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. The time had come to open the envelope, but Stephan Schlamminger, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), wasn't sure he wanted to know the secret number that lay inside. For the past 10 years, Schlamminger had spent most of his working hours trying to measure a single quantity, known as the universal gravitational constant, which determines the strength of gravity everywhere in the universe. The secret number would allow Schlamminger to unscramble his data and get his answer. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mystery-gravitational-constant.html Astronomy Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:10:01 EDT news695576162 For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that a laser-plasma accelerator can reliably drive a free-electron laser for more than eight hours. Published in Physical Review Accelerators and Beams, the result was achieved by a team led by Finn Kohrell at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with Texas-based company Tau Systems—and could soon make the technology vastly more accessible for a broad range of applications in industry and research. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-plasma-free-electron-hours.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:40:03 EDT news695554789 For the last 80 years, the theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED), which describes all electromagnetic interactions, has been a cornerstone of the standard model, withstanding the scrutiny of countless experiments and agreeing with observations down to the smallest known precisions. Yet, some high-intensity scales of QED remain unexplored, prompting some to wonder if quantum computers could deal with these scales' inherent complexity. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-quantum-simulations-tackle-photon-polarization.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:20:09 EDT news695384043 Detecting a single particle of light is hard; detecting a single microwave photon is even harder. Microwave photons, the tiny packets of electromagnetic radiation used in current technologies like Wi-Fi and radar, carry far less energy than visible light. They are about 100,000 times weaker than optical photons. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tiny-detector-microwave-photons-advance.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:00:05 EDT news694368242 The direction in which the electromagnetic field of circularly polarized light rotates can be easily reversed by applying a voltage, RIKEN researchers have demonstrated. This could enable a new generation of optical devices based on circularly polarized light. The work is published in two papers in the journal Advanced Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-helical-liquid-crystals-flip-chirality.html Condensed Matter Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:10:01 EDT news694273141 Light can carry angular momentum in two distinct ways. One comes from polarization, which describes how the electric field rotates. The other comes from the shape of the wavefront itself, which can twist like a corkscrew as it travels. This second form, known as orbital angular momentum, has attracted wide interest because it allows light to encode information, interact with matter in new ways, and probe physical and biological systems. Despite this promise, producing well-defined twisted light in free space remains technically challenging, especially when the light originates from small or localized sources. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-chiral-metasurfaces-free-space.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:10:08 EDT news694195502 Particle accelerators reveal the heart of nuclear matter by smashing together atoms at close to the speed of light. The high-energy collisions produce a shower of subatomic fragments that scientists can then study to reconstruct the core building blocks of matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-particle-illuminate-physics.html General Physics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:00:05 EDT news693748981 Large-scale quantum computers are waiting in the wings. One of the main reasons we don't have them yet is because quantum hardware is so noisy. This isn't the type of noise you'd want to shush in a crowded theater. When it comes to computers, noise means errors that crop up when conditions aren't perfect. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-invisible-choreography-quantum-noise.html Quantum Physics Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:20:03 EDT news693651782 Many current wireless communication, imaging and sensing technologies rely on components that convert oscillating electric and magnetic fields (i.e., electromagnetic waves) into electrical signals. Some of the most used components are so-called p-n diodes, semiconducting devices that combine two types of materials with distinct electrical properties. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-hall-rectenna-ghz-frequency-range.html Condensed Matter Sun, 22 Mar 2026 11:00:01 EDT news692975982 This week, among a lot of other important findings, we learned that emperor cichlid fish have gaze sensitivity and dislike it if you look at them—or especially their children. England is looking for a solution to its 5-billion-liter water deficit. And a high-fiber diet isn't only healthy for you—it also benefits your parasitic tapeworms! https://phys.org/news/2026-03-saturday-citations-merging-brown-dwarfs.html Other Sat, 21 Mar 2026 08:30:01 EDT news693226847 Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime produced by violent cosmic events, such as the merging of black holes. So far, direct detections have relied on measuring tiny distance changes over kilometer-scale instruments. In a new theoretical study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers at Stockholm University, Nordita, and the University of Tübingen propose an unconventional approach: tracking how gravitational waves reshape the light emitted by atoms. The work describes a possible detection route, but an experimental demonstration remains for the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-gravitational-imprints-emitted-atoms-theoretical.html Astronomy Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:40:02 EDT news693137881 For the first time, a quantum radiation reaction in strong electromagnetic fields has been demonstrated experimentally by allowing electrons to collide with an extremely intense and powerful laser beam. The research findings provide insights needed for new quantum-mechanical computational models and clues to how the laws of physics operate near neutron stars or black holes. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-quantum-reaction-electrons-ultra-intense.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:30:02 EDT news692978702 Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have succeeded in detecting laser-assisted electron scattering (LAES) using circularly polarized light for the first time. The use of circularly polarized light promises valuable insights into how atomic scale "helicity" impacts how electrons interact with matter and light. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-laser-electron-circularly-polarized.html Condensed Matter Mon, 16 Mar 2026 18:20:01 EDT news692890621 Diagnosing some diseases could be as easy as breathing into a tube. MIT engineers have developed a test to detect disease-related compounds in a patient's breath. The new test could provide a faster way to diagnose pneumonia and other lung conditions. Rather than sit for a chest X-ray or wait hours for a lab result, a patient may one day take a breath test and get a diagnosis within minutes. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanoparticles-enable-minute-pneumonia.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:00:03 EDT news692889541 Timing is critical in diagnosing diseases such as cancer. Researchers within The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used a historically underappreciated tiny powerhouse to detect diseases sooner. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-photonics-nanotech-cancer-years-earlier.