Physical Sciences

Explore Physical Sciences

Dr Li Lu | An illusion of parallax: explaining a mysterious signal at the edge of the solar system

Dr Li Lu | An illusion of parallax: explaining a mysterious signal at the edge of the solar system

In 2009, astronomers detected a mysterious source of high-energy, chargeless particles, which appeared to originate from the very edge of the solar system. Through fresh analysis, Dr Li Lu and colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered that this distance may be an illusion, created by an effect relating to the solar wind as viewed by the commonly used parallax method. If correct, the team’s theory suggests that the as-yet enigmatic signal could actually originate from a source just beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

read more
Prof. Hui Tong Chua | How Better Heating Models Could Improve the Sustainability of Outdoor Swimming Pools

Prof. Hui Tong Chua | How Better Heating Models Could Improve the Sustainability of Outdoor Swimming Pools

Outdoor swimming pools are enjoyed by millions of us, but it is often challenging to maintain comfortable temperatures across different climates and weather conditions, which can drastically vary the rate of heat transfer away from the water. Through their research, a team led by Prof. Hui Tong Chua from The University of Western Australia has introduced a new empirical model that can accurately predict this transfer of heat, accounting for weather conditions and the surrounding environment. They hope that their model could improve the efficiency of outdoor pool heating systems, helping them to become more sustainable.

read more
Dr David Anthony Cosandey | Could Centaurus A Contain a Pair of Supermassive Black Holes?

Dr David Anthony Cosandey | Could Centaurus A Contain a Pair of Supermassive Black Holes?

Astronomers know that the nearby Centaurus A galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its centre, but there are several unusual and mind-boggling features in the detailed picture that was recently made of this galaxy’s core, which have yet to be explained. To understand these anomalies, Dr David Anthony Cosandey, an astrophysicist at the Zurich Higher Education Centre, suggests that the galaxy actually contains a pair of supermassive black holes which will eventually merge into a single object. If his theory is confirmed, Centaurus A could not only host the tightest orbiting pair of these immense objects ever discovered; this pair of giant black holes would also be by far the nearest to us that we know of.

read more
Dr Rishabh Shetty | A Novel Method for Standardizing Single Molecule Studies

Dr Rishabh Shetty | A Novel Method for Standardizing Single Molecule Studies

Studying single molecules provides researchers with unique insights into biological mechanisms and processes and allows them to visualise microscopic structural and functional differences. However, results can be unpredictable, and investigations are labour-intensive and expensive, often requiring extensive training and highly specialised laboratory equipment. Dr Rishabh Shetty and colleagues at Arizona State University, the California Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, have recently developed a simplified single-molecule assessment technique to overcome these limitations with a view to increasing accessibility and precision in molecular-level research.

read more
Henry DeGroot – Dr Timothy Hanusa | Grinding Towards Greener Chemistry: Synthesis Without Solvents

Henry DeGroot – Dr Timothy Hanusa | Grinding Towards Greener Chemistry: Synthesis Without Solvents

In the world of chemistry, solvate-assisted grinding is a new method that could revolutionize how we make important chemical compounds. Researchers Henry DeGroot and Dr. Timothy Hanusa at Vanderbilt University have developed this technique, which uses mechanical energy instead of traditional liquids. This not only makes the process more efficient, but also reduces pollution. It could lead to better medicines, advanced materials, and cleaner chemical production methods.

read more
Thomas Kleinig | Preventing Satellite Collisions with Ionospheric Drag

Thomas Kleinig | Preventing Satellite Collisions with Ionospheric Drag

Satellites are vital to modern civilization, powering the GPS in our phones, enabling long-range communication, and giving us insights into Earth’s climate and the universe beyond. We now launch thousands of new satellites into space each year, dramatically increasing the risk of collisions. Such satellite collisions create debris that can damage more satellites. Thomas Kleinig and his colleagues are developing and testing a new approach to avoid collisions by exploiting a unique property of the thin atmosphere that satellites travel through.

