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World’s smallest particle accelerator could revolutionize medicine and physics

Scientists have activated the world’s smallest particle accelerator, a device as compact as a coin, with potential impact on medicine and physics.
The accelerator, called a dielectric laser accelerator (DLA), uses nanophotonic structures to achieve stronger acceleration gradients than traditional methods.
Measuring just 500 micrometers in length, the nanophotonic accelerator is significantly smaller and more cost-effective than conventional accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider.
The accelerator addresses confinement challenges by employing an alternating phase focusing (APF) technique to guide electrons along their trajectory.
Researchers successfully demonstrated the nanophotonic electron accelerator (NEA) by accelerating electrons and achieving a 43% energy increase.
The NEA offers potential applications in precise radiotherapy techniques for cancer treatment and other medical fields.
While not as powerful as large-scale colliders, the NEA's compact size and energy efficiency make it promising for practical applications.
The successful operation of the NEA signifies a new era in accelerator physics, with implications for medicine, materials science, and electronics.
Miniaturized accelerators like the NEA could lead to portable diagnostic tools, advanced imaging systems, and enhanced nanoscale studies.
The future of high-energy physics involves not only building larger machines but also developing smaller, more accessible accelerators.

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Physicsworld

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US science in chaos as impact of Trump’s executive orders sinks in

Scientists in the US are facing challenges due to executive orders from President Donald Trump, resulting in slashed research funding, staff layoffs, and suspended programs.
Various government departments and organizations are cutting DEI programs, removing climate change references from websites, and pausing research grants to comply with new administration goals.
Trump's orders have impacted agencies like the US Agency for International Development, National Science Foundation, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NSF was asked to lay off staff and reduce its budget significantly, causing chaos among grant recipients and research community.
Anti-DEI actions by the Trump administration have affected NASA, research labs, and educational institutions, leading to removal of diversity mentions and suspension of DEI initiatives.
Critics argue that dismantling federal DEI programs will harm millions and weaken the US, with concerns raised about potential long-term damage to scientific leadership and innovation.
Actions taken by the Trump administration, such as funding cuts and removing advisers, have raised concerns about the future of scientific research and advancement in the country.
Criticism has been directed at the nomination of individuals like Neil Jacobs and the role of Elon Musk's team in identifying spending cuts across government agencies.
Opponents fear that reduced funding for research projects could jeopardize scientific progress and clinical research, potentially impacting lives and educational institutions.
Overall, the impact of Trump's executive orders on science in the US is viewed as chaotic and potentially leading to a period of setback and challenges in the field.

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Github

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How GitHub uses CodeQL to secure GitHub

GitHub uses CodeQL to secure GitHub by utilizing GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS) to discover vulnerabilities, enforce secure coding standards, and conduct automated security analyses.
CodeQL is a static analysis engine that allows querying code similar to a database, enabling thorough code analysis and issue identification.
GitHub's approach includes custom query packs, custom queries, and variant analysis to ensure code security.
GitHub applies CodeQL at scale through default and advanced setups, custom query packs for specific repositories, and multi-repository variant analysis.
GitHub publishes its custom CodeQL query pack to GitHub Container Registry for easier deployment and maintenance, alleviating production deployment challenges.
Custom CodeQL queries are developed against the latest versions of libraries while ensuring stability by locking versions during release.
GitHub recommends writing unit tests for custom CodeQL queries to ensure stability and reliability, thus balancing development experience and stability.
Variant analysis using CodeQL helps search for security vulnerabilities variations, supporting bug bounty responses and security incident investigations.
Custom CodeQL queries cater to GitHub-specific patterns, providing security insights, and enhancing coding practices within the organization.
By leveraging CodeQL for security engineering, GitHub automates vulnerability detection, strengthens security controls, and improves code quality.

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Nytimes

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‘Ultrahigh Energy’ Neutrino Found With a Telescope Under the Sea

Physicists have discovered an 'ultrahigh energy' neutrino in the Mediterranean Sea.
The neutrino is believed to be the most energetic ever recorded on Earth.
The discovery brings scientists one step closer to understanding cosmic accelerators.
The Kilometer Cube Neutrino Telescope was used to detect the ultrahigh energy neutrino.

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COSMOS

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Detector on sea floor spots highest energy neutrino

A detector on the sea floor off the coast of Italy has observed the first ultra-high energy neutrino.
The neutrino, named KM3-230213A, had an energy of 220 petaelectronvolts, making it the most energetic neutrino ever observed.
The detector, KM3NeT, was able to determine the neutrino's presence by detecting the muon it created.
The discovery opens new possibilities in neutrino astronomy, allowing the exploration of extreme astrophysical phenomena.

