Phys.org news
Phys.org / Expanding the search for quantum-ready 2D materials
Quantum technologies from ultrasensitive sensors to next-generation information processors depend on the ability of quantum bits, or qubits, to maintain their delicate quantum states for a sufficiently long time to be useful.
Phys.org / Sum-frequency microscope can image an invisible 2D material
Researchers from the Physical Chemistry and Theory departments at the Fritz Haber Institute have found a new way to image layers of boron nitride that are only a single atom thick. This material is usually nearly invisible ...
Phys.org / Icy hot plasmas: Fluffy, electrically charged ice grains reveal new plasma dynamics
When a gas is highly energized, its electrons get torn from the parent atoms, resulting in a plasma—the oft-forgotten fourth state of matter (along with solid, liquid, and gas). When we think of plasmas, we normally think ...
Phys.org / Adrift like Shackleton: Robot float survives Antarctic ice
A robotic float has measured the temperature and salinity from parts of the ocean never sampled before—underneath massive floating ice shelves in East Antarctica.
Phys.org / Reconfigurable platform slows lights for on-chip photonic engineering
Integrated circuits are the brains behind modern electronic devices like computers or smart phones. Traditionally, these circuits—also known as chips—rely on electricity to process data. In recent years, scientists have ...
Phys.org / Webb reveals double helium tails escaping from a 'hot Jupiter'
For the first time, scientists have continuously monitored a planet's escaping atmosphere over a complete orbit, revealing that the gas giant WASP-121 b is surrounded by not one but two massive helium tails stretching more ...
Phys.org / Parasitic fungus may have emerged 18 million years before the ants with which it lives today
A genus of fungi previously considered a parasite of fungi associated with ants may actually have much more complex ecological functions. According to a study published in the journal Communications Biology, one piece of ...
Phys.org / Plant-virus proteins guide gold nanoparticles into eco-friendly sheets for solar tech
Using proteins from a common tobacco plant virus, McGill chemistry researchers have developed a simple, eco-friendly way to arrange gold nanoparticles into ultrathin sheets, strengthening the particles' optical properties. ...
Phys.org / NASA-JAXA XRISM finds elemental bounty in supernova remnant
For the first time, scientists have made a clear X-ray detection of chlorine and potassium in the wreckage of a star using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) spacecraft.
Phys.org / New model describes how reaction-diffusion networks develop 'foams'
For numerous fundamental processes of life, the formation of certain protein patterns is essential. Protein pattern formation controlled by molecular switches is—like many processes in nature—far removed from a state ...
Phys.org / Towards sustainable organic synthesis—mechanochemistry replaces lithium with sodium in organic reactions
Highly reactive organometallic reagents, like organolithiums (molecules with a carbon–lithium bond) are essential reagents in organic synthesis because of their applications from polymer synthesis to pharmaceuticals, and ...
Phys.org / Hydrogel switches from liquid to gel at body temperature, enabling easy removal
What if a doctor could inject an electricity-conducting liquid into the body, let it temporarily solidify to record nerve signals or jump-start healing, and then return it to liquid form for easy removal?