Physics Archives - The Debrief

Department of Energy Scientists Achieve the Impossible with Major Breakthrough in Ultrafast Beam-Steering

Micah Hanks·March 22, 2023

Scientists in New Mexico say they have mastered ultrafast steering of light pulses from conventional, “incoherent” sources in a major scientific breakthrough.

First Detection of Neutrinos in a Particle Collider Reported by California Physicists in a Scientific First

Micah Hanks·March 21, 2023

Physicists in California have reported the detection of neutrinos in a particle collider, marking a new breakthrough development in physics.

Breakthrough Study of Anomalous Photoemission Challenges Our Current Understanding of the Phenomenon

Micah Hanks·March 17, 2023

Physicists report a discovery they say could upend our long-held scientific views involving the phenomenon that causes the photoelectric effect.

DARPA Funded Electric Sky on Threshold of Aviation Revolution with Whisper Beam

Christopher Plain·March 15, 2023

Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the folks at Electric Sky are moving closer to revolutionizing electric aviation by making its Whisper Beam power-beaming system a reality.

Source of the Sun’s Curious “Heartbeat” is Revealed in Unexpected Discovery

Micah Hanks·March 14, 2023

A new study reveals the source of a curious feature of the Sun’s atmosphere that produces a signal pattern that researchers have likened to a human heartbeat.

Galactic Scale Shockwaves Are Rattling Through the Cosmic Web

Christopher Plain·March 9, 2023

Australian researchers have measured the effects of massive galactic-scale shockwaves rippling through the cosmic web, a structure that encompasses all of the matter in the known universe.

This Extreme Enzyme Makes Electricity Out of Thin Air

Christopher Plain·March 8, 2023

A naturally-occurring enzyme that helps some forms of bacteria survive in extreme environments has that seemingly magical ability to make electricity out of thin air.

“Impossible” Photonic Breakthrough: Scientists Manipulate Light at Sub-Wavelength Scale

Christopher Plain·March 7, 2023

In a breakthrough for photonics previously considered impossible, researchers have shown the ability to manipulate microscopic objects with light at the sub-wavelength scale.

Green Energy Game-Changer? The Environmental Benefits of Nuclear Fusion

Ellie Sivins·March 3, 2023

Now is the time to be looking at the variety of ways nuclear fusion will be beneficial for the environment in the decades ahead.

Scientists Find Previously Hidden Corridor Inside The Great Pyramid of Giza

Christopher Plain·March 2, 2023

Egyptian Antiquities officials say researchers from the ScanPyramids Project have discovered a previously hidden corridor within the Great Pyramid of Giza

First Law of Thermodynamics Breakthrough Could Upend a Century of Equilibrium Theory in Physics

Micah Hanks·February 27, 2023

Physicists in West Virginia have announced a potential breakthrough that could help upend a longstanding constraint imposed by the first law of thermodynamics.

‘Magic Angle’ Superconductivity of 2D Graphene Connected to Double-Slit Experiment

Christopher Plain·February 17, 2023

The magic angel where bilayer graphene turns into a superconductor may have already been revealed in the famous double-slit experiment that showed electrons can be both particles and waves.

“Impossible” Physics Breakthrough Achieved By Researchers Studying Mysterious “Ghost Particles”

Micah Hanks·February 7, 2023

Researchers say they have uncovered a new method of studying protons involving beams of mysterious “ghost particles."

Unexpected Discovery Seemingly Defies Long-Held Experimental Law of Physics, Research Team Claims

Micah Hanks·February 1, 2023

A discovery involving variance in friction at different speeds between two different kinds of surfaces seemingly defies an experimental law of physics, according to newly published research.

Experts Say This is The Safest Place to Survive a Nuclear Blast Wave

Christopher Plain·January 31, 2023

Researchers modeling the effects of a nuclear missile explosion have found the safest type of building, as well as the safest place within that building, to survive the concussive effects of a nuclear blast wave.

New Evidence of Elusive ‘Time Crystal’ Detected by Physicists, and You Won’t Believe Where They Found It

Micah Hanks·January 26, 2023

A team of Yale physicists says they have detected evidence of a time crystal in a very unlikely place, according to new research.

