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Alloy-engineered valleytronics: Microscopic mechanism gives scientists precise control over how excitons behave

Scientists have observed a new microscopic mechanism enabling precise control of the magneto-optical properties of excitons in alloys of two-dimensional semiconductors. This discovery opens up tangible prospects for technological applications in devices exploiting valleytronics. The research findings were published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

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Curiosity rover captures Martian spiderwebs up close

For about six months, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has been exploring a region full of geologic formations called boxwork, low ridges standing roughly 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) tall with sandy hollows in between. Crisscrossing the surface for miles, the formations suggest ancient groundwater flowed on this part of the red planet later than scientists expected. This possibility raises new questions about how long microbial life could have survived on Mars billions of years ago, before rivers and lakes dried up and left a freezing desert world behind.

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Auroras on Ganymede and Earth share striking similarities

New observations of Ganymede reveal a striking similarity between the auroras on the largest moon in the solar system and those on Earth. The international team of astrophysicists, led by researchers from the University of Liège, has produced new results indicating that, despite different conditions, the fundamental physical processes that generate auroras are common to different celestial bodies, and not just planets.

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Exomoons could reveal themselves through lunar eclipses

Our solar system hosts almost 900 known moons; more than 400 orbit the eight planets while the remaining orbit dwarf planets, asteroids, and Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs). Of these, only a handful are targets for astrobiology and could potentially support life as we know it, including Jupiter’s moons Europa and Ganymede, and Saturn’s moons Titan and Enceladus. While these moons orbit two of the largest planets in our solar system, what about moons orbiting giant exoplanets, also called exomoons? But, to find life on exomoons, scientists need to find exomoons to begin with.

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Twisting optical fiber creates a robust new pathway for light

Light powers everything from communications to sensing, yet even tiny imperfections can scatter it and weaken signals. To address this, a team led by the University of Bath—working with the University of Cambridge and international partners—has developed a new structure that keeps light flowing smoothly even through bends, twists or damage, with the potential to operate over unprecedented distances.

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Las Vegas officer adopts ‘JetBlue’ after responding when dog was abandoned at airport

LVMPD Officer Skeeter Black responded when “JetBlue” was abandoned; Black ensured the pup received care and later completed the adoption through Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas

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Astronomers discover rare super-Jupiter orbiting distant star

Using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new exoplanet orbiting a distant star known as TIC-65910228. The newfound alien world is slightly larger and nearly five times more massive than Jupiter. The discovery was reported in a paper published Feb. 13 on the arXiv pre-print server.

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‘She’s getting a gun!’: BWC shows Colo. officers shoot woman who climbed into cruiser

Colorado Springs PD officers were pursuing a woman who swung a knife at a driver when she jumped into a cruiser; one officer saw the woman appearing to reach for a gun and fired shots

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The optical engineering required to photograph an Earth twin

More and more papers are coming out about the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). As the telescope moves from theory to practice (and physical manifestation), various working groups are discovering, defining, and designing their way to the world’s next major exoplanet observatory.

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Quantum computers go high-dimensional with a four-state photon gate

The collaboration of TU Wien with research groups in China has resulted in a crucial building block for a new kind of quantum computer: The realization of a novel type of quantum logic gate makes it possible to carry out quantum computations on pairs of photons that are each in four different quantum states, or combinations thereof. The advancement is an important milestone for optical quantum computers. The study has now been published in Nature Photonics.

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N.C. trooper killed in single-vehicle crash on duty

Master Trooper Stien Davis had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for more than ten years; he was assigned to Troop B, District 7 in Robeson County

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Ultra-efficient optical sensors can keep light circulating longer inside a microscopic chip

CU Boulder researchers have built high-performing optical microresonators, opening the door for new sensor technologies. At its simplest form, a microresonator is a tiny device that can trap light and build up its intensity. Once the intensity is high enough, researchers can perform unique light operations.

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Veteran Combat Pilot Alex Dietrich Describes Tic Tac UFO Encounter

Retired Navy Lt. Commander Alex Dietrich, a veteran combat pilot, gave an eye-witness account of a Tic Tac UFO. Dietrich spoke to Anderson Cooper about what she saw off the coast of San Diego in 2004. At the time, she was on a routine training mission off the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier 100 miles southwest of San Diego.

Lt. Cmdr. Alex Dietrich and Cmdr. Dave Fravor, a graduate of the TOPGUN naval flight program, also appeared on 60 Minutes to discuss what they saw together.

 They both described an “unsettling” experience with a Tic Tac UFO.

“It was unidentified. And that’s why it was so unsettling to us. Because we weren’t expecting it. We couldn’t classify it,” said Dietrich.

Strangely, the Tic Tac-shaped UFO had no exhaust plumes, markings, or apparent means of propulsion. Notably,  both pilots reported their sighting in a debriefing but didn’t think there was any formal investigation at the time. Behind them, each pilot had a weapons system officer in the seat, who each witnessed the UFO.

Unsettling, Unexplainable Encounter

On November 14, 2004, Dietrich and her fellow crew gave “thorough debriefs” about the sighting minutes after landing. Furthermore, hours after landing, Dietrich says she gave a written account about the UFO. 

Years later, she gave even more details in what she calls an “interrogation-style” interview to members of Navy intelligence and the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP).

