You can take two diamonds - not quite everyday objects, but at least simple and recognizable - and put them in such a state: in particular a superposition of a state of one diamond vibrating and the other not, and vice versa.
Exotic Antimatter Caught in Disappearing Act Live Science - March 9, 2012
Scientists have caught a rare type of exotic particle in the act of disappearing, and the vanishing trick appears to be more common than expected. For the first time, researchers have observed particles called electron antineutrinos turning into other types of particles, and calculated the frequency at which this happens. Though the phenomenon is extremely rare, it turns out that it's slightly less rare than once thought. Electron antineutrinos are odd in a number of ways. For one thing, they're a kind of antimatter - the strange cousin of matter with the inconvenient habit of annihilating matter on contact.
Perpetual Motion 'Time Crystals' May Exist, Physicist Says Live Science - February 22, 2012
From diamonds to snowflakes to salt, crystals are common in nature. The arrangement of their atoms in orderly, repeating patterns extending in all three spatial dimensions doesn't just make them nice to look at; crystals are also the vital components of technologies from electrical transistors to LCD screens. In groundbreaking new research, Nobel-winning physicist Frank Wilzcek contends that "time crystals," moving structures that repeat periodically in the fourth dimension, exist as well. A time crystal would be a physical object whose constituent parts move in a repeating pattern. Think of a kaleidoscope, whose sparkly bits swirl on loop forever, or a clock, whose hour hand completes a 360-degree turn every 12 hours. But unlike clocks or other common objects with moving parts, time crystals would run forever under their own steam - perpetual motion devices permitted by the laws of physics.
Wacky Physics: New Uncertainty About the Uncertainty Principle Live Science - February 22, 2012
The uncertainty principle posits, for instance, that if you make a measurement to find out the exact position of an electron around an atom, you will only be able to get a hazy idea of how fast it's moving. One of the most often quoted, yet least understood, tenets of physics is the uncertainty principle. Formulated by German physicist Werner Heisenberg in 1927, the rule states that the more precisely you measure a particle's position, the less precisely you will be able to determine its momentum, and vice versa. The principle is often invoked outside the realm of physics to describe how the act of observing something changes the thing being observed, or to point out that there's a limit to how well we can ever really understand the universe. While the subtleties of the uncertainty principle are often lost on nonphysicists, it turns out the idea is frequently misunderstood by experts, too. But a recent experiment shed new light on the maxim and led to a novel formula describing how the uncertainty principle really works.
New Quantum Record: Physicists Entangle 8 Photons Wired - February 14, 2012
One of the most mind-blowing areas of quantum mechanics is entanglement: two or more particles separated in space can have physical properties that are correlated. A measurement performed on one particle will tell us the result of the same measurement taken on an entangled particle. Entanglement is important but difficult to study, both in terms of a theoretical understanding and doing experiments. While entangling relatively small groups of particles has been accomplished several times over the last 30 years (pioneered by Aspect et al. in 1982), scaling these experiments up in sizes sufficient to create quantum computers and other complex systems has eluded researchers.
"Time Cloak" Created; Can Make Events Disappear National Geographic - January 6, 2011
Einstein's theories of relativity suggest that gravity can cause time to slow down. Now scientists have demonstrated a way to stop time altogether - or at least, to give the appearance of time stopping by bending light to create a hole in time. The new research builds on recent demonstrations of "invisibility cloaks" that can make objects seem to disappear by bending waves of visible light. The idea is that, if light moves around an object instead of striking it, that light doesn't get scattered and reflected back to an observer, making the object essentially invisible. Now Cornell University scientists have used a similar concept to create a hole in time, albeit a very short one: The effect lasts around 40 trillionths of a second. To conduct their time-stopping experiment, Gaeta and colleagues aimed a laser beam at a probe and passed the beam through a device called a time lens. While a conventional optical lens bends a beam of light in space, the time lens modifies the light's temporal - not spatial - distribution.
Vibration rocks for entangled diamonds PhysOrg - December 16, 2011
You can take two diamonds - not quite everyday objects, but at least simple and recognizable - and put them in such a state: in particular a superposition of a state of one diamond vibrating and the other not, and vice versa.
