nuclear confereneces

  International Conference on Nuclear Physics   Rice University engineers have developed a device that can convert sunlight into hydrogen with unprecedented efficiency. The device, a photoelectrochemical cell, incorporates next-gen halide perovskite semiconductors and electrocatalysts. It stands as a potential platform for chemical reactions using solar energy to convert feedstocks into fuels. (Artist’s concept.) Rice University engineers can turn sunlight into hydrogen with record-breaking efficiency thanks to a device that combines next-generation halide perovskite semiconductors with electrocatalysts in a single, durable, cost-effective and scalable device The new technology is a significant step forward for clean energy and could serve as a platform for a wide range of chemical reactions that use solar-harvested electricity to convert feedstocks into fuels. Revolutionary Photoreactor Design Aditya Mohite’s lab, specializing in chemical and biomolecular engineering, spearhe...

    International Conference on Nuclear Physics Physicists at Harvard University in the US have created a novel strongly interacting quantum liquid known as a Laughlin state in a gas of ultracold atoms for the first time. The state, which is an example of a fractional quantum Hall (FQH) state, had previously been seen in condensed-matter systems and in photons, but observations in atoms had been elusive due to stringent experimental requirements. Because atomic systems are simpler than their condensed-matter counterparts, the result could lead to fresh insights into fundamental physics. “Some of the most intriguing phenomena in condensed-matter physics emerge when you confine electrons in two dimensions and apply a strong magnetic field,” explains Julian Léonard, a postdoctoral researcher in the Rubidium Lab at Harvard and the lead author of a paper in Nature on the new work. “For example, the particles can behave collectively as if they have a charge that is only a fraction o...

International Conference on Nuclear Physics The quantum nature of interactions between elementary particles allows drawing non-trivial conclusions even from processes as simple as elastic scattering. The ATLAS experiment at the LHC accelerator reports the measurement of fundamental properties of strong interactions between protons at ultra-high energies. The physics of billiard ball collisions is taught from early school years. In a good approximation, these collisions are elastic, where both momentum and energy are conserved. The scattering angle depends on how central the collision was (this is often quantified by the impact parameter value—the distance between the centers of the balls in a plane perpendicular to the motion). In the case of a small impact parameter, which corresponds to a highly central collision, the scattering angles are large. As the impact parameter increases, the scattering angle decreases. In particle physics , we also deal with elastic collisions, when two par...

  International Conference on Nuclear Physics IN MARCH 1951, the president of Argentina, Juan Perón, announced the results of a secretive project on Huemul Island in northern Patagonia. His scientists had achieved nuclear fusion , he said, harnessing the reaction that powers the sun to herald a future in which energy would be sold in “half-litre bottles, like milk”. But things soon turned sour when researchers returned from Huemul to report that the whole thing was an expensive, embarrassing fraud. The Huemul hoax was an extreme case. Arguably, though, it set a pattern for the long quest to harness star power for virtually limitless clean energy here on Earth: audacious claims followed by disappointment, rinse and repeat. It explains the tiresome persistence of the old joke that fusion has always been 30 years away, and always will be. Yet here we are again. In the past year alone, private fusion firms have received more investment than in the entire history of this enterprise. “Th...

   International Conference on Nuclear Physics The UK launched on Tuesday a competition for small modular reactor (SMR) technology and created a new nuclear body, Great British Nuclear, in a bid to provide more zero-emission energy from locally-developed sources. Great British Nuclear (GBN) is expected to drive the rapid expansion of new nuclear power plants in the UK, to boost UK energy security, reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports, create more affordable power, and grow the economy. The nuclear industry is estimated to generate around $7.9 billion (£6 billion) for the UK economy, the government says. As of today, companies can register their interest with GBN to participate in a competition to secure funding support to develop their SMR technology, which could result in billions of pounds of public and private sector investment in small modular reactor projects in the UK. SMRs are considered to be the future of nuclear power technology because they are smaller than co...

