Optical experiment demonstrates the strong Mpemba effect in a single qubit
Typically, after a physical system is disturbed, it can gradually return toward a state of thermal equilibrium by exchanging heat with its surroundings. Thermal equilibrium is a s…
Liquid-assisted crystal growth cuts perovskite defects for efficient solar cells and LEDs
A research team led by professor Seong Sik Shin of the SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT) at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), in international collaboration with the…
Two paths, one flux: Trapped ions simulate Aharonov–Bohm interference in a lattice gauge theory
In a new Nature Physics study, researchers demonstrated the Aharonov-Bohm effect in a quantum simulation of a lattice gauge theory using a hybrid trapped-ion quantum computer.
Air holes turn silicon wafers into flat ultraviolet focusing mirrors for compact optics
Traditional lenses and mirrors focus light using curved surfaces. Metasurfaces can achieve similar functions with a flat layer of nanoscale structures that locally control the pha…
How a metabolite protects the enzyme that consumes it
Metabolites are consumed by enzymes to produce other vital molecules as well as to control metabolite levels. But how do cells avoid consuming too much? Researchers from the MPI o…
Light-powered method resurrects 'dead-end' compounds for drug discovery
Throughout the drug development process, which can take a decade or more, tens of thousands of chemical compounds are produced that never go on to become medicines. A Florida Stat…
Quantum gas microscope reveals individual atoms in first tunable three-component Hubbard system
For the first time, an international team of researchers from Germany, Thailand, India, China and the United States has created a three-component Hubbard system with tunable inter…
Beyond trial and error: A framework for AI-driven solid-electrolyte discovery
A battery material can look perfect in the lab and still fail in a real battery. That is the puzzle facing researchers working on solid electrolytes, the materials seen as key to …
Smart packaging film 'lights up' under UV as meat loses freshness
Food spoilage causes chemical changes that are not always easy to detect by appearance alone. To provide a clearer indication of freshness and quality, researchers at Kyushu Unive…
SynFit guides enzyme engineering by balancing several useful traits at once
Enzymes are biology's tiny chemists. They help build, break and rearrange molecules quickly and precisely. In the lab, scientists have long put enzymes to work making useful chemi…
Scientists achieve record-breaking low temperature on China's space station, paving the way for new physics experiments
Matter starts to behave differently at extremely low temperatures, creating conditions ideal for studying quantum physics and new states of matter. Now, researchers from China hav…
New method for upcycling polyethylene is suitable for mass production as a raw material for nylon
It would greatly benefit the environment and climate if nylon—chemically known as polyamide—could be produced on a large scale from plastic waste in the future, rather than from p…
From chaos to 'intelligent' soft matter—how tiny chemical differences guide droplets into ordered structures
Disorder can make sense, and understanding its logic can be genuinely useful. A study by a research group at the University of Trento shows how a minimal chemical difference can t…
Paired but out of step: Why electron pairing alone is not enough for room-temperature superconductivity
Levitating trains, ultra-efficient energy storage, and quantum computers: superconductivity could unlock a wealth of possibilities for the future. New research led by scientists f…
Laser-plasma accelerator could generate bright X-rays for biological imaging, simulations show
X-rays with wavelengths between approximately 2.3 and 4.4 nanometers, i.e., in the so-called water window, are particularly well suited to examining biological samples in their na…
Paired DNA strands recognize shape, not just sequence, in new small-molecule sensing method
You have probably performed a sandwich assay before, even if you didn't know it. Sandwich assays are the molecular sensing technology behind lateral flow tests like the at-home CO…
Pinning down the structure of quark-gluon plasma, the universe's first fluid
In the first fraction of a second following the Big Bang, matter existed as a trillion-degree plasma of quarks and gluons—subatomic particles that zinged around at close to the sp…
Plastic bags and bottles become industrial-strength adhesives through new upcycling method
Around 450 million metric tons of plastics are produced worldwide each year. The major share of this sheer volume is used only once and then winds up in an incinerator or in landf…
Electrical control of an unconventional quantum transport state demonstrated in a magnet for the first time
Researchers at Tohoku University and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) have successfully controlled a unique quantum phenomenon—the quantum-geometric nonlinear Hall (QgNLH) st…
How palm orientation shapes spin characteristics in volleyball jump serves
A new biomechanical study has uncovered how elite volleyball players control ball spin during jump serves, offering fresh scientific insight into one of the sport's most decisive …
Physicist develops detector capable of counting photons for quantum computing
Detecting a single photon is a challenge in itself. But what if you also want to know exactly how many photons arrive at a particular point at the same time? Physicist Erik Baalbe…
Researchers develop synergistic additives for scalable slot-die-coated perovskite photovoltaics
A research team led by Professor Yang Dong from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Dalian Jiaotong Uni…
A plant-based hair dye that smells like cinnamon
Hair dyes help people express style and cover gray hair but often contain skin-irritating chemicals.
Coating made from renewable plant-based materials could simplify recycling while reducing exposure to microplastics
The lining in traditional disposable coffee cups can release plastic particles and be difficult to recycle, but a new plant-based coating can eliminate these issues with your morn…