Clay minerals suspended in seawater binds sedimentary organic carbon to their mineral surfaces. But the quantity of carbon that is bound and the source of that carbon very much depends on the clay mineral in question. A research team has shown this by studying sediments in the South China Sea.
Read moreA quantum gas can be tied into knots using magnetic fields. The same researchers who were the first to produce these knots have now studied how the knots behave over time. The surprising result is that the knots untie themselves over a short period of time, before turning into a vortex.
Read moreResearchers describe how — by simple means — they have created a 'carpet' of thousands of quantum-mechanically entangled light pulses. The discovery has the potential to pave the way for more powerful quantum computers.
Read moreResearchers open a new avenue to quantum computing with a breakthrough experiment: a large-scale quantum processor made entirely of light.
Read moreUltrashort laser pulses have enabled scientists and physicians to carry out high-precision material analyses and medical procedures. Physicists have now discovered a new method for adjusting the extremely short time intervals between laser flashes with exceptional speed and precision. The intervals can be increased or decreased as needed, all at the push of a button. Potential applications range from laser spectroscopy to microscopy and materials processing.
Read moreUsing a range of theoretical and simulation approaches, physicists have shown that liquids in contact with substrates can exhibit a finite number of classes of behavior and identify the important new ones.
Read moreElectromagnetism was discovered 200 years ago, but the origin of the very large electromagnetic fields in the universe is still a mystery.
Read moreTungsten diselenide emits light with very special properties. Nobody could tell why — but now, scientists have solved the riddle: a combination of atomic defects in the material and microscopic distortion is responsible for the remarkable effect.
Read moreResearchers have fabricated a self-assembled, carbon-based nanofilm where the charge state (ie, electronically neutral or positive) can be controlled at the level of individual molecules. Molecular self-assembly on a metal results in a high-density, 2D, organic quantum-dot array with electric-field-controllable charge state, with the organic molecules used as 'nano-sized building blocks' in fabrication of functional nanomaterials. Achieved densities are an order of magnitude larger than conventional inorganic systems.
Read moreMore accurate clocks and sensors may result from a recently proposed experiment, linking an Einstein-devised paradox to quantum mechanics. A physicist said the international collaboration aimed to test Einstein's twin paradox using quantum particles in a 'superposition' state.
Read more