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Physics - 25.09.2024
NA62 experiment at CERN observes ultra-rare particle decay
Geneva, 25 September 2024. At a seminar held at CERN this week, the NA62 collaboration reported the unequivocal confirmation of the ultra-rare decay of a positively charged kaon into a positively charged pion and a neutrino-antineutrino pair. Experiments including NA62 have previously measured and seen evidence of this process, but this is the first time it has been measured with a statistical significance of five standard deviations , crossing the threshold traditionally required to claim a discovery in particle physics.

Physics - 17.09.2024
CMS experiment at CERN weighs in on the W boson mass
The experiment at CERN is the latest to weigh in on the mass of the W boson - an elementary particle that, along with the Z boson , mediates the weak force, which is responsible for a form of radioactivity and initiates the nuclear fusion reaction that powers the Sun. At a seminar held at CERN today, the CMS collaboration reported how it has analysed proton-proton collision data from the second run of the Large Hadron Collider , the Laboratory's flagship particle accelerator, to make its first mass measurement of this fundamental particle.

Physics - Electroengineering - 06.09.2024
One-way street for sound waves
One-way street for sound waves
Researchers at ETH Zurich have managed to make sound waves travel only in one direction. In the future, this method could also be used in technical applications with electromagnetic waves. Be it water, light or sound: waves usually propagate in the same way forwards as in the backward direction. As a consequence, when we are speaking to someone standing some distance away from us, that person can hear us as well as we can hear them.

Astronomy / Space - Physics - 19.08.2024
The age of the Sun depends on when you look at it
The age of the Sun depends on when you look at it
Previously thought to be negligible, the Sun-s magnetic activity is influencing the determination of its seismic age, as shown by a study published by an international team led by a researcher from the University of Geneva. An international team of astronomers, led by a researcher from the University of Geneva , has shown that the Sun-s magnetic activity has a significant influence on its seismic characterisation, contrary to predictions in the literature.

Physics - Innovation - 14.08.2024
First observation of neutrinos with prototype at the ultimate neutrino observatory DUNE
First observation of neutrinos with prototype at the ultimate neutrino observatory DUNE
In the USA, the world's most extensive neutrino experiment, DUNE, is being built at Fermilab. The University of Bern is playing a key role in this by developing the "ND-LAr" detector, which features new technology and an innovative design to observe neutrinos. The prototype of the "ND-LAr" has now been successfully tested and has detected its first neutrinos.

Physics - 13.08.2024
Computer chips have the potential to become even smaller
Computer chips have the potential to become even smaller
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have been improving the resolution of a process known as photolithography. They hope to use their technique to help advance the miniaturisation of computer chips. Miniaturising computer chips is one of the keys to the digital revolution. It allows computers to become ever smaller and, at the same time, more powerful.

Physics - Chemistry - 13.08.2024
AI enhances chemical analysis at the nanoscale
AI enhances chemical analysis at the nanoscale
Scientists have developed an AI-based technique to improve chemical analysis of nanomaterials, overcoming challenges of noisy data and mixed signals. "Nanomaterials" is a broad term used to describe chemical substances or materials in which a single unit is sized between 1 and 100 nanometers (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter).

Mathematics - Physics - 06.08.2024
Engineers bring efficient optical neural networks into focus
Engineers bring efficient optical neural networks into focus
Researchers have published a programmable framework that overcomes a key computational bottleneck of optics-based artificial intelligence systems. In a series of image classification experiments, they used scattered light from a low-power laser to perform accurate, scalable computations using a fraction of the energy of electronics.

Physics - Computer Science - 02.08.2024
New X-ray world record: Looking inside a microchip with 4 nanometre precision
New X-ray world record: Looking inside a microchip with 4 nanometre precision
In a collaboration with EPFL Lausanne, ETH Zurich and the University of Southern California researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have used X-rays to look inside a microchip with higher precision than ever before. The image resolution of 4 nanometres marks a new world record. The high-resolution three-dimensional images of the type they produced will enable advances in both information technology and the life sciences.

