Katherine Wright
@katrwright.bsky.social
Mum, Physicist, Science Writer, and Deputy Editor for @physicsmagazine.bsky.social.
Researchers have caused a material’s superconductivity to permeate into a nearby normal metal via a single molecule. The effect could allow the creation of Majorana quasiparticles, which many research teams are exploring as future qubits for quantum computers. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Superconductivity Traverses a Single Molecule Bridge
A single molecule provides a controllable connection between a normal metal and a superconductor.
physics.aps.org
April 9, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Researchers have caused a material’s superconductivity to permeate into a nearby normal metal via a single molecule. The effect could allow the creation of Majorana quasiparticles, which many research teams are exploring as future qubits for quantum computers. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
One route to faster spacecraft involves giving them light sails—structures that use laser-radiation pressure to propel them to high speeds. Now researchers have demonstrated a nm-thick photonic-crystal material that could be used as the basis for the sails. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Aiming for Lighter Light Sails
Researchers are developing highly reflective thin films that could be installed on small light-propelled spacecraft.
physics.aps.org
April 8, 2025 at 8:08 PM
One route to faster spacecraft involves giving them light sails—structures that use laser-radiation pressure to propel them to high speeds. Now researchers have demonstrated a nm-thick photonic-crystal material that could be used as the basis for the sails. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Each year, over 10 million people worldwide will receive a dementia diagnosis. Now researchers in Paris have developed a tool that could allow for detection of such brain disorders before symptoms set in. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
A Potential Tool for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease
Transforming an MRI brain scan into a hyperbolic network of nodes allows researchers to detect brain connectivity disruption caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
physics.aps.org
April 2, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Each year, over 10 million people worldwide will receive a dementia diagnosis. Now researchers in Paris have developed a tool that could allow for detection of such brain disorders before symptoms set in. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Much has been discussed about students using chatbots to help write assignments. But physics educators believe that more positive learning outcomes could be achieved by using these powerful language models to improve the assessment of students’ work. physics.aps.org/articles/v18... ⚛️ 🧪
Artificial Intelligence Makes the Grade
Language models such as ChatGPT could help university educators provide more consistent and transparent grades for introductory-level physics exams.
physics.aps.org
March 27, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Much has been discussed about students using chatbots to help write assignments. But physics educators believe that more positive learning outcomes could be achieved by using these powerful language models to improve the assessment of students’ work. physics.aps.org/articles/v18... ⚛️ 🧪
Researchers thought the rules on how swarming locusts move was all wrapped up. Turns out they were wrong. ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Desert Locusts Follow Unexpected Motion Rules
New experiments with virtual reality suggest that locusts do not follow traditional rules of collective behavior.
physics.aps.org
March 25, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Researchers thought the rules on how swarming locusts move was all wrapped up. Turns out they were wrong. ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
The @esa.int Euclid mission has today released its first survey data, which include images of 26 million galaxies from three deep-field surveys. ⚛️ 🧪 🔭☄️
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Lensing Candidates Stand Out in Euclid Mission’s First Data Release
The Euclid satellite released its first trove of galaxy data based on seven days of deep-field observations in three sky areas.
physics.aps.org
March 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
The @esa.int Euclid mission has today released its first survey data, which include images of 26 million galaxies from three deep-field surveys. ⚛️ 🧪 🔭☄️
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Reposted by Katherine Wright
NASA is facing enormous cuts, half of its science budget, under DOGE.
The impacts on the agency could be devastating, possibly including the cancellation of entire missions such as Hubble, Perseverance, and Voyager.
Story by me in New Scientist (free to read)
www.newscientist.com/article/2472...
The impacts on the agency could be devastating, possibly including the cancellation of entire missions such as Hubble, Perseverance, and Voyager.
Story by me in New Scientist (free to read)
www.newscientist.com/article/2472...
NASA may have to cancel major space missions due to budget cuts
Potential cuts of up to 50 per cent of NASA's science budget could mean cancelling missions including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Voyager probes
www.newscientist.com
March 13, 2025 at 6:05 PM
NASA is facing enormous cuts, half of its science budget, under DOGE.
The impacts on the agency could be devastating, possibly including the cancellation of entire missions such as Hubble, Perseverance, and Voyager.
Story by me in New Scientist (free to read)
www.newscientist.com/article/2472...
The impacts on the agency could be devastating, possibly including the cancellation of entire missions such as Hubble, Perseverance, and Voyager.
Story by me in New Scientist (free to read)
www.newscientist.com/article/2472...
Altermagnets are arguably the hottest objects in magnetism right now. Now 3 independent groups have proposed methods for electrically tuning the properties of altermagnets. The findings could allow the use of altermagnets in next-gen spintronics devices. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Altermagnets That Turn On and Off
Researchers have proposed methods to tune the properties of altermagnets, a step toward practical applications for this new form of magnet.
physics.aps.org
March 13, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Altermagnets are arguably the hottest objects in magnetism right now. Now 3 independent groups have proposed methods for electrically tuning the properties of altermagnets. The findings could allow the use of altermagnets in next-gen spintronics devices. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
“Some students are internalizing the recognition they get from peers very, very differently, and so any kind of interventions and studies I think we can dig into will likely help all students.” ⚛️ 🧪 #WomenInSTEM
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Gender Gap in Recognition Prevails
When men and women physics undergraduates receive the same amount of recognition from their peers for being good at physics, men report significantly higher perceptions of peer recognition than women.
