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Astral alchemy

Scientists successfully synthesized the elusive Λ(1405) particle and measured its complex mass, revealing a temporary bound state of a K- meson and proton. The findings may provide insights into the interior of ultra-dense neutron stars and the early formation of the Universe.

SourceOsaka University·JournalPhysics Letters B·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 26, 2023

Waseda University researchers measure boron flux in high-energy cosmic rays with the CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET)

Researchers from Waseda University measured the energy spectrum of boron and the B/C flux ratio in high-energy cosmic rays using the CALorimetric Electron Telescope. The results indicate a different spectral index for boron compared to carbon, with implications for our understanding of cosmic ray propagation mechanisms.

SourceWaseda University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeObservational study·DateJan 26, 2023

Astronomy: Observation puzzles researchers

Researchers investigated open star clusters, finding they dissolve faster than predicted by Newton's laws. The team developed a new method to count stars in tidal tails, revealing a significant difference in the number of stars between the front and rear tails.

SourceUniversity of Bonn·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateOct 26, 2022

Revealing the mysteries of the universe under the skin of an atomic nucleus

A breakthrough computer model from Chalmers University of Technology reveals the properties of an atomic nucleus, providing insights into the strong force that governs neutron star behavior. The model predicts a surprisingly thin neutron skin, which could lead to increased understanding of heavy element creation in neutron stars.

SourceChalmers University of Technology·JournalNature Physics·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateOct 12, 2022

Particles pick pair partners differently in small nuclei

A high-precision experiment reveals that protons and neutrons in small nuclei prefer to pair up with others of the same kind more often than expected. The study provides new details about short-distance interactions between particles and may impact results from experiments seeking to tease out further nuclear structure details.

SourceDOE/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility·JournalNature·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 31, 2022

DOE backs Rice physicists’ collaboration

Rice University physicists Frank Geurts and Wei Li have received a $1.8 million grant from the Department of Energy to conduct research on relativistic heavy-ion physics at both Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Their work focuses on creating quark-gluon plasmas, a

Nuclear magic trick

An international team of researchers found that destructive quantum interference suppresses transition between superdeformed and spherical ground states in calcium-40 nuclei. This work may help explain nucleosynthesis processes and the remarkable stability of magic nuclei.

SourceOsaka University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 21, 2022

MARATHON measures mirror nuclei

The MARATHON experiment has accessed new details about the particles that build our universe by comparing mirror nuclei helium-3 and tritium. The results provided a precise determination of the ratio of proton/neutron structure function ratios, offering new insights into the internal structures of protons and neutrons.

SourceDOE/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateMar 31, 2022

The tetra-neutron – experiment finds evidence for a long-sought particle comprising four neutrons

Physicists at Technical University of Munich discover potential existence of tetra-neutron, a bound state of four neutrons, which could significantly alter our understanding of nuclear forces. The experiment's results suggest a half-life of 450 seconds and stability comparable to the neutron.

SourceTechnical University of Munich (TUM)·JournalPhysics Letters B·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 10, 2021

New results from the RHIC Spin Program

The latest results from the RHIC Spin Program provide new insights into the contribution of quarks and gluons to a proton's spin. Researchers at Brookhaven Lab have made significant progress in studying the three-dimensional internal structure of protons using collisions of spin-polarized protons at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider ...

Pass the salt: machine learning accelerates molten salt simulations for nuclear power applications

A team of researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used advanced machine learning to model the physico-chemical properties of a molten salt compound called FLiNaK, enabling accurate atomic-scale reproduction and prediction of behavior under specific reactor conditions. This computational framework can help character...

SourceBeckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology·JournalThe Journal of Physical Chemistry B·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateOct 11, 2021

“Beach ball” representations calculated for US underground nuclear tests can aid monitoring

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory calculated moment tensors for 130 underground nuclear and 10 chemical tests to aid explosion monitoring. The study's database of carefully documented explosions will be useful for researchers, allowing them to distinguish explosions from earthquakes and estimate yield.

SourceSeismological Society of America·JournalBulletin of the Seismological Society of America·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 21, 2021