Physics and Astronomy News Archive: January 2020

Image: Scientists Find Iron Snow in Earth's Core

Scientists Find Iron Snow in Earth's Core

Source: UTexas   Posted: 1/24/20

The Earth's inner core is hot, under immense pressure and snow-capped, according to new research that could help scientist better understand forces that affect the entire planet.
Image: Electromagnetically induced transparency

Electromagnetically induced transparency

Source: Wustl   Posted: 1/24/20

Tuning optical resonators gives researchers control over transparency.
Image: Particle accelerator that fits on a chip

Particle accelerator that fits on a chip

Source: Stanford   Posted: 1/22/20

Researchers build a particle accelerator that fits on a chip, miniaturizing a technology that can now find new applications in research and medicine.
Image: A close look at thin ice

A close look at thin ice

Source: UPenn   Posted: 1/20/20

Scientists describe the first-ever visualization of the atomic structure of two-dimensional ice as it formed.
Image: A fast radio burst tracked down to a nearby galaxy

A fast radio burst tracked down to a nearby galaxy

Source: McGill   Posted: 1/16/20

Astronomers have pinpointed the location of a repeating radio burst (FRB) first detected by the CHIME telescope in British Columbia in 2018.
Image: Novel Material Switches Between Electrically Conducting and Insulating States

Novel Material Switches Between Electrically Conducting and Insulating States

Source: Northwestern   Posted: 1/14/20

Researchers have developed a novel design strategy to indentify new materials exhibiting a metal-insulator transition (MIT), a rere class of materials categorized by their ability to reversibly switch between electrically conducting and insulating states.
Image: Heat energy leaps through empty space, thanks to quantum weirdness

Heat energy leaps through empty space, thanks to quantum weirdness

Source: UC Berkeley   Posted: 1/14/20

In a surprising new study, researchers show that heat energy can travel through a complete vacuum thanks to invisible quantum fluctuations.