Building on a decade of advances in the understanding of neutron production and hot-spot physics, researchers at the National Ignition Facility are pursuing magnetized fusion fuel as a potentially disruptive way to boost the performance of laser-driven implosion. Read More »
Traditional searches for dark matter rely on giant detectors that look for particles heavier than a proton, but sights are turning to smaller experiments with sensitivity to lighter-mass particles. Read More »
A theoretical approach called naturalness has helped physicists understand several particle physics puzzles—but the Higgs boson’s unsuitably small mass is currently foiling this strategy. Read More »
Plant-based plastics offer a sustainable alternative to traditional petrochemical plastics. Scientists and engineers are making the shift easier by fine-tuning the structure and function of these biomaterials while also developing better processing techniques. Read More »
Gravitational-wave detectors have barely scratched the surface of the treasure trove of discoveries that they could produce. Read More »
After a 30-year quest, researchers found a nickel-based analog of copper oxide superconductors. The discovery motivates the search for other nickelates and should provide new insights into the origin of high-temperature superconductivity. Read More »
For more than a decade, string theorists have been trying to distinguish good models from so-called “swampland” models that are inconsistent with gravity. This sorting effort has led to testable predictions about dark energy. Read More »
Superconductivity, magnetism, and other forms of interacting electron behavior—bilayers of graphene seem to have it all. Researchers are now using this pristine material to unlock the secrets of interacting-electron phenomena with unprecedented control and tunability. Read More »
Macroscopic quantum properties of helium-4, one of the simplest and oldest elements in the universe, continue to puzzle and amaze scientists. Supertransport in solid helium-4 is the most elusive and controversial conundrum of all. Read More »
Dynamical heterogeneity, spatiotemporal fluctuations in local dynamical behavior, may explain the statistical mechanics of amorphous solids that are mechanically rigid but have a disordered structure similar to that of a dense liquid. Read More »
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