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Tracking hydrogen movement using subatomic particles

A Japanese collaboration has successfully tracked hydrogen movement in solids using negative muons, a technique that could aid the development of hydrogen storage materials. By detecting local nuclear magnetic fields, researchers were able to study the dynamics of light elements in a solid from the fixed point of the nucleus.

SourceOsaka University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateSep 26, 2018

Not so elementary

A team of international physicists, including UC Santa Barbara postdoctoral scholar Manuel Franco Sevilla, reviewed results from three experiments that suggest lepton universality may need to be revised. The findings, published in Nature, indicate a higher-than-expected tau decay rate in all three experiments.

Recipe for muon pair creation, in theory

A Japanese physicist has developed new ways to create muonium atoms through particle collisions, offering advancements in detection and applications in proton size measurements. The second method using a positively charged muon colliding with a muonic hydrogen atom shows the most promise for future experiments.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal D·DateJan 18, 2016

Getting to the core of Fukushima

A study in AIP Advances describes a muon imaging technique that could help assess damage within the reactor's core, locate melted fuel and potentially reduce radiation doses. The method uses naturally occurring muons to image dense objects, offering advantages over traditional muon imaging.

SourceAmerican Institute of Physics·JournalAIP Advances·DateAug 7, 2013

The proton -- smaller than thought

Physicists have measured the proton's charge radius with an accuracy of better than one thousandth of a femtometre, significantly deviating from previous measurements. This change affects the Rydberg constant used to calculate energy packets absorbed and emitted by atoms and molecules.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalNature·DateJul 12, 2010

Cosmic rays detected deep underground reveal secrets of the upper atmosphere

Scientists have discovered a strong correlation between cosmic-ray data and stratospheric temperature, allowing for the detection of major weather events such as Sudden Stratospheric Warming. This study has the potential to improve weather forecasting and climate modeling by providing a new tool for monitoring atmospheric conditions.

SourceThe National Centre for Atmospheric Science·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·DateJan 21, 2009

Physicists announce latest muon g-2 measurement

The latest muon g-2 measurement provides a unique and unusually sensitive test of the validity of the general theory of electromagnetism or, equivalently, the Standard Model of particle physics. The result confirms earlier measurements with twice the precision, making this new measurement a much more sensitive test of the Standard Model.

SourceDOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateAug 1, 2002