http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/quantum_physics/ News on quantum physics. Read current research on everything from quantum mechanics to quantum dots. Was Albert Einstein right? en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/quantum_physics/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121343.htm In an international first, scientists have produced a Bose-Einstein condensate of the alkaline-earth element strontium. Choosing the isotope 84Sr, which has received little attention so far, proved to be the right choice for the breakthrough. It can now be regarded as an ideal candidate for future experiments with atomic two-electron systems. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120095005.htm Physicists have made an important advance in electrically controlling quantum states of electrons, a step that could help in the development of quantum computing. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120095005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092630.htm Scientists have discovered a method of using nanoparticles to illuminate the cellular interior to reveal the slow, complex processes taking place in a living cell. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120234858.htm Particle beams are once again zooming around the world's most powerful particle accelerator -- the Large Hadron Collider -- located at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. After more than one year of repairs, the LHC is now back on track to create high-energy particle collisions that may yield extraordinary insights into the nature of the physical universe. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120234858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101403.htm New research points the way to a technology that might make it possible to harvest much of the wasted heat produced by everything from computer processor chips to car engines to electric power plants, and turn it into usable electricity. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101403.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121605.htm The performance of modern electronics increases steadily on a fast pace thanks to the ongoing miniaturization of the utilized components. However, severe problems arise due to quantum-mechanical phenomena when conventional structures are simply made smaller and reach the nanometer scale. Therefore current research focuses on the so-called bottom-up approach: the engineering of functional structures with the smallest possible building blocks -- single atoms and molecules. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092628.htm To exploit the quantum world to the fullest, a key commodity is entanglement -- the spooky, distance-defying link that can form between objects such as atoms even when they are completely shielded from one another. Now, physicists have developed a promising new source of entangled photons using quantum dots tweaked with a laser. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117133510.htm First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117133510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161122.htm Everybody loves a race to the wire, even when the result is a tie. The great irony is the ultraprecise clocks that could result from this competition could probably break any tie. A second lab of physicists has now demonstrated the long-sought creation of a Bose-Einstein condensate of strontium atoms. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161122.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115134128.htm Physicists have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum information processor able to run any program allowed by quantum mechanics -- the rules governing the submicroscopic world -- using two quantum bits (qubits) of information. The processor could be a module in a future quantum computer, which theoretically could solve some important problems that are intractable today. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115134128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806112353.htm Scientists in England are constructing highly sensitive detectors as part of an international project to understand the elements that make up the universe. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806112353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104140812.htm Physicists have created a quantum gas microscope that can be used to observe single atoms at temperatures so low the particles follow the rules of quantum mechanics, behaving in bizarre ways. The work represents the first time scientists have detected single atoms in a crystalline structure made solely of light, called a Bose Hubbard optical lattice. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104140812.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102103329.htm Using Einstein's theory of special relativity to speedup computer simulations, scientists have designed laser-plasma accelerators with energies of 10 billion electron volts (GeV) and beyond. These systems, which have not been simulated in detail until now, could in the future serve as a compact new technology for particle colliders and energetic light sources. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102103329.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102111841.htm Physicists have directly observed a reverse shock wave of light in a specially tailored structure known as a left-handed metamaterial. Although it was first predicted over forty years ago, this is the first unambiguous experimental demonstration of the effect. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102111841.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112058.htm The first experiments are now underway using the world's most powerful X-ray laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source, located at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Illuminating objects and processes at unprecedented speed and scale, the LCLS has embarked on groundbreaking research in physics, structural biology, energy science, chemistry and a host of other fields. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132959.htm Researchers are investigating long-distance, mobile optical links imperative for secure quantum communications capabilities in theater. They have conducted high data-rate experiments using an optical laser link, a tool which exploits the quantum noise of light for higher security. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027162001.htm Scientists have always attempted to develop spin transistors by incorporating local ferromagnets into device architectures. A far better and practical way to manipulate the orientation of an electron's spin would be by using purely electrical means. Researchers have now found an innovative and novel way to control an electron's spin orientation using purely electrical means. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027162001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019122958.htm Research into monstrous rogue waves points the way to improved long distance optical communication, and could help us understand how giant, destructive waves form at sea. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019122958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026125535.htm The world's fastest supercomputer, Roadrunner, at Los Alamos National Laboratory has completed its initial "shakedown" phase doing accelerated petascale computer modeling and simulations of a variety of unclassified, fundamental science projects. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026125535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153639.htm Investigating mysterious data in ultracold gases of rubidium atoms, scientists have found that properly tuned radio-frequency waves can influence how much the atoms attract or repel one another, opening up new ways to control their interactions. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153639.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729074527.htm Light can be confined to a very small space using a microscopic container surrounded by reflective walls. The light can then be stored by continuous reflections and cannot escape. Physicists in Germany have now for the first time realized a microresonator that combines all the desired properties -- long storage time, small volume, and tunability to arbitrary optical frequencies, in a single monolithic device. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729074527.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015133117.htm In the quest for smaller, faster computer chips, researchers are increasingly turning to quantum mechanics -- the exotic physics of the small. The problem: the manufacturing techniques required to make quantum devices have been equally exotic. That is, until now. Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015133117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014144722.htm Researchers have discovered novel electronic properties in two-dimensional sheets of carbon atoms called graphene that could one day be the heart of speedy and powerful electronic devices. The new findings, previously considered possible by physicists but only now being seen in the laboratory, show that electrons in graphene can interact strongly with each other. The physicists discovered that the fractional quantum Hall effect in graphene is even more robust than in standard semiconductors. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014144722.