Learn more about a new study that suggests monitoring the air for certain environmental exposures may help forecast respiratory viruses outbreaks.

What is the Big Crunch theory? This theory is highly debated, but could be what happens when you hit the rewind button of the Big Bang.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggested on X that a high-pressure nitrogen tank failure was behind the explosion of the company's massive Starship rocket.

Independent measurements of the charge radius of the helium-3 nucleus using two different  methods have yielded significantly different results – prompting a re-evaluation of underlying theory to reconcile them. The international CREMA Collaboration used muonic helium-3 ions to determine the radius, whereas a team in the Netherlands used a quantum-degenerate gas of helium-3 atoms.

The charge radius is a statistical measure of how far the electric charge of a particle extends into space. Both groups were mystified by the discrepancy in the values – which hints at physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. However, new theoretical calculations inspired by the results may have already resolved the discrepancy.

Both groups studied the difference between the charge radii of the helium-3 and helium-4 nuclei. CREMA used muonic helium ions, in which the remaining electrons replaced by muons. Muons are much more massive than electrons, so they spend more time near the nucleus – and are therefore more sensitive to the charge radius.

Shorter wavelengths

Muonic atoms have spectra at much shorter wavelengths than normal atoms. This affects values such as the Lamb shift. This is the energy difference in the 2S_1/2 and 2P_1/2 atomic states, which are split by interactions with virtual photons and vacuum polarization. This is most intense near the nucleus. More importantly, a muon in an S orbital becomes more sensitive to the finite size of the nucleus.

In 2010, CREMA used the charge radius of muonic hydrogen to conclude that the charge radius of the proton is significantly smaller than the current accepted value. The same procedure was then used with muonic helium-4 ions. Now, CREMA has used pulsed laser spectroscopy of muonic helium-3 ions to extract several key parameters including the Lamb shift and used them to calculate the charge radius of muonic helium-3 nuclei. They then calculated the difference with the charge radius in helium-4. The value they obtained was 15 times more accurate than any previously reported.

Meanwhile, at the Free University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, researchers were taking a different approach, using conventional helium-3 atoms. This has significant challenges, because the effect of the nucleus on electrons is much smaller. However, it also means that an electron affects the nucleus it measures less than does a muon, which mitigates a source of theoretical uncertainty.

The Amsterdam team utilized the fact that the 2S triplet state in helium is extremely long-lived. ”If you manage to get the atom up there, it’s like a new ground state, and that means you can do laser cooling on it and it allows very efficient detection of the atoms,” explains Kjeld Eikema, one of the team’s leaders after its initial leader Wim Vassen died in 2019. In 2018, the Amsterdam group created an ultracold Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) of helium-4 atoms in the 2S triplet state in an optical dipole trap before using laser spectroscopy to measure the ultra-narrow transition between the 2S triplet state and the higher 2S singlet state.

Degenerate Fermi gas

In the new work, the researchers turned to helium-3, which does not form a BEC but instead forms a degenerate Fermi gas. Interpreting the spectra of this required new discoveries itself. “Current theoretical models are insufficiently accurate to determine the charge radii from measurements on two-electron atoms,” Eikema explains. However, “the nice thing is that if you measure the transition directly in one isotope and then look at the difference with the other isotope, then most complications from the two electrons are common mode and drop out,” he says. This can be used to the determine the difference in the charge radii.

The researchers obtained a value that was even more precise than CREMA’s and larger by 3.6σ. The groups could find no obvious explanation for the discrepancy. “The scope of the physics involved in doing and interpreting these experiments is quite massive,” says Eikema; “a comparison is so interesting, because you can say ‘Well, is all this physics correct then? Are electrons and muons the same aside from their mass? Did we do the quantum electrodynamics correct for both normal atoms and muonic atoms? Did we do the nuclear polarization correctly?’” The results of both teams are described in Science (CREMA, Amsterdam).

While these papers were undergoing peer review, the work attracted the attention of two groups of theoretical physicists – one led by Xiao-Qiu Qi f the Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics in China, and the other by Krzysztof Pachucki of the University of Warsaw in Poland. Both revised the calculation of the hyperfine structure of helium-3, finding that incorporating previously neglected higher orders into the calculation produced an unexpectedly large shift.

