Physics

University of Southern California researchers have identified a six-year cycle of super- and sub-rotation in Earth’s inner core, contradicting previously accepted models that suggested it is constantly spinning at a faster rate than the planet’s surface. Credit: Edward Sotelo/USC University of Southern California scientists have found evidence that the Earth’s inner core is oscillating, contradicting … Read more

Scanning electron microscope image showing a series of semiconductor cavities. The distance between the cavities is modulated, resulting in two different values ​​of the coupling J and J’ between adjacent cavities (represented schematically by double white arrows). This coupling modification provides the network with topological properties. Two lattice cavity are excited by two lasers of … Read more

Astronomers have finally been able to resolve the conflict between the internal structure of the Sun as defined by solar oscillations and the structure derived from the basic theory of stellar evolution. New calculations of the solar spectrum resolve the decade-long debate over the composition of our star. Although our Sun is much closer than … Read more

The galaxy cluster Abell 520, with suspected dark matter highlighted in blue. (Image credit: NASA) This article was originally published on Conversation. Post contributed this article to Space.com Expert Voices: Editorial and Insights. Antonis Antonio (Opens in a new tab)PhD student in Philosophy of Science, University of Bristol It has been more than 50 years … Read more

Nanoscale quantum dots made of an alloy of silicon and germanium have been targeted by researchers at UCI using a technique called “vibrational electron energy loss spectroscopy” in a transmission electron microscope at the Materials Research Institute in Irvine. The work resulted in the first atomic-level observation of the way phonons behave in nanoengineered quantum … Read more

Zoom / The new research didn’t make much headway, but it did shrink the size of the question mark a bit. How can we understand environments that cannot be replicated on Earth? This is a challenge astrophysicists face all the time. In some cases, it is largely a matter of figuring out how to apply … Read more

Artist rendering showing simulations of two merging neutron stars (left) and emerging particle trajectories that can be seen in heavy ion collisions (right) that produce material under similar conditions in the lab. Credit: Tim Dietrich, Arnaud Le Vivre, Kees Heuser, ESA/Hubble, Sloan Digital Sky Survey An international research team has collected for the first time … Read more

credit: NASA An international team of astronomers, led by Yamila Miguel (SRON / Leiden Observatory), found that Jupiter’s gaseous atmosphere does not have a homogeneous distribution. The inner part contains more minerals than the outer parts, and the total mass of Jupiter is between 11 and 30 Earth masses, which means 3-9% of the total … Read more