Nuclear Force in Question as Physicists Report Observation That Could Challenge Our Current Understanding

Micah Hanks·January 24, 2023

A team of physicists says they have observed the most significant isospin mixing recorded to date during beta-decay experiments, a finding that could upset our current accepted understanding of the nuclear force.

NASA’s Geotail Mission, Which Unraveled Auroras and Mysteries of Earth’s Magnetosphere, Finally Ends

NASA Says Farewell to its Geotail Spacecraft After Three Decades of Service

Micah Hanks·January 20, 2023

NASA has announced that its Geotail spacecraft, a joint project with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has ended operations after three decades in orbit.

Scientists Confirm Observation of Mysterious “Cherenkov Effect” in Two-Dimensional Space

Micah Hanks·January 18, 2023

Scientists in Israel have confirmed the first experimental observation of Cherenkov radiation while confined in two dimensions, according to new research.

Energy Teleportation and Negative Energy Observed in Quantum Research Breakthrough

Micah Hanks·January 17, 2023

The first experimental demonstration of quantum energy teleportation on real quantum hardware has been observed, according to new research that also cites observations of negative energy.

What Would a Planck Energy Accelerator Entail?

Avi Loeb·January 17, 2023

If we ever detect a beam of Planck energy neutrinos from a preferred direction in the sky, we will know where to search for new physics.

U.S. Department of Energy is Testing Materials For Building “Next Generation of Fusion Reactors”

Micah Hanks·January 16, 2023

Physicists working at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility (NFF) are involved in tests with materials they hope to use in the construction of next-gen fusion reactors.

Deep Underground Laboratory Reveals Results of Hunt for Quantum Gravity, String Theory

Christopher Plain·January 11, 2023

A team of researchers looking to unify the theories of quantum gravity with the Standard Model of Particle Physics have gone underground, literally.

New Discovery Deepens Our Understanding of Extreme Phenomena Involving Neutron Star Collisions

Micah Hanks·January 10, 2023

A new discovery that could potentially hasten our knowledge about physics in some of the universe’s most extreme areas has been revealed from data collected by astronomers over the last several decades.

By Producing Two Entangled Beams of Light, Researchers Have Achieved a Breakthrough in Quantum Physics

Micah Hanks·January 5, 2023

Researchers in Brazil have achieved a quantum breakthrough by succeeding in the creation of a source of illumination that produces two separate entangled beams of light, according to new research.

Harnessing the Power of Quantum Mechanics, Physicists Discover a New Method of Observing Objects Without Looking at Them

Tim McMillan·December 29, 2022

By harnessing quantum mechanics, physicists have discovered a new way to observe objects without directly looking at them.

U.S. Dept. of Energy Plasma Discovery Unravels Odd Solar Phenomenon, Offers Clues to Cosmic Mysteries

Micah Hanks·December 26, 2022

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) say they have untangled a solar mystery, in a breakthrough that could help resolve many lingering questions in astrophysics.

New Superluminal Theory Transforms Our Concept of Time with “Extension” of Special Relativity

Micah Hanks·December 23, 2022

A group of theoretical physicists says that a superluminal world possessing three time dimensions and one space dimension could change our concept of time.

Creating a Transient Star in the Laboratory

Avi Loeb·December 19, 2022

The recent achievment of fusion ignition marks the first instance where humans were able to create the likeness of a tiny transient star in the lab.

Dark Matter Could Actually Be Theoretical ‘Dark Photons’, New Research Suggests

Christopher Plain·December 14, 2022

Researchers have postulated that readings from the Hubble Space Telescope may help to explain the nature of the ever-elusive dark matter, which may actually be made up of something called dark photons.

This Star Trek-Style ‘Tractor Beam’ Allows Objects to be Moved Using Metamaterials and Sound Waves

Christopher Plain·December 13, 2022

Researchers studying acoustic levitation have devised a method using metamaterials that lets them manipulate objects of any shape and size without actually touching them.

