Pioneering astronomy work is being done at this hidden gem in China
Baby black holes get a kick during formation
If black holes get a kick at birth, our current supernova theory might need some updating.
We’ve just found the hottest planet ever
This gas giant gives “hot Jupiter” a whole new meaning.
Proxima briefing
First live event with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet after six months in space. Watch from 11:00 today
Deviation from the mean in teaching uncertainties
In this work we present two simple and interactive web-based activities for introducing students to
the concepts of uncertainties in measurements. These activities are based on the real-time
construction of histograms from students measurements and t…
A comment on ‘pseudowork’
When an external force is applied to an extended object, the change in total energy may involve a
change in the kinetic energy of the centre of mass, plus a change in the rotational energy and
perhaps a change in the stored elastic energy. The work d…
An experiment on radioactive equilibrium and its modelling using the ‘radioactive dice’ approach
In this article we describe an educational activity on radioactive equilibrium we performed with
secondary school students (17–18 years old) in the context of a vocational guidance stage for
talented students at the Department of Physics of the Uni…
Studying rotational dynamics with a smartphone—accelerometer versus gyroscope
The wide-spread availability of smartphones makes them a valuable addition to the measurement
equipment of both the physics classroom and the instructional physics laboratory, encouraging an
active interaction between measurements and modeling activi…
Studying rotational dynamics with a smartphone—accelerometer versus gyroscope
The wide-spread availability of smartphones makes them a valuable addition to the measurement
equipment of both the physics classroom and the instructional physics laboratory, encouraging an
active interaction between measurements and modeling activi…
Deviation from the mean in teaching uncertainties
In this work we present two simple and interactive web-based activities for introducing students to
the concepts of uncertainties in measurements. These activities are based on the real-time
construction of histograms from students measurements and t…
An experiment on radioactive equilibrium and its modelling using the ‘radioactive dice’ approach
In this article we describe an educational activity on radioactive equilibrium we performed with
secondary school students (17–18 years old) in the context of a vocational guidance stage for
talented students at the Department of Physics of the Uni…
A comment on ‘pseudowork’
When an external force is applied to an extended object, the change in total energy may involve a
change in the kinetic energy of the centre of mass, plus a change in the rotational energy and
perhaps a change in the stored elastic energy. The work d…
Astronomers Find Planet Hotter Than Most Stars
A newly discovered Jupiter-like world is so hot, it’s being vaporized by its own star.
NASA’s Asteroid-Hunting Spacecraft a Discovery Machine
NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission has released its third year of survey data of asteroid and comet discoveries.
Astronomers Find Planet Hotter Than Most Stars
A newly discovered Jupiter-like world is so hot, it’s being vaporized by its own star.
NASA’s Asteroid-Hunting Spacecraft a Discovery Machine
NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission has released its third year of survey data of asteroid and comet discoveries.
Quantifying the effects of climate change
Last year was the hottest on record, Arctic sea ice is on the decline and sea levels continue to rise. In this context, satellites are providing us with an unbiased view of how our climate is changing and the effects it is having on our pl…
Quantifying the effects of climate change
Last year was the hottest on record, Arctic sea ice is on the decline and sea levels continue to rise. In this context, satellites are providing us with an unbiased view of how our climate is changing and the effects it is having on our pl…
Constraints on Oscillation Parameters from ν_{e} Appearance and ν_{μ} Disappearance in NOvA
Author(s): P. Adamson et al. (NOvA Collaboration)Using a muon neutrino source at Fermilab, the NOvA collaboration has measured muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance, strengthening constraints on the neutrino CP-violating phase in…
Constraints on Oscillation Parameters from ν_{e} Appearance and ν_{μ} Disappearance in NOvA
Author(s): P. Adamson et al. (NOvA Collaboration)Using a muon neutrino source at Fermilab, the NOvA collaboration has measured muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance, strengthening constraints on the neutrino CP-violating phase in…
Welcome home
Highlights from ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s return to Earth at the end of his six-month Proxima mission to the International Space Station on 2 June 2017.
MIT students propose Apophis asteroid mission
After working hard to design a spacecraft, the students presented their ideas to NASA scientists.
