Approaching the Heisenberg limit

A football is not a quantum particle. There are crucial differences between the things we know from everyday life and tiny quantum objects. Quantum phenomena are usually very fragile. To study them, one normally uses only ...

Reliably measuring whether rivers or lakes run out of air

Wastewater carries large quantities of organic substances into the rivers and lakes, leading to heavy growth of bacteria and oxygen deficiency. Measurement methods have so far been incapable of measuring this organic pollution ...

Using quantum measurements to fuel a cooling engine

Researchers at the University of Florence and Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, in Italy, have recently proved that the invasiveness of quantum measurements might not always be detrimental. In a study published in Physical ...

River levels tracked from space

The 4,300 kilometer Mekong River is a lifeline for Southeast Asia. If this mighty river system bursts its banks, flooding can affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. A new method developed by a team of researchers ...

Molecular motors: Power much less than expected?

An innovative measurement method was used at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw for estimating power generated by motors of single molecule in size, comprising a few dozens of ...

Distorted GPS signals reveal hurricane wind speeds

By pinpointing locations on Earth from space, GPS systems have long shown drivers the shortest route home and guided airline pilots across oceans. Now, by figuring out how messed up GPS satellite signals get when bouncing ...

Microgels' behaviour under scrutiny

Being a physicist offers many perks. For one, it allows an understanding of the substances ubiquitous in everyday industrial products such as emulsions, gels, granular pastes or foams. These are known for their intermediate ...

Geostatistical method predicts urban pollution

Researchers from the University of Castilla-La Mancha have developed a measurement system that permits the prediction of atmospheric pollution due to nitrogen oxides in a specific location and at a particular time. The study ...

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