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091011071349.htm Physicists have made the first definitive measurements of "persistent current," a small but perpetual electric current that flows naturally through tiny rings of metal wire even without an external power source. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091011071349.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005123050.htm The qubits that carry quantum information are typically fragile, but a new method of combing six photons leads to robust qubits that are immune to many of the effects that threaten to scramble quantum data. Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005123050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005111631.htm Researchers are investigating how to control huge electromagnetic forces that have the potential to destroy the next generation of particle accelerators. Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005111631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007153743.htm For the first time, researchers have produced experimental evidence that classical chaos occurs in the quantum world. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007153743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006134825.htm Electrical engineers have proposed a new scheme that can overcome a critical limitation of high-resolution electron microscopes: they cannot be used to image living cells because the electrons destroy the samples. The researchers suggest using a quantum mechanical measurement technique that allows electrons to sense objects remotely without ever hitting the imaged objects, thus avoiding damage. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006134825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006113012.htm High-energy heavy ion collisions can be a source of light flashes of a few yoctoseconds duration (a septillionth of a second, 10^-24 s) -- the time that light needs to traverse an atomic nucleus. This is shown in calculations of the light emission of so-called quark-gluon plasmas, which are created in such collisions for extremely short periods of time. Under certain conditions, double flashes are created, which could be utilized in the future to visualize the dynamics of atomic nuclei. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006113012.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929133121.htm Physicists have created the first atomic-scale maps of quantum dots, a major step toward the goal of producing "designer dots" that can be tailored for specific applications. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929133121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925092650.htm A team of researchers from Spain has developed a "scintillating bolometer" -- a device that the scientists will use in efforts to detect the dark matter of the universe. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925092650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923151730.htm Physicists have made an important advance in quantum mechanics, demonstrating that they could detect the quantum correlations in the results of measurements of entangled quantum bits, using a superconducting electrical circuit. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923151730.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922100141.htm Physicists in Germany have succeeded for the first time worldwide in producing a Bose-Einstein condensate from the alkaline earth element calcium. The use of alkaline earth atoms creates new potential for precision measurements -- for example, for the determination of gravitational fields. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922100141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922185706.htm Diamonds, it has long been said, are a girl's best friend. But a research team has recently found that the gems might turn out to be a patient's best friend as well. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922185706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922202535.htm A new toolkit of equations will help theorists determine whether a promising agreement between particle physics and string theory is fact or fancy. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922202535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917144127.htm For the first time, MIT scientists have observed ferromagnetism in an atomic gas, addressing the decades-old question of whether gases could show properties similar to a magnet made of iron or nickel. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917144127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911132308.htm A new way of storing and 'echoing' pulses of light has been discovered by a team from Australia, allowing bursts of laser to work as a flexible optical memory and potentially assist in extending the range of quantum information systems. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911132308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908125139.htm Researchers in Israel have developed thin films that exhibit carrier multiplication. This development is of great interest for future solar cells. The team demonstrated that for a given photon energy, carrier multiplication occurs more efficiently in bulk PbS and PbSe films than in nanocrystalline films of the same materials. Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908125139.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163850.htm An Austrian research group has investigated how ultracold quantum gases behave in lower spatial dimensions. They successfully realized an exotic state, where, due to the laws of quantum mechanics, atoms align along a one-dimensional structure. A stable many-body phase with new quantum mechanical states is thereby produced even though the atoms are usually strongly attracted which would cause the system to collapse. Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901132806.htm Scientists using a continent-wide array of radio telescopes have made an extremely precise measurement of the curvature of space caused by the Sun's gravity, and their technique promises a major contribution to a frontier area of basic physics. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901132806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152723.htm In what may prove to be a major development for scientists in fields ranging from forensics to quantum communications, researchers have developed a new, highly sensitive, low-cost technique for measuring light in the near-infrared range. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152723.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827141338.htm Scientists have shown for the first time that the spectroscopic "fingerprint" of high-temperature superconductivity remains intact well above the super chilly temperatures at which these materials carry current with no resistance. This confirms that certain conditions necessary for superconductivity exist at the warmer temperatures that would make these materials practical for energy-saving applications -- if scientists can figure out how to get the current flowing. Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827141338.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819083901.htm Electrons that are trapped in very small structures of only a few nanometer, demonstrate fascinating features. These could be useful for novel computers or semiconductor lasers. Researchers have measured for the first time the exact lifetime of excited electrons. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819083901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824115758.htm Scientists are trying to figure out to what extent a new theory of quantum gravity will reproduce general relativity. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824115758.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817143556.htm Quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of general relativity are both extremely accurate theories of how the universe works, but all attempts to combine the two into a unified theory have ended in failure. Now physicists have found a way to carry out a new set of gravity calculations with the help of an older theory that has been around since the 1980s. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817143556.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819135426.htm An investigation by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration has significantly advanced our understanding the early evolution of the universe. Analysis of data taken from 2005 to 2007 has set the most stringent limits yet on the amount of gravitational waves that could have come from the Big Bang in the gravitational wave frequency band where LIGO can observe. The data put new constraints on the details of how the universe looked in its earliest moments. Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819135426.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143954.htm Astronomers recently observed a mysterious flux of particles in the universe, and the hope was born that this may be the first observation of the remnants of dark matter. But scientists in Sweden have shown that there is another explanation of the flux. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143954.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817142847.htm Using tiny crystals called quantum dots, researchers have developed a highly sensitive test to look for DNA attachments that often are early warning signs of cancer. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817142847.htm