Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Physics
Atomic clocks take a step toward redefining the second
Measurements of the clocks’ frequencies provide the most precise clock comparisons yet, with uncertainties less than a quadrillionth of a percent.
- Physics
Can room-temperature superconductors work without extreme pressure?
The next generation of materials that conduct electricity with no resistance could shrug off the need for high pressure and low temperatures.
- Physics
A tiny gold ball is the smallest object to have its gravity measured
A gold sphere with a mass of about 90 milligrams pulled on another sphere in accordance with Newton’s law of universal gravitation.
- Physics
A magnetic trap captures elusive ultracold plasma
Pinning plasma within a set of magnetic fields offers physicists a new way to study clean energy, space weather and the inner workings of stars.
- Materials Science
This soft robot withstands crushing pressures at the ocean’s greatest depths
An autonomous robot that mimics the adaptations of deep-sea snailfish to extreme conditions was successfully tested at the bottom of the ocean.
- Physics
Black hole visionaries push the boundaries of knowledge in a new film
‘Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know’ follows researchers with the Event Horizon Telescope and other physicists working to understand black holes.
- Tech
A new laser-based random number generator is the fastest of its kind
A new laser’s chaotic light beam lets the device generate multiple number sequences at once, similar to throwing multiple dice at a time.
- Particle Physics
Protons’ antimatter is even more lopsided than we thought
The SeaQuest experiment finds that down antiquarks within the proton are more prevalent than up antiquarks.
- Physics
Tiny, sunlight-powered aircraft could soar beyond airplanes’ reach
Microfliers levitate when hit with light, in conditions like those high in Earth’s atmosphere.
- Physics
50 years ago, scientists were on a quest for quarks
In the 1970s, physicists confirmed particles called quarks existed. Fifty years later, many kinds of quarks in many combinations have been discovered.
- Quantum Physics
‘Designer molecules’ could create tailor-made quantum devices
Scientists are making molecules suited to a variety of quantum tasks by building them up, atom by atom.
- Physics
The Milky Way’s newfound high-energy glow hints at the secrets of cosmic rays
Gamma rays with energies approaching a quadrillion electron volts emanate from the disk of the Milky Way.
