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Astronomers Present New Findings on Merging Galaxy Cluster’s Dark Matter

Astronomers were puzzled earlier this year when NASA's Hubble Space Telescope spotted an overabundance of dark matter in the heart of the merging galaxy cluster Abell 520. This observation was surprising because dark matter and galaxies should be anchored together, even during a collision between galaxy clusters.

30 Nov 2012

New Paradigm to Understand Earliest Eras of Universe

A new paradigm for understanding the earliest eras in the history of the universe has been developed by scientists at Penn State. Using techniques from an area of modern physics called loop quantum cosmology, developed at Penn State, the scientists now have extended analyses that include quantum physics farther back in time than ever before -- all the way to the beginning.

30 Nov 2012

New Model Helps Predict Charged Particle Movement in Complex Media

Picture two charged particles in a vacuum. Thanks to laws of elementary electrostatics, we can easily calculate the force these particles exert upon one another, and therefore predict their movements.

30 Nov 2012

NIST Study Provides New Insights into Quantum Electrodynamics Theory

A cornerstone of physics may require a rethink if findings at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are confirmed. Recent experiments suggest* that the most rigorous predictions based on the fundamental theory of electromagnetism—one of the four fundamental forces in the universe, and harnessed in all electronic devices—may not accurately account for the behavior of atoms in exotic, highly charged states.

29 Nov 2012

NASA's Chandra Observatory Detects X-Ray Jet from a Supermassive Black Hole

A jet of X-rays from a supermassive black hole 12.4 billion light years from Earth has been detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This is the most distant X-ray jet ever observed and gives astronomers a glimpse into the explosive activity associated with the growth of supermassive black holes in the early universe.

29 Nov 2012

Astronomers Measure Mass of Most Massive Black Hole Ever Found

Astronomers have used the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at The University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory to measure the mass of what may be the most massive black hole yet — 17 billion times our sun’s mass — in galaxy NGC 1277. The unusual black hole makes up 14 percent of its galaxy's mass, rather than the usual 0.1 percent. This galaxy and several more in the same study could change theories about how black holes and galaxies form and evolve. The work will appear in the journal Nature on Nov. 29.

29 Nov 2012

Astronomers Discover Most Energetic Quasar Outflow Known to Date

Quasars are the intensely luminous centres of distant galaxies that are powered by huge black holes. This new study has looked at one of these energetic objects – known as SDSS J1106+1939 – in great detail, using the X-shooter instrument on ESO's VLT at the Paranal Observatory in Chile [1]. Although black holes are noted for pulling material in, most quasars also accelerate some of the material around them and eject it at high speed.

29 Nov 2012

Study Explores Intrinsic Quantum Nature of Water Molecule

Researcher at EPFL proves that the strong electric charge observed at the interface between oil and water is not due to impurities

28 Nov 2012

MCSA Conducts Research on Quantum Semiconductor Nanostructures in Biology and Medicine

Properties of several of the most external atomic layers of materials can be studied at Mazovia Centre for Surface Analysis by a number of modern techniques. Just opened at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland, the Centre provides a spectrum of surface analysis tools including a state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope and specialised spectroscopic equipment for surface studies in high and ultra high vacuum.

28 Nov 2012

Captured Ions Cooled with Cold Atoms and Stably Stored in Ion Traps

Among the most important techniques developed in atomic physics over the past few years are methods that enable the storage and cooling of atoms and ions at temperatures just above absolute zero. Scientists from Bangalore and Mainz have now demonstrated in an experiment that captured ions can also be cooled through contact with cold atoms and may thus be stored in so-called ion traps in a stable condition for longer periods of time. This finding runs counter to predictions that ions would actually be heated through collisions with atoms.

27 Nov 2012