{"@attributes":{"version":"2.0"},"channel":{"title":"Physics News - Physics News, Material Sciences, Science News, Physics","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/physics-news\/","language":"en-us","description":"The latest news in physics, materials science, quantum physics, optics and photonics, superconductivity science and technology.  Updated Daily.","item":[{"title":"Predictive surrogates could cut quantum computing measurement overhead by more than 99.97%","description":"Quantum computers, systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, have the potential of outperforming classical computers on some tasks. Despite their potential, the use of these systems remains very limited, due to their high cost and other challenges that have so far prevented their large-scale fabrication.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-surrogates-quantum-overhead.html","category":"Quantum Physics","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699875533"},{"title":"Scientists identify the origin of noise in spin qubit quantum processors","description":"A spin qubit, in which quantum information is encoded in the spin state of an electron, is one of the most promising platforms for quantum computing. Spin qubits exhibit long coherence times and are compatible with advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies. The leading implementation of spin qubits involves confined electrons inside quantum dots, a nanoscale semiconductor architecture that behaves like a controllable artificial atom. Recent advances have enabled high-fidelity operation of single- and two-qubit gates, exceeding the threshold required for certain surface code quantum error correction techniques.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-scientists-noise-qubit-quantum-processors.html","category":"Quantum Physics","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 09:00:03 EDT","guid":"news699874934"},{"title":"Physicists discover attractive forces between molecular condensates may cause running off","description":"Inside cells, certain functions are carried out by locally adjusting molecular composition. This condensation of material results in the formation of dense droplets that can dynamically rearrange. Because of this, interactions between such dense regions determine the shaping of condensates. Scientists from the Department of Living Matter Physics at MPI-DS recently developed a model that can describe such phase separation dynamics based solely on attraction. The work is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-physicists-molecular-condensates.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 18:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699875073"},{"title":"Light pulses uncover Higgs mode that reshapes perovskite crystal symmetry","description":"Waves of light and sound interact to drive electronic and structural changes in a perovskite crystal. At the atomic scale, nothing is ever truly still. Materials that appear perfectly rigid and motionless to the naked eye are in fact swarms of vibrating atoms. This motion is generally random and uncoordinated, but with the right input, the atoms in certain materials will start to move together, vibrating in sync.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-pulses-uncover-higgs-mode-reshapes.html","category":"Condensed Matter","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699875875"},{"title":"Critical Te-104 decay measurements may help answer century-old alpha particle formation question","description":"University of Tennessee, Knoxville physicists and their colleagues have made critical measurements of the lifetime and decay energy of tellurium-104 (Te-104), an important step in answering a century-old question and understanding how hundreds of nuclei decay. The results are published in Nature.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-critical-te-decay-century-alpha.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:20:04 EDT","guid":"news699883451"},{"title":"New X-ray method captures solid-liquid interfaces and bulk liquids simultaneously","description":"Researchers have developed a method for making simultaneous soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements of solid-liquid interfaces and bulk liquids. By controlling the thickness of the liquid layer, they obtained the O K-edge XAS spectrum of bulk H2O from a liquid H2O layer on a thin Au film using the transmission method, and they used the electron-yield method to obtain the XAS spectrum of the H2O\/Au interface by measuring the drain currents from the Au surface following soft X-ray absorption. This method for obtaining simultaneous XAS measurements of solid-liquid interfaces and bulk liquids can be utilized to investigate the mechanisms of a variety of catalytic, electrochemical, and biological reactions involving solid-liquid interfaces.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-ray-method-captures-solid-liquid.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:40:01 EDT","guid":"news699808321"},{"title":"Measuring gravitational waves in a humming universe with a coordinate-free approach","description":"Gravitational waves are tiny ripples in spacetime. Their first direct detection in 2015 marked a revolutionary moment in astronomy. Today, we have a thorough understanding of signals that travel far from their sources through quiet, nearly empty space, such as those emitted when black holes merge. In this case, the wave can be considered a minor disturbance on a silent background. The distinction between \"background\" and \"wave\" is clear, and the quantity measured by the detector\u2014a tiny stretching and squeezing\u2014is clearly determined.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-gravitational-universe-free-approach.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:40:03 EDT","guid":"news699806881"},{"title":"Quantum shell structure reveals new rule for proton-neutron pairing inside nuclei","description":"Nuclear physicists used a little magic in their latest experiment conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, and the result has revealed surprising new information about the behavior of protons and neutrons inside the atom's nucleus. Specifically, the research revealed another requirement that determines how protons and neutrons pair up.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-quantum-shell-reveals-proton-neutron.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:20:09 EDT","guid":"news699781262"},{"title":"Photoexcitation flips 2D moir\u00e9 devices from metals to insulators in ultrafast test","description":"Quantum materials, materials with properties that are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics describing many-body interactions, have proved promising for the development of various advanced technologies. Many of these materials undergo so-called phase transitions, switching between different physical states that alter how electrons flow through them.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-photoexcitation-flips-2d-moir-devices.