https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Orchestras and festival organizers continually develop and experiment with new concert formats for classical music. But do these formats actually have an impact on audiences? A research team led by the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) in Frankfurt am Main and the University of Cologne, Germany, has now demonstrated for the first time that different concert formats measurably influence audiences' subjective experiences, behavior, and physiological responses. These effects were particularly pronounced in formats that differed markedly from the conventional concert format. The study's results were published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-concert-formats-audience-classical-music.html Social Sciences Fri, 06 Feb 2026 10:21:19 EST news689595661 Quantum computers, systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, are expected to outperform classical computers on some complex tasks. Over the past few decades, many physicists and quantum engineers have tried to demonstrate the advantages of quantum systems over their classical counterparts on specific types of computations. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-particle-permutation-task-tackled-quantum.html Quantum Physics Fri, 23 Jan 2026 12:30:01 EST news688303371 Researchers at the University of Basel and the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel have demonstrated how quantum mechanical entanglement can be used to measure several physical parameters simultaneously with greater precision. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-entangled-atomic-clouds-enable-precise.html General Physics Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:01 EST news688310401 Every few years, you'll hear a familiar refrain: "Opera is dying." https://phys.org/news/2026-01-opera-dying-streaming-era.html Economics & Business Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:41:16 EST news688135262 A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a quantum device, capable of ultra-fast operation, a key step toward realizing technologies like 6G communications. This innovation overcomes a major hurdle that has long limited the durability of such devices under high electrical fields. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ultra-fast-quantum-tunneling-device.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:44:36 EST news687174241 Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have made a significant discovery regarding quantum entanglement. This phenomenon, which has long been viewed as a significant obstacle in classical quantum simulations, actually enhances the speed of quantum simulations. The findings are published in Nature Physics in an article titled "Entanglement accelerates quantum simulation." https://phys.org/news/2026-01-entanglement-quantum-simulations-obstacles-powerful.html Quantum Physics Thu, 08 Jan 2026 12:20:01 EST news687096347 Any time you use a device to communicate information—an email, a text message, any data transfer—the information in that transmission crosses the open internet, where it could be intercepted. Such communications are also reliant on internet connectivity, often including wireless signal on either or both ends of a transmission. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-quantum-entanglement-drones-disaster-relief.html Quantum Physics Sat, 20 Dec 2025 12:10:01 EST news685368198 In a new publication, Professor José-María Martín-Olalla, from the Department of Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Seville, has described the direct link between the vanishing of specific heats at absolute zero—a general experimental observation established in the early 20th century—and the second law of thermodynamics. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-links-specific-absolute-principle-entropy.html General Physics Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:25:28 EST news684595502 Physicists at the University of Osaka have unveiled a breakthrough theoretical framework that uncovers the hidden physical rule behind one of the most powerful compression methods in laser fusion science—the stacked-shock implosion. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-hidden-ignition-analytic-law-multi.html Plasma Physics Wed, 19 Nov 2025 09:04:56 EST news682765491 When an intense laser pulse hits a stationary electron, it performs a trembling motion at the frequency of the light field. However, this motion dies down after the pulse, and the electron comes to rest again at its original location. If, however, the light field changes its strength along the electron's trajectory, the electron builds up an additional drift motion with each oscillation, which it retains even after the pulse. The spatial light intensity acts like a slope that the electron slides down. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ultrafast-driven-electron.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 12 Nov 2025 13:19:03 EST news682175942 Quantum computers, machines that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, could outperform classical computers on some optimization tasks and computations. Despite their potential, quantum computers are known to be prone to errors and their ability to perform computations is easily influenced by noise. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-chip-cryptographic-protocol-quantum-results.html Quantum Physics Tue, 11 Nov 2025 07:10:01 EST news681732364 Quantum researchers in the twenty-first century are part of an international network that requires a great deal of interaction and communication. Around one hundred publications on the topic are produced every day, often by authors who work in close collaboration with one another. New developments and discoveries are quickly integrated into the field, usually within a matter of just a few weeks. Researchers immediately proceed to build on these findings with innovative ideas. That is what the day-to-day life in the field of quantum theory looks like as it celebrates the one-hundredth anniversary of the initial development of quantum mechanics. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-quantum-theory-cultural-gaps-limits.html Quantum Physics Wed, 22 Oct 2025 12:37:04 EDT news680355421 The lyrics of traditional Okinawan songs were found to record past climate and geological history of the Ryukyu Islands (21st-century Okinawa Prefecture, Japan), according to a new study by a University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Earth scientist and fellow Ryukyuan music practitioners. Their study was published today in Geoscience Communication and was selected as an Editor's Choice article by the journal's publisher. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-traditional-okinawan-songs-rich-indigenous.html Earth Sciences Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:36:03 EDT news679664162 Many governments and tech companies are investing heavily in quantum technologies. In New Zealand, the recently announced Institute for Advanced Technology is also envisioned to focus on this area of research. