Category archives: Physics

Why Einstein must be wrong

Why Einstein must be wrong

PhysicsTheoretical physics

By Invited Researcher

Einstein Authors: Valerio Faraoni, Professor, Physics & Astronomy, Bishop’s University and Andrea Giusti, Postdoctoral fellow, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich Einstein’s theory of gravity — general relativity — has been very successful for more than a century. However, it has theoretical shortcomings. This is not surprising: the theory predicts its own failure at spacetime […]

Energy input into the ocean from mid-latitude storms is expected to decrease

Energy input into the ocean from mid-latitude storms is expected to decrease

GeosciencesPhysicsPlanetary Science

By César Tomé

The strength of the wind has an important influence on ocean circulation. This is particularly true for extreme events such as storm fronts, tropical storms and cyclones. These weather patterns, which last from a few days to a few weeks, will change in the future due to climate change. In particular, the average energy input […]

XIX, a new phase of high-density, ultra-hot water ice

XIX, a new phase of high-density, ultra-hot water ice

ChemistryPhysics

By César Tomé

Voyager II, a NASA solar system exploration spacecraft launched in 1977, measured highly unusual magnetic fields around Uranus and Neptune. Scientists considered exotic states of so-called superionic ice as a possible explanation due to these states’ increased electrical conductivity. A new work demonstrates the existence of the previously undiscovered Ice XIX phase. It shows that […]

Validity of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism for Ising domains

Validity of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism for Ising domains

DIPC Quantum SystemsPhysicsQuantum physics

By DIPC

Phase transitions and their related phenomena lie at the core of modern statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics. At equilibrium, an intriguing aspect of second-order phase transitions is that systems with distinct order parameters can be described by the same set of static critical exponents, a hallmark of universality. Thomas Kibble’s research on phase transitions […]

Unprecedented sensitivity in an experimental setup for dark photons

Unprecedented sensitivity in an experimental setup for dark photons

CosmologyParticle physicsPhysics

By César Tomé

Scientists working on the Dark SRF experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have demonstrated unprecedented sensitivity in an experimental setup used to search for theorized particles called dark photons. Researchers trapped ordinary, massless photons in devices called superconducting radio frequency cavities to look for the transition of those photons into […]

A topological amorphous alloy

A topological amorphous alloy

MaterialsPhysicsQuantum physics

By César Tomé

amorphous Scientists have dedicated their efforts to studying topological materials, focusing on the shape, or topology, of their electronic structures. These materials exhibit unique properties that have the potential to be harnessed for next-generation devices, despite their invisible nature in real space. Initially, it was believed that only crystalline materials, characterized by highly ordered atoms […]

Traditional understanding of heat transport, involving phonons, is not applicable to strong heat insulators

Traditional understanding of heat transport, involving phonons, is not applicable to strong heat insulators

EnergyMaterialsNanotechnologyPhysics

By César Tomé

Researchers have made significant progress in understanding the fundamental microscopic mechanisms that can be used to customize materials for heat insulation. This breakthrough represents a significant step forward in the continuous endeavour to understand heat transport, improve energy efficiency and promote sustainability. Heat transport plays a vital role in numerous scientific and industrial fields, including […]

Universal power-law Kibble-Zurek scaling in fast quenches

Universal power-law Kibble-Zurek scaling in fast quenches

DIPC Quantum SystemsPhysicsQuantum physics

By DIPC

Thomas Kibble’s research on phase transitions and topological defects is most significant. Actually, the Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) is a paradigmatic theory to describe the dynamics across both classical continuous phase transitions and quantum phase transitions. The Kibble-Zurek mechanism describes the non-equilibrium dynamics and the formation of topological defects in a system which is driven through […]

Quantum interference between dissimilar particles

Quantum interference between dissimilar particles

PhysicsQuantum physics

By César Tomé

Nuclear physicists have found a new way to see details inside atomic nuclei . They do so by tracking interactions between photons and gluons—the gluelike particles that hold together the building blocks of protons and neutrons. The method relies on harnessing a new type of quantum interference between two dissimilar particles. Tracking how these entangled […]