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:00:04 EDT","guid":"news699701022"},{"title":"Temperature gaps help sneeze clouds stay denser and travel farther, experiments show","description":"When a person coughs or sneezes, they expel a cloud of microscopic particles capable of carrying viruses and bacteria that act as vectors for respiratory diseases such as flu, COVID-19 or tuberculosis. Understanding how these aerosols disperse in the air is crucial for minimizing the transmission of pathogens in indoor spaces, but their dynamics are complex and depend on many factors: the force of the exhalation, the morphology of the respiratory system, the characteristics of the space, etc. Now, a new study led by researchers from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili has shown that temperature also plays an important role.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-temperature-gaps-clouds-stay-denser.html","category":"Soft Matter","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:30:02 EDT","guid":"news699722042"},{"title":"Water-wave tweezers steer tiny 'surfers' without touching them","description":"Summer brings with it the sight of surfers moving seamlessly across wave crests, with ocean waters carrying them along coastlines. A team of scientists has now created a similar phenomenon\u2014with small objects rather than surfers\u2014that can be controlled by humans rather than by nature.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-tweezers-tiny-surfers.html","category":"Soft Matter","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:20:02 EDT","guid":"news699718101"},{"title":"Nanomagnets control diamond qubits, pointing to more scalable quantum hardware","description":"Quantum computing, once only a theoretical possibility, promises to deliver faster, more energy-efficient computers\u2014but only if scientists can build and scale the hardware needed to run the machines. New research from Virginia Commonwealth University brings scientists one small step closer to quantum computing at a practical scale, which could help dramatically reduce energy usage and computing times in some industries.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-nanomagnets-diamond-qubits-scalable-quantum.html","category":"Condensed Matter","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:20:04 EDT","guid":"news699717662"},{"title":"Out-of-plane ice bridges reveal new way to suppress frost spreading","description":"A research team led by Professor Nenad Miljkovic in The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has published a breakthrough study in Nature Physics. The work reports the first experimental discovery of a previously unknown frost propagation mechanism\u2014a \"suspended ice bridge\"\u2014offering new pathways for anti-frosting surface design.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-plane-ice-bridges-reveal-suppress.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:00:05 EDT","guid":"news699710881"},{"title":"'Don't scare the cat!' Engineers find smarter way to measure quantum systems","description":"UNSW Sydney engineers have riffed on the famous Schr\u00f6dinger's cat analogy to demonstrate a more efficient way to eliminate errors in quantum computing.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-dont-cat-smarter-quantum.html","category":"Quantum Physics","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:40:07 EDT","guid":"news699709561"},{"title":"Portable UV spectrometer can detect air pollutants across 2.5 km with high precision","description":"Birgitta Schultze-Bernhardt and her team at the Institute of Experimental Physics at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) have developed a new type of UV dual-comb spectrometer that detects gaseous air pollutants with unrivaled accuracy and sensitivity. Using ultraviolet double laser light, the device measures the concentration of harmful gases such as formaldehyde within half a second.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-portable-uv-spectrometer-air-pollutants.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:20:10 EDT","guid":"news699706829"},{"title":"Chip-scale 'acoustic atom' controls sound waves to imitate atomic energy levels and advance computing","description":"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. What goes up must come down. Physical laws like these govern all of the natural world\u2014except for the tiny internal components of today's microprocessors, which operate according to the unique and complicated rules of quantum physics.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-chip-scale-acoustic-atom-imitate.html","category":"Condensed Matter","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:04 EDT","guid":"news699704401"},{"title":"Ultrafast laser shrinks to chip scale, potentially lowering costs for diagnostics and atomic clocks","description":"Ultrafast lasers emit pulses lasting only a few hundred femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second). These flashes of light power applications from precision micromachining to eye surgery to optical frequency combs, the Nobel Prize-winning technology behind today's most precise optical atomic clocks. Yet despite more than two decades of effort, ultrafast lasers have largely remained bulky, expensive systems confined to optical tables.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-ultrafast-laser-chip-scale-potentially.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:26 EDT","guid":"news699637261"},{"title":"Violating the 3rd law of black hole mechanics in vacuum gravity","description":"Black holes, regions in space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape, have been widely studied over the past decades, due to their unique and intriguing properties. Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that black holes obey a set of rules, known as the laws of black hole mechanics. These rules somewhat resemble the laws of thermodynamics, which delineate how energy, heat, and entropy behave in our universe.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-violating-3rd-law-black-hole.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:00:04 EDT","guid":"news699524996"},{"title":"Terahertz imaging maps spatial chirality in materials with 100-micrometer resolution","description":"In nature, there exist structures that are mirror images of each other but cannot be perfectly superimposed. These are known as chiral objects, derived from the Greek word for \"hand,\" since left and right hands share the same relationship. Although similar in structure, chiral molecules exhibit different behaviors, and chirality is central to life itself. DNA has a twisted chiral structure, and living organisms prefer one handedness over the other. This distinction is equally important in drug design, materials science, and nanotechnology.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-terahertz-imaging-spatial-chirality-materials.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699612187"},{"title":"Violent rocket particles could reshape future spacecraft design","description":"When rockets fire into space, the insides of their engines become an extreme environment where temperatures soar and tiny particles are thrown around at hypersonic speeds. These particles behave in ways that break long-held assumptions, according to new research that could help improve the durability, safety and performance of future space and defense technologies.