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Bristol Physicists Play Leading Role in Search for Supersymmetry

The first results from direct searches for new physics were announced today from CERN’s energy-upgraded Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Among these results was a search for signs of a new theory called supersymmetry in which members of the University of Bristol particle physics group have played a leading role.

18 Dec 2015

NIST Develops New Mixed-Atom Gates for Quantum Computing

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have added to their collection of ingredients for future quantum computers by performing logic operations--basic computing steps--with two atoms of different elements. This hybrid design could be an advantage in large computers and networks based on quantum physics.

17 Dec 2015

Astrophysicists Complete New Panorama of the X-ray Sky

The XXL team, which includes astrophysicists from the University of Bristol, used the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory to take over 250 individual images of the sky. These were then stitched together to create two panoramas of remarkable sensitivity, one for the northern and one for the southern sky.

17 Dec 2015

Scientists Reconstruct Path of Most Energetic Cosmic Rays

LSU Physicist James Matthews and an international team of scientists are reconstructing the path of the universe's most energetic cosmic rays, bringing new insights into the origin and nature of this intergalactic phenomenon.

17 Dec 2015

NASA's Fermi Catches Outburst of High-Energy Gamma Rays from Distant Galaxy

A long time ago in a galaxy half the universe away, a flood of high-energy gamma rays began its journey to Earth. When they arrived in April, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope caught the outburst, which helped two ground-based gamma-ray observatories detect some of the highest-energy light ever seen from a galaxy so distant.

17 Dec 2015

VERITAS Detects High Energy Gamma Rays from PKS 1441+25 Quasar

“On April 20, 2015, we got word from the Fermi satellite and the MAGIC telescope observatory that they had spotted a very active source — one that was getting very bright in gamma rays,” said Manel Errando, PhD, research scientist in physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. “At the time, I was chair of the committee at VERITAS that decides which sources we’ll observe.

17 Dec 2015

Astrophysicists Detect Flare of Very High-Energy Gamma Rays from Rare Blazar Galaxy

A flare of very high-energy gamma rays emitted from a galaxy halfway across the universe has put new bounds on the amount of background light in the universe and given astrophysicists clues to how and where such gamma rays are produced.

17 Dec 2015

Telescopic Data Sheds Light on Universe's Dark Matter and Dark Energy

Galaxy clusters are massive congregations of galaxies that host huge reservoirs of hot gas -- the temperatures are so high that X-rays are produced.

16 Dec 2015

VERITAS Detects Precise Location of Gamma-Ray Emission from Distant Galaxy

In April 2015, after traveling for about half the age of the universe, a flood of powerful gamma rays from a distant galaxy slammed into Earth's atmosphere. That torrent generated a cascade of light - a shower that fell onto the waiting mirrors of the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) in Arizona. The resulting data have given astronomers a unique look into that faraway galaxy and the black hole engine at its heart.

16 Dec 2015

Pitt Physicist Receives $1.42M Grant to Study Topological Phases of Quantum Atomic Matter

Pitt physicist Wensheng Vincent Liu has received a five-year $1.42 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to predict and understand topological phases of quantum atomic matter (i.e., a cold ensemble of interacting atoms) under novel conditions, well beyond the standard regimes. Liu is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.

16 Dec 2015

New Class of Topological Insulators Shows Promise for Spintronics, Quantum Computing

Topological insulators are materials that let electric current flow across their surface while keeping it from passing it through their bulk. This exotic property makes topological insulators very promising for electricity with less energy loss, spintronics, and perhaps even quantum computing.

16 Dec 2015

Centre for Quantum Technologies Hosts Annual Scientific Symposium

Every year CQT marks its birthday with a scientific symposium. This year the Centre turned eight, and we celebrated with the help of Serge Massar from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium and Stanley Williams from Hewlett Packard Laboratories, USA. They gave talks on "Quantum randomness" and "Computing beyond the Age of Moore's Law", respectively.

16 Dec 2015