“Suddenly, by plugging this new value into our experiment – ping! – our determination comes within 1.2σ of theirs,” says Eikema; “which is a triumph for all the physics involved, and it shows how, by showing there’s a difference, other people think, ‘Maybe we should go and check our calculations,’ and it has improved the calculation of the hyperfine effect.” In this manner the ever improving experiments and theory calculations continue to seek the limits of the Standard Model.

Xiao-Qiu Qi and colleagues describe their calculations in Physical Review Research, while Pachucki’s team have published in Physical Review A.

Eikema adds “Personally I would have adjusted the value in our paper according to these new calculations, but Science preferred to keep the paper as it was at the time of submission and peer review, with an added final paragraph to explain the latest developments.”

Theoretical physicist Marko Horbatsch at Canada’s York University is impressed by the experimental results and bemused by the presentation. “I would say that their final answer is a great success,” he concludes. “There is validity in having the CREMA and Eikema work published side-by-side in a high-impact journal. It’s just that the fact that they agree should not be confined to a final sentence at the end of the paper.”

The post Conflicting measurements of helium’s charge radius may be reconciled by new calculations appeared first on Physics World.

Computational physicist Jose Milovich of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and colleagues have been awarded the 2025 Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (PPCF) Outstanding Paper Prize for their computational research on capsule implosions during laser fusion.

The work – Understanding asymmetries using integrated simulations of capsule implosions in low gas-fill hohlraums at the National Ignition Facility – is an important part of understanding the physics at the heart of inertial confinement fusion (ICF).

Fusion is usually performed via two types of plasma confinement. Magnetic involves using magnetic fields to hold stable a plasma of deuterium-tritium (D-T), while inertial confinement uses rapid compression, usually by lasers, to create a confined plasma for a short period of time.

The award-winning work was based on experiments carried out at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) based in California, which is one of the leading fusion centres in the world.

During NIF’s ICF experiments, a slight imbalance of the laser can induce motion of the hot central core of an ignition capsule, which contains the D-T fuel. This effect results in a reduced performance.

Experiments at NIF in 2018 found that laser imbalances alone, however, could not account for the motion of the capsule. The simulations carried out by Milovich and colleagues demonstrated that other factors were at play such as non-concentricity of the layers of the material surrounding the D-T fuel as well as “drive perturbations” induced by diagnostic windows on the implosion.

Changes made following the team’s findings then helped towards the recent demonstration of “energy breakeven” at NIF in December 2022.

Awarded each year, the PPCF prize aims to highlight work of the highest quality and impact published in the journal.  The award was judged on originality, scientific quality and impact as well as being based on community nominations and publication metrics. The prize will be presented at the 51st European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 7–11 July.

The journal is now seeking nominations for next year’s prize, which will focus on papers in magnetic confinement fusion.

Below, Milovich talks to Physics World about prize, the future of fusion and what advice he has for early-career researchers.

What does winning the 2025 PPCF Outstanding Paper Prize mean to you and for your work?

The award is an incredible honour to me and my collaborators as a recognition of the detailed work required to make inertial fusion in the laboratory a reality and the dream of commercial fusion energy a possibility. The paper presented numerical confirmation of how seemingly small effects can significantly impact the performance of fusion targets.  This study led to target modifications and revised manufacturing specifications for improved performance.  My collaborators and I would like to deeply thank PPCF for granting us this award.

What excites you about fusion?

Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the stars, and achieving those conditions in the laboratory is exciting in many ways.  It is an interesting scientific problem in its own right and it is an incredibly challenging engineering problem to handle the extreme conditions required for successful energy production. This is an exciting time since the possibility of realizing this energy source became tangibly closer two years ago when NIF successfully demonstrated that more energy can be released from D-T fusion than the laser energy delivered to the target.

What are your thoughts on the future direction of ICF and NIF?

While the challenges ahead to make ICF commercially feasible are daunting, we are well positioned to address them by developing new technologies and innovative target configurations. Applications of artificial intelligence to reactor plant designs, optimized operations, and improvements on plasma confinement could potentially lead to improved designs at a fraction of the cost. The challenges are many but the potential for providing a clean and inexhaustible source of energy for the benefit of mankind is invigorating.

What advice would you give to people thinking about embarking on a career in fusion?

This is an exciting time to get involved in fusion. The latest achievements at NIF have shown that fusion is possible. There are countless difficulties to overcome, making it an ideal time to devote one’s career in this area. My advice is to get involved now since, at this early stage, any contribution will have a major and lasting impact on mankind’s future energy needs.

