Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Planetary Science
Young asteroids generated long-lasting magnetism
Pockets of iron and nickel in meteorites suggest that asteroids in the early solar system produced magnetic fields for much longer than once thought.
- Physics
Speed of light not so constant after all
Even in vacuum conditions, light can move slower than its maximum speed depending on the structure of its pulses.
- Quantum Physics
Physicists debate whether quantum math is as real as atoms
Physicists debate whether quantum states are as real as atoms or are just tools for forecasting phenomena.
- Materials Science
Graphene’s allure becomes magnetic
Single-atom-thick sheets of carbon called graphene can be magnetized with the help of an insulating magnet.
- Quantum Physics
Bell’s math showed that quantum weirdness rang true
50 years ago, John Bell proved a theorem that led the way to establishing the weirdness of quantum physics.
- Particle Physics
Year in review: Neutrinos leave tracks in ice
The IceCube experiment has started to pinpoint the birthplaces of some high-energy neutrinos.
- Planetary Science
Ancient moon’s mega magnetic field explained
Apollo-era moon rocks reveal ancient lunar magnetic field was at least as powerful as the one surrounding modern Earth.
- Materials Science
Carbon supplants silicon in electronic medical sensors
Prototypes of electronic medical devices constructed from organic materials are noninvasive yet offer similar performance as silicon-based health sensors.
- Physics
Assaulting ink drops for science
A pulse of laser light obliterates a free-falling ink drop in an image from the American Physical Society’s 2014 Gallery of Fluid Motion competition. The work may help engineers build the next generation of computer chips.
- Physics
Material borders support unusually warm electronic superhighways
The interface between a conductive wafer and an iron-containing film is a high-temperature superconductor, which transmits electrons without resistance.
- Physics
Negative mass might not defy Einstein
Repulsive matter could have played a role in the early universe, a computational study finds.
- Particle Physics
Two new particles found at Large Hadron Collider
Physicists with the Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment have identified two new particles called Xi_b'- and Xi_b*-.
