Add BrightSurf on Google Email

New instrument extends LIGO's reach

The new instrument has helped scientists pick out dozens of gravitational wave signals, including one from a binary neutron star merger. This extended range has enabled LIGO to detect gravitational waves on an almost weekly basis, with the detectors now reaching distances of over 400 million light years.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateDec 5, 2019

Seeking moments of disorder

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara discovered a new material state with quantum disordered liquid-like magnetic moments in sodium ytterbium oxide. This finding confirms the existence of a long-sought 'quantum spin liquid state,' which is desirable due to its association with entanglement.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalNature Physics·DateSep 4, 2019

How hot is Schrödinger's coffee?

A new uncertainty relation has been discovered, linking the precision of temperature measurements to quantum mechanics. This discovery establishes a connection between quantum uncertainty and the accuracy of nanoscale thermometers.

SourceUniversity of Exeter·JournalNature Communications·DateAug 14, 2018

Theory for one type of superconductor solves puzzle in another

A 2017 theory by Rice University physicists Qimiao Si and Emilian Nica helps explain the behavior of an iron-based high-temperature superconductor, solving a long-standing puzzle. The theory proposes orbital-selective pairing as the key to understanding this phenomenon, revealing a new mechanism for these unusual materials.

SourceRice University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMay 8, 2018

Entropy landscape sheds light on quantum mystery

Researchers precisely measured the entropy of a cerium copper gold alloy to shed light on high-temperature superconductivity and similar phenomena. The study provides new evidence about the possible causes of these phenomena near a quantum critical point, where electrons fluctuate between two different quantum states.

SourceRice University·JournalNature Physics·DateMay 15, 2017

The sound of quantum vacuum

The study reveals strong correlations between laser-induced light fluctuations and mechanical motion, showcasing the strange laws of quantum mechanics. By using a phononic crystal to confine vibrations, the researchers achieved ultra-precision measurements, overcoming fundamental quantum limits.

SourceUniversity of Copenhagen - Niels Bohr Institute·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateDec 22, 2016

Quantum particles form droplets

Researchers have demonstrated a new type of quantum liquid or quantum droplet state where atoms preserve their form in absence of external confinement due to quantum effects. The discovery opens up a new research area in ultracold quantum gases and may contribute to increasing our knowledge of superfluidity.

SourceUniversity of Innsbruck·JournalPhysical Review X·DateNov 24, 2016

Cosmology: Late news from the Big Bang

New Planck analysis confirms Viatcheslav Mukhanov's theory on quantum origin of universe's structure, supporting the idea that quantum fluctuations gave rise to galaxies and clusters. The study also rules out primordial gravitational waves, suggesting that instruments may not be sensitive enough to detect them yet.

SourceLudwig-Maximilians-Universität München·JournalAstronomy and Astrophysics·DateFeb 5, 2015

Finding quantum lines of desire

Researchers use a superconducting quantum device to record and analyze the paths a quantum system takes between two states, revealing the existence of a quantum equivalent of classical 'least action' path. The findings have implications for controlling biological and chemical systems using lasers.

Boosting the force of empty space

A team of researchers from Weizmann Institute and Vienna University of Technology proposed a method to amplify vacuum fluctuations by several orders of magnitude using a transmission line. This could lead to enhanced understanding of Casimir- and Van der Waals forces, with potential applications in quantum information processing.

SourceVienna University of Technology·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 22, 2014

Good vibrations

Scientists at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have made the first direct observations of distinctly quantum optical effects - amplification and squeezing - in an optomechanical system. The findings point toward low-power quantum optical devices and enhanced detection of gravitational waves.

How to unbalance nothingness

Researchers from Jena and Graz calculated the time evolution of the vacuum decay, revealing that particles of matter and antimatter behave in a novel self-focusing way. This breakthrough increases the possibility of discovering these particles in super strong electric fields.

SourceFriedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateOct 28, 2011

A hidden order unraveled

Scientists directly observe quantum-correlated particle-hole pairs in a one-dimensional optical lattice, allowing them to unravel a hidden order in the crystal. The work reveals fluctuations at absolute zero temperature and opens new ways to characterize novel quantum phases of matter.

Random numbers game with quantum dice

Researchers at Max Planck Institute for Physics of Light create device generating true random numbers using vacuum fluctuations, crucial for secure encryption and economic simulations. The device exploits quantum mechanics' inherent randomness to produce unpredictable outcomes.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalNature Photonics·DateSep 9, 2010

Physicists offer new theory for iron compounds

Researchers propose a theoretical framework to explain the complex quantum behavior of iron pnictides, a class of high-temperature superconductors. The theory predicts specific changes in electron-electron interactions and phase transitions, opening up new avenues for studying quantum criticality.

SourceRice University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 12, 2009

Universe offers 'eternal feast,' cosmologist says

According to physicist Andrei Linde, recent developments in cosmology have changed our understanding of the structure and fate of the universe. Inflationary theory suggests that our universe could emerge from as little as a milligram of matter or even nothing, with quantum fluctuations creating galaxies along the way.