The post Simulation of capsule implosions during laser fusion wins <em>Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion</em> Outstanding Paper Prize appeared first on Physics World.

Developing lenacapavir, the drug newly approved to protect against HIV for six months in one shot, took basic science, sophisticated chemistry, and perseverance

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Clinical trials have shown that six-monthly injections of lenacapavir are almost 100 percent protective against becoming infected with HIV. But big questions remain over the drug’s affordability.

Chinese launch startup Landspace carried out a breakthrough static fire test Friday as it builds towards an orbital launch attempt with its Zhuque-3 rocket.

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The European Space Agency and European Commission say their relationship is closer than ever as they embark on a new satellite program.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to generate a sea change in the practice of radiology, much like the introduction of radiology information system (RIS) and picture archiving and communication system (PACS) technology did in the late 1990s and 2000s. However, AI-driven software must be accurate, safe and trustworthy, factors that may not be easy to assess.

Machine learning software is trained on databases of radiology images. But these images might lack the data or procedures needed to prevent algorithmic bias. Such algorithmic bias can cause clinical errors and performance disparities that affect a subset of the analyses that the AI performs, unintentionally disadvantaging certain groups of patients.

A multinational team of radiology informaticists, biomedical engineers and computer scientists has identified potential pitfalls in the evaluation and measurement of algorithmic bias in AI radiology models. Describing their findings in Radiology, the researchers also suggest best practices and future directions to mitigate bias in three key areas: medical image datasets; demographic definitions; and statistical evaluations of bias.

Medical imaging datasets

The medical image datasets used for training and evaluation of AI algorithms are reflective of the population from which they are acquired. It is natural that a dataset acquired in a country in Asia will not be representative of the population in a Nordic country, for example. But if there’s no information available about the image acquisition location, how might this potential source of bias be determined?

Lead author Paul Yi, of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, and coauthors advise that many existing medical imaging databases lack a comprehensive set of demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, gender, race and ethnicity. Additional potential confounding factors include the scanner brand and model, the radiology protocols used for image acquisition, radiographic views acquired, the hospital location and disease prevalence. In addition to incorporating these data, the authors recommend that raw image data are collected and shared without institution-specific post-processing.

The team advise that generative AI, a set of machine learning techniques that generate new data, provides the potential to create synthetic imaging datasets with more balanced representation of both demographic and confounding variables. This technology is still in development, but might provide a solution to overcome pitfalls related to measurement of AI biases in imperfect datasets.

Defining demographics

Radiology researchers lack consensus with respect to how demographic variables should be defined. Observing that demographic categories such as gender and race are self-identified characteristics informed by many factors, including society and lived experiences, the authors advise that concepts of race and ethnicity do not necessarily translate outside of a specific society and that biracial individuals reflect additional complexity and ambiguity.

They emphasize that ensuring accurate measurements of race- and/or ethnicity-based biases in AI models is important to enable accurate comparison of bias evaluations. This not only has clinical implications, but is also essential to prevent health policies being established in error from erroneous AI-derived findings, which could potentially perpetuate pre-existing inequities.

Statistical evaluations of bias

The researchers define bias in the context of demographic fairness and how it reflects differences in metrics between demographic groups. However, establishing consensus on the definition of bias is complex, because bias can have different clinical and technical meanings. They point out that in statistics, bias refers to a discrepancy between the expected value of an estimated parameter and its true value.

As such, the radiology speciality needs to establish a standard notion of bias, as well as tackle the incompatibility of fairness metrics, the tools that measure whether a machine learning model treats certain demographic groups differently. Currently there is no universal fairness metric that can be applied to all cases and problems, and the authors do not think there ever will be one.

The different operating points of predictive AI models may result in different performance that could lead to potentially different demographic biases. These need to be documented, and thresholds should be included in research and by commercial AI software vendors.

Key recommendations

The authors suggest some key courses of action to mitigate demographic biases in AI in radiology:

• Improve reporting of demographics by establishing a consensus panel to define and update reporting standards.
• Improve dataset reporting of non-demographic factors, such as imaging scanner vendor and model.
• Develop a standard lexicon of terminology for concepts of fairness and AI bias concepts in radiology.
• Develop standardized statistical analysis frameworks for evaluating demographic bias of AI algorithms based on clinical contexts
• Require greater demographic detail to evaluate algorithmic fairness in scientific manuscripts relating to AI models.

