Particles of light can spend “negative time” passing through a cloud of extremely cold atoms – without breaking the laws of physics.
In the ever-evolving landscape of scientific discovery, certain paradigms periodically challenge the established norms, compelling us to reconsider the boundaries of what we deem as ‘science.’ One such paradigm is the intersection of quantum physics and metaphysical science. Despite skepticism, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that these two fields are not only compatible but also complementary. This blog delves into how quantum physics supports metaphysical science and argues for its integration into mainstream scientific discourse, underpinned by historical precedents.
“The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena; it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.” — Nikola Tesla
Quantum physics, the study of particles at the smallest scales of energy levels, has fundamentally altered our understanding of reality. The principles of quantum mechanics, such as superposition, entanglement, and wave-particle duality, have revealed a universe far more intricate and interconnected than classical physics ever suggested. These concepts resonate profoundly with metaphysical science, which explores the nature of reality, consciousness, and existence beyond the physical.
Results could aid understanding of how black holes produce vast intergalactic jets. Scientists have observed new details of how plasma interacts with magnetic fields, potentially providing insight into the formation of enormous plasma jets that stretch between the stars.
Whether between galaxies or within doughnut-shaped fusion devices known as tokamaks, the electrically charged fourth state of matter known as plasma regularly encounters powerful magnetic fields, changing shape and sloshing in space. Now, a new measurement technique using protons, subatomic particles that form the nuclei of atoms, has captured details of this sloshing for the first time, potentially providing insight into the formation of enormous plasma jets that stretch between the stars.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) created detailed pictures of a magnetic field bending outward because of the pressure created by expanding plasma. As the plasma pushed on the magnetic field, bubbling and frothing known as magneto-Rayleigh Taylor instabilities arose at the boundaries, creating structures resembling columns and mushrooms.
Even those of us who aren’t physicists have an intuitive understanding of classical physics — we can predict what will happen when we throw a ball, use a salad spinner, or ease up on the gas pedal.
But atomic and subatomic particles don’t follow these ordinary rules of reality. “It turns out that at really small scales there are a different set of rules called quantum physics,” said Travis Nicholson. “These rules are bizarre and interesting.” (Think Schrodinger’s cat and Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance.”)
Nicholson is an assistant professor with joint appointments in Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering. The physicist in him likes doing experiments to advance our knowledge of quantum mechanics; the engineer in him likes figuring out how to harness that knowledge to build quantum computers that will be vastly more powerful than today’s computers.
MIT physicists and colleagues have created a new material with unusual superconducting and metallic properties, thanks to wavy layers of atoms only billionths of a meter thick that repeat themselves over and over to create a macroscopic sample that can be manipulated by hand. The large size of the sample makes it much easier to explore its quantum behavior, or interactions at the atomic scale that give rise to its properties.