Gas Marbles: Much Stronger than Liquid Marbles
Author(s): Yousra Timounay, Olivier Pitois, and Florence RouyerA spherical shell made of plastic microspheres can store pressurized gas in a tiny volume and might be used to stabilize foams or to deliver specialized gases.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 228001]…
Hydrodynamic Electron Flow and Hall Viscosity
Author(s): Thomas Scaffidi, Nabhanila Nandi, Burkhard Schmidt, Andrew P. Mackenzie, and Joel E. MooreA method is proposed for measuring the classical Hall viscosity of an electron gas under a magnetic field, via signatures of hydrodynamic transport.[Ph…
Gas Marbles: Much Stronger than Liquid Marbles
Author(s): Yousra Timounay, Olivier Pitois, and Florence RouyerA spherical shell made of plastic microspheres can store pressurized gas in a tiny volume and might be used to stabilize foams or to deliver specialized gases.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 228001]…
Hydrodynamic Electron Flow and Hall Viscosity
Author(s): Thomas Scaffidi, Nabhanila Nandi, Burkhard Schmidt, Andrew P. Mackenzie, and Joel E. MooreA method is proposed for measuring the classical Hall viscosity of an electron gas under a magnetic field, via signatures of hydrodynamic transport.[Ph…
Thomas Pesquet returns to Earth
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet landed on the steppe of Kazakhstan today with Russian commander Oleg Novitsky in their Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft after six months in space. Touchdown was at 14:10 GMT after a four-hour flight from the Internationa…
Thomas Pesquet returns to Earth
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet landed on the steppe of Kazakhstan today with Russian commander Oleg Novitsky in their Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft after six months in space. Touchdown was at 14:10 GMT after a four-hour flight from the Internationa…
Week In Images
Our week through the lens: 29 May – 2 June 2017
Week In Images
Our week through the lens: 29 May – 2 June 2017
Are you ready to find baby galaxies?
Zooniverse has launched its 100th project on its 10th birthday.
20 hot spots to view the solar eclipse
People will view the spectacle from thousands of locations. Here are some that warrant your consideration.
Great Barrier Reef
Earth observation image of the week: part of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeast coast is pictured in this Sentinel-2 image
Ariane 5 launches its heaviest telecom payload
The Ariane 5 rocket, operated by Arianespace, has carried its heaviest telecommunications payload ever to deliver the ViaSat-2 and Eutelsat-172B satellites into their planned orbits.
Ariane 5 launches its heaviest telecom payload
The Ariane 5 rocket, operated by Arianespace, has carried its heaviest telecommunications payload ever to deliver the ViaSat-2 and Eutelsat-172B satellites into their planned orbits.
Where Ocean Meets Sky: New NASA Radar Gets a Tryout
A novel JPL instrument offers a simultaneous view of ocean currents and winds from multiple directions.
Curiosity Peels Back Layers on Ancient Martian Lake
A long-lasting lake on ancient Mars provided stable environmental conditions that differed from one part of the lake to another, NASA’s Curiosity rover mission has found.
Curiosity Peels Back Layers on Ancient Martian Lake
A long-lasting lake on ancient Mars provided stable environmental conditions that differed from one part of the lake to another, NASA’s Curiosity rover mission has found.
Where Ocean Meets Sky: New NASA Radar Gets a Tryout
A novel JPL instrument offers a simultaneous view of ocean currents and winds from multiple directions.
The heat is on for Sentinel-3B
While the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite is in orbit delivering a wealth of information about our home planet, engineers are putting its twin, Sentinel-3B, through a series of vigorous tests before it is shipped to the launch site next y…
The heat is on for Sentinel-3B
While the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite is in orbit delivering a wealth of information about our home planet, engineers are putting its twin, Sentinel-3B, through a series of vigorous tests before it is shipped to the launch site next y…
Wigner Entropy Production Rate
Author(s): Jader P. Santos, Gabriel T. Landi, and Mauro PaternostroA proposed theoretical framework for irreversible entropy production is applied to quantum systems in contact with non-equilibrium reservoirs; previous frameworks have been restricted t…
Universality of the Turbulent Velocity Profile
Author(s): Paolo LuchiniScaling analysis of wall-bounded fluid flow shows that the logarithmic velocity profile for turbulent conditions is universal across different pipe and channel geometries. Any observed differences are due to pressure gradient ef…
GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2
Author(s): B. P. Abbott et al. (LIGO Scientific and Virgo Collaboration)
The LIGO collaboration reports its third detection of gravitational waves coming from the merger of two black holes.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 221101] Published Thu Jun 01, 2017
GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2
Author(s): B. P. Abbott et al. (LIGO Scientific and Virgo Collaboration)
The LIGO collaboration reports its third detection of gravitational waves coming from the merger of two black holes.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 221101] Published Thu Jun 01, 2017
Wigner Entropy Production Rate
Author(s): Jader P. Santos, Gabriel T. Landi, and Mauro PaternostroA proposed theoretical framework for irreversible entropy production is applied to quantum systems in contact with non-equilibrium reservoirs; previous frameworks have been restricted t…
Universality of the Turbulent Velocity Profile
Author(s): Paolo LuchiniScaling analysis of wall-bounded fluid flow shows that the logarithmic velocity profile for turbulent conditions is universal across different pipe and channel geometries. Any observed differences are due to pressure gradient ef…
Space for Life
‘Life everywhere’ is the theme of Ecsite 2017, 13-17 June, Porto, Portugal
Space for Life
‘Life everywhere’ is the theme of Ecsite 2017, 13-17 June, Porto, Portugal
X-ray blast produces a ‘molecular black hole’
When researchers want to take pictures of very small things, like individual molecules, they have to get creative.