Yi and co-lead collaborator Jeremias Sulam, of Hopkins BME, Whiting School of Engineering, tell Physics World that their assessment of pitfalls and recommendations to mitigate demographic biases reflect years of multidisciplinary discussion. “While both the clinical and computer science literature had been discussing algorithmic bias with great enthusiasm, we learned quickly that the statistical notions of algorithmic bias and fairness were often quite different between the two fields,” says Yi.

“We noticed that progress to minimize demographic biases in AI models is often hindered by a lack of effective communication between the computer science and statistics communities and the clinical world, radiology in particular,” adds Sulam.

A collective effort to address the challenges posed by bias and fairness is important, notes Melissa Davis of Yale School of Medicine, in an accompanying editorial in Radiology. “By fostering collaboration between clinicians, researchers, regulators and industry stakeholders, the healthcare community can develop robust frameworks that prioritize patient safety and equitable outcomes,” she writes.

The post AI algorithms in radiology: how to identify and prevent inadvertent bias appeared first on Physics World.

Learn how a sperm whale tooth traveled from sea to archaeological site over 4,000 years ago.

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France would more than double its stake in Eutelsat to nearly 30% as part of a $1.56 billion capital raise backed by multiple shareholders, bolstering the French operator’s plans to refresh its OneWeb constellation amid Starlink’s growing dominance.

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A key chemical in urine can help make a high-value mineral for use in medicine, construction, and more — cheaply and efficiently.

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Portal Space Systems will create a second factory to scale up production of high-performance in-space vehicles as it gears up for initial test flights in 2026.

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In this week's episode of Space Minds, we explore how microgravity accelerates aging—and guest Dr. Nadia Maroouf shares her insights on the phenomenon and what she’s doing to help protect astronauts.

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Robert Malone, a mainstay in conspiratorial circles, and Martin Kulldorff, a coauthor of the widely criticized Great Barrington Declaration, are two of the most concerning picks.

Last week, Physics World’s Matin Durrani boarded a ferry in Hamburg that was bound for Helgoland – an archipelago in the North Sea about 70 km off the north-west coast of Germany.

It was a century ago in Helgoland that the physicist Werner Heisenberg devised the mathematical framework that underpins our understanding of quantum physics.

Matin was there with some of the world’s leading quantum physicists for the conference Helgoland 2025: 100 Years of Quantum Mechanics – which celebrated Heisenberg’s brief stay in Helgoland.

He caught up with three eminent physicists and asked them to reflect on Heisenberg’s contributions to quantum mechanics and look forward to the next 100 years of quantum science and technology. They are Tracy Northup at the University of Vienna; Michelle Simmons of the University of New South Wales, Sydney; and Peter Zoller of the University of Innsbruck.

• Don’t miss the 2025 Physics World Quantum Briefing, which is free to read via this link.

The post Helgoland: leading scientists reflect on 100 years of quantum physics and look to the future appeared first on Physics World.

Last week, I looked at the faces of our guests at our moon landing event and watched as awe, wonder and hopefulness transformed into disappointment. Moments before the expected touch […]

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A growing body of research attempts to put a number on energy use and AI—even as the companies behind the most popular models keep their carbon emissions a secret.

Laser World of Photonics, the leading trade show for the laser and photonics industry, takes place in Munich from 24 to 27 June. Attracting visitors and exhibitors from around the world, the event features 11 exhibition areas covering the entire spectrum of photonic technologies – including illumination and energy, biophotonics, data transmission, integrated photonics, laser systems, optoelectronics, sensors and much more.

Running parallel and co-located with Laser World of Photonics is World of Quantum, the world’s largest trade fair for quantum technologies. Showcasing all aspects of quantum technologies – from quantum sensors and quantum computers to quantum communications and cryptography – the event provides a platform to present innovative quantum-based products and discuss potential applications.

Finally, the World of Photonics Congress (running from 22 to 27 June) features seven specialist conferences, over 3000 lectures and around 6700 experts from scientific and industrial research.

The event is expecting to attract around 40,000 visitors from 70 countries, with the trade shows incorporating 1300 exhibitors from 40 countries. Here are some of the companies and product innovations to look out for on the show floor.

