Physicists at Penn State and Columbia University have made a groundbreaking discovery, spotting the “smoking gun” signature of semi-Dirac fermions, a type of quasiparticle predicted by theorists 16 years ago. These quasiparticles exhibit a unique property, behaving like they have mass only when moving in a certain direction. The team used a crystal of the…
Physics on The Soothsayer / page 15
A team of astronomers has discovered that Sun-like stars produce “superflares” around once every 100 years, which is a significant increase from previous estimates of every 3000 to 6000 years. This finding could have important implications for forecasting space weather and understanding the potential impact on Earth’s upper atmosphere, electrical grids, and radio communications. The…
Physicists in the US have made a significant breakthrough in the development of nuclear clocks, a technology that could revolutionize timekeeping and open up new possibilities for scientific research. By using physical vapour deposition (PVD) to create layers of thorium fluoride, researchers have been able to reduce the amount of expensive and radioactive thorium-229 needed…
Researchers at the University of Strathclyde have made a groundbreaking discovery in recycling colloidal quantum dots used in supraparticle lasers. The team developed a simple and practical technique to recover 85% of the quantum dots, which can be reused to build new lasers with a photoluminescence quantum yield comparable to those made from new particles….
Physicists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of particle physics by using the principle of entanglement entropy to study the behavior of quarks and gluons in high-energy electron-proton collisions. The research, led by Kong Tu at Brookhaven National Laboratory, reveals that quarks and gluons in protons are deeply entangled and approach a state…
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new foldable “bottlebrush” polymer network that is both stiff and stretchy. This breakthrough material has the potential to revolutionize various industries, including biomedical devices, wearable electronics, and soft robotics systems. The polymer’s unique properties make it an ideal candidate for…
Physicists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have revisited Voyager 2 data from its 1986 flyby of Uranus, revealing that some of our understanding of the ice-giant planet may be false. The new analysis suggests that the flyby occurred during an anomalous period, with unusual solar activity compressing the planet’s magnetosphere. This finding has significant implications…
Researchers at Wuhan University in China have developed a reusable and biodegradable fibrous foam that can remove up to 99.8% of microplastics from polluted water. The foam, made from biomass wastes, has been successfully field-tested in four natural aquatic environments. This breakthrough could potentially help mitigate the devastating effects of microplastics on ecosystems worldwide. Forecast…
Researchers at Zeta Surgical have developed an algorithm that optimizes the placement of single-element focused transducers in transcranial focused ultrasound treatments, minimizing defocusing and focus shift. This breakthrough has the potential to make brain treatments safer and more successful, particularly for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. The algorithm uses patient CT scans and simulations to…
Researchers at Cornell University have developed magnetically controlled microbots that can operate at the visible-light diffraction limit, allowing them to interact with and shape light effectively. These tiny robots, measuring 5-2 microns in size, can perform up-close imaging and control diffracted light, opening up new possibilities for medical imaging, endoscopic procedures, and high-resolution microscopy. Forecast…