Physics - Astronomy / Space - 01.08.2024
Uniquely precise: New value for the half-life of samarium-146
Uniquely precise: New value for the half-life of samarium-146
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the Australian National University have re-determined the half-life of samarium-146 with great precision. The result fits perfectly with the data astrophysicists and geochemists have obtained from extraterrestrial samples. The study appears today in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

Physics - Astronomy / Space - 16.07.2024
Neutrino interaction rates measured at unprecedented energies
Neutrino interaction rates measured at unprecedented energies
A team including researchers from the Laboratory for High Energy Physics at the University of Bern has successfully measured the interaction rates of neutrinos at unprecedented energies using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. A better understanding of these elusive elementary particles can help answer the question of why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe.

Physics - Materials Science - 08.07.2024
New method for determining the exchange energy of 2D materials
New method for determining the exchange energy of 2D materials
Researchers from the University of Basel have looked at how the ferromagnetic properties of electrons in the two-dimensional semiconductor molybdenum disulfide can be better understood. They revealed a surprisingly simple way of measuring the energy needed to flip an electron spin. Ferromagnetism is an important physical phenomenon that plays a key role in many technologies.

Physics - Electroengineering - 05.07.2024
A 2D device for quantum cooling
A 2D device for quantum cooling
EPFL engineers have created a device that can efficiently convert heat into electrical voltage at temperatures lower than that of outer space. The innovation could help overcome a significant obstacle to the advancement of quantum computing technologies, which require extremely low temperatures to function optimally.

Physics - Electroengineering - 01.07.2024
Controlling electronics with light: the magnetite breakthrough
Controlling electronics with light: the magnetite breakthrough
Researchers at EPFL have discovered that by shining different wavelengths of light on a material called magnetite, they can change its state, making it more or less conducive to electricity. This could lead to the development of innovative materials for electronics. Magnetite is the oldest and strongest natural magnet.

Physics - 25.06.2024
Moving objects precisely with sound
Researchers have succeeded in directing floating objects around an aquatic obstacle course using only soundwaves. Their novel, optics-inspired method holds great promise for biomedical applications such as noninvasive targeted drug delivery. In 2018, Arthur Ashkin won the Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing optical tweezers : laser beams that can be used to manipulate microscopic particles.

Physics - Chemistry - 20.06.2024
An alternative way to manipulate quantum states
An alternative way to manipulate quantum states
Researchers at ETH Zurich have shown that quantum states of single electron spins can be controlled by currents of electrons whose spins are evenly aligned. In the future, this method could be used in electronic circuit elements. Electrons have an intrinsic angular momentum, the so-called spin, which means that they can align themselves along a magnetic field, much like a compass needle.

Astronomy / Space - Physics - 17.06.2024
High-precision measurements challenge the understanding of Cepheids
High-precision measurements challenge the understanding of Cepheids
Scientists, through the VELOCE project, have clocked the speed of Cepheid stars - "standard candles" that help us measure the size of the universe - with unprecedented precision, offering exciting new insights about them. Photo: RS Puppis , one of the most luminous Cepheid variable star s, rhythmically brightens and dims over a six-week cycle.

Physics - Innovation - 13.06.2024
Miniaturizing a laser on a photonic chip
Miniaturizing a laser on a photonic chip
Scientists at EPFL have successfully miniaturized a powerful erbium-based biber laser on a silicon-nitride photonic chip. Since typical erbium-based fiber lasers are large and difficult to scale down, the breakthrough promises major advances in optical communications and sensing technologies. Lasers have revolutionized the world since the 60's and are now indispensable in modern applications, from cutting-edge surgery and precise manufacturing to data transmission across optical fibers.

Physics - 22.05.2024
Gamma-ray method monitors nuclear reactors safely and quickly
Gamma-ray method monitors nuclear reactors safely and quickly
Scientists at EPFL have devised and tested out a new, gamma-noise method for monitoring nuclear reactors non-invasively and from a distance. The new method, tested out on EPFL's CROCUS nuclear reactor, can improve nuclear safety and treaty compliance. Monitoring nuclear reactors around the world to ensure that they comply with international treaties is essential for safety.

Physics - Innovation - 16.05.2024
Artificial intelligence calculates phase diagrams
Artificial intelligence calculates phase diagrams
Researchers at the University of Basel have developed a new method for calculating phase diagrams of physical systems that works similarly to ChatGPT. This artificial intelligence could even automate scientific experiments in the future. A year and a half ago, ChatGPT was released, and ever since, there has been hardly anything that cannot be created with this new form of artificial intelligence: texts, images, videos, and even music.
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