Two Diamonds Linked by Strange Quantum Entanglement Live Science - December 1, 2011
Scientists have linked two diamonds in a mysterious process called entanglement that is normally only seen on the quantum scale. Entanglement is so weird that Einstein dubbed it "spooky action at a distance." It's a strange effect where one object gets connected to another so that even if they are separated by large distances, an action performed on one will affect the other. Entanglement usually occurs with subatomic particles, and was predicted by the theory of quantum mechanics, which governs the realm of the very small. But now physicists have succeeded in entangling two macroscopic diamonds, demonstrating that quantum mechanical effects are not limited to the microscopic scale.
Italian Cold Fusion Machine Passes Another Test Live Science - November 3, 2011
Italian physicist and inventor Andrea Rossi has conducted a public demonstration of his "cold fusion" machine, the E-Cat, at the University of Bologna, showing that a small amount of input energy drives an unexplained reaction between atoms of hydrogen and nickel that leads to a large outpouring of energy, more than 10 times what was put in. The first successful cold fusion experiment was reported two decades ago, but the process has forever been met with heavy skepticism. It's a seemingly impossible process in which two types of atoms, typically a light element and a heavier metal, seem to fuse together, releasing pure heat that can be converted into electricity. The process is an attractive energy solution for two reasons: Unlike in nuclear fission, the reaction doesn't give off dangerous radiation. Unlike the fusion processes that take place in the sun, cold fusion doesn't require extremely high temperatures.
Erasing history? Temporal cloaks adjust light's throttle to hide an event in time PhysOrg - October 12, 2011
Researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., have demonstrated for the first time that it's possible to cloak a singular event in time, creating what has been described as a "history editor." In a feat of Einstein-inspired physics, Moti Fridman and his colleagues sent a beam of light traveling down an optical fiber and through a pair of so-called "time lenses." Between these two lenses, the researchers were able to briefly create a small bubble, or gap, in the flow of light. During that fleetingly brief moment, lasting only the tiniest fraction of a second, the gap functioned like a temporal hole, concealing the fact that a brief burst of light ever occurred.
Time and numbers mix together in the brain PhysOrg - July 19, 2011
Clocks tell time in numbers -- and so do our minds, according to a new study which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. In two experiments, scientists found that people associate small numbers with short time intervals and large numbers with longer intervals -- suggesting that these two systems are linked in the brain.
Near-Perfect Particle Measurement Achieved Live Science - July 14, 2011
The mind-bending laws of quantum mechanics say we can't observe the smallest particles without affecting them. Physicists have now caused the smallest-ever disturbance while making a quantum measurement - in fact, almost the minimum thought to be possible. This disturbance is called back-action, and it is one of the hallmarks of quantum mechanics, which governs the actions of the very small. It arises from the supposition that before a measurement is made, particles exist in a sort of limbo state, being neither here nor there while retaining the possibility of either.
Antimatter Tevatron mystery gains ground BBC - July 2, 2011
US particle physicists are inching closer to determining why the Universe exists in its current form, made overwhelmingly of matter. Physics suggests equal amounts of matter and antimatter should have been made in the Big Bang. In 2010, researchers at the Tevatron accelerator claimed preliminary results showing a small excess of matter over antimatter as particles decayed. Each of the fundamental particles known has an antimatter cousin, with identical properties but opposite electric charge. When a particle encounters its antiparticle, they "annihilate" each other, disappearing in a high-energy flash of light. The question remains: why did this not occur in the early Universe with the equal amounts of matter and antimatter, resulting in a Universe devoid of both?
Exotic Particle Changes Flavor as Scientists Watch Live Science - June 25, 2011
Scientists have observed the rare phenomenon of one type of exotic particle transforming into another, which could reveal secrets about the evolution of the universe.
Matter Melts in Superhot Particle Collisions Live Science - June 23, 2011
By creating a soup of subatomic particles similar to what the Big Bang produced, scientists have discovered the temperature boundary where ordinary matter dissolves. Normal atoms will be converted into another state of matter - a plasma of quarks and gluons - at a temperature about 125,000 times hotter than the center of the sun, physicists said after smashing the nuclei of gold atoms together and measuring the results. While this extreme state of matter is far from anything that occurs naturally on Earth, scientists think the whole universe consisted of a similar soup for a few microseconds after the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago.
US atom smasher may have found new force of nature PhysOrg - April 6, 2011
Data from a major US atom smasher lab may have revealed a new elementary particle, or potentially a new force of nature, said one of the physicists involved in the discovery. The physics world was abuzz with excitement over the findings, which could offer clues to the persistent riddle of mass and how objects obtain it -- one of the most sought-after answers in all of physics. But experts cautioned that more analysis was needed to uncover the true nature of the discovery, which comes as part of an ongoing experiment with proton and antiproton collisions to understand the workings of the universe.