When scales shrink to seemingly imperceivable levels, images must be captured using indirect techniques that record how the subject being…
3rd gravitational wave detection is about much more than black holes
Our sun was still dim. Waves crashed on martian beaches. Life was emerging on Earth.
That’s when the ghosts of two dead stars — black holes dozens of times more massive than our sun — merged in a far-off corner of the universe. In the…
New Light on the Future of a Key Antarctic Glacier
Thwaites Glacier is melting rapidly but not as fast as earlier research predicted, according to a new NASA study using a more realistic computer model.
New Light on the Future of a Key Antarctic Glacier
Thwaites Glacier is melting rapidly but not as fast as earlier research predicted, according to a new NASA study using a more realistic computer model.
Dressing up
Operations image of the week: ESA’s satellite control centre dresses up for its 50th anniversary.
New Approaches to Coding Information using Inverse Scattering Transform
Author(s): L. L. Frumin, A. A. Gelash, and S. K. Turitsyn
A new soliton-based technique is proposed for mitigating nonlinear signal distortions in optical fiber links.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 223901] Published Wed May 31, 2017
Dark Matter Search in a Proton Beam Dump with MiniBooNE
Author(s): A. A. Aguilar-Arevalo et al. (MiniBooNE-DM Collaboration)
MinoBooNE’s neutrino detector searches for relatively light dark matter particles generated by Fermilab’s proton beam striking a steel target. The experiment yields a new limit on dark matter couplings for masses between 0.08 and 0.3 GeV.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 221803] Published Wed May 31, 2017
Quantum Nonlinear Optics with a Germanium-Vacancy Color Center in a Nanoscale Diamond Waveguide
Author(s): M. K. Bhaskar, D. D. Sukachev, A. Sipahigil, R. E. Evans, M. J. Burek, C. T. Nguyen, L. J. Rogers, P. Siyushev, M. H. Metsch, H. Park, F. Jelezko, M. Lončar, and M. D. Lukin
A diamond color center with a germanium defect has superior optical coherence properties over other color centers, with implications for application.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 223603] Published Wed May 31, 2017
Statistics of Fractionalized Excitations through Threshold Spectroscopy
Author(s): Siddhardh C. Morampudi, Ari M. Turner, Frank Pollmann, and Frank WilczekWell-established spectroscopic techniques such as neutron scattering could be used to identify anyons in two-dimensional materials.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 227201] Publish…
Dark Matter Search in a Proton Beam Dump with MiniBooNE
Author(s): A. A. Aguilar-Arevalo et al. (MiniBooNE-DM Collaboration)
MinoBooNE’s neutrino detector searches for relatively light dark matter particles generated by Fermilab’s proton beam striking a steel target. The experiment yields a new limit on dark matter couplings for masses between 0.08 and 0.3 GeV.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 221803] Published Wed May 31, 2017
Statistics of Fractionalized Excitations through Threshold Spectroscopy
Author(s): Siddhardh C. Morampudi, Ari M. Turner, Frank Pollmann, and Frank WilczekWell-established spectroscopic techniques such as neutron scattering could be used to identify anyons in two-dimensional materials.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 227201] Publish…
New Approaches to Coding Information using Inverse Scattering Transform
Author(s): L. L. Frumin, A. A. Gelash, and S. K. Turitsyn
A new soliton-based technique is proposed for mitigating nonlinear signal distortions in optical fiber links.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 223901] Published Wed May 31, 2017
Quantum Nonlinear Optics with a Germanium-Vacancy Color Center in a Nanoscale Diamond Waveguide
Author(s): M. K. Bhaskar, D. D. Sukachev, A. Sipahigil, R. E. Evans, M. J. Burek, C. T. Nguyen, L. J. Rogers, P. Siyushev, M. H. Metsch, H. Park, F. Jelezko, M. Lončar, and M. D. Lukin
A diamond color center with a germanium defect has superior optical coherence properties over other color centers, with implications for application.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 223603] Published Wed May 31, 2017
Quantum Nonlinear Optics with a Germanium-Vacancy Color Center in a Nanoscale Diamond Waveguide
Author(s): M. K. Bhaskar, D. D. Sukachev, A. Sipahigil, R. E. Evans, M. J. Burek, C. T. Nguyen, L. J. Rogers, P. Siyushev, M. H. Metsch, H. Park, F. Jelezko, M. Lončar, and M. D. Lukin
A diamond color center with a germanium defect has superior optical coherence properties over other color centers, with implications for application.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 223603] Published Wed May 31, 2017
Watch return to Earth
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Russian commander Oleg Novitsky are coming home after six months in space on Friday – watch live
This planet’s rings are so big they blot out their star’s light
PDS 110’s mysterious eclipses may be caused by one big natural megastructure.
