Science

Simple setup: The iodine vapour cells used in Vector Atomic’s portable optical atomic clock. (Courtesy: Vector Atomic) Atoms are the world’s most precise timekeepers – so much so that the second is defined as exactly 9 192 631 770 ticks of a caesium-based atomic clock. Commercially-available versions of these atomically precise clocks underpin GPS, navigation,

Quiet conductor: scanning electron microscope image of a long nanowire made of the strange metal. The scale bar at the bottom right is 10 micron long. (Courtesy Liyang Chen/Natelson research group/Rice University) Noise measurements suggest that a “strange metal” does not conduct electricity via discrete charge carriers, according to researchers in the US and Austria.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features a lively discussion about our Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2023. Physics World editors discuss the merits of research on a broad range of topics including particle physics, quantum technology, medical physics and astronomy. The top 10 serves as the shortlist for the Physics World Breakthrough of

Sky high: new research has shed light on how higher carbon dioxide levels in the stratosphere contributes to global warming. (Courtesy: iStock/magann) The effect of doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide on the climate becomes more pronounced as carbon dioxide levels rise – researchers in the US have shown. This effect, which had not been factored into

Espresso eruption: static electricity affects your cup of coffee. (Courtesy: iStock/radu984) What do volcanic eruptions and grinding coffee have in common? According to a team of coffee chemists and geophysicists in the US and the Republic of Korea, they both produce a fair amount of static electricity, so much so that volcanologists are now examining

Hot topic: US climate envoy John Kerry announces a new international fusion plan at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP28, in Dubai (courtesy: Dean Calma / IAEA) The US government has announced ambitious plans to boost collaboration with international partners on commercializing fusion energy as a tool to tackle climate change. The initiative was outlined

Cutting edge: NIRSpec being readied for the launch of the JWST. (Courtesy: Astrium/NIRSpec) Using a cutting-edge spectrograph on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have found evidence that interstellar oxygen was far more abundant in many ancient galaxies than previously thought. Led by Kimihiko Nakajima at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the team

Flapping and soaring: The tips of pelicans’ wings turn down when they fly near the surface of water. Aerodynamics experts are trying to understand why. (Courtesy: iStock/Aschen) For human-built aircraft, turbulence is an old and knotty problem. One of the first recorded human flight attempts, by an 11th-century monk called Eilmer, ended when his birdlike

Screen time: teams of scientists that work remotely are less likely to make big research breakthroughs, claims a new study (courtesy: iStock/AndreyPopov) The online world makes it easier for researchers to collaborate – but does not result in more groundbreaking work. That is according to a new study, which finds that teams of scientists working

Diagnosing ADHD Using AI models to analyse children’s brain MRI scans could help find imaging biomarkers that can identify ADHD. (Courtesy: RadiologyInfo.org) RSNA 2023, the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) takes place this week in Chicago, showcasing recent research advances and product developments in all areas of radiology. This year’s

Planetary harmony: illustration of the orbits of the six exoplanets of HD 110067. (Courtesy:Medienmitteilung/UniBE/UniGE/CHEOPS/TESS/Sextett/Planete/Walzer/Video©UniBE/HughOsborn) A rare system of six exoplanets, all smaller than Neptune but larger than Earth, has been found with orbits that are all resonant with each other. The system was discovered by astronomers led by Rafael Luque of the University of Chicago,

Slippery slope: a polymer coating made the toilet bowl on the left more slippery than the untreated one on the right. (Courtesy: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2023/DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c11352) Going into a public toilet is sometimes not for the faint hearted. Not only could there be visible evidence of previous use, but also the unseeable

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast looks at two very different and very difficult challenges — how to build a quantum computer that can overcome the debilitating noise that plagues current processors; and how to ensure that the UK meets its target for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our first guest is

Quantum leap: the report says that Ireland is ideally situated to capitalize on quantum for industry. (courtesy: iStock/agsandrew) The Irish government has published a national strategy for quantum research in the country. Many of the top technology companies have operations in Ireland and the report – Quantum 2030 – A National Quantum Technologies Strategy for

Monument carving: the laboratory Sphinx in the current of a water tunnel. The object is coated with clay and fluorescein dye, and the photograph captures the “streak volume” or 3D region of flow that has at some time entered the boundary layer and eroded the surface. (Courtesy: Samuel Boury et al./APS 2023) Much of the

Sun goddess: illustration of the shower of particles created by Amaterasu as it entered the atmosphere above the Telescope Array in Utah. (Courtesy: Osaka Metropolitan University/L-INSIGHT, Kyoto University/Ryuunosuke Takeshige) A cosmic-ray particle with an energy about 36 million times greater than the particles accelerated by CERN’s Large Hadron Collider has been detected. At 244 EeV, this

Cool stuff: an experiment done by Samuli Autti (right) and colleagues at Lancaster University has shed new light on the mechanical properties of superfluid helium-3. (Courtesy: Mike Thompson) For the first time, a researchers has described how it would “feel” to touch a quantum superfluid. Through new experiments, Samuli Autti and colleagues at the UK’s