HOLOEYE unveils compact 4K resolution spatial light modulator

HOLOEYE Photonics AG, a leading provider of spatial light modulator (SLM) devices, announces the release of the GAEA-C spatial light modulator, a compact version of the company’s high-resolution SLM series. The GAEA-C will be officially launched at Laser World of Photonics, showcasing its advanced capabilities and cost-effective design.

The GAEA-C is a phase-only SLM with a 4K resolution of 4094 x 2400 pixels, with an exceptionally small pixel pitch of 3.74 µm. This compact model is equipped with a newly developed driver solution that not only reduces costs but also enhances phase stability, making it ideal for a variety of applications requiring precise light modulation.

The GAEA-C SLM features a reflective liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display (phase only). Other parameters include a fill factor of 90%, an input frame rate of 30 Hz and a maximum spatial resolution of 133.5 lp/mm.

The GAEA-C is available in three versions, each optimized for a different wavelength range: a VIS version (420–650 nm), a NIR version (650–1100 nm) and a version tailored for the telecommunications waveband around 1550 nm. This versatility ensures that the GAEA-C can meet the diverse needs of industries ranging from telecoms to scientific research.

HOLOEYE continues to lead the market with its innovative SLM solutions, providing unparalleled resolution and performance. The introduction of the GAEA-C underscores HOLOEYE’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology that meets the evolving demands of its customers.

• For more information about the GAEA-C and other SLM products, visit HOLOEYE at booth #225 in Hall A2.

Avantes launches NIR Enhanced spectrometers

At this year’s Laser World of Photonics, Avantes unveils its newest generation of spectrometers: the NEXOS NIR Enhanced and VARIUS NIR Enhanced. Both instruments mark a significant leap in near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, offering up to 2x improved sensitivity and unprecedented data quality for integration into both research and industry applications.

Compact, robust and highly modular, the NEXOS NIR Enhanced spectrometer redefines performance in a small form factor. It features enhanced NIR quantum efficiency in the 700–1100 nm range, with up to 2x increased sensitivity, fast data transfer and improved signal-to-noise ratio. The USB-powered spectrometer is designed with a minimal footprint of just 105 x 80 x 20 mm and built using AvaMation production for top-tier reproducibility and scalability. It also offers seamless integration with third-party software platforms.

The NEXOS NIR Enhanced is ideal for food sorting, Raman applications and VCSEL/laser system integration, providing research-grade performance in a compact housing. See the NEXOS NIR Enhanced product page for further information.

Designed for flexibility and demanding industrial environments, the VARIUS NIR Enhanced spectrometer introduces a patented optical bench for supreme accuracy, with replaceable slits for versatile configurations. The spectrometer offers a dual interface – USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet – plus superior stray light suppression, high dynamic range and enhanced NIR sensitivity in the 700–1100 nm region.

With its rugged form factor (183 x 130 x 45.2 mm) and semi-automated production process, the VARIUS NIR is optimized for real-time applications, ensuring fast data throughput and exceptional reliability across industries. For further information, see the VARIUS NIR Enhanced product page.

Avantes invites visitors to experience both systems live at Laser World of Photonics 2025. Meet the team for hands-on demonstrations, product insights and expert consultations. Avantes offers free feasibility studies and tailored advice to help you identify the optimal solution for your spectroscopy challenges.

• For more information, visit www.avantes.com or meet Avantes at booth #218 in Hall A3.

HydraHarp 500: a new era in time-correlated single-photon counting

Laser World of Photonics sees PicoQuant introduce its newest generation of event timer and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) unit – the HydraHarp 500. Setting a new standard in speed, precision and flexibility, the TCSPC unit is freely scalable with up to 16 independent channels and a common sync channel, which can also serve as an additional detection channel if no sync is required.

At the core of the HydraHarp 500 is its outstanding timing precision and accuracy, enabling precise photon timing measurements at exceptionally high data rates, even in demanding applications.

In addition to the scalable channel configuration, the HydraHarp 500 offers flexible trigger options to support a wide range of detectors, from single-photon avalanche diodes to superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors. Seamless integration is ensured through versatile interfaces such as USB 3.0 or an external FPGA interface for data transfer, while White Rabbit synchronization allows precise cross-device coordination for distributed setups.

The HydraHarp 500 is engineered for high-throughput applications, making it ideal for rapid, large-volume data acquisition. It offers 16+1 fully independent channels for true simultaneous multi-channel data recording and efficient data transfer via USB or the dedicated FPGA interface. Additionally, the HydraHarp 500 boasts industry-leading, extremely low dead-time per channel and no dead-time across channels, ensuring comprehensive datasets for precise statistical analysis.

