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Bach, Mozart or jazz: Scientists provide a quantitative measure of variability in music pieces

Physicists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) have investigated to which extent a piece of music can evoke expectations about its progression. They were able to determine differences in how far compositions of different composers can be anticipated. In total, the scientists quantitatively analyzed more than 550 pieces from classical and […]

Multicomponent hydride designs could advance science of superconducting materials

New materials designed by a University of Illinois Chicago graduate student may help scientists meet one of today’s biggest challenges: building superconductors that operate at normal temperatures and pressures.

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Defibrillation devices can still save lives using 1,000 times less electricity, optimized model finds

In a paper published in Chaos, researchers from Sergio Arboleda University in Bogotá, Colombia, and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta used an electrophysiological computer model of the heart’s electrical circuits to examine the effect of the applied voltage field in multiple fibrillation-defibrillation scenarios. They discovered far less energy is needed than is currently […]

Study identifies promising materials for fusion reactors

Nuclear fusion could be an ideal solution to mankind’s energy problem, guaranteeing a virtually limitless source of power without greenhouse gas emissions. But there are still huge technological challenges to overcome before getting there, and some of them have to do with materials.

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Cloud-inspired method of guiding light: Waveguiding mechanism could provide new ways to look inside the human body

Scientists have taken inspiration from the way sunlight passes through clouds to discover an entirely new way of controlling and guiding light.

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Theoretical framework could improve data gathering in biological systems

To effectively adapt to change, living organisms rely on their ability to rapidly detect and process sensory information in their surroundings. The sensory information available at a given time continuously changes, which means that it can typically only be observed partially and for a limited amount of time.

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Laser vibration sensing technology can detect landmines faster than previous techniques

Enough landmines are buried underground worldwide to circle Earth twice at the equator, but the identification and removal of these explosives is costly and time-consuming.

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A novel state of thorium opens the possibility for a nuclear clock

Why are there atomic clocks but no nuclear clocks? After all, an atom’s nucleus is typically surrounded by many electrons, so in principle it should be less susceptible to outside noise (in the form of light). A nucleus, for high-atomic number atoms, contains more particles than does the element’s electrons. It holds nearly the entire […]

A new paradigm for control of quantum emitters—modulating and encoding quantum photonic info on a single light stream

A U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) multi-disciplinary team developed a new paradigm for the control of quantum emitters, providing a new method for modulating and encoding quantum photonic information on a single photon light stream.

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Study gathers strong evidence of the doubly magic nature of ¹⁰⁰Sn

Recent experiments at CERN have shed new light on the nuclear properties of atomic nuclei (i.e., the central regions of atoms accounting for most of their mass). A key objective of recent research into atomic nuclei has been to better understand the properties of Tin-100 (100Sn), a rare isotope with 50 protons and 50 neutrons. […]

How a classical computer beat a quantum computer at its own game

Earlier this year, researchers at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Quantum Physics (CCQ) announced that they had successfully used a classical computer and sophisticated mathematical models to thoroughly outperform a quantum computer on a task that some thought only quantum computers could solve.

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Chromium-62 study helps researchers better understand shapes around islands of inversion

In a recent paper in Nature Physics, an international research collaboration used world-class instrumentation at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) to study the exotic nuclide, or rare isotope, chromium-62.

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Scientists provide direct evidence of breakdown of spin statistics in ion-atom charge exchange collisions

Since the first X-ray image of a comet was reported using an X-ray telescope in 1996, the investigation of charge exchange in collisions between highly charged ions and atoms or molecules has emerged as a hot research topic.

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Scientists demonstrate precise control over artificial microswimmers using electric fields

In a new study in Physical Review Letters, scientists have demonstrated a method to control artificial microswimmers using electric fields and fluid flow. These microscopic droplets could pave the way for targeted drug delivery and microrobotics.

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Study finds optimal standing positions in airport smoking lounges

While many smoking rooms in U.S. airports have closed in recent years, they are still common in other airports around the world. These lounges can be ventilated, but how much does it actually help the dispersion of smoke?

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