implications for various fields, including computer science, biology, and social networks. As researchers continue…
A groundbreaking mission by the European Space Agency’s Proba-3 has successfully replicated total solar eclipses from space, providing unprecedented insights into the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona. The spacecraft pair, orbiting Earth in an elliptical path, create artificial eclipses by lining up to block each other’s view of the sun, capturing data on the corona’s…
Physicists in Japan and India have made a groundbreaking discovery in laser acceleration, which could triple the energies achievable in proton accelerators. The team used computer simulations to design a specially shaped target that enhances the acceleration process, allowing for longer and more efficient acceleration. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize fields such as…
Mathematicians have finally solved a centuries-old problem of how to design a tetrahedron that always lands on one face. The breakthrough, made by a team of researchers led by Gábor Domokos, involves distributing the weight of the tetrahedron unevenly to achieve the desired effect. The team has created a working physical model of the shape,…