The HydraHarp 500 is fully compatible with UniHarp, a sleek, powerful and intuitive graphical user interface. UniHarp revolutionizes the interaction with PicoQuant’s TCSPC and time tagging electronics, offering seamless access to advanced measurement modes like time trace, histogram, unfold, raw and correlation (including FCS and g²).

Step into the future of photonics and quantum research with the HydraHarp 500. Whether it’s achieving precise photon correlation measurements, ensuring reproducible results or integrating advanced setups, the HydraHarp 500 redefines what’s possible – offering precision, flexibility and efficiency combined with reliability and seamless integration to achieve breakthrough results.

For more information, visit www.picoquant.com or contact us at info@picoquant.com.

• Meet PicoQuant at booth #216 in Hall B2.

SmarAct showcases integrated, high-precision technologies

With a strong focus on turnkey, application-specific solutions, SmarAct offers nanometre-precise motion systems, measurement equipment and scalable micro-assembly platforms for photonics, quantum technologies, semiconductor manufacturing and materials research – whether in research laboratories or high-throughput production environments.

At Laser World of Photonics, SmarAct presents a new modular multi-axis positioning system for quantum computing applications and photonic integrated circuit (PIC) testing. The compact system is made entirely from titanium and features a central XY stage with integrated rotation, flanked by two XYZ modules – one equipped with a tip-tilt goniometer.

For cryogenic applications, the system can be equipped with cold plates and copper braids to provide a highly stable temperature environment, even at millikelvin levels. Thanks to its modularity, the platform can be reconfigured for tasks such as low-temperature scanning or NV centre characterization. When combined with SmarAct’s interferometric sensors, the system delivers unmatched accuracy and long-term stability under extreme conditions.

Also debuting is the SGF series of flexure-based goniometers – compact, zero-backlash rotation stages developed in collaboration with the University of Twente. Constructed entirely from non-ferromagnetic materials, the goniometers are ideal for quantum optics, electron and ion beam systems. Their precision has been validated in a research paper presented at EUSPEN 2023.

Targeting the evolving semiconductor and photonics markets, SmarAct’s optical assembly platforms enable nanometre-accurate alignment and integration of optical components. At their core is a modular high-performance toolkit for application-specific configurations, with the new SmarAct robot control software serving as the digital backbone. Key components include SMARPOD parallel kinematic platforms, long-travel SMARSHIFT electromagnetic linear stages and ultraprecise microgrippers – all seamlessly integrated to perform complex optical alignment tasks with maximum efficiency.

Highlights at Laser World of Photonics include a gantry-based assembly system developed for the active alignment of beam splitters and ferrules, and a compact, fully automated fibre array assembly system designed for multicore and polarization-maintaining fibres. Also on display are modular probing systems for fast, accurate and reliable alignment of fibres and optical elements – providing the positioning precision required for chip- and wafer-level testing of PICs prior to packaging. Finally, the microassembly platform P50 from SmarAct Automation offers a turnkey solution for automating critical micro-assembly tasks such as handling, alignment and joining of tiny components.

Whether you’re working on photonic chip packaging, quantum instrumentation, miniaturized medical systems or advanced semiconductor metrology, SmarAct invites researchers, engineers and decision-makers to experience next-generation positioning, automation and metrology solutions live in Munich.

• Visit SmarAct at booth #107 in Hall B2.

 

The post Laser World of Photonics showcases cutting-edge optical innovation appeared first on Physics World.

Thanks to new experiments using the DIPOLE 100-X high-performance laser at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL), an international collaboration of physicists has obtained the first detailed view of the microstructure of carbon in its liquid state. The work will help refine models of liquid carbon, enabling important insights into the role that it plays in the interior of ice giant planets like Uranus and Neptune, where liquid carbon exists in abundance. It could also inform the choice of ablator materials in future technologies such as nuclear fusion.

Carbon is the one of the most abundant elements on Earth and indeed the universe, but we still know very little about how it behaves in its liquid state. This is because producing liquid carbon is extremely difficult: at ambient pressures it sublimes rather than melts; and the liquid phase requires pressures of at least several hundred atmospheres to form. What is more, carbon boasts the highest melting temperature (of roughly 4500 °C) of all known materials under these high-pressure conditions, which means that there is no substance that can contain it for long enough to be studied and characterized.