International Fusion Energy Experts Are Looking to Lasers for the Future of Clean Energy

Micah Hanks·December 13, 2022

Fusion energy researchers around the world are increasingly looking to lasers as the path toward producing cleaner, more sustainable energy in the years ahead.

U.S. Department of Energy to Make Major Fusion Energy Announcement This Week: Here’s What We Know

Christopher Plain and Micah Hanks·December 12, 2022

Scientists from the Nuclear Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) have achieved a major milestone in fusion energy as the energy needed to cause the reaction was less than the energy produced.

Plasma Propulsion Discovery Could Herald a ‘New Era of Space Exploration’

Micah Hanks·December 9, 2022

Researchers say they have discovered the solution to a problem that has long hindered progress with a novel form of plasma propulsion.

Odd Emissions Detected from a High-Energy Space Object Prompted Investigations by Astronomers. Here’s What They Found.

Micah Hanks·December 7, 2022

Astronomers say the results of a long-term study of a distant, high-energy space object have yielded new details about the behavior of one of our universe’s most prevalent extragalactic sources of gamma rays.

Levitation Breakthrough Achieved in New Study of Acoustic Radiation Force Phenomenon

Micah Hanks·December 6, 2022

Expanding the field of acoustic levitation, a team of researchers has revealed new applications for levitating small objects with sound.

New Measurements of Gravity Suggest Theory Proposed by Albert Einstein Could Be Wrong

Christopher Plain·November 23, 2022

A new study that used measurements of cosmic phenomena suggests the theory of gravity proposed by Albert Einstein may actually be wrong.

Defying Current Theories, Researchers Say Something ‘Unexpected’ Has Been Observed During Fusion Experiments

Micah Hanks·November 16, 2022

New studies reveal unexpected behavior of ions in fusion reactions, which may offer clues in the effort to achieve sustained fusion ignition.

Physicists Claim Wormholes May Have Been Detected, with Help from a New Theoretical Model

Micah Hanks·November 15, 2022

Wormholes may have already been detected, but have been hiding in plain sight, according to a team of Bulgarian physicists.

Caught on Tape: A Sticky Study in Electricity Solves an 80-Year-Old Physics Mystery

Micah Hanks·November 11, 2022

New insights into the phenomenon of contact electricity have been revealed by a research team with the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology.

MIT Researchers ‘Use The Force’ to Engineer Structures at the Nano-Scale

Christopher Plain·November 8, 2022

A research team from MIT has figured out how to use the forces of nature to manipulate nano-scale structures, potentially revolutionizing the fabrication of computer chips, lasers, LEDs, and a number of other devices.

A Bold Solution To a Quantum Mystery: Does a “Game” Between Observer and Nature Define Existence?

Tim McMillan·November 7, 2022

A newly proposed solution to a long-held quantum mystery could indicate existence is really determined by a "game" between the observer and nature.

“Quantum Watch” Helps Physicists Reveal a Completely New Way to Measure Time

Micah Hanks·November 1, 2022

An international team of physicists says it has discovered a new way to measure time, in a research effort that led to the creation of a kind of “quantum watch.”

Existence of Long-Rumored ‘Strange Star’ Made of Weird Matter May Finally Be Confirmed

Micah Hanks·October 31, 2022

Composed entirely of strange “quark matter,” astronomers believe they may have discovered a long-rumored space object possessing unusual stellar qualities.

Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation is Challenged by Controversial New Astrophysics Discovery

Micah Hanks·October 28, 2022

New discoveries by a team of astrophysicists are pointing to revelations that could challenge Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.

This Quantum Inertial Sensor Could Help the Military’s Next-Gen Aircraft Navigate Without GPS Satellites

Micah Hanks·October 26, 2022

A new quantum inertial sensor that relies on a laser and vacuum system is so small it could fit on a kitchen tabletop... and it could help navigate tomorrow's next-gen aircraft.

Faster Than Light Speed? ‘Star Crash’ Produces Cosmic Blast That Seemed to Defy Physics

Micah Hanks·October 13, 2022

A cosmic blast caused by a “star crash” between two neutron stars produced an effect that seemingly defied the laws of physics, according to researchers.