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-spooky-action-distance-beginner-quantum.html Quantum Physics Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:35:05 EDT news678616502 A quantum computer has demonstrated that it can solve a problem more efficiently than a conventional computer. This achievement comes from being able to unlock a vast memory resource that classical computing cannot match. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-scientists-quantum-unconditionally-outperform-classical.html Quantum Physics Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:14:42 EDT news678449676 Quantum physics often reveals phenomena that defy common sense. A new theory of quantum scarring deepens our understanding of the connection between the quantum world and classical mechanics, sheds light on earlier findings and marks a step forward toward future technological applications. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-quantum-scars-boost-electron-microchips.html Condensed Matter Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:29:03 EDT news677496541 Researchers Mitsuyoshi Kamba, Naoki Hara, and Kiyotaka Aikawa of the University of Tokyo have successfully demonstrated quantum squeezing of the motion of a nanoscale particle, a motion whose uncertainty is smaller than that of quantum mechanical fluctuations. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-quantum-nanoscale-particle.html Quantum Physics Thu, 18 Sep 2025 14:00:16 EDT news677405461 Stress is a very real factor in the structure of our universe. Not the kind of stress that students experience when taking a test, but rather the physical stresses that affect everyday objects. Consider the stress that heavy vehicles exert on a bridge as they cross over it—it's essential that engineers understand and consider this factor when designing new trestles. Or consider the stresses that a star experiences—this internal factor influences everything from its shine to its lifetime. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-quantum-sharper-image-subatomic-stress.html General Physics Tue, 09 Sep 2025 13:22:04 EDT news676642921 A plucked guitar string can vibrate for seconds before falling silent. A playground swing, emptied of its passenger, will gradually come to rest. These are what physicists call "damped harmonic oscillators" and are well understood in terms of Newton's laws of motion. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-physicists-year-puzzle-quantum-damped.html Quantum Physics Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:08:03 EDT news674485681 Large language models such as ChatGPT recognize widespread myths about the human brain better than many educators. However, if false assumptions are embedded into a lesson scenario, artificial intelligence (AI) does not reliably correct them. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-chatgpt-llms-dispel-popular-misconceptions.html Education Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:38:46 EDT news673781921 A team of theoretical researchers used thermal effective theory to demonstrate that quantum entanglement follows universal rules across all dimensions. Their study was published online in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-universal-quantum-entanglement-dimensions.html General Physics Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:34:30 EDT news673691665 Whenever we mull over what film to watch on Netflix, or deliberate between different products on an e-commerce platform, the gears of recommendation algorithms spin under the hood. These systems sort through sprawling datasets to deliver personalized suggestions. However, as data becomes richer and more interconnected, today's algorithms struggle to keep pace with capturing relationships that span more than just pairs, such as group ratings, cross-category tags, or interactions shaped by time and context. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-quantum-framework-approach-complex-network.html Quantum Physics Mon, 04 Aug 2025 14:30:19 EDT news673536610 Neural networks revolutionized machine learning for classical computers: self-driving cars, language translation and even artificial intelligence software were all made possible. It is no wonder, then, that researchers wanted to transfer this same power to quantum computers—but all attempts to do so brought unforeseen problems. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-gaussian-path-quantum-machine.html Quantum Physics Mon, 04 Aug 2025 11:49:03 EDT news673526941 The theory of quantum mechanics has transformed daily life since being proposed a century ago, yet how it works remains a mystery—and physicists are deeply divided about what is actually going on, a survey in the journal Nature said Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-physicists-quantum-world-years.html Quantum Physics Wed, 30 Jul 2025 12:59:06 EDT news673099141 Quantum batteries (QBs) are energy storage devices that could serve as an alternative to classical batteries, potentially charging faster and enabling the extraction of more energy. In contrast with existing batteries, these batteries leverage effects rooted in quantum mechanics, such as entanglement and superposition. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-scheme-mitigates-discharging-quantum-batteries.html Quantum Physics Thu, 24 Jul 2025 07:00:01 EDT news672491889 Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize computing by solving complex problems that stump even today's fastest machines. Scientists are exploring whether quantum computers could one day help streamline global supply chains, create ultra-secure encryption to protect sensitive data against even the most powerful cyberattacks, or even develop more effective drugs by simulating their behavior at the atomic level. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-efficient-route-quantum.html Quantum Physics Wed, 09 Jul 2025 10:40:04 EDT news671276401 Understanding randomness is crucial in many fields. From computer science and engineering to cryptography and weather forecasting, studying and interpreting randomness helps us simulate real-world phenomena, design algorithms and predict outcomes in uncertain situations. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-randomness-key-powerful-quantum.html Quantum Physics Fri, 04 Jul 2025 14:20:01 EDT news670857171 For the first time, an international team of scientists has experimentally simulated spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) at zero temperature using a superconducting quantum processor. This achievement, which was accomplished with over 80% fidelity, represents a milestone for quantum computing and condensed matter physics. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-quantum-simulates-spontaneous-symmetry-temperature.html Quantum Physics Wed, 02 Jul 2025 16:17:04 EDT news670691821 Playing music in open-plan offices improves productivity and well-being, according to a Cardiff University researcher. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-music-offices.html Social Sciences Fri, 27 Jun 2025 10:56:02 EDT news670240561 Quantum computers have the potential to speed up computation, help design new medicines, break codes, and discover exotic new materials—but that's only when they are truly functional. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-scientists-unconditional-exponential-quantum-scaling.html Quantum Physics Fri, 20 Jun 2025 12:29:04 EDT news669641341