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Popsci

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Scientists announce the highest-energy neutrino ever detected

Neutrinos are fundamental particles that remain enigmatic in the standard model of particle physics—they carry no electric charge and hardly interact with other particles.
The Kilometer Cubed Neutrino Telescope detected the decay products of a record-breaking 220 peta-electronvolt neutrino, the most energetic ever observed in February 2023.
The existence of the neutrino was inferred from the detection of a muon created by its interaction with matter.
Muons, heavier cousins of electrons, are easier to detect and decay quickly, but high-energy muons can exist longer due to relativistic effects.
Cosmic ray-produced muons reached the Earth's surface, but the unique muon observed by KM3NeT had an unusual near-horizontal trajectory through seawater and rock.
Potential sources of such high-energy neutrinos include active galactic nuclei (AGN), blazars, and gamma-ray bursts from starburst galaxies.
AGNs are galaxies with active supermassive black holes ejecting matter in jets, and blazars have jets pointed directly at Earth.
Detection of ultra-high energy neutrinos opens new avenues for studying the most cataclysmic events in the Universe linked to supermassive black holes.
Research into these ultra-high energy neutrinos is crucial for understanding their origins and potential use as astronomical tools.
The discovery of the high-energy neutrino marks a significant achievement in astronomy, providing insights into the most powerful sources in the Universe.

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Physicsworld

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Bacterial ‘cables’ form a living gel in mucus

Bacterial cells in solutions of polymers such as mucus grow into long cable-like structures forming a 'living gel'.
Understanding this behavior could lead to new treatments for bacterial infections in patients with cystic fibrosis and provide insights into biofilm formation.
Laboratory studies show that in polymeric mucus solutions, bacterial cells form long cable-like structures, remaining stuck together and bending to form an entangled network.
The discovery of this morphology could aid in the treatment of bacterial infections and motivate further research on cable formation's influence on bacterial interactions.

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Physicsworld

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Sarah Sheldon: how a multidisciplinary mindset can turn quantum utility into quantum advantage

IBM aims to transition quantum computers from research to commercial applications, striving for 'quantum advantage' over classical computing.
Quantum computers utilize qubits, enabling faster calculations due to superposition and entanglement properties.
Sarah Sheldon leads IBM's quantum R&D team, focusing on noise management and performance optimization.
Sheldon's team works on error mitigation and correction techniques, essential for future large-scale quantum computing systems.
Diversity in interdisciplinary collaborations is crucial in quantum technology development at IBM.
External partnerships through the IBM Quantum Network enhance research opportunities and knowledge sharing.
The quantum industry faces a challenge in attracting skilled workers, including physical scientists and engineers.
Sheldon remains optimistic about the abundant career opportunities in the evolving quantum sector.
The quantum computing field offers promising career paths for graduate scientists and engineers in various industries.
Sheldon advises early-career scientists to focus on interesting projects and collaborations to navigate the evolving quantum landscape.

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Popsci

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Experimental jet achieves supersonic flight, minus the boom

Boom Supersonic's XB-1 prototype becomes first civil aircraft to break sound barrier over US.
During its 13th test flight, XB-1 successfully passes the 'Mach cutoff' and demonstrates no disruptive sonic boom.
The test flight included measuring acoustic sonic boom data and capturing Schlieren images.
Boom Supersonic concludes its multiyear flight test program and focuses on scaling technology for the Overture supersonic airliner.

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Medium

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The Quest to Understand Metric Movements

Understanding metric movements involves identifying root causes for fluctuations in key metrics, which can be challenging due to various potential factors.
At Pinterest, three pragmatic approaches are used for root-cause analysis (RCA) to narrow down the search space for root causes.
The Slice and Dice approach involves segmenting metrics to identify significant contributors to movements using heuristics and statistical analysis.
General Similarity method focuses on analyzing correlations and similarities between metrics to find relevant patterns and associations.
Experiment Effects approach examines the impacts of experiments on metrics, utilizing A/B testing to understand causal effects.
These RCA services can be used iteratively in conjunction to provide comprehensive insights into metric movements.
Future advancements include integrating feedback mechanisms to improve algorithms and exploring causal discovery for richer statistical evidence on causality.
Pinterest acknowledges the contribution of its engineers and data scientists in implementing and refining the RCA services.
The article was originally published on Pinterest Engineering Blog on Medium, inviting further discussion on the topic.

