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Physicists Discover 'Impossible' Topological State in Quantum Material TU Wien Findings Challenge Long-Standing views of Particle-Based Physics Scientists at TU Wien have uncovered an unexpected state in a quantum material — one that was long thought to be impossible — prompting calls for a broader definition of topological states . The breakthrough has been reported in Nature Physics . Latest quantum physics and materials science news Why Classical Particle Theory Still Shapes Modern Physics Although quantum theory tells us that particles behave like waves, making their exact position uncertain, physicists often rely on classical intuition . In many cases, it remains remarkably effective to picture particles as tiny objects moving through space at a defined speed. This classical picture underpins how researchers describe electrical current in metals , where electrons are imagined to race through the material, accelerating or bending under the influence of electromagnetic ...

Astronomers Discover Exceptionally Massive Hot Subdwarf Binary System LAMOST J0658 New Observations Reveal One of the Most Extreme Stellar Pairs Known Researchers have uncovered a new binary star system known as LAMOST J065816.72+094343.1 , consisting of a massive, high-temperature subdwarf and a companion that has yet to be directly observed. The discovery is reported in the January issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics . More space and astronomy discoveries What Do We Know About J0658? LAMOST J0658 16.72+094343.1 — commonly known as J0658 — was first detected in 2018 by the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and classified as a hot sdOB-type subdwarf . Early observations revealed it to be helium-deficient , with an effective temperature of around 35,000K an a projected rotational velocity of 37km/s . With much still unknown about J0658, a research team led by Fabian Mattig from the University of Potsdam , Germany, undertook a detailed analysis of...

Scientists Create First Chiral Fermionic Valve Without Magnetism Quantum Geometry Enables Unprecedented Control of Quantum Particles A joint team led by Stuart Parkin at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle (Saale) and Claudia Felser at the Max Planch Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden has unveiled a fundamentally new method for controlling quantum particles in solid materials. Writing in Nature , the researchers describe the first experimental realization of a chiral fermionic valve — a device that spatially separates quantum particles of opposite chirality using quantum geometry alone , without the need of magnetic fields or magnetic materials. More cutting-edge quantum physics coverage Breakthrough Driven by Mesoscopic Quantum Devices The breakthrough was driven by Anvesh Dixit , a PhD student in Parkin's and the study's first author, who designed, fabricated and measured the mesoscopic devices at the heart of the discovery. ...

Trinity Physicists Uncover New Way to Turn Light into Usable Energy Breakthrough Links Photon Behaviour with Heat-Engine Physics Physicists at Trinity College Dublin say fresh insights into how light behaves could open a new pathway towards tackling one of science's oldest problems: converting heat into usable energy . Their theoretical breakthrough, now set for experimental testing , may shape the design of specialized devices capable of capturing more energy from sunlight — as well as from lamps and LEDs — and converting it into practical work. The research has been published in Physical Review A . More physics and breakthrough science news How Confined Light Changes Energy Behaviour It focuses on what happens when photons , the particles of light, are confined within microscopic optical structures . Under these conditions, light can undergo a form of condensation, causing photons to act collectively rather than independently , concentrating energy into a narrow, highly inten...

Laser Pulse Timing Found to Control Particle Acceleration Efficiency, Study Reveals In high-intensity laser-matter interactions , such as laser-driven particle acceleration , physicists aim to achieve the maximum possible focused laser peak power — defined by the amount of energy delivered per unit area over the shortest possible pulse duration . With the same pulse energy and focus, the most intense peak is produced by using an ultra-short laser pulse . More physics and technology news Why Laser Pulse Structure Matters According to K á roly Osvay , head of the National Laser-Initiated Transmutation Laboratory (SZTE NLTL) at the University of Szeged , scientists have long known that adjusting the laser's spectral phase allows the pulse's frequency components to arrive at the target in a controlled time sequence, effectively shaping the pulse in time . "We examined what happens when the relative timing of these frequency components is altered," Osvay explained....

Scientists Discover String Theory Explains Why Biological Networks Take Their Shape For more than a hundred years, scientists have puzzled over why physical networks — such as blood vessels, neurons, tree branches and biological systems — take the shapes they do. The dominant idea was that nature designs these structures to be as efficient as possible, using the least amount of material . Yet repeated attempts to test this idea using standard mathematical optimization models consistently failed to match reality. Related science and discovery coverage A Shift in Perspective Solves a Century-Old Puzzle The flaw, it seems, was a matter of perspective . Researchers were thinking in one dimension when the problem demanded three . "We were treating these structures like wire diagrams ," explains Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute physicist Xiangyi Meng, PhD . "But they are not thin wires — they are three-dimensional physical objects with surfaces that must joi...

Colossal Black Hole Caught Shredding a Massive Star in Rare Cosmic Event Known as the 'Whippet' A colossal black hole has been caught tearing apart a massive star , likened by scientists to " preparing a snack for lunch ", during observations presented at the American Astronomical Society's annual meeting held from 4-8 January . Astronomers across the globe witnessed the dramatic cosmic encounter , which was reported at the AAS conference in Phoenix, Arizona . The doomed star was described as being ripped apart and consumed piece by piece by black hole's overwhelming gravitational pull . More breaking space discoveries Scientists Describe an Exceptionally Rare Stellar Destruction Speaking at the conference, Associate Professor of Astrophysics Daniel Perley of Liverpool John Moores University , lead author of a forthcoming paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , said: "We believe we have identified a black hole merging with a mass...