Category Physics

Schematic diagrams depicting the conformation of amphipathic binaphthyl and its molecular deformation caused by compression at the air-water interface. a) Pliers representing amphipathic binaphthyl (left), chemical formula of amphipathic binaphthyl (center), and three-dimensional conformation of amphipathic binaphthyl. b) and c) Schematic representation of compressed and expanded amphipathic binaphthyl molecules that are arranged in a line at the air-water interface. These forces cause conformational change similar to opening and closing pliers. Credit: Copyright NIMS

It takes advantage of the property that molecular machines aggregate on the surface of water and  will contribute to development of basic technology for operation of various molecular machines in sensors and other types of de...

Light waves trapped on a metal’s surface, ie surface plasmons, travel farther than expected, up to 250 microns from the source. While this distance is just 1-100th of an inch, it is far enough to possibly be useful in ultra-fast electronic circuits. Scientists captured the surface plasmons’ travel on video. Future computer circuits could use this phenomenon as interconnects.

Specially designed, extremely small metal structures can trap light. Once trapped, the light becomes a confined wave known as a surface plasmon. The plasmons can propagate almost as fast as light through the air.

Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory experimentally showcased the unique ability to study a surface plasmon...

Researchers added extra energy to the proton to produce a pair of quarks, which then yielded new particles. In this illustration, a strange/anti-strange quark pair (s and ?) yields a Lambda (^) hyperon and Kaon (K+ meson). The researchers found that strange/anti-strange quark pairs were produced about one-third as often as pairs of up/anti-up (u) and down/anti-down (d) quarks. Credit: Image courtesy of Jefferson Lab

A suppression of strange quark production vs up and down quark production had previously been noted, and for the 1st time, the result has been verified when a single pair is produced.

Protons are composed of 3 quarks – 2 up quarks and 1 down quark bound together by the “strong force” – 1 of the 4 natural forces in our universe...

Image courtesy of Brookhaven National Laboratory Initial hot spots created by collisions of one, two, and three-particle ions with much larger gold ions (top row). Expected patterns if the collisions are creating tiny hot spots of the primordial soup, or quark-gluon plasma.

Surprisingly, smaller particles colliding with large nuclei appear to produce tiny droplets of quark-gluon plasma (QGP). Recent results show that the tiny droplets behave like a liquid not the expected gas. The results support the case that these small particles produce tiny drops of the primordial soup.

Smashing large atomic nuclei, containing protons and neutrons, together at close to the speed of light re-creates the conditions of the very early universe...