Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (MPQ), Garching, in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Randolf Pohl from the Institute for Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), have successfully conducted experiments on hydrogen atoms which allow testing of the Standard Model of particle physics up to the 13th decimal place. When it comes to measurements using hydrogen atoms, this is the most exact result to date. It allows researchers to, among other things, test predictions in hydrogen and solve the so-called proton radius puzzle. This puzzle has existed since measurements on two types of hydrogen indicated different proton radii. The new research results have recently been published in the journal Nature.

Sixteen years ago, theoretical astrophysicists at UC Berkeley and elsewhere proposed that highly magnetized, spinning neutron stars — magnetars — were the power source behind some superluminous supernovae. A 2024 supernova provided the smoking gun. Based on data obtained by Las Cumbres Observatory, a UC Santa Barbara graduate student proposed that a general relativistic precession in an accretion disk around the magnetar can explain the rising frequency of oscillations in the light curve, producing something like a bird chirp.

A new class of photonic devices enables the precise broadcasting of light from the chip into free space in a scalable way, which could lead to advanced displays, high-speed optical communications, and larger-scale quantum computers.

Polymer-based adhesives are essential for bonding lightweight materials used in transportation; however, how individual polymer chains behave at solid interfaces has remained unclear. In a recent study, researchers from Japan used atomic force microscopy to directly visualize the motions of individual segments in isolated polymer chains adsorbed on a solid surface. Their findings reveal new dynamics that challenge conventional assumptions of how polymers interact with surfaces, paving the way to innovative molecular design strategies.

In a paper published today in Nature Synthesis, a team from the lab of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) and Chemistry Department Prof. Paul Alivisatos explores the role of cation exchange in one of chemistry and material science’s central challenges: How covalent materials undergo structural change at the nanoscale. This greater understanding of how materials transform could have applications for designing and building semiconductors, unraveling complex chemical processes or creating previously unimagined material architectures, for example, in this work, nanocubes of indium arsenide (InAs) and gallium arsenide (GaAs). The team applied a cellular automaton computational model to explore the science, building a clear, simple model for future researchers to envision these minute changes. They believe this is the first time a cellular automaton model has been applied to the cation exchange reactions of nanocrystals.