Two NASA missions provide new details about icy, ocean-bearing moons of Jupiter and Saturn, further heightening scientific interest of these and other “ocean worlds” in our solar system and beyond.
NASA: New Insights into ‘Ocean Worlds’ in Our Solar System
Two NASA missions provide new details about icy, ocean-bearing moons of Jupiter and Saturn, further heightening scientific interest of these and other “ocean worlds” in our solar system and beyond.
Eye on debris
Operations image of the week: ESA’s telescope on Tenerife is one of the world’s top-ranked instruments used for debris research
Earth from Space
Join us Friday, 14 April, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme
Can you imagine the sky in five million years?
Now you don’t have to — Gaia has the answer.
Enceladus’ sea floor has hydrothermal vents like ours
Where there’s heat and water on Earth, there’s life.
Space debris live
Watch the opening address from the European Conference on Space Debris live on 18 April
Space debris live
Watch the opening address from the European Conference on Space Debris live on 18 April
ESA helps faster cleaner shipping
With around 90% of world trade carried by ships, making sure a vessel follows the fastest route has clear economic benefits. By merging measurements from different satellites, ESA is providing key information on ocean currents, which is no…
ESA helps faster cleaner shipping
With around 90% of world trade carried by ships, making sure a vessel follows the fastest route has clear economic benefits. By merging measurements from different satellites, ESA is providing key information on ocean currents, which is no…
Overpumping Reduces California’s Groundwater Storage
A new study finds decades of overpumping groundwater in California’s Central Valley have irreversibly altered the aquifer and permanently reduced its ability to store water.
Earth-Sized ‘Tatooine’ Planets Could Be Habitable
A new study explores potential climates of a planet orbiting two suns.
Earth-Sized ‘Tatooine’ Planets Could Be Habitable
A new study explores potential climates of a planet orbiting two suns.
Overpumping Reduces California’s Groundwater Storage
A new study finds decades of overpumping groundwater in California’s Central Valley have irreversibly altered the aquifer and permanently reduced its ability to store water.
Let there be light
Technology image of the week: Laser testing at ESA
Let there be light
Technology image of the week: Laser testing at ESA
Flow Navigation by Smart Microswimmers via Reinforcement Learning
Author(s): Simona Colabrese, Kristian Gustavsson, Antonio Celani, and Luca Biferale
“Smart” microswimmers—those that can sense mechanical cues from their surroundings and respond to them—can learn to take advantage of their environment, escaping bad situations and actively seeking more favorable ones.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 158004] Published Wed Apr 12, 2017
Enhancing the Charging Power of Quantum Batteries
Author(s): Francesco Campaioli, Felix A. Pollock, Felix C. Binder, Lucas Céleri, John Goold, Sai Vinjanampathy, and Kavan Modi
Calculations show that charging a set of batteries can go faster if the batteries are coupled together quantum mechanically.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 150601] Published Wed Apr 12, 2017
Direct Measurement of Sub-10 fs Relativistic Electron Beams with Ultralow Emittance
Author(s): Jared Maxson, David Cesar, Giacomo Calmasini, Alexander Ody, Pietro Musumeci, and David AlesiniElectron pulses have shattered the 10-femtosecond barrier at which essentially all atomic motion is frozen in materials.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 154…
Direct Measurement of Sub-10 fs Relativistic Electron Beams with Ultralow Emittance
Author(s): Jared Maxson, David Cesar, Giacomo Calmasini, Alexander Ody, Pietro Musumeci, and David AlesiniElectron pulses have shattered the 10-femtosecond barrier at which essentially all atomic motion is frozen in materials.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 154…
Enhancing the Charging Power of Quantum Batteries
Author(s): Francesco Campaioli, Felix A. Pollock, Felix C. Binder, Lucas Céleri, John Goold, Sai Vinjanampathy, and Kavan Modi<br/>Can collective quantum effects make a difference in a meaningful thermodynamic operation? Focusing on energy storage and batteries, we demonstrate that quantum mechanics can lead to an enhancement in the amount of work deposited per unit time, i.e., the charging power, when N batteries are charged c…<br/>[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 150601] Published Wed Apr 12, 2017
Flow Navigation by Smart Microswimmers via Reinforcement Learning
Author(s): Simona Colabrese, Kristian Gustavsson, Antonio Celani, and Luca Biferale
“Smart” microswimmers—those that can sense mechanical cues from their surroundings and respond to them—can learn to take advantage of their environment, escaping bad situations and actively seeking more favorable ones.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 158004] Published Wed Apr 12, 2017
A faint, distant object is found at the outskirts of the Kuiper Belt
ALMA found some interesting information while investigating the very distant member of our solar system.