physics.aps.org
March 5, 2025 at 7:33 PM
“Some students are internalizing the recognition they get from peers very, very differently, and so any kind of interventions and studies I think we can dig into will likely help all students.” ⚛️ 🧪 #WomenInSTEM
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Researchers have demonstrated a way to make large-scale chiral films from three different achiral inorganic materials. (Previously they'd done it mostly with organic materials). ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Nonchiral Clusters Self-Assemble into Chiral Films
Researchers have demonstrated a method to create circular polarizing films from nonchiral nanoclusters that form spiral chains during drying.
physics.aps.org
February 26, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Researchers have demonstrated a way to make large-scale chiral films from three different achiral inorganic materials. (Previously they'd done it mostly with organic materials). ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Great piece by Elisa Todarello on using the JWST observatory @jwstobserver.bsky.social to detect photons that might be produced by axions, hypothetical particles that could make up the Universe's missing matter.
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Detecting Axion-Like Dark Matter with the JWST
Measurements made by the JWST observatory could be used to detect photons emitted by the decay of a hypothetical form of dark matter particle known as the axion.
physics.aps.org
February 18, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Great piece by Elisa Todarello on using the JWST observatory @jwstobserver.bsky.social to detect photons that might be produced by axions, hypothetical particles that could make up the Universe's missing matter.
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
“We see that highly energetic ions can have a significant impact on the properties of edge-localized modes [of Tokamak plasmas]...That suggests that if we want to develop proper mitigation strategies, we need to factor in controlling these energetic ions.” ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Gauging Edge Instabilities in Future Fusion Reactors
Researchers are unraveling the influence of energetic particles on the stability of plasmas in fusion reactors.
physics.aps.org
February 13, 2025 at 9:56 PM
“We see that highly energetic ions can have a significant impact on the properties of edge-localized modes [of Tokamak plasmas]...That suggests that if we want to develop proper mitigation strategies, we need to factor in controlling these energetic ions.” ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
⚛️ 🧪
Researchers have found evidence consistent with a so-called Bose metal, a finite-resistance state in which electrons pair up as they do in a zero-resistance, superconducting state.
Strong Hints of a Bose Metal
An enigmatic and anomalous metallic state turns out to be intrinsic rather than a consequence of crystalline defects.
physics.aps.org
February 13, 2025 at 9:55 PM
⚛️ 🧪
"...quantum mechanics wasn’t created all at once. It took several decades and was a messy, confused process, during most of which the true nature of this revolution was obscure." ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
The Tumultuous Birth of Quantum Mechanics
The creation of modern quantum mechanics was a messy business in which many of the participants did not grasp the significance of their own discoveries.
physics.aps.org
February 4, 2025 at 10:27 PM
"...quantum mechanics wasn’t created all at once. It took several decades and was a messy, confused process, during most of which the true nature of this revolution was obscure." ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Its #IYQ25 launch week, so here is another quantum milestone for your delectation. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Quantum Milestones, 1927: Electrons Act Like Waves
Davisson and Germer showed that electrons scatter from a crystal the way x rays do, proving that particles of matter can act like waves.
physics.aps.org
February 3, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Its #IYQ25 launch week, so here is another quantum milestone for your delectation. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Grab a cup of coffee and learn about the experiments that convinced skeptics that light can behave like a stream of particles. #IYQ25 ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Quantum Milestones, 1923: Photons Are Real
Arthur Compton’s results convinced most skeptics that in some experiments, light can act like a stream of particles.
physics.aps.org
January 27, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Grab a cup of coffee and learn about the experiments that convinced skeptics that light can behave like a stream of particles. #IYQ25 ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Your daily dose of quantum physics for #IYQ25 ⚛️ 🧪
This year is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. To celebrate, we are republishing stories on the history of quantum physics from our archives.
Quantum Milestones, 1905: Einstein and the Photoelectric Effect
In one of his annus mirabilis papers, Einstein explained the photoelectric effect by considering light as a stream of energy quanta—which were later called photons.
physics.aps.org
January 23, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Your daily dose of quantum physics for #IYQ25 ⚛️ 🧪
I caught up with researchers in Korea about a new device that can vacuum up microplastics floating on the surface of a body of water.
physics.aps.org/articles/v18/6
🧪⚛️
physics.aps.org/articles/v18/6
🧪⚛️
January 23, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I caught up with researchers in Korea about a new device that can vacuum up microplastics floating on the surface of a body of water.
physics.aps.org/articles/v18/6
🧪⚛️
physics.aps.org/articles/v18/6
🧪⚛️
2025 is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology #IYQ25. To celebrate, @physicsmagazine.bsky.social is republishing archival stories on the history of quantum physics. The 1st recounts Robert Millikan’s measurement of Planck’s constant. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
Quantum Milestones, 1916: Millikan’s Measurement of Planck’s Constant
The experiment provided further proof of the reality of photons, yet Millikan didn’t accept their existence until later in his career.
physics.aps.org
January 21, 2025 at 7:35 PM
2025 is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology #IYQ25. To celebrate, @physicsmagazine.bsky.social is republishing archival stories on the history of quantum physics. The 1st recounts Robert Millikan’s measurement of Planck’s constant. ⚛️ 🧪
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...