NASA released stunning image from inside Jupiter’s rings
The image also features a special appearance from a dying star.
Esimese Eestis välja antud L’Oreal−Unesco stipendiumi võitis füüsik Els Heinsalu
Eesti naisteadlastel avanes sel aastal esmakordselt võimalus kandideerida L’Oreal−Unesco Balti stipendiumile For Women in Science. Eestis antakse välja üks 6000-eurone stipendium alla 40-aastasele doktorikraadiga teadlasele uuringuteks loodusteaduste või füüsika vallas või nendega seotud teadusaladel. Eestist esitati 23 taotlust, mida hindas Eesti Teaduste Akadeemia poolt moodustatud komisjon koosseisus: akadeemikud Ergo Nõmmiste ja Ain-Elmar Kaasik ning professorid […]
Cassini Finds Saturn Moon May Have Tipped Over
Saturn’s icy, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus may have tipped over in the distant past, according to recent research from NASA’s Cassini mission.
High-Silica ‘Halos’ Shed Light on Wet Ancient Mars
Pale “halos” around fractures in bedrock analyzed by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover contain copious silica, indicating that ancient Mars had liquid water for a long time.
Cassini Finds Saturn Moon May Have Tipped Over
Saturn’s icy, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus may have tipped over in the distant past, according to recent research from NASA’s Cassini mission.
High-Silica ‘Halos’ Shed Light on Wet Ancient Mars
Pale “halos” around fractures in bedrock analyzed by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover contain copious silica, indicating that ancient Mars had liquid water for a long time.
Relaxation Decoupling in Metallic Glasses at Low Temperatures
Author(s): P. Luo, P. Wen, H. Y. Bai, B. Ruta, and W. H. Wang
Measurements of several metallic glasses under strain reveal that the materials relieve stress through a two-step process that has previously been seen only in “softer” glasses.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 225901] Published Tue May 30, 2017
Self-Similar Nanocavity Design with Ultrasmall Mode Volume for Single-Photon Nonlinearities
Author(s): Hyeongrak Choi, Mikkel Heuck, and Dirk EnglundA carefully shaped air gap in a silicon block would concentrate laser light enough to produce photons that interact with one another, even using a weak laser beam, according to theory.[Phys. Rev….
Dark Vibronic Polaritons and the Spectroscopy of Organic Microcavities
Author(s): Felipe Herrera and Frank C. SpanoA new class of collective excitation is predicted to explain the puzzling difference in magnitude between emission lines and absorption in organic microcavities.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 223601] Published Tue Ma…
Self-Similar Nanocavity Design with Ultrasmall Mode Volume for Single-Photon Nonlinearities
Author(s): Hyeongrak Choi, Mikkel Heuck, and Dirk EnglundA carefully shaped air gap in a silicon block would concentrate laser light enough to produce photons that interact with one another, even using a weak laser beam, according to theory.[Phys. Rev….
Dark Vibronic Polaritons and the Spectroscopy of Organic Microcavities
Author(s): Felipe Herrera and Frank C. SpanoA new class of collective excitation is predicted to explain the puzzling difference in magnitude between emission lines and absorption in organic microcavities.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 223601] Published Tue Ma…
Relaxation Decoupling in Metallic Glasses at Low Temperatures
Author(s): P. Luo, P. Wen, H. Y. Bai, B. Ruta, and W. H. Wang
Measurements of several metallic glasses under strain reveal that the materials relieve stress through a two-step process that has previously been seen only in “softer” glasses.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 225901] Published Tue May 30, 2017
How do stars die when they fall into a supermassive black hole?
When stars get too close to a black hole, they go out with a whimper, not a bang.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was hit by a meteoroid and lived
After sending back a strangely unclear image, the team looked into the photo further.
