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Category: particle physics

A new study in Science shows that the incorporation of a synthetic molecule into the design enhances the energy efficiency and longevity of perovskite solar cells. The benefits of the molecule, known as CPMAC, were found through an international collaboration that included King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

CPMAC is an abbreviation for an ionic salt synthesized from buckminsterfullerene, a black solid made of known as C₆₀. Perovskite are typically made with C₆₀, which has contributed to record energy efficiency. While preferred, C₆₀ also limits the performance and stability of the solar cells, leading scientists to explore alternative materials.

“For over a decade, C₆₀ has been an integral component in the development of perovskite solar cells. However, at the perovskite/C₆₀ interface lead to mechanical degradation that compromises long-term solar cell stability. To address this limitation, we designed a C₆₀-derived ionic salt, CPMAC, to significantly enhance the stability of the perovskite solar cells,” explained Professor Osman Bakr, Executive Faculty of the KAUST Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies (CREST), who led the KAUST contributions to the research.

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Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) achieved the first direct laboratory observation of ion acceleration through reflection off laser-generated magnetized collisionless shocks. This observation demonstrates how ions gain energy by bouncing off supercritical shocks, central to the Fermi acceleration mechanism. The research is published in Science Advances.

Collisionless shocks are cosmic powerhouses responsible for accelerating charged particles to extreme energies. This acceleration involves particles repeatedly crossing fronts, gaining energy incrementally. However, how do particles initially gain enough energy to enter this cycle? Two competing theories, shock drift acceleration (SDA) and shock surfing acceleration (SSA), have emerged, but observational limitations in space and previous lab experiments have left the question unresolved.

This new experiment, conducted at China’s Shenguang-II laser facility, recreated a controlled astrophysical shock scenario. Researchers used high-energy lasers to generate a magnetized ambient plasma and a supersonic “piston” plasma. When the piston collided with the ambient plasma at speeds exceeding 400 km/s, it produced a supercritical quasi-perpendicular shock, similar to those observed near Earth.

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Neutrinos, elusive fundamental particles, can act as a window into the center of a nuclear reactor, the interior of the Earth, or some of the most dynamic objects in the universe. Their tendency to change “flavors” may provide clues into the prominence of matter over antimatter in the universe or explain the existence of dark matter.

Physicists are particularly interested in proving the existence of “sterile” neutrinos. Their discovery would reveal a new form of matter that interacts only with gravity and could influence the evolution of the universe.

In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, a team of researchers from U.S. universities and national laboratories has set stringent limits on the existence and mass of sterile neutrinos. While they have yet to find the particles, they now know where not to look.

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An exact expression for a key process needed in many quantum technologies has been derived by a RIKEN mathematical physicist and a collaborator. This could help to guide advances in quantum technologies.

Many emerging such as and quantum communication rely on .

Entanglement is the mysterious phenomenon whereby two or more particles become so closely interconnected that, no matter how great the distance between them, they exhibit quantum correlations that far exceed the mutual relations achievable in .

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In the intricate world of quantum physics, where particles interact in ways that seem to defy the standard rules of space and time, lies a profound mystery that continues to captivate scientists: the nature of deconfined quantum critical points (DQCPs). These elusive critical phenomena break away from the conventional framework of physics, offering a fascinating glimpse into a realm where quantum matter behaves in ways that challenge our classical understanding of the fundamental forces shaping the universe.

A recent study, led by Professor Zi Yang Meng and co-authored by his Ph.D. student Menghan Song of HKU Department of Physics, in collaboration with researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Yale University, University of California, Santa Barbara, Ruhr-University Bochum and TU Dresden, has unraveled some of the secrets concealed within the entangled web of .

Their findings, recently published in Science Advances, push the boundaries of modern physics and offer a fresh perspective on how operates at these enigmatic junctures. The study not only deepens our understanding of quantum mechanics but also paves the way for future discoveries that could revolutionize technology, materials science, and even our understanding of the cosmos.

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In new research published in Nature, Weizmann Institute scientists introduce a powerful tool to explore quantum phenomena—the cryogenic Quantum Twisting Microscope (QTM).

Using this pioneering instrument, researchers have observed—for the first time—the interactions between electrons and an exotic atomic vibration in twisted sheets of graphene, called a phason. These findings shed new light on the mysterious superconductivity and strange metallicity that emerge when graphene sheets are rotated to the magic angle.

The fundamental properties of materials depend critically on their underlying particles—the flow of electrons governs , and atomic lattice vibrations, termed phonons, drive heat conductivity. However, when electrons and phonons are coupled, remarkable new phenomena can emerge.

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An innovative algorithm for detecting collisions of high-speed particles within nuclear fusion reactors has been developed, inspired by technologies used to determine whether bullets hit targets in video games. This advancement enables rapid predictions of collisions, significantly enhancing the stability and design efficiency of future fusion reactors.

Professor Eisung Yoon and his research team in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at UNIST announced that they have successfully developed a collision detection algorithm capable of quickly identifying collision points of high-speed particles within virtual devices. The research is published in the journal Computer Physics Communications.

When applied to the Virtual KSTAR (V-KSTAR), this algorithm demonstrated a detection speed up to 15 times faster than previous methods. The V-KSTAR is a digital twin that replicates the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) fusion experiment in a three-dimensional virtual environment.

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Astronomers have discovered that the magnetar SGR 0501+4516 is speeding through our galaxy at more than 110,000 mph. This unusually fast speed hints that it was not born as expected, which could help explain the puzzling origin of some fast radio bursts.

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QUT researchers have identified a new material which could be used as a flexible semiconductor in wearable devices by using a technique that focuses on the manipulation of spaces between atoms in crystals.

In a study published in Nature Communication, the researchers used “vacancy engineering” to enhance the ability of an AgCu(Te, Se, S) semiconductor, which is an alloy made up of silver, copper, tellurium, selenium and sulfur, to convert body heat into electricity.

Vacancy engineering is the study and manipulation of empty spaces, or “vacancies,” in a crystal where atoms are missing, to influence the material’s properties, such as improving its mechanical properties or optimizing its electrical conductivity, or thermal properties.

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A team of Lehigh University researchers has successfully predicted abnormal grain growth in simulated polycrystalline materials for the first time—a development that could lead to the creation of stronger, more reliable materials for high-stress environments, such as combustion engines. A paper describing their novel machine learning method was recently published in Nature Computational Materials.

“Using simulations, we were not only able to predict abnormal grain growth, but we were able to predict it far in advance of when that growth happens,” says Brian Y. Chen, an associate professor of computer science and engineering in Lehigh’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science and a co-author of the study. “In 86% of the cases we observed, we were able to predict within the first 20% of the lifetime of that material whether a particular grain will become abnormal or not.”

When metals and ceramics are exposed to continuous heat—like the temperatures generated by rocket or airplane engines, for example—they can fail. Such materials are made of crystals, or grains, and when they’re heated, atoms can move, causing the crystals to grow or shrink. When a few grains grow abnormally large relative to their neighbors, the resulting change can alter the material’s properties. A material that previously had some flexibility, for instance, may become brittle.

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