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Category: physics

Topological Twist for Phase Transitions

Contrary to conventional wisdom, so-called order parameters that distinguish symmetry-governed phases of matter can have topological structure.

From materials developing magnetization patterns to metals becoming superconductors, a wide range of phase transitions can be qualitatively described by a single framework known as Ginzburg-Landau theory [1, 2]. This framework generally assumes that a key quantity in its descriptions, called an order parameter, has trivial topology. But now, Canon Sun and Joseph Maciejko at the University of Alberta, Canada, have shown that order parameters can have hidden topological structure [3]. The researchers have developed an extension to Ginzburg-Landau theory that incorporates such hidden topology, revealing features absent from the original framework.

Symmetry constitutes a fundamental concept in physics. It appears in many guises but is especially important when studying how interactions of countless microscopic constituents give rise to macroscopic order in condensed-matter systems. For example, below a critical temperature, an ordinary magnet has a net magnetization because its spins all align in the same direction, breaking rotational symmetry. If the magnet is heated above that temperature, it loses its magnetization as its spins point in random directions, restoring rotational symmetry.

From the andes to the beginning of time: Telescopes detect 13-billion-year-old signal

Small telescopes in Chile are first on Earth to cut through the cosmic noise. For the first time, scientists have used Earth-based telescopes to look back over 13 billion years to see how the first stars in the universe affect light emitted from the Big Bang.

Using telescopes high in the Andes mountains of northern Chile, astrophysicists have measured this polarized microwave light to create a clearer picture of one of the least understood epochs in the history of the universe, the Cosmic Dawn.

“People thought this couldn’t be done from the ground. Astronomy is a technology-limited field, and microwave signals from the Cosmic Dawn are famously difficult to measure,” said Tobias Marriage, project leader and a Johns Hopkins professor of physics and astronomy. “Ground-based observations face additional challenges compared to space. Overcoming those obstacles makes this measurement a significant achievement.”

Mysterious fast radio burst turns out to be from long-dead NASA satellite

A team of astronomers and astrophysicists affiliated with several institutions in Australia has found that a mysterious fast radio burst (FRB) detected last year originated not from a distant source, but from one circling the planet—a long-dead satellite. The team has posted a paper outlining their findings on the arXiv preprint server.

On June 13, 2024, a team working at the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder heard something unexpected—a potential FRB that lasted less than 30 nanoseconds. The pulse, they note, was so strong that it eclipsed all of the other signals coming from the sky.

It was originally assumed that the signal had come from some distant object because that is the case for most FRBs. But subsequent analysis showed that it had come from a nearby source.

Astronomers Discover Rogue Black Hole Devouring Star in the Unlikeliest of Places

UC Berkeley astronomers found a hidden black hole roaming far from the galaxy’s core. It may eventually merge with the central black hole and release gravitational waves. Astronomers have identified nearly 100 cases of massive black holes feasting on stars, almost all located in the dense centers

5D model accurately predicts nuclear fission in elements beyond uranium and plutonium

A five-dimensional (5D) Langevin approach developed by an international team of researchers, including members from Science Tokyo, accurately reproduces complex fission fragment distributions and kinetic energies in medium-mass mercury isotopes (180 Hg and 190 Hg). The model successfully captures the unusual “double-humped” fragment mass distribution observed in mercury-180 and offers new insights into how nuclear shell effects influence fission dynamics—even at higher excitation energies than previously thought—advancing our understanding of fission in the sub-lead region.

Nuclear fission, the process by which an atomic nucleus splits into smaller parts, is a fundamental process in . While the fission of heavy elements like uranium and plutonium is well studied, lighter nuclei such as mercury (Hg) behave in unexpected ways.

Experiments have shown that 180 Hg undergoes an unexpected form of asymmetric fission, producing fragments of very different sizes. These findings challenge existing models and highlight the need to better understand how nuclear structure affects fission in the sub-lead region, which includes elements with atomic numbers below 82.

Physicists Built a “Trampoline” Smaller Than a Human Hair — And It Could Rewrite the Rules of Microchip Design

The world’s strangest trampoline doesn’t bounce—it swings sideways and even glides around corners. But no one can jump on it, because it’s less than a millimeter tall. Imagine a trampoline so tiny it’s just 0.2 millimeters wide, with a surface thinner than anything you’ve ever seen, only about 20

Physicists validate ratio method for studying halo nuclei

Theories must stand up to practical testing, and this is especially true in physics. Researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), Texas A&M University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University of Surrey in the U.K. and Michigan State University have achieved such a milestone: They were able to experimentally demonstrate for the first time that the ratio method can be used to study atomic nuclei, and in particular unstable halo nuclei—thus underscoring the importance of this new reaction observable. The team published their results on May 28, 2025, in Physical Review Letters.