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Physicsworld

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Nanoparticles demonstrate new and unexpected mechanism of coronavirus disinfection

Researchers from Sweden and Estonia have investigated the effect of nanoparticles on viruses with the aim of developing new disinfection methods that could be used to fight future viral outbreaks.
They discovered that titania nanoparticles show significant antiviral activity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 and other viruses, and elucidated the nanoparticles’ antiviral mechanism.
Previous evidence suggested the nanoparticles would only require very low concentrations because they interact strongly with proteins in the dark but the team found that only millimolar concentrations were effective.
The antiviral effect on the enveloped virus is not due to the blocking of surface proteins in low concentrations and is not oxidative in darkness.
Instead, researchers believe the antiviral effect is due to direct complexation of nanoparticles with membrane phospholipids, not previously considered.
The nanoparticles are non-toxic and work at room temperature without requiring UV illumination, making them simple and low-cost disinfection tools to coat surfaces to destroy enveloped viruses or decontaminate air and water.
The finding is deemed evidence of a new pathway for metal oxide nanoparticles antiviral action.
Other oxide nanoparticles with an affinity to phosphate, including iron and aluminium oxides, have been identified as possible effective disinfection tools.
The research team findings have been published by Nanoscale.
The study could have important implications for SARS-CoV-2 disinfection strategies in the future and could help develop antiviral surfaces and other materials which could be a key element in the fight against viral and other outbreaks.

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Fyfluiddynamics

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An Exoplanet’s Supersonic Jet Stream

A new study reveals a supersonic jet stream in the atmosphere of WASP-127b, a hot Jupiter exoplanet.
The jet stream has a speed of 9 kilometers per second, much higher than the wind speed on Neptune in our Solar System.
The planet's poles have lower wind speeds and are colder compared to the equatorial region.
These findings demonstrate that exoplanets can exhibit extreme and unpredictable weather.

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Physicsworld

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Organic photovoltaic solar cells could withstand harsh space environments

Organic photovoltaic solar cells have shown potential in withstanding harsh space environments.
Researchers at the University of Michigan discovered that organic photovoltaics could resist high-energy radiation and sub-atomic particle bombardments.
This challenges the belief that these devices degrade under conditions encountered by spacecraft in low-Earth orbit.
If verified, organic photovoltaics could become a competitor to traditional thin-film solar technologies in space applications.

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Physicsworld

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How international conferences can help bring women in physics together

International Conference on Women in Physics (ICWIP) organized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) allows women in physics from diverse backgrounds and cultures to share their experiences and showcase various challenges they face.
The 8th ICWIP, organised by India in 2023, saw participation from 300 colleagues from 57 countries.
Gender bias, negative stereotypes, and lack of support in workplaces remain major issues to be addressed.
Women often struggle with work-life balance and face a unique set of challenges resulting from their socioeconomic status and identity.
The Limit Less campaign by the Institute of Physics (IOP) in the UK, encouraging students to study physics after 16 years, is contributing positively.
Other initiatives like the STEM Returner programme, Athena SWAN, and Physics Inclusion Award aim to improve women's prospects.
Intersectionality will play an important role in shaping future equity, diversity and inclusion policies.
Participation is not limited to women and academia and industry are seeking representation from all stages of career.
International conferences provide an opportunity for women in physics to collaborate on issues that affect them and be catalysts for positive change for future generations.
The conference fosters a community of women in physics from various countries who share passion for the subject and pave the way forward for future generations.

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Physicsworld

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Artisan, architect or artist: what kind of person are you at work?

Artisans, architects, and artists define fundamental roles at work.
Artisans primarily focus to create practical items through craftmanship and attention to detail.
Architects create functional and effective solutions by combining technical knowledge with a broad vision.
Artists work with minimal formal guidance to have insight into future needs & develop strategies.
The power outage scenario highlights the working of artisans, architects, and artists to fulfill different job roles.
Artisans are practical, architects are tactical and artists are strategic in different proportions.
Know your core strength and what work you enjoy doing most to drive career conversations and decisions.
A career path can offer a linear approach to progress, but not everyone is comfortable with it.
Amongst these fundamental roles, a person should recognize their proficiency to be creative, inventive and skilful.
To be successful, a team, department or business needs to acknowledge the significance of the skills mix for different personas in getting the work done.

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