Theoretical physics breakthrough: Generating matter and antimatter from the vacuum PhysOrg - December 8, 2010
Under just the right conditions -- which involve an ultra-high-intensity laser beam and a two-mile-long particle accelerator -- it could be possible to create something out of nothing. The scientists and engineers have developed new equations that show how a high-energy electron beam combined with an intense laser pulse could rip apart a vacuum into its fundamental matter and antimatter components, and set off a cascade of events that generates additional pairs of particles and antiparticles.
German physicists create a 'super-photon' PhysOrg - November 25, 2010
Physicists from the University of Bonn have developed a completely new source of light, a so-called Bose-Einstein condensate consisting of photons. Until recently, expert had thought this impossible. This method may potentially be suitable for designing novel light sources resembling lasers that work in the X-ray range. Among other applications, they might allow building more powerful computer chips. The scientists are reporting on their discovery in the upcoming issue of the journal Nature.
The music of gravitational waves PhysOrg - November 24, 2010
This artistÕs concept shows the proposed LISA mission, which would consist of three distinct spacecraft, each connected by laser beams. It would be the first space-based mission to attempt the detection of gravitational waves -- ripples in space-time that are emitted by exotic objects such as black holes. A team of scientists and engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has brought the world one step closer to "hearing" gravitational waves -- ripples in space and time predicted by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century. Studies of these cosmic waves began in earnest decades ago when, in 1974, researchers discovered a pair of orbiting dead stars -- a type called pulsars -- that were spiraling closer and closer together due to an unexplainable loss of energy. That energy was later shown to be in the form of gravitational waves. This was the first indirect proof of the waves, and ultimately earned the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics.
New look at relativity: Electrons can't exceed the speed of light -- thanks to light itself, says biologist PhysOrg - November 19, 2010
When resolving why electrons can never beat the speed limit set by light, it might be best to forget about time. Thanks to insight from studying movement inside a biological cell, it seems that light itself -- not the relativity of time -- may be the traffic cop, according to a Cornell University biologist.
Black Strings: Black Holes With Extra Dimensions Live Science - September 23, 2010
Meet the Bizarro universe version of a black hole: a black string. These hypothetical objects might form if our universe has hidden extra dimensions beyond the three of space and one of time that we can see, scientists say. A new study of five-dimensional black strings offers a glimpse into how these strange objects might evolve over time Ð if indeed they exist at all.
New study suggests researchers can now test the 'theory of everything' PhysOrg - September 1, 2010
String theory was originally developed to describe the fundamental particles and forces that make up our universe. The new research, led by a team from Imperial College London, describes the unexpected discovery that string theory also seems to predict the behavior of entangled quantum particles. As this prediction can be tested in the laboratory, researchers can now test string theory. Over the last 25 years, string theory has become physicists' favorite contender for the 'theory of everything', reconciling what we know about the incredibly small from particle physics with our understanding of the very large from our studies of cosmology. Using the theory to predict how entangled quantum particles behave provides the first opportunity to test string theory by experiment.
Quantum time machine 'allows paradox-free time travel' Telegraph.co.uk - July 22, 2010
Time travel theory avoids grandfather paradox PhysOrg - July 22, 2010
Bridging the classical/quantum divide PhysOrg - June 30, 2010
Dartmouth researchers have discovered a potentially important piece of the quantum/classical puzzle - learning how the rules of physics in the quantum world (think smaller than microscopic) change when applied to the classical world (think every day items, like cars and trees).
New 'fix' for cosmic clocks could help uncover ripples in space-time PhysOrg - June 25, 2010
Scientists have made their most accurate measurement yet of the mass of a mysterious neutrino particle BBC - June 22, 2010
'Ghost particle' sized up by cosmologists PhysOrg - June 22, 2010
Super-complex organic molecules found in interstellar space PhysOrg - June 21, 2010
Scientists Drop Theory of Everything Down Elevator Shaft Live Science - June 17, 2010
"God Particle" May Be Five Distinct Particles, New Evidence Shows National Geographic - June 16, 2010
US experiment hints at 'multiple God particles' (Higgs Boson) BBC - June 15, 2010
The data may point to new laws of physics beyond the current accepted theory - known as the Standard Model.
