Browse Physics

Two objects made of the exotic materials known as topological insulators could repel one another through the quantum-mechanical forces that cause most other solids to attract, theorists predict.

A switch made from a molecule and an atom can be reliably turned on and off many times, and its inventors recorded its motion in great detail. It could be used in future nanoscale circuits.

According to simulations, ultrashort electron pulses could serve as probes of the rapid motion of atomic or molecular electrons, such as the “breathing” of an excited atom or the shuttling of an electron between atoms in a molecule.

In the early 1960s the first lasers to operate continuously, rather than in pulses, were invented, and they were based on gases rather than solids. They are now used widely in science and technology.

A self-replicating “smoke ring” flow can emerge when a continuous chemical reaction drives fluid flow–a common situation in the atmosphere and oceans but rarely studied in 3D.

A magnetic “ratchet” can transport tiny beads along a surface while also controlling the amount of random motion in the perpendicular direction.

Three Bose-Einstein condensates can be merged to create controlled arrays of exotic topological structures, according to theory.

Foraging animals or other randomly moving entities can more easily avoid each other by taking more long-distance jumps, according to theoretical results, which may also apply to epidemics and database searches.

High-intensity laser pulses in air can undergo a phase transition between two different states, according to simulations.

Atoms in graphite under high pressure appear to form a simple structure made of interconnected, four-atom rings, according to new computer simulations that were compared with previous experimental data.

A theoretical paper suggests that quantum entanglement between macroscopic objects could be accomplished at temperatures much higher than previously thought.

Simulations show that fluid could potentially be pumped in a complete circuit through a nanometer-sized tube if its surface properties are manipulated and it’s heated in the right places.

Heat-carrying vibrational waves can be transmitted across a small vacuum barrier between a metal point and a flat surface, according to a new experiment.

During the formation of a neutron star, the energy of nearby empty space could grow to exceed that of the star’s mass.

Two research teams used a ring-like probe to directly characterize the magnetic field of infrared light in a small cavity.

Satellite measurements show that short flashes of gamma rays from thunderstorms mainly shoot straight up–essential information for theorists trying to unravel this mysterious phenomenon.

Simulated soils made of glass beads and various pastes dry at different rates, depending on the properties of their smallest particles. The work suggests new ways to study an aspect of soil that is critical for agriculture.

Nanoscale simulations of a classic experiment show that it’s harder to cut through ice with the pressure of a water-repelling wire than with a water-attracting one.

The stretching of a sheet of paper shows spatial variations that become more important over time. Such uneven stretching could also be important when other materials are stressed.

A new technique gives more detailed images of molecules by measuring the quantum mechanical repulsion between the imaged molecule and a small probe molecule.