Category Physics

Looking from different perspectives! Proper Electronic Structure of Near-Infrared Absorbing Functional Dyes discovered

A big step toward the development of dyes with long-wavelength near-infrared absorption. A research group has discovered that near-infrared absorbing dyes, which had previously been considered to have closed-shell electronic structures, have an intermediate electronic structure, between closed- and open-shell structures. They also found that as the wavelength of near-infrared light that can be absorbed becomes longer the contribution of open-shell forms increases within the dye. These newly discovered characteristics are expected to be utilized to develop new near-infrared absorbing dyes that can absorb longer wavelength near-infrared light.

Near-infrared light, whose wavelength is longer than visible light, is invisible and can pass through many substances...

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Artificial Intelligence discovers Secret Equation for ‘Weighing’ Galaxy Clusters

Astrophysicists at the Institute for Advanced Study, the Flatiron Institute and their colleagues have leveraged artificial intelligence to uncover a better way to estimate the mass of colossal clusters of galaxies. The AI discovered that by just adding a simple term to an existing equation, scientists can produce far better mass estimates than they previously had.

The improved estimates will enable scientists to calculate the fundamental properties of the universe more accurately, the astrophysicists reported March 17, 2023, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“It’s such a simple thing; that’s the beauty of this,” says study co-author Francisco Villaescusa-Navarro, a research scientist at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) in...

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Neutrinos made by a Particle Collider Detected

UC Irvine-led team is first to detect neutrinos made by a particle collider
The FASER particle detector, located deep underground at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, was mostly built out of spare parts from other experiments at CERN. Photo courtesy of CERN

Discovery promises to help physicists understand nature of universe’s most abundant particle. In a scientific first, a team led by physicists at the University of California, Irvine has detected neutrinos created by a particle collider. The discovery promises to deepen scientists’ understanding of the subatomic particles, which were first spotted in 1956 and play a key role in the process that makes stars burn.

The work could also shed light on cosmic neutrinos that travel large distances and collide with the Earth, providing a window on distant parts of the universe.

It’s the latest result from the For...

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New Microchip Links Two Nobel Prize-winning Techniques

New microchip links two Nobel Prize-winning techniques
Artists’ impression of the trampoline-shaped sensor. The laser beam that passes through the middle of the trampoline membrane creating the overtone vibrations inside the material. Credit: Sciencebrush

Physicists at Delft University of Technology have built a new technology on a microchip by combining two Nobel Prize-winning techniques for the first time. This microchip could measure distances in materials at high precision—for example, underwater or for medical imaging.

Because the technology uses sound vibrations instead of light, it is useful for high-precision position measurements in opaque materials. The instrument could lead to new techniques to monitor the Earth’s climate and human health. The work is now published in Nature Communications.

Simple and low-power technolog...

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