Reinventing the wheel -- naturally PhysOrg - June 14, 2010
Physicists burst bubble mystery BBC - June 10, 2010
A bursting bubble will create a perfect ring of "daughter bubbles".
Our universe at home within a larger universe? So suggests wormhole research PhysOrg - April 7, 2010
Einstein-Rosen bridges like the one visualized above have never been observed in nature, but they provide theoretical physicists and cosmologists with solutions in general relativity by combining models of black holes and white holes.
Einstein equations indicate possibility of black hole formation at the LHC PhysOrg - April 6, 2010
Cold atoms and nanotubes come together in an atomic 'black hole' PhysOrg - April 6, 2010
Light bends matter, surprising scientists MSNBC - March 24, 2010
A measure for the multiverse New Scientist - March 4, 2010
Across the multiverse: FSU physicist considers the big picture PhysOrg - January 13, 2010
Tiny nano-electromagnets turn a cloak of invisibility into a possibility PhysOrg - December 22, 2009
Single light wave flashes out from fibre laser New Scientist - December 21, 2009
More precise measurements of the W boson PhysOrg - December 21, 2009
The W boson is responsible for weak interactions, which govern some of the most important processes in nature.
Strange Physical Theory Proved After Nearly 40 Years Live Science - December 16, 2009
Efimov had predicted a quantum-mechanical version of Borromean rings, a symbol that first showed up in Afghan Buddhist art from around the second century. The symbol depicts three rings linked together; if any ring were removed, they would all come apart.
Borromean Rings Wikipedia
Borromean Rings Google Videos
Ripples in space divide classical and quantum worlds New Scientist - November 18, 2009
Why can't we be in two places at the same time? The simple answer is that it's because large objects appear not to be subject to the same wacky laws of quantum mechanics that rule subatomic particles ..
'Blue energy' seems feasible and offers considerable benefits PhysOrg - October 30, 2009
Generating energy on a large scale by mixing salt and fresh water is both technically possible and practical. The worldwide potential for this clean form of energy - 'blue energy' or 'blue electricity' - is enormous.
Powering a Green Planet: Sustainable Energy, Made Interactive Scientific American - October 27, 2009
'Smart Grid' Gets $3.4 Billion Jolt Live Science - October 27, 2009
Rethinking relativity: Is time out of joint? New Scientist - October 22, 2009
Study Shows Time Traveling May Not Increase Computational Power PhysOrg - October 22, 2009
Physicists Calculate Number of Parallel Universes PhysOrg - October 17, 2009
Double Nucleus Galaxies: Ravenous Black Holes And Ripples In Space-Time Continuum Science Daily - September 15, 2009
Solving the crystal maze: The secrets of structure New Scientist - October 16, 2009
'Magnetic electricity' discovered BBC - October 14, 2009
Crystal structures explain the behavior of everything from bone to gemstones Ð but why do they take the shapes they do? We might have cracked it at last.
Physicists Measure Elusive 'Persistent Current' That Flows Forever PhysOrg - October 13, 2009
Mice Levitated in Lab Live Science - September 9, 2009
Can you see time? BBC - September 11, 2009
Imagine if you could see time laid out in front of you, or surrounding your body. And you could physically point to specific dates in space.
Lasers Turn Light Into Sound Live Science - September 4, 2009
Quantum amnesia gives time its arrow New Scientist - September 2, 2009
Beyond space and time: Fractals to hyperspace New Scientist - August 26, 2009
Rewriting General Relativity? Putting A New Model Of Quantum Gravity Under The Microscope Science Daily - August 26, 2009
Science fiction breaks free from fantasy BBC - August 26, 2009
Renowned physicist Dr Michio Kaku says that the world of science fiction may be closer to reality than fantasy.
'Hidden Portal' Concept Described: First Tunable Electromagnetic Gateway Science Daily - August 14, 2009
Beyond the looking glass... PhysOrg - August 13, 2009
... a gateway that can block electromagnetic waves but that allows the passage of other entities like a hidden portal much like science fiction.
Exploring The Standard Model Of Physics Without The High-energy Collider Science Daily - August 13, 2009
Scientists Claim New State of Matter Created Live Science - July 28, 2009
Transparent aluminium is 'new state of matter' PhysOrg - July 27, 2009
Transparent aluminium' previously only existed in science fiction, featuring in the movie Star Trek IV, but the real material is an exotic new state of matter with implications for planetary science and nuclear fusion.