These are the strangest oceans in our galaxy
It’s a weird, wet universe out there.
Meet the fleet
New artist’s views of the BepiColombo spacecraft that will be launched to Mercury in 2018
Meet the fleet
New artist’s views of the BepiColombo spacecraft that will be launched to Mercury in 2018
Electromagnetic angular momentum in quasi-static conditions
The correct definition of electromagnetic momentum in matter, either Abraham’s g A = (1/4 π c) (
E × H ), or Minkowski’s g M = (1/4 π c) ( D × B ) has been a theme of controversy for a century.
Therefore, we can find those who favor o…
Electromagnetic angular momentum in quasi-static conditions
The correct definition of electromagnetic momentum in matter, either Abraham’s g A = (1/4 π c) (
E × H ), or Minkowski’s g M = (1/4 π c) ( D × B ) has been a theme of controversy for a century.
Therefore, we can find those who favor o…
Fundamental Costs in the Production and Destruction of Persistent Polymer Copies
Author(s): Thomas E. Ouldridge and Pieter Rein ten WoldeA lower bound is derived for the energetic cost of making polymer copies, a process that occurs during DNA replication and gene expression.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 158103] Published Tue Apr 11, 2017
Dynamic Substrate for the Physical Encoding of Sensory Information in Bat Biosonar
Author(s): Rolf Müller, Anupam K. Gupta, Hongxiao Zhu, Mittu Pannala, Uzair S. Gillani, Yanqing Fu, Philip Caspers, and John R. Buck<br/>Horseshoe bats have dynamic biosonar systems with interfaces for ultrasonic emission (reception) that change shape while diffracting the outgoing (incoming) sound waves. An information-theoretic analysis based on numerical and physical prototypes shows that these shape changes add sensory informatio…<br/>[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 158102] Published Tue Apr 11, 2017
Fundamental Costs in the Production and Destruction of Persistent Polymer Copies
Author(s): Thomas E. Ouldridge and Pieter Rein ten WoldeA lower bound is derived for the energetic cost of making polymer copies, a process that occurs during DNA replication and gene expression.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 158103] Published Tue Apr 11, 2017
Dynamic Substrate for the Physical Encoding of Sensory Information in Bat Biosonar
Author(s): Rolf Müller, Anupam K. Gupta, Hongxiao Zhu, Mittu Pannala, Uzair S. Gillani, Yanqing Fu, Philip Caspers, and John R. Buck<br/>Horseshoe bats have dynamic biosonar systems with interfaces for ultrasonic emission (reception) that change shape while diffracting the outgoing (incoming) sound waves. An information-theoretic analysis based on numerical and physical prototypes shows that these shape changes add sensory informatio…<br/>[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 158102] Published Tue Apr 11, 2017
Dealing with debris
A new video highlights orbital debris and the measures needed to reduce risk and ensure safe access to space for everyone
Dealing with debris
A new video highlights orbital debris and the measures needed to reduce risk and ensure safe access to space for everyone
New Horizons enters hibernation
After two and a half years of being “awake,” the spacecraft is finally getting a break.
