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Physicsworld

163

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Liquid-crystal bifocal lens excels at polarization and edge imaging

Researchers at China's Hunan University have developed a bifocal lens with adjustable focal points using liquid crystal materials.
The lens features a bilayer structure that responds differently to an applied electric field, splitting incoming light into oppositely polarized beams.
The lens demonstrated excellent performance in polarization imaging and edge imaging experiments.
Further research is underway to reduce manufacturing costs and explore potential applications in optical systems.

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Knowridge

344

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Could neutron stars be surrounded by dark matter clouds? Scientists think so!

A team of physicists has discovered that axions, a type of invisible particle, may exist in large clouds around neutron stars.
Axions are extremely light particles that could be responsible for dark matter.
The research suggests that these axion clouds could be detected with telescopes, providing insights into axions and dark matter.
This discovery could have implications for particle physics, plasma physics, and astronomy.

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Hobbieroth

415

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A Continuum Model for Volume and Solute Transport in a Pore

Section 5.9 from Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology covers a model of solute flow through a pores in a membrane which derives the “reflection coefficient,” σ.
The reflection coefficient σ accounts for the size of the solute particle. If the solute radius, a, is small compared to the pore radius, Rp, then solute can easily pass through and almost none is “reflected” or excluded from passing through the pore.
The fifth edition of IPMB presents two models to calculate how the reflection coefficient varies with solute radius. The blue curve shows σ as a function of ξ = a/Rp, and represents the “steric factor” 2ξ − ξ2. The maize curve shows a more complex model that accounts for Poiseuille flow in the pore (no flow at the pore edge and a parabolic flow distribution that peaks in the pore center), and gives the reflection coefficient as 4ξ2 – 4ξ3 + ξ4.
For plug flow, reflection occurs if the solute is within one particle radius of the pore edge. In that case, the number of particles that reflect grows linearly with particle radius.
For Poiseuille flow, the size of the particle relative to the pore radius similarly plays a role. However, the flow is zero near the pore wall.
For ξ approximately equal to one, for plug flow, when the solute particle is just slightly smaller than the pore radius, it barely fits. But for Poiseuille flow, the particle not only barely fits, but it blocks all the fast flow near the pore center and you only get a contribution from the slow flow near the edge.
The model doesn't account for adjustment of the flow of solvent when the solute particle is relatively large are disrupts the flow. This can’t really be true.
If a particle almost plugged a pore, it must affect the flow distribution. The Poiseuille model is most useful for small values of ξ, but the behavior at large ξ (near one) should be taken with a grain of salt.
It’s useful to provide physical interpretations of mathematical expressions for analytical toy models for gaining insight.
For those of you who might be disappointed to see Section 5.9 go, you can keep the 5th edition of the book for reference on continuum model for volume and solute transport in a pore.

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Physicsworld

230

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Passing the torch: The “QuanTour” light source marks the International Year of Quantum

The International Year of Quantum (IYQ) in 2025 features a torch relay called QuanTour, which showcases a small light source involving quantum dots.
The QuanTour light source is an array of quantum dots that emit single photons when illuminated by a laser.
The aim of the QuanTour project is to demystify quantum science and focus on its practical applications.
Researchers at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge are working on quantum networking and quantum sensing using quantum dots.

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Popsci

168

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China races to unlock one of the biggest mysteries in particle physics

China is constructing the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) to study neutrinos.
Neutrinos, elusive particles that pass through everything, remain poorly understood.
JUNO aims to solve the 'mass hierarchy' problem of neutrinos and make groundbreaking discoveries.
Chinese physicists want to be the first to uncover crucial information about neutrinos.

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Physicsworld

350

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Data-intensive PhDs at LIV.INNO prepare students for careers outside of academia

LIV.INNO, Liverpool Centre for Doctoral Training for Innovation in Data-Intensive Science, offers fully-funded PhD studentships.
Students receive training in high-performance computing, data analysis, and machine learning.
They also receive career advice and training in project management, entrepreneurship, and communication skills.
LIV.INNO prepares students for careers outside of academia through a wide range of skills and experiences.

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Physicsworld

407

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Operando NMR methods for redox flow batteries and ammonia synthesis

Magnetic resonance methods, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), are non-invasive, atom-specific, quantitative, and capable of probing liquid and solid-state samples.
Operando NMR and EPR methods have been developed and applied to study organic molecule-based redox flow batteries and Li-mediated ammonia synthesis.
The methods have been used to understand degradation reaction mechanisms, monitor the state of charge, and optimize the efficiencies and rates of electrochemical processes.
Evan Wenbo Zhao, a professor at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, has led research projects in operando NMR for electrochemical storage and conversion chemistries.

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Physicsworld

327

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US Department of Energy announces new Fermilab contractor

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that a consortium named Fermi Forward Discovery Group, LLC (FFDV) has been awarded the contract to manage and operate Fermilab.
FFDV consists of Fermilab's current contractor, the University of Chicago and Universities Research Association (URA), along with industrial firms Amentum Environment & Energy, Inc. and Longenecker & Associates.
The initial contract will last for five years, with the possibility of extension based on exemplary performance.
The selection of FFDV comes after Fermilab faced operating and budget challenges, with complaints from staff whistleblowers about the lab's management.