Dietrich was a new pilot flying with the VFA-41, also known as the “Black Aces.” That day, she was flying a F/A-18F as part of an exercise to intercept and identify a “real-world contact,” after command redirected her squadron.

When the pilots arrived at the specified coordinates, it looked like something the size of a Boeing 737 had crashed, creating roiling whitewater.

“So my heart sank,” said Dietrich. “I went from being excited that we would go get those bad guys to, ‘Oh no, those bad guys have crashed and are sinking,” she said. 

Suddenly, her heart-sinking feeling changed into the surprise of a lifetime.

Unpredictable Movement

All of a sudden, instead of the expected search and rescue effort, something extraordinary happened: a UFO that closely resembled a white Tic Tac appeared.

“Then, as soon as that happened, enter stage left – the Tic Tac,” said Dietrich. “And, that’s what we affectionately refer to it as because that’s what it looked like.”

Notably, Fravor’s account on 60 Minutes was somewhat different:

“We saw this little white Tic-Tac-looking object… and it’s just kind of moving above the whitewater area,” Fravor recounted.

“No predictable movement, no predictable trajectory,” Dietrich said.

According to their observations, the aircraft was about the size of an average aircraft fuselage.

“It was white, sort of a matte finish, just like a Tic Tac. And, it behaved in a way that we were surprised, unnerved. It accelerated, or it almost didn’t accelerate, right. It sort of jumped from spot to spot and tumbled around in a way that was unpredictable.”

See a clip of her appearance on 60 Minutes below:

https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/1394289253895577603?s=20

Related: Charles James Hall: Tic Tac UFOs Belong to ETs He Encountered Called ‘Tall Whites’

Commander Engages the Tic Tac UFO

Upon seeing the Tic Tac UFO, commanding officer Fravor decided to engage with the craft. Meanwhile, an “uncomfortable and inexperienced” Dietrich (as she put it) fell back to give cover, circling above as Fravor approached.

When Fravor’s fighter moved forward, the Tic Tac abruptly disappeared. All the while, the stunned pilots discussed what was happening on their radio.

“It zoomed out of the picture so fast that we were all then scrambling on the radio,” Dietrich said. “And, the whole time we’re on the radio with each other sort of losing our minds.”

According to Fravor’s account, the Tic Tac began mimicking his moves as if aware of his presence. 

60 Miles in Seconds

Seconds later, the USS Princeton’s radar reacquired the location of the Tic Tac UFO 60 miles away. Furthermore, the ship’s radar had also detected “multiple anomalous aerial vehicles” descending 80,000 feet in less than a second. 

According to CBS News, the pilots later found out the USS Princeton had been tracking UFOs for days. However, the pilots were left uninformed and unarmed.

“I felt the vulnerability of not having anything to defend ourselves,” Dietrich said on 60 Minutes. “And then I felt confused when it disappeared.

In all, the strange encounter lasted about five minutes.

Related: Many More UFOs Worldwide – Defying Explanation, Says Former DNI

Ending the Stigma of UFO Reports

After her story, Anderson Cooper asked Dietrich what she thought she had witnessed that day. However, she says she’s “not qualified to make the analysis.” 

Although she isn’t sure what the UFO could be, she appeared to encourage other pilots to come forward. Even so, she may not have come forward at the time if she had been the only witness.

“If I saw this solo I don’t know if I would have come back and said anything because it sounds so crazy when I say it,” she told 60 Minutes.

Notably, both Fravor and Dietrich had endured “ribbing” from their fellow crew about their reports.

Today, she says everyone can contribute to a data pool of sightings. 

“I’m trying to reduce the stigma for other aircrew so if they see something or when they see something, say something, and that they will not feel embarrassed or ashamed to make the reports,” she said. 

By contributing their UFO reports, the veteran combat pilot hopes that intelligence analysts and scientists can use the data to draw “reasonable, rational conclusions.”

Today, the pilots say they have no idea who was responsible for the Tic Tac UFO. 

We All Want Answers

After finally coming forward with her account, Dietrich says she’s seen many camps of people fascinated by her story. Thus, UFO enthusiasts, debunkers, conspiracy theorists, and religious fanatics have all shown interest on Twitter. Unfortunately, they seem intent to fight each other as much as getting to the truth.

“At the core, no matter how much they’re attacking each other, what I see is that they all want answers. They all want to know what it was. And, we can’t do that if we’re just attacking each other or if we’re shaming each other or sensationalizing it. We really have to cooperate and get more information, get more evidence so that we can come to some conclusions.”

See the interview on CNN or watch the clip from Internet UFO Database below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taqUPnWeLPI

Featured image: Tic Tac by Brett_Hondow via PixbayPixabay License with the ocean by Free-Photos via Pixabay, Pixabay License with Screenshot via Twitter/60 Minutes 

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Quantum algorithm beats classical tools on complement sampling tasks

Quantum computers—devices that process information using quantum mechanical effects—have long been expected to outperform classical systems on certain tasks. Over the past few decades, researchers have worked to rigorously demonstrate such advantages, ideally in ways that are provable, verifiable and experimentally realizable.

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NASA will return its moon rocket to the hangar for more repairs before astronauts strap in

Grounded until at least April, NASA’s giant moon rocket is headed back to the hangar this week for more repairs before astronauts climb aboard.

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