An exact sum-rule for the Hubbard model: an historical/pedagogical approach
The aim of the present article is to derive an exact integral equation for the Green function of the
Hubbard model through an equation-of-motion procedure, like in the original Hubbard papers. Though
our exact integral equation does not allow to solv…
The parametric resonance—from LEGO Mindstorms to cold atoms
We show an experimental setup based on a popular LEGO Mindstorms set, allowing us to both observe
and investigate the parametric resonance phenomenon. The presented method is simple but covers a
variety of student activities like embedded software de…
Polarimetric study of the optical anisotropy of polymers
This paper presents the results of an optical anisotropy study of a polymer film and the effect of
temperature on birefringence. A method using a polariscope for the quantitative determination of the
optical path difference is offered. The research f…
Asymptotic approach to the one-dimensional motion of a body in modified Newtonian dynamics
In this paper, the one-dimensional motion of a body is studied under the scheme of ‘modified
Newtonian dynamics’ (MOND). Through the asymptotic analysis, approximate analytical expressions for
the body movement are found. The asymptotic solutions…
Polarimetric study of the optical anisotropy of polymers
This paper presents the results of an optical anisotropy study of a polymer film and the effect of
temperature on birefringence. A method using a polariscope for the quantitative determination of the
optical path difference is offered. The research f…
An exact sum-rule for the Hubbard model: an historical/pedagogical approach
The aim of the present article is to derive an exact integral equation for the Green function of the
Hubbard model through an equation-of-motion procedure, like in the original Hubbard papers. Though
our exact integral equation does not allow to solv…
Asymptotic approach to the one-dimensional motion of a body in modified Newtonian dynamics
In this paper, the one-dimensional motion of a body is studied under the scheme of ‘modified
Newtonian dynamics’ (MOND). Through the asymptotic analysis, approximate analytical expressions for
the body movement are found. The asymptotic solutions…
The parametric resonance—from LEGO Mindstorms to cold atoms
We show an experimental setup based on a popular LEGO Mindstorms set, allowing us to both observe
and investigate the parametric resonance phenomenon. The presented method is simple but covers a
variety of student activities like embedded software de…
NASA News Briefing: Discoveries About Oceans Beyond Earth
NASA will discuss new results about ocean worlds in our solar system from the agency’s Cassini spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope during a news briefing on Thursday, April 13.
Solar Storms Can Drain Electrical Charge Above Earth
Solar storms can vacuum electrical charge from upper-atmosphere regions above the Arctic and create regions of excess charge.
Solar Storms Can Drain Electrical Charge Above Earth
Solar storms can vacuum electrical charge from upper-atmosphere regions above the Arctic and create regions of excess charge.
NASA News Briefing: Discoveries About Oceans Beyond Earth
NASA will discuss new results about ocean worlds in our solar system from the agency’s Cassini spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope during a news briefing on Thursday, April 13.
Stellar Easter egg
Space Science Image of the Week: This colourful Easter egg-like wrapping traces the pattern of Gaia’s all-sky scanning
Stellar Easter egg
Space Science Image of the Week: This colourful Easter egg-like wrapping traces the pattern of Gaia’s all-sky scanning
Negative-Mass Hydrodynamics in a Spin-Orbit–coupled Bose-Einstein Condensate
Author(s): M. A. Khamehchi, Khalid Hossain, M. E. Mossman, Yongping Zhang, Th. Busch, Michael McNeil Forbes, and P. Engels
Measurements of an expanding spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate indicate that its dispersion features a region of negative effective mass.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 155301] Published Mon Apr 10, 2017
Measurement of the Neutrino Mixing Angle θ_{23} in NOvA
Author(s): P. Adamson et al. (NOvA Collaboration)
A pair of long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, T2K and NOvA, probe whether μ and τ neutrinos maximally mix, as experiments have heretofore shown. T2K’s data is consistent with maximal mixing, but NOvA’s data disfavors it.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 151802] Published Mon Apr 10, 2017
Observation of Genuine Three-Photon Interference
Author(s): Sascha Agne, Thomas Kauten, Jeongwan Jin, Evan Meyer-Scott, Jeff Z. Salvail, Deny R. Hamel, Kevin J. Resch, Gregor Weihs, and Thomas JenneweinTwo independent groups have provided the first experimental demonstration of genuine three-photon i…
Combined Analysis of Neutrino and Antineutrino Oscillations at T2K
Author(s): K. Abe et al. (T2K Collaboration)
A pair of long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, T2K and NOvA, probe whether μ and τ neutrinos maximally mix, as experiments have heretofore shown. T2K’s data is consistent with maximal mixing, but NOvA’s data disfavors it.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 151801] Published Mon Apr 10, 2017
