physics

New organic molecule breaks records in phosphorescence efficiency, paving the way for rare-metal-free applications

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Chemical structure of the molecule and photos of phosphorescence taken under UV irradiation. Credit: Osaka University A research team led by Osaka University found that the new organic molecule thienyldiketone exhibits high-efficiency phosphorescence. It achieved phosphorescence more than ten times faster than traditional materials, allowing the team to clarify this mechanism. The article was published … Read more

Physicists develop method to detect single atomic defects in semiconductors

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Michigan State University combined terahertz laser light, shown as a red wavy arrow, with a scanning tunneling microscope, or STM, tip — the dark pyramid shape that exchanges a red electron with a sample shown with a blue surface. Credit: Eve Ammerman One of the challenges of cramming smarter, more powerful electronics into ever-shrinking devices … Read more

Searching for dark matter with the coldest quantum detectors in the world

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The experiment takes place at about one 10,000th of a degree above absolute zero in a special refrigerator; Dr Autti (right). Credit: Lancaster University One of science’s greatest mysteries may be one step closer to being solved. About 80% of the matter in the universe is dark, meaning it can’t be seen. In fact, dark … Read more

Rapidly cooling weird creatures rewrite the physics of neutron stars

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SciTechDaily

Neutron stars are among the densest objects in the universe. The material inside them is so tightly compressed that scientists don’t yet know what shape it takes. The core of a neutron star may be a thick soup of quarks, or it may contain exotic particles that could not survive anywhere else in the universe. … Read more

New theory reveals fracture mechanism in soft materials

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Schematic representation of the surface instability considered, with the reference and the real configurations, and with a detailed description of the nature of the boundary conditions. Source: Physical assessment letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.248202 A new theory has finally deciphered the physical mechanisms of fracture in soft materials. This discovery could soon lead to new, defect-free … Read more

Why Do You Keep Your House So Cold? Research Suggests Your Childhood Temperature May Predict Your Adult Child’s Thermostat Settings

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Source: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Childhood temperatures and community connectedness can help predict how U.S. residents set their thermostats, offering new ways to promote energy conservation and combat climate change, according to a study published July 3 in the journal PLOS Climate by Dritjon Gruda of the National University of Ireland Maynooth and Paul Hanges of … Read more

Treasures under the ocean floor? Seawater plays role in gold formation

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Credit: McGill University Understanding how gold is formed is crucial to knowing where to find it and how to extract it sustainably. McGill researchers have answered a long-standing question in geology that could lead to new ore discoveries. Researchers traveled to the remote Brucejack gold deposit in northwestern British Columbia to study and collect ancient … Read more

NASA’s planetary radar tracks two large asteroids passing close to each other

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The Goldstone Solar System Radar, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, made these observations of the recently discovered 150-meter-wide asteroid 2024 MK, which made its closest approach — within about 295,000 kilometers of Earth — on June 29. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Deep Space Network’s Goldstone planetary radar had a busy few days observing asteroids 2024 MK … Read more

New models suggest the Milky Way is not as full of stars as previously thought

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The half-radius of the Milky Way compared to that of local disk galaxies. Credit: Nature Astronomy (2024). DOI file: 10.1038/s41550-024-02315-7 A small team of astronomers from the University of Yunnan, the University of Utah, New Mexico State University and the University of St. Andrews has developed a new model of the Milky Way based on … Read more

Astronomers detect strong shock front in galaxy cluster SPT-CLJ 2031-4037

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The exposure-corrected image of SPT J2031. Credit: Diwanji et al., 2024. Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray spacecraft, astronomers from the University of Alabama in Huntsville have observed a merging cluster of galaxies known as SPT-CLJ 2031-4037. They discovered a rarely seen strong shock front in this cluster of galaxies. The finding was reported in a research … Read more