Quantum Physics News

RSS

Ultra-Luminous X-ray Sources Exhibit Strong Outflows as Matter Falls onto Their Small Black Holes

30 Jun 2015

A Discrepancy Between Theoretical and Experimental Value of the Anomalous Magnetic Moment of the Muon

“All of us can relate to the feeling of being told that we can’t do something. Almost instantly a wave of curiosity, pride, even stubbornness takes hold and there is nothing that you want to do more. That is the way I feel about modern physics.

30 Jun 2015

Researchers Complete Testing of Superconducting Coil for Future High-Luminosity Upgrade of Large Hadron Collider

Last month, a group collaborating across four national laboratories completed the first successful tests of a superconducting coil in preparation for the future high-luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider, or HL-LHC. These tests indicate that the magnet design may be adequate for its intended use.

29 Jun 2015

Chalmers MC2 Organizes QESS2015 Summer School on Quantum Simulation and Computation

110 participants and 14 prominent lecturers gathered for the QUTE-EUROPE Summer School 2015 on 21-27 June at Hindåsgården. Göran Wendin, professor of theoretical physics at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience - MC2 - is chairman of the local organizing committee. We got the chance to ask a few questions about the event.

29 Jun 2015

New Observations Reveal Black Holes in ULXs Must be Much Smaller than Expected

Using the Subaru Telescope, researchers at the Special Astrophysical Observatory in Russia and Kyoto University in Japan have found evidence that enigmatic objects in nearby galaxies – called ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) – exhibit strong outflows that are created as matter falls onto their black holes at unexpectedly high rates. The strong outflows suggest that the black holes in these ULXs must be much smaller than expected. Curiously, these objects appear to be "cousins" of SS 433, one of the most exotic objects in our own Milky Way Galaxy. The team's observations help shed light on the nature of ULXs, and impact our understanding of how supermassive black holes in galactic centers are formed and how matter rapidly falls onto those black holes (Figure 1).

27 Jun 2015

UT Arlington Physics Professor Earns Coveted Humboldt Research Award

A University of Texas at Arlington physics researcher has won the international Humboldt Research Award for his exploration of extra-solar planetary systems, the origin of dark matter and dark energy, black holes and formulation of fundamental theories of physics.

27 Jun 2015

A Potential Solution to How Rocky Planets Formed

New work from Carnegie’s Alan Boss offers a potential solution to a longstanding problem in the prevailing theory of how rocky planets formed in our own Solar System, as well as in others.

26 Jun 2015

Giant Messier 87 Galaxy has Swallowed an Entire Galaxy

New observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope have revealed that the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 has swallowed an entire medium-sized galaxy over the last billion years.

26 Jun 2015

Scientists Demonstrate That Quantum Spin Hall Effect is Also an Intrinsic Property of Light

In a paper that crystalizes knowledge from a variety of experiments and theoretical developments, scientists from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science in Japan have demonstrated that the quantum spin Hall effect--an effect known to take place in solid state physics--is also an intrinsic property of light.

26 Jun 2015

New Measuring Stick in the Form of Neutron Star's Echoes

In late 2013, when the neutron star at the heart of one of our galaxy's oddest supernovae gave off a massive burst of X-rays, the resulting echoes -- created when the X-rays bounced off clouds of dust in interstellar space -- yielded a surprising new measuring stick for astronomers.

25 Jun 2015