In situ probing laser compression technique

There is an alternative, though, which involves using X-ray free electron laser pulses – such as those produced at the European XFEL – to transform solid carbon into a liquid for a few nanoseconds. The next challenge is to make measurements during this very short period of time. But this is exactly what a team led by Dominik Kraus of the University of Rostock and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has succeeded in doing.

In their work, Kraus and colleagues transiently created liquid carbon by driving strong compression waves into solid carbon samples using the pulsed high-energy laser DIPOLE 100-X, which is a new experimental platform at the European XFEL. In this way, the researchers were able to achieve pressures exceeding one million atmospheres, with the compression waves simultaneously heating the samples to around 7000 K to form liquid carbon. They then obtained in situ snapshots of the structure using ultrabright X-ray pulses at the European XFEL that lasted just 25 fs – that is, about 100,000 times shorter than the already very short lifetime of the liquid carbon samples.

Relevance to planetary interiors and inertial fusion

Studying liquid carbon is important for modelling the interior of planets such as the ice giants Neptune and Uranus, as well as the atmosphere of white dwarfs, in which it also exists, explains Kraus. The insights gleaned from the team’s experiments will help to clarify the role that liquid carbon plays in the ice giants and perhaps even comparable carbon-rich exoplanets.

Liquid carbon also forms as a transient state during some technical processes, like in the synthesis of carbon-based materials such as carbon nanotubes, nanodiamonds or “Q-carbon”, and may be key for the synthesis of new carbon materials, such as the long sought after (but still only predicted) “BC-8” structure. The team’s findings could also help inform the choice of materials for inertial fusion implosions aiming for clean and reliable energy production, where carbon is used as an ablator material.

“Because of its relevance in these areas, I had already tried to study liquid carbon during my doctoral work more than 10 years ago,” Kraus says. “Without an XFEL for characterization, I could only obtain a tiny hint of the liquid structure of carbon (and with large error bars) and was barely able to refine any existing models.”

Until now, however, this work was considered as being the best attempt to characterize the structure of liquid carbon at Mbar pressures, he tells Physics World. “Using the XFEL as a characterization tool and the subsequent analysis was incredibly simple in comparison to all the previous work and, in the end, the most important challenge was to get the European XFEL facility ready – something that I had already discussed more than 10 years ago too when the first plans were being made for studying matter under extreme conditions at such an installation.”

The results of the new study, which is detailed in Nature, prove that simple models cannot describe the liquid state of carbon very well, and that sophisticated atomistic simulations are required for predicting processes involving this material, he says.

Looking forward, the Rostock University and HZDR researchers now plan to extend their methodology to the liquid states of various other materials. “In particular, we will study mixtures of light elements that may exist in planetary interiors and the resulting chemistry at extreme conditions,” reveals Kraus. “This work may also be interesting for forming doped nanodiamonds or other phases with potential technological applications.”

The post Liquid carbon reveals its secrets appeared first on Physics World.

A SpaceX Starship upper stage being prepared for the company’s next flight exploded June 19 during preparations for a static-fire test.

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Learn more about the tendency to anthropomorphize animals, which is a more common tendency in some people than in others, in part thanks to these potentially conservation-aiding traits.

Learn how ancient dogs followed the earliest farmers in Central and South America, and find out why their original lineage is nearly gone today.

Firefly Aerospace says it plans to offer a commercial lunar imaging service for use by governments and companies, one that could supplement or replace an existing, but aging, NASA orbiter.

The post Firefly announces commercial lunar imagery service appeared first on SpaceNews.

Local regulators have approved Ukrainian telco Kyivstar’s plans to start testing space-enabled texting services this summer using SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, targeting areas crippled by Russian strikes and other terrestrial coverage gaps.

The post Regulators clear Starlink-enabled texting trial in war-torn Ukraine appeared first on SpaceNews.

What is the handfish? Discover the handfish, a tiny fish with finger-like fins that’s critically endangered and needs our help.

President Donald Trump has supported use of asbestos in the past and blamed the mob for its bad reputation.

Learn about a new study that confirms ancient footprints in New Mexico are over 21,000 years old, rewriting the history of the Americas.

At long last, scientists have a nearly complete cranium from hominins known as Denisovans

Realignment of major program units aims to improve efficiency and make up for loss of federal contracts