1. The breathe between atoms. (176 words)
'Researchers have discovered they can detect atomic "breathing," or the mechanical vibration between two layers of atoms, by observing the type of light those atoms emitted when stimulated by a laser. The sound of this atomic 'breath' could help researchers encode and transmit quantum information.' (University of Washington)
Did you know atoms can actually breathe. Well, not like us, but scientists at the University of Washington discovered something fascinating.
They were studying phonons, which are movements of atoms and materials. There’s a type of phonon called the breathing mode, but wait, it gets even cooler. Our planet Earth even has its own breathing mode, expanding and contracting every ten minutes.
Now, back to the researchers. They created a breathing mode in an atomic lattice, using a tiny packet of light called a photon. They stacked layers of a Tungsten compound, hit it with a laser and observed the breathing mode, but that’s not all. They found they could control the interaction between the phonon and the photon with a voltage. And get this! They did it on a small chip.
This breakthrough could revolutionize quantum information technology like quantum computing and data storage. It’s a whole new world of possibilities, and here’s the best part, the tungsten atoms were blown away too. They found it breathtaking. It’s incredible how these discoveries shape our future.
2. Quantum 'yin-yang'. (180 words)
The stunning experiment, which reconstructs the properties of entangled photons from a 2D interference pattern, could be used to design faster quantum computers.
Scientists have used a first-of-its-kind technique to visualize two entangled light particles in real time — making them appear as a stunning quantum yin-yang symbol. The new method, called biphoton digital holography, uses an ultra high-precision camera and could be used to massively speed up future quantum measurements.
The researchers published their findings August 14 in the journal Nature Photonics. Quantum entanglement — the weird connection between two far-apart particles that Albert Einstein objected to as 'spooky action at a distance' — enables two light particles, or photons, to become inextricably bound to each other, so that a change to one causes a change in the other, no matter how far apart they are.
To make accurate predictions about a quantum object, physicists need to find its wavefunction: a description of its state existing in a superposition of all the possible physical values a photon can take.
Entanglement makes finding the wavefunction of two connected particles a challenge, as any measurement of one also causes an instantaneous change in the other. Physicists usually approach this hurdle through a method known as quantum tomography.
3. Mercury. (187 words)
Mercury, the only liquid metal at room temperature, demonstrates exceptional conductivity, density, and versatility in scientific and industrial applications.
Mercury. It's a really beautiful substance. It's the only metal that's a liquid at room temperature and pressure. It doesn't become a solid until it goes below -38 degrees Celsius. In its liquid state, the atoms have enough thermal energy to overcome the rigid metallic bonds that confine most metals to solid structures at room temperature. Because of this, the atoms have enough energy to jiggle about and flow past one another.
And it's the third law of thermodynamics which links the temperature to the level of entropy in a system. So, as the temperature of a system reaches absolute zero, the level of entropy reaches its lowest possible value. When the mercury atoms in the liquid have enough thermal energy they can break free from the surface in the form of a vapour. This vapour has a higher entropy state, meaning there are more ways in which the atoms can arrange themselves in the space around them.
The less energy there is in a substance, the more ordered the atoms are within it. This is why when you cool the liquid, it turns into a solid.