Atomic systems, as physical systems, consist of one or more atoms whose dynamics are governed by quantum mechanics, electromagnetic interactions, and, at high energies, relativistic effects. They include isolated atoms, ions, and small aggregates where electronic structure, discrete energy levels, and spin-orbit coupling dominate behavior. Atomic systems serve as model platforms for studying fundamental processes such as spectroscopy, scattering, coherence, and entanglement, and underpin precision measurements including atomic clocks and quantum sensors. Their states are described by many-body wavefunctions or density matrices, with interactions treated via effective Hamiltonians incorporating Coulomb potentials, external fields, and, in dense environments, interatomic forces and decoherence mechanisms.
Protons are the basic building blocks of matter. Together with neutrons, they form atomic nuclei. These minute, positively charged particles have an antimatter counterpart, antiprotons. While the latter have a negative charge ...
General Physics
May 14, 2025
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MIT physicists have captured the first images of individual atoms freely interacting in space. The pictures reveal correlations among the "free-range" particles that until now were predicted but never directly observed. Their ...
Quantum Physics
May 5, 2025
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201
Highly charged heavy ions form a very suitable experimental field for investigating quantum electrodynamics (QED), the best-tested theory in physics describing all electrical and magnetic interactions of light and matter. ...
General Physics
Mar 26, 2025
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University of Queensland researchers have made a breakthrough in muonic atom research, clearing the way for new nuclear physics experiments.
General Physics
Mar 20, 2025
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125
UC Santa Barbara researchers are working to move cold atom quantum experiments and applications from the laboratory tabletop to chip-based systems, opening new possibilities for sensing, precision timekeeping, quantum computing ...
Optics & Photonics
Mar 5, 2025
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99
For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that negative refraction can be achieved using atomic arrays—without the need for artificially manufactured metamaterials.
Optics & Photonics
Feb 12, 2025
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Antimatter is a fascinating kind of matter made up of antiparticles, which have a mass equivalent to that of their normal matter counterparts, yet they exhibit an opposite charge and distinct quantum properties.
Researchers at the University of Basel have shown that quantum systems can have antagonistic interactions, too—one agent attracts the other, but the other way around, there is a repulsion. Such interactions could be realized ...
Quantum Physics
Jan 23, 2025
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The next generation of atomic clocks "ticks" with the frequency of a laser. This is about 100,000 times faster than the microwave frequencies of the cesium clocks which are generating the second at present. These optical ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 17, 2025
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89
Quiet quitting isn't just for burned out employees. Atoms carrying information inside quantum computers, known as qubits, sometimes vanish silently from their posts. This problematic phenomenon, called atom loss, corrupts ...
Quantum Physics
Dec 18, 2024
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