The Weakening Gravity-Dominated Cosmos Theory Thunderbolts - July 23, 2009
NASA Mission Gets Closer to Solving Magnetic Reconnection Mystery PhysOrg - July 21, 2009
Physicists Propose Scheme for Teleporting Light Beams PhysOrg - July 15, 2009
Light's Repulsive Force Discovered Live Science - July 13, 2009
Physical reality of string theory demonstrated PhysOrg - July 6, 2009
Scientists develop novel ion trap for sensing force and light PhysOrg - July 2, 2009
Could Maxwell's Demon Exist in Nanoscale Systems? PhysOrg - June 24, 2009
Physicists know that the demon, an imaginary creature that decreases ...
South Dakota: Work begins on world's deepest underground lab PhysOrg - June 23, 2009
New method to detect quantum mechanical effects in ordinary objects PhysOrg - June 22, 2009
Most powerful 'sound laser' to shake up acoustics New Scientist - June 16, 2009
Straight outta Michigan: the return of the physics rap New Scientist - June 15, 2009
Magic carpets hide objects in plain sight New Scientist - June 15, 2009
'Invisibility Cloak of silence' tech could hide submarines MSNBC - June 15, 2009
Scientists break light modulation speed record -- twice PhysOrg - June 15, 2009
Scientists use high-pressure 'alchemy' to create nonexpanding metals PhysOrg - June 15, 2009
Scientists discover magnetic superatoms PhysOrg - June 15, 2009
Strange Particle Created; May Rewrite How Matter's Made National Geographic - March 21, 2009
Particle oddball surprises physicists PhysOrg - March 18, 2009
Quantum paradox directly observed -- a milestone in quantum mechanics PhysOrg - March 4, 2009
Scientists Create Light-Bending Nanoparticles PhysOrg - March 4, 2009
Researchers discover a potential on-off switch for nanoelectronics PhysOrg - March 4, 2009
World first as scientists grow microtubes from crystals PhysOrg - March 2, 2009
Researchers see exotic force for first time PhysOrg - January 7, 2009
Physicists offer foundation for uprooting a hallowed principle of physics PhysOrg - January 5, 2009
Hints of 'time before Big Bang' BBC - June 7, 2008
A team of physicists has claimed that our view of the early Universe
may contain the signature of a time before the Big Bang.
HoloVizio: Holodeck 1.0? Star Trek-style 3-D displays make their debut PhysOrg - June 6, 2008
3D breakthrough with updatable holographic displays PhysOrg - February 7, 2008
3-D Holography Breakthrough: Erase And Rewrite In Minutes Science Daily - February 7, 2008
Optical scientists have broken a technological barrier by making three-dimensional
holographic displays that can be erased and rewritten in a matter of minutes.
Holography Wikipedia
Holography YouTube
Particle Accelerator May Reveal Shape Of Alternate Dimensions Science Daily - February 4, 2008
A Blacker Black: Darkest Known Material Created National Geographic - January 24, 2008
Blacker Than Black: Darkest Manmade Material Ever Made Science Daily - January 23, 2008
Acoustic "Invisibility" Cloaks Possible, Study Says Live Science - January 23, 2008
Trick of Light Bends Beams Live Science - December 21, 2007
Mirror particles form new matter BBC - September 13, 2007
Could Physicists Make A Time Machine? It All Depends On Curving Space-time Science Daily - August 23, 2007
Could Light Behave As A Solid? A New Theory Science Daily - May 7, 2007
Mathematicians Design Invisible Tunnel Scientific American - May 6, 2007
Electromagnetic "wormhole" results from turning invisible sphere inside out
Last Magnet Lowered Into Largest Atom Smasher National Geographic - May 1, 2007
Was Einstein right? Scientists provide first public peek at Gravity Probe B results PhysOrg.com - April 16, 2007
Einstein was right, probe shows BBC - April 16, 2007
One of the effects is called the geodetic effect, the other
is called frame dragging. A common analogy is that of
placing a heavy bowling ball on to a rubber sheet.
A Step Toward Fusion Energy Science Daily - March 12, 2007
Physicists stop light, then restart it News in Science - February 8, 2007
Self-assembling Nano-ice Discovered -- Structure Resembles DNA Science Daily - December 13, 2006
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