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NEWSROOM


Molecular ‘catapult’ fires electrons at the limits of physics
Electrons can be ‘kicked across’ solar materials at almost the fastest speed nature allows, scientists have discovered – challenging long-held theories about how solar energy systems work. The finding could help researchers design more efficient ways of harvesting sunlight and converting it into electricity. In experiments capturing events lasting just 18 femtoseconds – less than 20 quadrillionths of a second – researchers at the University of Cambridge observed charge separa
Mar 123 min read


SLAC researchers image plasma instability relevant to fusion energy and astrophysics
The team developed a platform that uses powerful X-rays from the lab’s LCLS X-ray laser to resolve for the first time the evolution of instabilities in high-density plasmas.
Feb 204 min read


Watching atoms roam before they decay
The three atoms of the excited NeKr 2 trimer keep roaming around each other for up to one picosecond. © FHI Together with an international team, researchers from the Molecular Physics Department at the Fritz Haber Institute revealed how atoms rearrange themselves before releasing low-energy electrons in a decay process initiated by X-ray irradiation. For the first time, they gain detailed insights into the timing of the process – shedding light on related radiation damage me
Feb 44 min read


AI surpasses mathematical limits to decode the mysteries of non-Hermitian topology
In a landmark achievement at the confluence of artificial intelligence and fundamental physics, a team of researchers from Tongji University, the Chinese university of Hong Kong and Nanyang Technological University has developed an AI algorithm capable of classifying complex topological phases of matter without relying on the mathematical tools that have limited human scientists for decades. This breakthrough, which tackles the notoriously difficult realm of non-Hermitian sys
Jan 144 min read


A new way to view shockwaves could boost fusion research
For the first time, researchers simultaneously used ultrafast X-rays and electrons to image a shockwave in water, a “multi-messenger” view that reveals details previous experiments couldn’t see. Researchers found an unexpected layer of water vapor made the shockwave symmetric, a feature similar to what happens in certain targets used for inertial confinement fusion. The work shows how researchers can use small-but-mighty systems called laser-plasma accelerators to explore the
Jan 95 min read


Rydberg-atom detector conquers a new spectral frontier
A team from the Faculty of Physics and the Centre for Quantum Optical Technologies at the Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw has developed a new method for measuring elusive terahertz signals using a "quantum antenna." The authors of the work utilized a novel setup for radio wave detection with Rydberg atoms to not only detect but also precisely calibrate a so-called frequency comb in the terahertz band. This band was until recently a white spot in the electroma
Dec 8, 20254 min read
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