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Physics news
Physicists finally put Feynman's path integral to the test
For nearly 80 years, physicists have relied on a thought experiment created by Richard Feynman to predict how quantum particles behave. For the first time, researchers in China have tested this trick directly in the lab.
Hollow-core fiber platform could help different quantum technologies connect
Quantum technologies promise secure communication networks, powerful forms of computing and new sensing tools. One of the major challenges, however, is that different quantum systems often operate at different wavelengths ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 30, 2026
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How plastic welds retain a molecular 'memory' of their former surfaces to strengthen pipe joints
Welding plastic is a critically important part of everyday engineering—especially for preventing leaks in underground water and gas pipes. For decades, engineers have understood that a properly welded joint in polyethylene ...
Light reveals internal motion in electron crystals and can trigger their melting
Electrons, particles that carry a negative electric charge, typically move through materials. At low densities and temperatures, however, the electrical repulsion between them can overpower their tendency to move, prompting ...
Diamond clock combines two signals to cut temperature-driven drift
Despite all the advertisements for engagement rings and necklace gifts, natural diamonds are imperfect. Their carbon atoms are arranged in a cubic lattice, but they nonetheless contain several types of crystallographic defects ...
Deep underground, SuperCDMS begins hunting light dark matter with 24 cryogenic crystals
In the hunt for one of nature's most elusive substances—dark matter, which makes up 85% of all matter in the universe—scientists are going to extremes. Deep underground and chilled to near absolute zero, the Super Cryogenic ...
General Physics
Aug 27, 2026
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Going beyond simple models of neural networks: Extended mean-field theory offers a better approach
Physics is most readily applied to relatively simple systems: a pendulum, two electrons colliding or the structure of the solar system. But when systems become complicated—when many particles interact with one another, in ...
The physics of kiiking, Estonia's extreme sport of swinging
When an athlete swings upside down atop a 7-meter (23-foot) pendulum, it may seem like a feat of strength, courage or technique. A new study suggests it is something more fundamental: a striking demonstration of how intelligence ...
General Physics
Aug 27, 2026
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Fast but error-prone AI assists in solving a decades-old fluid mechanics problem in five weeks
An AI assistant helped University of Colorado Boulder researchers solve a mathematical problem that had challenged their lab for a year and a half, though it made subtle errors along the way. The breakthrough could improve ...
Soft Matter
Aug 27, 2026
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First observation of optical Magnus effect could sharpen quantum computer control
Table tennis professionals are true masters at redirecting fast-moving projectiles. Putting a targeted spin on a serve can make the little white ball fly straight toward the edge of the table but then, at the last moment, ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 27, 2026
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Oxygen collisions reveal how quark–gluon matter approaches equilibrium
High-energy nuclear collisions recreate extreme conditions similar to those in the early universe, producing quark–gluon plasma (QGP), a hot state of matter in which quarks and gluons are no longer confined inside protons ...
General Physics
Aug 27, 2026
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Geomimicry offers a new framework for engineering sustainable materials
When engineers look to nature for inspiration, they often turn to living systems. The flight of birds has influenced aircraft design, gecko feet inspired new adhesives and lotus leaves led to the development of self-cleaning ...
General Physics
Aug 27, 2026
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ATLAS and CMS narrow in on twin Higgs production
Finding one Higgs boson was hard enough, but physicists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are hunting for something even more elusive: pairs of Higgs bosons. At the recent International Conference on High Energy Physics ...
General Physics
Aug 27, 2026
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Light particles reveal critical scaling in a two-dimensional photon gas
A team of researchers from the University of Bonn, Heidelberg University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico has studied the critical behavior of light particles (photons) close to a phase transition. This critical ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 27, 2026
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Hyperdoped silicon photodiode advances short-wave infrared detection at room temperature
Detecting short-wave infrared (SWIR) light, a region of the electromagnetic spectrum just beyond the light visible to the human eye, could be advantageous for many real-world applications. For instance, it could enable more ...
Observing the vibrations of neighboring atoms with an atomic-scale double slit
Efficiently controlling heat generation has become a major challenge as the semiconductors used in smartphones, computers and similar devices have become higher-performing and more miniaturized. The way heat is transmitted ...
Condensed Matter
Aug 26, 2026
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One molecule, one photon: Entanglement makes an imperceptible recoil measurable
For decades, light has been used to understand the molecular structures of matter. A sample is irradiated with light, and measurements determine the wavelengths at which it is absorbed. Since each molecule absorbs light at ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 26, 2026
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Narrow ultrasonic beam enables stable 3D levitation six times farther than before
Scientists have developed a new acoustic levitation technique using an ultrasonic beam capable of levitating and moving small objects in midair over distances of up to 40 cm (16 inches), six times farther than previously ...
General Physics
Aug 26, 2026
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Ramped fields create more robust entanglement between trapped-ion qubits
While quantum computing could be the future, it is currently plagued by finicky hardware. To make the technology practical, researchers must demonstrate that it consistently and continuously works and performs at scale. In ...
Quantum Physics
Aug 26, 2026
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High magnetic fields revive superconductivity in nickelates
Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States, have uncovered that a class of nickel-based materials known as samarium (Sm)-based infinite-layer ...
Condensed Matter
Aug 26, 2026
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More news
New quantum computing method broadens spectroscopy of hard-to-model matter
Exact calculations sharpen view of atomic nuclei
Bright ideas accelerate the hunt for quantum emitters
Supersized quantum sensors make faint photons easier to catch
How fusion reactions can survive flaws—up to a point
Laser-cut aluminum foil could replace costly terahertz polarizers
Other news
AI streamlines search for new ceramics that generate electricity
Not tiger, not wolf: Australian thylacine skull reveals a far different hunting style
A never-before-seen picture of eagle migrations
How everyday household tasks impact relationships
Mercury's crust points to deeper, hotter volcanic origins than expected
Bumblebees may self-medicate when exposed to fungal infections
Dark energy and quantum gravity may be deeply intertwined
Magnetically levitated quantum bit could address design flaws
Intense light bent out of shape—ultrafast lenses made from gas
Illuminating the limits of the international unit of light, the candela
Century-old physics idea explains why cubic fluid equations work
Nano-antennas make living cells light up brighter and faster
Tracks and tooth marks reveal bone-crushing dogs at Nebraska supervolcano ashfall site