Distinguishability and Many-Particle Interference
Author(s): Adrian J. Menssen, Alex E. Jones, Benjamin J. Metcalf, Malte C. Tichy, Stefanie Barz, W. Steven Kolthammer, and Ian A. WalmsleyTwo independent groups have provided the first experimental demonstration of genuine three-photon interference.[Ph…
Negative-Mass Hydrodynamics in a Spin-Orbit–coupled Bose-Einstein Condensate
Author(s): M. A. Khamehchi, Khalid Hossain, M. E. Mossman, Yongping Zhang, Th. Busch, Michael McNeil Forbes, and P. Engels
Measurements of an expanding spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate indicate that its dispersion features a region of negative effective mass.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 155301] Published Mon Apr 10, 2017
Measurement of the Neutrino Mixing Angle θ_{23} in NOvA
Author(s): P. Adamson et al. (NOvA Collaboration)
A pair of long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, T2K and NOvA, probe whether μ and τ neutrinos maximally mix, as experiments have heretofore shown. T2K’s data is consistent with maximal mixing, but NOvA’s data disfavors it.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 151802] Published Mon Apr 10, 2017
Observation of Genuine Three-Photon Interference
Author(s): Sascha Agne, Thomas Kauten, Jeongwan Jin, Evan Meyer-Scott, Jeff Z. Salvail, Deny R. Hamel, Kevin J. Resch, Gregor Weihs, and Thomas JenneweinTwo independent groups have provided the first experimental demonstration of genuine three-photon i…
Combined Analysis of Neutrino and Antineutrino Oscillations at T2K
Author(s): K. Abe et al. (T2K Collaboration)
A pair of long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, T2K and NOvA, probe whether μ and τ neutrinos maximally mix, as experiments have heretofore shown. T2K’s data is consistent with maximal mixing, but NOvA’s data disfavors it.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 151801] Published Mon Apr 10, 2017
Combined Analysis of Neutrino and Antineutrino Oscillations at T2K
Author(s): K. Abe et al. (T2K Collaboration)
A pair of long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, T2K and NOvA, probe whether μ and τ neutrinos maximally mix, as experiments have heretofore shown. T2K’s data is consistent with maximal mixing, but NOvA’s data disfavors it.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 151801] Published Mon Apr 10, 2017
Distinguishability and Many-Particle Interference
Author(s): Adrian J. Menssen, Alex E. Jones, Benjamin J. Metcalf, Malte C. Tichy, Stefanie Barz, W. Steven Kolthammer, and Ian A. WalmsleyTwo independent groups have provided the first experimental demonstration of genuine three-photon interference.[Ph…
Asteroid will get close to Earth next week
Grab your telescopes and watch for the close approach.
Hubble captures auroras on Uranus
The seventh planet puts on quite a light show.
NASA Invests in 22 Visionary Exploration Concepts
JPL provided five of the 22 concepts selected by NASA for further study.
NASA Invests in 22 Visionary Exploration Concepts
JPL provided five of the 22 concepts selected by NASA for further study.
Beating the Standard Sensitivity-Bandwidth Limit of Cavity-Enhanced Interferometers with Internal Squeezed-Light Generation
Author(s): M. Korobko, L. Kleybolte, S. Ast, H. Miao, Y. Chen, and R. Schnabel
A 36% increase in the sensitivity of an interferometer is demonstrated using internal squeezing—non-classical correlations of a light field—inside the interferometer’s cavity.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 143601] Published Fri Apr 07, 2017
Wind Generated Rogue Waves in an Annular Wave Flume
Author(s): A. Toffoli, D. Proment, H. Salman, J. Monbaliu, F. Frascoli, M. Dafilis, E. Stramignoni, R. Forza, M. Manfrin, and M. OnoratoWind-generated waves in a ring-shaped water tank can spontaneously grow into single behemoth waves, mimicking a poor…
Beating the Standard Sensitivity-Bandwidth Limit of Cavity-Enhanced Interferometers with Internal Squeezed-Light Generation
Author(s): M. Korobko, L. Kleybolte, S. Ast, H. Miao, Y. Chen, and R. Schnabel
A 36% increase in the sensitivity of an interferometer is demonstrated using internal squeezing—non-classical correlations of a light field—inside the interferometer’s cavity.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 143601] Published Fri Apr 07, 2017
Wind Generated Rogue Waves in an Annular Wave Flume
Author(s): A. Toffoli, D. Proment, H. Salman, J. Monbaliu, F. Frascoli, M. Dafilis, E. Stramignoni, R. Forza, M. Manfrin, and M. OnoratoWind-generated waves in a ring-shaped water tank can spontaneously grow into single behemoth waves, mimicking a poor…
Week In Images
Our week through the lens: 3-7 April 2017
Week In Images
Our week through the lens: 3-7 April 2017
A new Zooniverse project just found four super Earths around a Sun-like star
Within 48 hours of launching, Exoplanet Explorers is already making headlines.
Jupiter sits for a stunning Hubble portrait
This multi-wavelength image of the massive planet will help fuel atmospheric research — plus, it’s just gorgeous!