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 16 Mar 2026 08:47:23 EDT news692869573 A research team is using astrophysical explosions to understand the mysterious forces at work in some of the smallest building blocks in nature: atomic nuclei. In new research published in Nature Communications, the team uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to decipher the data from astrophysical observations to better understand how neutrons and protons interact in dense matter at the quantum level. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ai-elucidation-nuclear-explosive-neutron.html Astronomy Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:00:03 EDT news692536052 Quantum mechanical effects are known to be easily disrupted by disturbances from the surrounding environment, commonly referred to as noise. To minimize these disturbances, physicists often study these effects in small and carefully controlled systems, in which environmental noise can be minimized. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-precisely-quantum-large-ensembles.html General Physics Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:00:03 EDT news692014678 Three years ago, in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the passage of an "ultra-energetic" cosmic neutrino was observed—the most energetic ever detected. The event drew international attention from the scientific community as well as from the media and the public, not least because the origin of this particle—whose energy exceeded that of previously observed neutrinos by more than an order of magnitude—is unknown. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-energy-neutrino-begun-journey-blazars.html Astronomy Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:20:03 EDT news692273101 For the first time, physicists have demonstrated that a material's superconductivity can be altered by coupling it to an in-built, light-confining cavity. In experiments published in Nature, a team led by Itai Keren at Columbia University show how quantum properties can be deliberately engineered by bonding carefully chosen materials together—without applying any external light, pressure, or magnetic field. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-superconductivity-built-confining-cavity.html Superconductivity Sun, 08 Mar 2026 18:00:02 EDT news691410808 Neutron stars harbor some of the most extreme environments in the universe: their densities soar to several times those of atomic nuclei, and they possess some of the strongest gravitational fields of any known objects, surpassed only by black holes. First observed in the 1960s, much of the internal composition of neutron stars is still unknown. Scientists are beginning to look to gravitational waves emitted by binary neutron‐star inspirals—pairs of mutually orbiting neutron stars—as possible sources of information about their interiors. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-neutron-stars-sharpen-gravitational-tide.html Astronomy Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:20:03 EST news692028121 Electrical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated the fastest pyroelectric photodetector to date, which works by absorbing heat generated by incoming light. Capable of capturing light from the entire electromagnetic spectrum, the ultrathin device requires no external power, operates at room temperature and can be readily integrated into on-chip applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-thermal-photodetectors-shatters.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:10:08 EST news691866001 For the past two decades, scientists have wondered about a bright, distinct striped pattern seen in radio waves emanating from the Crab Pulsar, the remnant of a supernova observed by Chinese and Japanese astronomers in the year 1054. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-reveals-cosmic-war-crab-pulsar.html Astronomy Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:10:01 EST news691693802 Atomically thin semiconductors such as tungsten disulfide (WS2) are promising materials for future photonic technologies. Despite being only a single layer of atoms thick, they host tightly bound excitons—pairs of electrons and holes that interact strongly with light—and can efficiently generate new colors of light through nonlinear optical processes such as second-harmonic generation. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-air-programmable-mie-voids-boost.html Nanophysics Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:30:01 EST news691687622 While sifting through the extensive data collected by NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft over the last decade, scientists discovered a familiar type of electromagnetic signal commonly caused by lightning. This rare find represents the first direct indication of lightning activity on Mars. The team recently published their findings in Science Advances, where they describe the event and why it's so difficult to detect lightning-like activity on Mars. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nasa-maven-evidence-lightning-mars.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:00:04 EST news691672920 Getting an up-close view of life at the cellular level can be as simple as placing onion skin under a microscope and adjusting the knobs. Peering deeper, into the heart of the atoms within, isn't as easy. It requires peeling through layers of particle accelerator data to shed light on protons, neutrons and the subatomic processes at play. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-asymmetry-proton.html General Physics Fri, 27 Feb 2026 09:20:01 EST news691405982 The world is never really at rest. Even in a vacuum near ultracold temperatures where all classical motion should come to a halt, you'll find quantum fluctuations. In thin, two-dimensional materials, these include random vibrations that can alter electromagnetic fields, a feature that theorists have posited could be quite useful for modifying materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-vibrations-superconductivity-nearby-crystal.html Superconductivity Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:10:01 EST news691348741 Ultrathin, conductive films such as those made of graphene are widely used in modern optoelectronic devices, but it has been thought that their efficacy is fundamentally limited: they can absorb at most half of the incident light. A research group in China has now shown that absorption can be as high as 82.8% at light grazing angles nearly parallel to the film. This could not only significantly improve design efficiencies but sheds light on light-matter interactions at sizes much lower than the light's wavelength. Their work has been published in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-absorption-limit-ultra-thin.html Nanophysics Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:00:08 EST news691324008 New observations of Ganymede reveal a striking similarity between the auroras on the largest moon in the solar system and those on Earth. The international team of astrophysicists, led by researchers from the University of Liège, has produced new results indicating that, despite different conditions, the fundamental physical processes that generate auroras are common to different celestial bodies, and not just planets. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-auroras-ganymede-earth-similarities.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:20:01 EST news691073641 Neutron stars are ultra-dense remnants of massive stars that collapsed after supernova explosions and are made up mostly of subatomic particles with no electric charge (i.e., neutrons). When two neutron stars collide, they are predicted to produce gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of spacetime that travel at the speed of light. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-persistence-gravitational-memory.html Astronomy Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:00:03 EST news690628819 The KM3NeT collaboration is a large research group involved in the operation of a neutrino telescope network in the deep Mediterranean Sea, with the aim of detecting high-energy neutrino events. These are rare and fleeting high-energy interactions between neutrinos, particles with an extremely low mass that are sometimes referred to as "ghost particles." https://phys.org/news/2026-02-high-energy-neutrino-event-primordial.html Astronomy Thu, 19 Feb 2026 08:00:05 EST news690543571