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Wave-particle duality
In physics and chemistry, wave-particle duality holds that light and matter exhibit properties of both waves and of particles. A central concept of quantum mechanics, duality addresses the inadequacy of conventional concepts like "particle" and "wave" to meaningfully describe the behaviour of quantum objects. The idea of duality is rooted in a debate over the nature of light and matter dating back to the 1600s, when competing theories of light were proposed by Christiaan Huygens and Isaac Newton. Through the work of Albert Einstein, Louis de Broglie and many others, it is now established that all objects have both wave and particle nature (though this phenomenon is only detectable on small scales, such as with atoms), and that a suitable interpretation of quantum mechanics provides the over-arching theory resolving this ostensible paradox.
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Matter & Energy News
September 29, 2025
Sep. 28, 2025 — Oil wells often dry up far earlier than predicted, leaving companies baffled about the “missing” reserves. A Penn State team tackled this puzzle by harnessing PSC’s Bridges-2 supercomputer, adding a time dimension and amplitude analysis to ...
Sep. 27, 2025 — Researchers have discovered an unusual "quantum echo" in superconducting materials, dubbed the Higgs echo. This phenomenon arises from the interplay between Higgs modes and quasiparticles, producing distinctive signals unlike conventional echoes. By ...
Sep. 26, 2025 — Scientists have developed a lens-free mid-infrared camera using a modern twist on pinhole imaging. The system uses nonlinear crystals to convert infrared light into visible, allowing standard sensors to capture sharp, wide-range images without ...
Sep. 26, 2025 — Scientists found that biochar doesn’t just capture pollutants, it actively destroys them using direct electron transfer. This newly recognized ability accounts for up to 40% of its cleaning power and remains effective through repeated use. The ...
Sep. 26, 2025 — Bio-tar, once seen as a toxic waste, can be transformed into bio-carbon with applications in clean energy and environmental protection. This innovation could reduce emissions, create profits, and solve a major bioenergy industry ...
Sep. 25, 2025 — Toxic metals are pushing infrared detector makers into a corner, but NYU Tandon researchers have developed a cleaner solution using colloidal quantum dots. These detectors are made like “inks,” allowing scalable, low-cost production while ...
Sep. 24, 2025 — Diamonds hitch a ride to the surface through explosive kimberlite eruptions, powered by volatile-rich magmas. New simulations show that carbon dioxide and water are the secret ingredients that make these eruptions ...
Sep. 22, 2025 — Sneezing from cats, dust mites, or mold may one day be preventable with a flip of a switch. Researchers at CU Boulder found that UV222 light can alter allergen proteins, reducing allergic reactions ...
Sep. 22, 2025 — Researchers found that ice can trigger stronger chemical reactions than liquid water, dissolving iron minerals in extreme cold. Freeze-thaw cycles amplify the effect, releasing iron into rivers and soils. With climate change accelerating these ...
Sep. 22, 2025 — Scientists have developed a new multi-layered metalens design that could revolutionize portable optics in devices like phones, drones, and satellites. By stacking metamaterial layers instead of ...
Sep. 21, 2025 — Scientists have created a perovskite-based gamma-ray detector that surpasses traditional nuclear medicine imaging technology. The device delivers sharper, faster, and safer scans at a fraction of the cost. By combining crystal engineering with ...
Sep. 21, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that ordinary ice is a flexoelectric material, capable of generating electricity when bent or unevenly deformed. At very low temperatures, it can even become ferroelectric, developing reversible electric polarization. This ...
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Sep. 29, 2025 — A fresh black hole merger detection has offered the clearest evidence yet for Einstein’s relativity and Hawking’s predictions. Scientists tracked the complete cosmic collision, confirming that ...
Sep. 28, 2025 — Researchers have reimagined Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, engineering a trade-off that allows precise measurement of both position and momentum. Using quantum computing tools like grid states ...
Sep. 28, 2025 — Ancient copper smelters may have accidentally set the stage for the Iron Age. At a 3,000-year-old workshop in Georgia, researchers discovered that metalworkers were using iron oxide not to smelt iron ...
Sep. 25, 2025 — Physicists are eyeing charged gravitinos—ultra-heavy, stable particles from supergravity theory—as possible Dark Matter candidates. Unlike axions or WIMPs, these particles carry electric charge ...
Sep. 24, 2025 — A Hiroshima University team has designed a feasible way to detect the Unruh effect, where acceleration turns quantum vacuum fluctuations into observable particles. By using superconducting Josephson ...
Sep. 23, 2025 — Primordial magnetic fields, billions of times weaker than a fridge magnet, may have left lasting imprints on the Universe. Researchers ran over ...
Sep. 22, 2025 — Water, though familiar, still hides astonishing secrets. When squeezed into nanosized channels, it can enter a bizarre “premelting state” that is ...
Sep. 21, 2025 — When two neutron stars collide, they unleash some of the most powerful forces in the universe, creating ripples in spacetime, showers of radiation, and even the building blocks of gold and platinum. ...
Sep. 21, 2025 — Researchers at UNSW have found a way to make atomic nuclei communicate through electrons, allowing them to achieve entanglement at scales used in today’s computer chips. This breakthrough brings ...
Sep. 21, 2025 — Sandia scientists developed a new type of X-ray that uses patterned multi-metal targets to create colorized, high-resolution images. The technology promises sharper scans, better material detection, ...