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-violent-rocket-particles-reshape-future.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 20:40:02 EDT","guid":"news699634741"},{"title":"Predicting physics without parameter tuning: A faster computational approach","description":"Numerical simulations in physics often require estimating a multitude of parameters, making the process computationally expensive and complex. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have introduced a new method called the multiparameter eigenvalue-problem emulator, enabling reliable predictions based directly on relationships among known data by eliminating the need for parameter estimation. This innovation considerably reduces computational costs and enables systematic quantification of predictive uncertainty.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-physics-parameter-tuning-faster-approach.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:40:01 EDT","guid":"news699614521"},{"title":"Cutting a photon in two creates an infinite swarm of particles","description":"By definition, elementary particles can't be broken into smaller pieces. But in a new theoretical study published in Physical Review Letters, Johannes Skaar and colleagues have revealed what would happen if you tried anyway for a single photon. The answer is deeply strange: attempting to cut a photon in two wouldn't produce two smaller photons, but instead conjure an infinite number of them out of thin air.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-photon-infinite-swarm-particles.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:20:08 EDT","guid":"news699613528"},{"title":"Molecular glasses solve long-standing Arrhenius paradox","description":"Glasses are non-crystalline but solid states of matter in which molecules and atoms are not arranged into a regular crystal lattice, but rather in a disordered pattern. Glassy materials are widely used in various settings, for instance, in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and the development of electronics or optical devices.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-molecular-glasses-arrhenius-paradox.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:10:01 EDT","guid":"news699280613"},{"title":"Fiber optic components enable high-performance 2-\u00b5m fiber lasers","description":"Laser systems operating in the 2-micrometer wavelength range open diverse opportunities in medical technology, agriculture, and plastics processing. In the Eurostars project DECOMP, Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) has developed novel fiber optic components that overcome previous technical barriers.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-fiber-optic-components-enable-high.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:20:04 EDT","guid":"news699552061"},{"title":"Matter may entangle with light far more easily near quantum critical points","description":"Quantum entanglement is a state in which particles are entwined with each other. In this entwined state, the properties of one particle influence the other, even when they aren't physically close to each other. This phenomenon has often been observed in small quantum systems with only a few particles in them, where researchers can use it to store and process quantum information. Rice University professor Qimiao Si is interested in understanding and applying quantum entanglement to macroscopic systems with vast numbers of particles.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-entangle-easily-quantum-critical.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:00:04 EDT","guid":"news699547479"},{"title":"Better math discriminates exotic from classical materials","description":"The planar Hall effect is a tabletop diagnostic tool for special quantum properties useful in basic research and technological applications. Or so it was thought, because careful calculation by Kobe University researchers clarifies the conditions under which this effect may also appear in classical materials. This makes the diagnostic more meaningful and enables more purposeful design.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-math-discriminates-exotic-classical-materials.html","category":"Condensed Matter","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:00:07 EDT","guid":"news699263693"},{"title":"Quantum light gives a 20-fold boost to ultrafast laser processes","description":"Nonlinear interactions between light and matter are at the heart of some of the most powerful tools in modern optics, but pushing these processes to their limits has long been hampered by a fundamental constraint: the stronger you make the laser, the more likely it is to destroy whatever it illuminates.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-quantum-boost-ultrafast-laser.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Sat, 30 May 2026 13:00:02 EDT","guid":"news699017292"},{"title":"Axial encoding unlocks up to eightfold faster 3D microscopy with less light","description":"A research team from HKU Engineering has pioneered a fundamentally new imaging strategy known as AIMED (Arbitrary illumination microscopy with encoded depth), which utilizes a sub-sampling approach. By integrating innovations in axial optical encoding with advanced computational image reconstruction, the AIMED technology enables a substantial increase in 3D imaging speed while enhancing photon safety, all with minimal additional system complexity. This breakthrough demonstrates significant advantages across efficiency, image quality, and system compatibility.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-axial-encoding-eightfold-faster-3d.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Sat, 30 May 2026 08:00:06 EDT","guid":"news698933991"},{"title":"Diamond quantum sensor could reveal elusive altermagnets","description":"For nearly a century, there were two known kinds of magnets. Ferromagnets are the classic magnets that attract metal and keep pictures stuck to the refrigerator. Antiferromagnets hide their magnetism at the atomic scale but are increasingly prized for their technological potential. A third category discovered within the last decade may combine the best qualities of both. Dubbed altermagnets, they could someday help create faster, more energy-efficient electronics.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-diamond-quantum-sensor-reveal-elusive.html","category":"Condensed Matter","pubDate":"Fri, 29 May 2026 15:20:02 EDT","guid":"news699280720"},{"title":"IceCube detects break in cosmic neutrino spectrum, ruling out simple power-law model","description":"A new study published in Physical Review Letters by the IceCube Collaboration reports evidence that the energy spectrum of astrophysical neutrinos is not a simple straight line.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-icecube-cosmic-neutrino-spectrum-simple.html","category":"General Physics","pubDate":"Fri, 29 May 2026 13:20:06 EDT","guid":"news699105986"}]}}