Sci-fi meets sci-fact
Space Science Image of the Week: Find out what this stormtrooper has to do with space science at ESA, and what we’re doing at a sci-fi convention this weekend
New Horizons for Alexander Gerst
New Horizons for Alexander Gerst
New eyes
Thomas Pesquet reflects on living in space for six months and voyages of discovery and exploration
New eyes
Thomas Pesquet reflects on living in space for six months and voyages of discovery and exploration
Subfemtosecond Control of Molecular Fragmentation by Hard X-Ray Photons
Author(s): O. Travnikova, N. Sisourat, T. Marchenko, G. Goldsztejn, R. Guillemin, L. Journel, D. Céolin, I. Ismail, A. F. Lago, R. Püttner, M. N. Piancastelli, and M. Simon
The dissociation dynamics of a HCl molecule are manipulated by carefully detuning the excitation energy of an incoming x-ray photon.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 213001] Published Fri May 26, 2017
Solving Systems of Linear Equations with a Superconducting Quantum Processor
Author(s): Yarui Zheng, Chao Song, Ming-Cheng Chen, Benxiang Xia, Wuxin Liu, Qiujiang Guo, Libo Zhang, Da Xu, Hui Deng, Keqiang Huang, Yulin Wu, Zhiguang Yan, Dongning Zheng, Li Lu, Jian-Wei Pan, H. Wang, Chao-Yang Lu, and Xiaobo ZhuA quantum algorithm…
Cavity Carving of Atomic Bell States
Author(s): Stephan Welte, Bastian Hacker, Severin Daiss, Stephan Ritter, and Gerhard RempeTwo atoms in a cavity are entangled by carving off unwanted parts of the wave functions that describe them.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 210503] Published Fri May 26, 2017
Subfemtosecond Control of Molecular Fragmentation by Hard X-Ray Photons
Author(s): O. Travnikova, N. Sisourat, T. Marchenko, G. Goldsztejn, R. Guillemin, L. Journel, D. Céolin, I. Ismail, A. F. Lago, R. Püttner, M. N. Piancastelli, and M. Simon
The dissociation dynamics of a HCl molecule are manipulated by carefully detuning the excitation energy of an incoming x-ray photon.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 213001] Published Fri May 26, 2017
Solving Systems of Linear Equations with a Superconducting Quantum Processor
Author(s): Yarui Zheng, Chao Song, Ming-Cheng Chen, Benxiang Xia, Wuxin Liu, Qiujiang Guo, Libo Zhang, Da Xu, Hui Deng, Keqiang Huang, Yulin Wu, Zhiguang Yan, Dongning Zheng, Li Lu, Jian-Wei Pan, H. Wang, Chao-Yang Lu, and Xiaobo ZhuA quantum algorithm…
Cavity Carving of Atomic Bell States
Author(s): Stephan Welte, Bastian Hacker, Severin Daiss, Stephan Ritter, and Gerhard RempeTwo atoms in a cavity are entangled by carving off unwanted parts of the wave functions that describe them.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 210503] Published Fri May 26, 2017
Week In Images
Our week through the lens: 22-26 May 2017
Earth may have been shaped like a donut at one point in time
The new synestia theory proposes a new type of planetary object and another theory for how the Moon formed.
Russian wildfires
Earth observation image of the week: wildfires in the boreal forests of eastern Russia, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
How massive can stars be?
Theoretical assessment of the upper limit of a star’s mass is a difficult problem which lies at the
frontier of astrophysical research. In this article we develop a simple and plausible argument to
estimate this value. The value at which we arrive …
How massive can stars be?
Theoretical assessment of the upper limit of a star’s mass is a difficult problem which lies at the
frontier of astrophysical research. In this article we develop a simple and plausible argument to
estimate this value. The value at which we arrive …
How massive can stars be?
Theoretical assessment of the upper limit of a star’s mass is a difficult problem which lies at the
frontier of astrophysical research. In this article we develop a simple and plausible argument to
estimate this value. The value at which we arrive …
A Whole New Jupiter: First Science Results from NASA’s Juno Mission
Early results from NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter portray the largest planet in our solar system as a complex, gigantic, turbulent world.
NASA Discovers a New Mode of Ice Loss in Greenland
A NASA study finds during Greenland’s two hottest summers on record, ice in Rink Glacier didn’t just melt faster, it slid through the glacier’s interior in a gigantic wave.
Collapsing Star Gives Birth to a Black Hole
Astronomers have watched as a massive, dying star was likely reborn as a black hole.
A Whole New Jupiter: First Science Results from NASA’s Juno Mission
Early results from NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter portray the largest planet in our solar system as a complex, gigantic, turbulent world.