Here’s an overview of some of the most important physics news from this week. For more news check out our news section. Also, to receive these news straight to your email, register for our email newsletter.
1. Sun Illuminates a Basic Mystery of Matter (July 8)
According to a presentation by NJIT Professor Gregory D. Fleishman, Antimatter has been detected in solar flares via microwave and magnetic-field data. By using sun as a large laboratory, scientists caught a glimpse into the strong asymmetry between matter and antimatter. Even though antiparticles can be easily created in particle accelerators, detecting antimatter in solar flares offers a better understanding of the basic structure of matter and antimatter. In the future scientists hope to obtain similar data from other astrophysical sources. Read more here.
A blue planet where it rains glass
2. The Color of the Exoplanet Confirmed for the First Time (July 11)
A planet called HD189733b orbiting a star 63 light years away has been confirmed of having a blue atmosphere. Analysis of the data from the Hubble space telescope reveled the color of the planet, which, despite the similarity to the color of Earth has nothing in common with our planet. Astronomers believe that the planet’s color is caused by the silicate particles in its hazy, turbulent atmosphere. Due to the high temperature of the planet, silicates start to condense and form glass in the atmosphere. Read more here.
3. Link Between Quantum Physics and Game Theory Found (July 12)
Two seemingly unrelated subjects seem to have a link according to the researchers from the universities of Bristol and Geneva. “Once in a while, connections are established between topics which seem, on the face of it, to have nothing in common. Such new links have potential to trigger significant progress and open entirely new avenues for research,” said Dr. Brunner — one of the scientists responsible for the discovery.
By joining the game theory and quantum physics scientists have shown that players using quantum resources (for instance quantum entanglement) in a game outperform those using only classical resources. In addition, the principle of locality plays an important role in game theory as well — it sets a fundamental limit to the performance achievable by classical players. More info here.
Successful Test of New US Magnet Puts Large Hadron Collider on Track for Major Upgrade
Physicists Build Quantum Refrigerator Based on Four Quantum Dots
Individual Atoms Imaged in a Living Catalytic Reaction