Category Physics

A schematic of an interpocket paired state, one of two topological superconducting states proposed in the latest work from the lab of Eun-Ah Kim, associate professor of physics at Cornell University. The material used is a monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide. Credit: Eun-Ah Kim, Cornell University

The experimental realization of ultrathin graphene – which earned two scientists from Cambridge the Nobel Prize in physics in 2010 – has ushered in a new age in materials research. What started with graphene has evolved to include numerous related single-atom-thick materials, which have unusual properties due to their ultra-thinness...

A visual of data collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid detector during a proton-lead collision at the Large Hadron Collider in 2016. Credit: Image courtesy of Thomas McCauley/CERN

Physicists probe exotic state of nuclear matter at Europe’s LHC. Findings from Rice University physicists working at Europe’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are providing new insight about an exotic state of matter, “quark-gluon plasma” that occurs when protons and neutrons melt. LHC is able to smash together the nuclei of atoms at nearly the speed of the light. The energy released in these collisions is vast and allows physicists to recreate the hot, dense conditions that existed in the early universe...

Two black diamonds on a superconducting chip (12x4mm). The wiggly line is a resonator, coupling the two diamonds.

Atomic defects in diamonds can be used as quantum memories. Researchers at TU Wien have been studying the quantum properties of such diamonds, but only now have they succeeded in coupling the specific defects in two such diamonds with one another. This is an important prerequisite for the development of new applications, such as highly sensitive sensors and switches for quantum computers.

“Unfortunately, quantum states are very fragile and decay very quickly,” explains Johannes Majer, head of the hybrid quantum research group, Institute of Atomic and Subatomic Physics at TU Wien...

The Navy has since 2014 been testing a 30-kilowatt laser on one of its warships, the USS Ponce (AFP Photo/John F. Williams)

A sci-fi staple for decades, laser weapons are finally becoming reality in the US military, albeit with capabilities a little less dramatic than at the movies. Lightsabers—the favored weapon of the Jedi in “Star Wars” films—will remain in the fictional realm for now, but after decades of development, laser weapons are now here and are being deployed on military vehicles and planes. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon—all the big defense players—are developing prototypes for the Pentagon. The Navy has since 2014 been testing a 30-kilowatt laser on one of its warships, the USS Ponce.

Lockheed Martin has just announced a 60-kilowatt laser weapon ...