Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Precision instrument bolsters efforts to find elusive dark energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Dark energy -- a mysterious force pushing the universe apart at an ever-increasing rate -- was discovered 26 years ago, and ever since, scientists have been searching for a new and exotic particle causing the expansion. Physicists combined an optical lattice with an atom interferometer to hold atoms in place for up to 70 seconds -- a record for an atom interferometer -- allowing them to more precisely test for deviations from the accepted theory of gravity that could be caused by dark energy particles such as chameleons or symmetrons. Though they detected no anomalies, they're improving the experiment to perform more sensitive tests of gravity, including whether gravity is quantized.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Wildfires increasingly threaten oil and gas drill sites, compounding potential health risks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

More than 100,000 oil and gas wells across the western U.S. are in areas burned by wildfires in recent decades, a new study has found, and some 3 million people live next to wells that in the future could be in the path of fires worsened by climate change.

Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires
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Fuel treatments reduce future wildfire severity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

There is a common belief that prescribed burning, thinning trees, and clearing underbrush reduce risks of the severity of future fires. But is that true? A new project analyzing 40 studies where wildfire burned into different vegetation treatments, spanning 11 western states. Researchers found overwhelming evidence that in seasonally dry mixed conifer forests in the western U.S., reducing surface and ladder fuels and tree density through thinning, coupled with prescribed burning or pile burning, could reduce future wildfire severity by more than 60% relative to untreated areas.

Physics: General Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

New NOvA results add to mystery of neutrinos      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The international collaboration presented their first results with new data in four years, featuring a new low-energy sample of electron neutrinos and a dataset doubled in size.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Breakthrough may clear major hurdle for quantum computers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The potential of quantum computers is currently thwarted by a trade-off problem. Quantum systems that can carry out complex operations are less tolerant to errors and noise, while systems that are more protected against noise are harder and slower to compute with. Now a research team has created a unique system that combats the dilemma, thus paving the way for longer computation time and more robust quantum computers.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

New material puts eco-friendly methanol conversion within reach      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed innovative, eco-friendly quantum materials that can drive the transformation of methanol into ethylene glycol. This discovery opens up new possibilities for using eco-friendly materials in photocatalysis, paving the way for sustainable chemical production.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Geoscience: Earth Science Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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Quantum entanglement measures Earth rotation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers carried out a pioneering experiment where they measured the effect of the rotation of Earth on quantum entangled photons. The work represents a significant achievement that pushes the boundaries of rotation sensitivity in entanglement-based sensors, potentially setting the stage for further exploration at the intersection between quantum mechanics and general relativity.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

A liquid crystal source of photon pairs      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), as a source of entangled photons, is of great interest for quantum physics and quantum technology, but so far it could be only implemented in solids. Researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, SPDC in a liquid crystal. The results open a path to a new generation of quantum sources: efficient and electric-field tunable.

Energy: Nuclear Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Physics Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Pair plasmas found in deep space can now be generated in the lab      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have experimentally generated high-density relativistic electron-positron pair-plasma beams by producing two to three orders of magnitude more pairs than previously reported.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Severe Weather Mathematics: Modeling Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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Quantum data assimilation: A quantum leap in weather prediction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Data assimilation is an important mathematical discipline in earth sciences, particularly in numerical weather prediction (NWP). However, conventional data assimilation methods require significant computational resources. To address this, researchers developed a novel method to solve data assimilation on quantum computers, significantly reducing the computation time. The findings of the study have the potential to advance NWP systems and will inspire practical applications of quantum computers for advancing data assimilation.

Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Geography
Published

New way to spot beetle-killed spruce can help forest, wildfire managers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new machine-learning system can automatically produce detailed maps from satellite data to show locations of likely beetle-killed spruce trees in Alaska, even in forests of low and moderate infestation where identification is otherwise difficult. The automated process can help forestry and wildfire managers in their decisions. That's critical as the beetle infestation spreads.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Uncovering the nature of emergent magnetic monopoles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To understand the unique physical phenomena associated with the properties of magnetic hedgehogs and antihedgehogs, which behave as virtual magnetic monopoles and antimonopoles respectively, it is essential to study their intrinsic excitations. In a new study, researchers revealed the dynamical nature of collective excitation modes in hedgehog lattices in itinerant chiral magnets. Their findings serve as the foundation for studying the dynamics of emergent magnetic monopoles in magnets.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

New technique could help build quantum computers of the future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated a new method that could enable the large-scale manufacturing of optical qubits. The advance could bring us closer to a scalable quantum computer.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Switching nanomagnets using infrared lasers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Physicists have calculated how suitable molecules can be stimulated by infrared light pulses to form tiny magnetic fields. If this is also successful in experiments, the principle could be used in quantum computer circuits.

Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

'Quantum optical antennas' provide more powerful measurements on the atomic level      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A multi-institutional team has created atomic optical antennas in solids. The team used germanium vacancy centers in diamonds to create an optical energy enhancement of six orders of magnitude, a regime challenging to reach with conventional atomic antenna structures.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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Perturbations simplify the study of 'super photons'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Thousands of particles of light can merge into a type of 'super photon' under suitable conditions. Physicists call such a state a photon Bose-Einstein condensate. Researchers have now shown that this exotic quantum state obeys a fundamental theorem of physics. This finding now allows one to measure properties of photon Bose-Einstein condensates which are usually difficult to access.

Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Novel diamond quantum magnetometer for ambient condition magnetoencephalography      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A highly sensitive diamond quantum magnetometer utilizing nitrogen-vacancy centers can achieve millimeter-scale resolution magnetoencephalography (MEG). The novel magnetometer, based on continuous-wave optically detected magnetic resonance, marks a significant step towards realizing ambient condition MEG and other practical applications.