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Guardian

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The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel review – lessons in chemistry

The Elements of Marie Curie is Dava Sobel's account of the life and scientific discoveries of the Nobel prize-winning female scientist.
The author interweaves her story of Curie's life with those of dozens of female scientists who passed through her lab in Paris.
Marie Curie's life was marked by personal tragedy, prodigious scientific output, and groundbreaking discoveries.
Curie and her husband discovered the elements polonium and radium, and her work changed the understanding of atoms.
Aside from being the first woman to win a Nobel prize, Curie was a devoted mother, carer for relatives, and lecturer.
Sobel's artful way of structuring each chapter with the name of a scientist and an element neatly blends science and biography.
While Curie's emotional life remains largely mysterious, Sobel's writing presents her as a noble, almost saintly figure.
The female scientists who worked with Curie, including her daughter, also receive attention, but their treatment could be more developed.
The book provides informative historical context for Curie's work that highlights its importance, but some gaps remain to be filled.
The book is a noteworthy addition to the biographical literature on Curie and will appeal both to people interested in science and those looking for inspiration in the lives of remarkable women.

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Medium

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Redefining the New Physics: Physics of Information or Information of Physics?

The emergence of an informational and intelligent universe will lead to a new Physics of Information, integrating quantum physics and classical physics.
This new paradigm requires a holistic science that considers the meaning and narrative constructions of information.
The integration of information into matter challenges the traditional view of reality based on materialism.
The new Physics of Information should be dual and integrated with a Science of Consciousness and Philosophy of Intelligence.

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Guardian

399

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Thomas More’s clerical utopia | Brief letters

In response to a Guardian editorial, Rev Dr Graham Kings highlights that Thomas More's Utopia allowed women to become priests.
Pete Bibby jestingly suggests that not moving might be the healthiest option based on Zeno's paradox.
Shirley Williams counters Adrian Chiles' view of ducks as friendly, citing male mallards during mating season.
Douglas Graham comments on the nostalgia-inducing focus on billionaires' boats in the Guardian's Sport section.

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Physicsworld

368

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Mountaintop observations of gamma-ray glow could shed light on origins of lightning

Research at a mountaintop observatory in Armenia has revealed insights into the origins of lightning by studying gamma-ray glows created during thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms generate strong electric fields that accelerate atmospheric free electrons, resulting in a cascade of secondary charged particles and the emission of gamma rays.
Measurements taken at the research station on Mount Aragats confirmed the existence of gamma-ray glows, providing direct evidence of the phenomenon.
The discovery of high electric field strengths near the ground challenges previous assumptions and could help solve the mystery of how lightning is initiated.

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Physicsworld

150

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Spiders use physics, not chemistry, to cut silk in their webs

Researchers at the University of Trento in Italy have found that spiders use mechanical means, their fangs, to cut silk instead of chemical means, enzymes. When the two spider species were tested against silk and a synthetic carbon-fibre material, Kevlar, it was revealed that spiders found Kevlar fibres more difficult to cut and needed more effort. The serrated fangs of spiders minimize the force required to cut a material at the point of contact, increasing efficiency of cutting. The researchers believe that their findings can inspire more efficient and performing cutting tools for high-tech applications, such as for cutting wood, metal, stone, food, or hair.
Spider silk is among the toughest of all biological materials, and scientists have long been puzzled by how spiders manage to cut it. Do they break it down by chemical means, using enzymes?
Researchers at the University of Trento in Italy have now come down firmly on the side of fangs, resolving a longstanding debate and perhaps also advancing the development of spider-fang-inspired cutting tools.
For spiders – especially those that spin webs – the ability to cut silk lines quickly and efficiently is a crucial skill.
Previously, the main theory of how they do it involved enzymes that they produce in their mouths, and that can break silk down. This mechanism, however, cannot explain how spiders cut silk so quickly.
Pugno, Greco and colleagues also allowed the spiders to build webs naturally (that is, without any artificial materials present). They then removed some of the silken threads and substituted them with carbon fibre ones so they could study how the spiders cut them.
Meanwhile, images of the spider fangs themselves revealed micro-structured serrations similar to those found in animals such as crocodiles and sharks.
The researchers, who report their work in Advanced Science, also conducted analytical and finite-element numerical analyses to back up their observations.
The researchers note that serration had previously been observed in 48 families of modern spiders (araneomorphs) as well as at least three families of older species (mygalomorphs). They speculate that it may have been important for functions other than cutting silk, such as chewing and mashing prey,
“By explaining how spiders cut, we reveal a basic engineering principle that could inspire the design of highly efficient, sharper and more performing cutting tools that could be of interest for high-tech applications,” Pugno tells Physics World.

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Knowridge

106

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Scientists unveil new X-ray optics to unlock hidden secrets of the universe

X-rays from astronomical objects like black holes and hot gas between galaxies provide insights into the structure of the cosmos.
X-ray telescopes use special mirrors that reflect X-rays at shallow angles to capture valuable X-ray signals.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been developing advanced X-ray optics using the Wolter-I design for over 30 years.
MSFC's X-ray optics have contributed to successful missions capturing data from black holes, neutron stars, and other distant objects, advancing our understanding of high-energy phenomena in space.

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Knowridge

137

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New light-activated material could revolutionize quantum technology

Scientists have discovered a new way to control the behavior of particles in a material called perovskite.
This material could be used in quantum technologies like computers and sensors.
The discovery involves using light to detect and control spin states in perovskite.
By adding neodymium, the lifetime of particles called excitons can be extended, leading to potential advancements in quantum devices.

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