Vojvodina
Earth observation image of the week: a Sentinel-2 image over the region of Vojvodina in Serbia, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
Asteroid to Fly Safely Past Earth on April 19
A fairly large asteroid discovered nearly three years ago will safely pass about 1.1 million miles from Earth on April 19. That’s about 4.6 times the Earth-moon distance.
Asteroid to Fly Safely Past Earth on April 19
A fairly large asteroid discovered nearly three years ago will safely pass about 1.1 million miles from Earth on April 19. That’s about 4.6 times the Earth-moon distance.
For Earth Day, NASA Invites You to #AdoptThePlanet
NASA invites people worldwide to help us celebrate Earth Day by “adopting” a piece of Earth as seen from space.
Ceres’ Temporary Atmosphere Linked to Solar Activity
Solar particles free water molecules from the surface of Ceres, allowing them to escape and create a tenuous atmosphere, according to a new study.
Ceres’ Temporary Atmosphere Linked to Solar Activity
Solar particles free water molecules from the surface of Ceres, allowing them to escape and create a tenuous atmosphere, according to a new study.
Exoplanet mission gets ticket to ride
A Soyuz rocket operated by Arianespace from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou will boost ESA’s upcoming exoplanet satellite into space.
Exoplanet mission gets ticket to ride
A Soyuz rocket operated by Arianespace from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou will boost ESA’s upcoming exoplanet satellite into space.
Galileo’s search and rescue service in the spotlight
Europe’s Galileo satnav network does more than let us find our way – it is also helping to save lives. Today sees a spotlight cast on Galileo’s Search and Rescue service, which pinpoints people in distress on land or sea.
Galileo’s search and rescue service in the spotlight
Europe’s Galileo satnav network does more than let us find our way – it is also helping to save lives. Today sees a spotlight cast on Galileo’s Search and Rescue service, which pinpoints people in distress on land or sea.
Earth from Space
Join us Friday, 07 April, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme
Your guide to the most habitable exoplanets
Where life might be lurking in the galaxy
This scorching hot nightmare planet just opened up avenues for finding alien life
The planet GJ 1132b clings on to its atmosphere despite orbiting a small, active star … and that’s important.
So is TRAPPIST one a flaring hell or a solar system where it practically rains life?
Two new papers offer up competing theories.
Get ready for our first image of a black hole
The Event Horizon Telescope will peer into the space immediately surrounding our galaxy’s supermassive black hole.
An exoplanet the size of Neptune has been found
Yale astronomers found what a computer missed.
Taking it to the Supermax
Human spaceflight and robotic exploration Image of the week: Taking it to the Supermax
Taking it to the Supermax
Human spaceflight and robotic exploration Image of the week: Taking it to the Supermax
Crater triplets
At first glance this scene may seem nothing out of the ordinary, but the large elongated crater marks the imprint of an impacting body that may have broken into three before it hit Mars.
Crater triplets
At first glance this scene may seem nothing out of the ordinary, but the large elongated crater marks the imprint of an impacting body that may have broken into three before it hit Mars.
Lost in space
Operations image of the week: Astronauts accidentally release a protective shield, which is now flying ahead of the Space Station but will soon drop out of orbit
Lost in space
Operations image of the week: Astronauts accidentally release a protective shield, which is now flying ahead of the Space Station but will soon drop out of orbit
Shear stress! A physics word puzzle
An interesting word puzzle to demonstrate how ordinary words have a different meaning in the physics
classroom. Can you use the physics terms to work out the overall meaning of the text?
Reviews
Description unavailable
How to teach memristors in school
A memristor is the fourth fundamental electrical element, next to resistor, capacitor and inductor.
This element has attracted the interest of the scientific and engineering communities during the
last few years, due to the construction of such a dev…
Rolling cans—the question
What happens when a carbonated drinks can placed on a concave ramp? Will you see any difference if
the can is shaken before being placed on the ramp, so that it can roll back and forth?
Comment on ‘The paradoxical zero reflection at zero energy’
We point out that the anomalous threshold effect in one dimension occurs when the reflection
probability at zero energy R (0) has some other value than unity, rather than ##IMG##
[http://ej.iop.org/images/0143-0807/38/3/038002/ejpaa68fdieqn1.gif] {$R…
Focus on Physics Competitions 2016
Description unavailable