read more
Dr George Rupp | Modelling Mesons: Uncovering Subatomic Particle Interactions

Dr George Rupp | Modelling Mesons: Uncovering Subatomic Particle Interactions

To understand how the smallest known particles in our universe form structures, scientists need to use sophisticated mathematical models and techniques. These help scientists to estimate the energies of these particles, to work out how they combine and interact. In a recent paper, Dr Eef Van Beveren from the Centre for Physics of the University of Coimbra and Dr George Rupp from the Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials of the University of Lisbon review the techniques that have led to scientific discoveries about mesons – subatomic particles that exist for tiny fractions of a second. They also discuss how such techniques may evolve into the future.

read more
Professor Gabi Schierning | Exploring Quantum Properties in Bismuth Telluride Nanoparticles

Professor Gabi Schierning | Exploring Quantum Properties in Bismuth Telluride Nanoparticles

Particles of the material bismuth telluride have unique properties: the interior of the particle acts as an insulator, but its surface can conduct electricity. In their recent research, Professor Gabi Schierning at Bielefeld University, Germany, and her collaborators at the University of Duisburg-Essen and IFW Dresden, offer fascinating insights into the properties of bismuth telluride particles. The team’s work may pave the way for their use in technological applications.

read more
Dr Philip Norcott | Imaging the Small: Improving Nuclear Magnetic Resonance with SABRE-DREAM

Dr Philip Norcott | Imaging the Small: Improving Nuclear Magnetic Resonance with SABRE-DREAM

In a recent paper, Dr Philip Norcott at the Australian National University proposes a new strategy to improve nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging, a technique widely used in biology, chemistry, and medical imaging. A difficultly in these applications of nuclear magnetic resonance is low sensitivity and the potential for multiple signals to overlap, and existing techniques may only improve one of these factors without addressing the other. Dr Norcott suggests and tests a novel technique that offers the best of both worlds.

read more
Dr Stefi Baum – Dr Christopher O’Dea | Shaping Galaxy Clusters with Supermassive Black Holes

Dr Stefi Baum – Dr Christopher O’Dea | Shaping Galaxy Clusters with Supermassive Black Holes

The black holes found at the centres of most large galaxies are now found to be fundamental to galactic formation and evolution. Until recently, however, little was understood about how these massive bodies affect the behaviours of their host galaxies and beyond. Through their research, Dr Stefi Baum and Dr Christopher O’Dea at the University of Manitoba have made important strides towards untangling the many mysteries involved in this intriguing astronomical problem.

read more
Dr Tie-Cheng Guo – Professor Li You | Viewing Quantum Phases with ‘Time Order’

Dr Tie-Cheng Guo – Professor Li You | Viewing Quantum Phases with ‘Time Order’

Discovering new phases of matter and classifying such phases are among the most important goals in physics. In a new study, Dr Tie-Cheng Guo and Professor Li You at Tsinghua University in Beijing present a new methodology to discover new quantum phases of matter, using the concept of ‘time order’. Through identifying and defining quantum phases from this perspective, time order could become a new paradigm in physics, helping researchers to gain more insight into quantum many-body systems.

read more
Professor Inge Helland | Reconstructing Parts of Quantum Theory from Two Conceptual Variables

Professor Inge Helland | Reconstructing Parts of Quantum Theory from Two Conceptual Variables

The Hilbert space formulation is a central idea in quantum theory, but the ideas used by physicists to interpret the formulation widely differ. Furthermore, concepts in quantum mechanics are very abstract to those outside the field. Professor Inge Helland from the University of Oslo approaches these problems through what he calls ‘conceptual variables’, which belong to the minds of one or more conscious observers. From this basis, he achieves a new derivation of the Hilbert space formulation, which he hopes will lead to more satisfying studies of the foundations of quantum theory.

read more

Increase The Impact Of Your Research!

Explore partnership opportunities

Unwind without the hassle. Enjoy fresh audiobooks, delivered free!

 

Subscribe now

* indicates required


Follow Us On: