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Category: physics

New physical model aims to boost energy storage research

Engineers rely on computational tools to develop new energy storage technologies, which are critical for capitalizing on sustainable energy sources and powering electric vehicles and other devices. Researchers have now developed a new classical physics model that captures one of the most complex aspects of energy storage research—the dynamic nonequilibrium processes that throw chemical, mechanical and physical aspects of energy storage materials out of balance when they are charging or discharging energy.

The new Chen-Huang Nonequilibrium Phasex Transformation (NExT) Model was developed by Hongjiang Chen, a former Ph.D. student at NC State, in conjunction with his advisor, Hsiao-Ying Shadow Huang, who is an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the university. A paper on the work, “Energy Change Pathways in Electrodes during Nonequilibrium Processes,” is published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

But what are “nonequilibrium processes”? Why are they important? And why would you want to translate those processes into mathematical formulae? We talked with Huang to learn more.

New Theory: Space Has Memory, Stores Information

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Gravitational memory is the idea that gravity’s ability to duplicate information from other forces should somehow store that information in certain masses. A group of physicists has now published a series of papers claiming that this idea might solve the black hole information loss problem and explain dark matter. Really? Let’s take a look.

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Physicists make critical energy breakthrough after unearthing long-forgotten experiment: ‘Our replication leaves no doubt’

Unlike more complex, high-energy fusion experiments such as those at the National Ignition Facility, this test was performed at a much lower energy level. That makes it a game changer for smaller labs and opens the door to more accessible fusion experimentation.

What the researchers learned is a notable contribution to ongoing fusion studies. If scientists can successfully scale fusion energy, it could power entire cities more affordably than conventional power while helping stabilize the grid. Fusion doesn’t generate heat-trapping pollution either, meaning cleaner air and healthier communities.

While fusion isn’t powering our homes just yet, such developments move us closer to a cleaner, more affordable energy future — especially with successes such as the 2022 ignition breakthrough at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Friction that cools: Threshold effects enable self-stopping robot swarms

How can a horde of active robots be automatically brought to a standstill? By arresting their dynamics in a self-sustained way. This phenomenon was discovered by physicists at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf (HHU) and La Sapienza University in Rome. The threshold principle of static friction with the ground plays a decisive role here: it removes the kinetic energy of two robots after a mutual collision so efficiently that they can no longer set themselves in motion.

The researchers describe in the journal Nature Communications that this fundamental effect can also be used to construct controllable moving systems.

Friction creates heat, as anyone knows who has rubbed their hands together in winter weather. And costs energy. Road friction on vehicle tires, for example, will cause a moving car to steadily slow down unless the accelerator is used.

Ultrafast light switch achieved with asymmetric silicon metasurfaces in nanophotonics

In nanophotonics, tiny structures are used to control light at the nanoscale and render it useful for technological applications. A key element here is optical resonators, which trap and amplify light of a certain color (wavelength).

Previous methods of controlling these resonances were more like a dimmer switch: You could weaken the resonance or slightly shift its color. However, genuine on-and-off switching was not possible, as the resonators always remain fundamentally coupled with the light.

A team led by Andreas Tittl, Professor of Experimental Physics at LMU, has now precisely achieved this breakthrough, together with partners from Monash University in Australia. As the researchers report in the journal Nature, they have developed a new method for controlling the coupling between nanoresonators and light in a targeted manner on ultrafast timescales. In this way, a resonance can be created from nothing within a few picoseconds or made to vanish completely again.

From Algebra to Cosmology: Stephen Wolfram on Physics & the Nature of the Universe

Physicist and computer scientist Stephen Wolfram explores how simple rules can generate complex realities, offering a bold new vision of fundamental physics and the structure of the universe.

Stephen Wolfram is a British-American computer scientist, physicist, and businessman. He is known for his work in computer algebra and theoretical physics. In 2012, he was named a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He is the founder and CEO of the software company Wolfram Research, where he works as chief designer of Mathematica and the Wolfram Alpha answer engine.

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Physicists Harness Light To Control Semiconductors in Trillionths of a Second

A peer-reviewed study reports the development of ultrafast modulation technology in nanoelectronics. Physicists from Bielefeld University and the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW Dresden) have introduced a new technique that uses ultrashort light pulses to manip

Cortical traveling waves in time and space: Physics, physiology, and psychology

The advent and widespread adoption of diverse widefield imaging techniques across multiple spatial resolutions has demonstrated that cortical activity often propagates as waves structured in both time and space. This realization allows neuroscientists to draw on a rigorous theoretical framework developed in wave physics to complement and inform the rapid neuroscientific advances shedding light on the physiological mechanisms and psychological implications of cortical wave dynamics. In support of this synthesis, we review some of the core concepts that underpin wave physics and consider how they relate to experimental studies of cortical wave physiology and psychology.

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