  International Conference on Nuclear Physics Researchers at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have made a groundbreaking discovery of a new atomic nucleus, 190-Astatine, which is now the lightest known isotope of the rapidly decaying and rare element astatine. The achievement of creating this novel isotope was made possible through the fusion of 84Sr beam particles with silver target atoms. The isotope was then identified amid the fusion products using the RITU recoil separator’s detectors. In a remarkable scientific breakthrough researchers have discovered the lightest isotope of the rare and rapidly decaying element, astatine. The discovery of 190-Astatine was made by Master of Science graduate Henna Kokkonen as part of her thesis work, providing important insights into atomic nuclei structure and the boundaries of known matter. An experiment performed in the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, has succeeded in produc...

  International Conference on Nuclear Physics New experiments with ultra-cold atomic gases shed light on how all interacting quantum systems evolve after a sudden energy influx. New experiments using one-dimensional gases of ultra-cold atoms reveal a universality in how quantum systems composed of many particles change over time following a large influx of energy that throws the system out of equilibrium. A team of physicists at Penn State showed that these gases immediately respond, “evolving” with features that are common to all “many-body” quantum systems thrown out of equilibrium in this way. A paper describing the experiments was published on May 17, 2023, in the journal Nature. “Many major advances in physics over the last century have concerned the behavior of quantum systems with many particles,” said David Weiss, Distinguished Professor of Physics at Penn State and one of the leaders of the research team. “Despite the staggering array of diverse ‘many-body’ phenomena, like...

International Conference on Nuclear Physics Atomic clocks work by using a laser to bounce the electrons in an atom at a given frequency, while nuclear clocks would theoretically do the same for atomic nuclei, and we are a step closer to building one Nuclear clocks have emerged as some of the most precise timekeeping devices ever developed, and they hold the potential to become the ultimate timepieces in the universe. Unlike traditional clocks that rely on mechanical or electronic oscillators, nuclear clocks exploit the extraordinary accuracy of atomic nuclei to measure time with unprecedented precision. Nuclear clocks are based on the principles of quantum physics and utilize the phenomenon known as nuclear resonance. This involves measuring the vibrations or oscillations of the nucleus of an atom, which are incredibly stable and consistent. By harnessing this inherent stability, nuclear clocks can maintain accuracy at levels far beyond any other timekeeping technology. The key element...

  International Conference on Nuclear Physics A cryptic chemical signature of unknown origins, hidden for centuries inside the trunks of Earth’s trees, just became even more mysterious. In the last decade, scientists have discovered traces on Earth of six intense bursts of radiation, known as Miyake events, scattered over the last 9,300 years. The most popular explanation is that these mysterious signatures were left behind by massive solar storms, leading some scientists to warn that the next Miyake event could cripple the world’s electrical grid. But new research, published in the October Proceedings of the Royal Society A, suggests that more than just solar flares might be behind the enigmatic radiation. The finding underscores the need for further investigations into these strange bursts, which could potentially harm our society in the future, says physicist Gianluca Quarta of the University of Salento in Lecce, Italy, who was not involved in the study. “Something is not fittin...

  International Conference on Nuclear Physics Scientists from the University of Surrey and the FRIB Laboratory at MSU teamed up to explore the origin of aluminum-26, a rare isotope that offers a window into dying stars. Their findings, “Exploiting Isospin Symmetry to Study the Role of Isomers in Stellar Environments,” were published in Physical Review Letters. Aluminum-26 provides rare insight into processes in stars. It decays into magnesium-26, which emits a characteristic gamma ray observable with satellites. Magnesium-26 is detectable in presolar grains of material from stars that existed before the sun. The composition of these grains carries the fingerprints of their parent stars. The destruction rate of aluminum-26 by capturing a proton is critical for interpreting the amount of magnesium-26 observed in the universe. This research showed that the destruction of aluminum-26 by proton capture on the long-lived state is eight times less frequent than previously estimated. Gavin...