The first space hurricane ever was spotted in August 2014, consisting of “an eddy of plasma, a type of superhot, charged gas found throughout the solar system,” reports Business Insider. “And instead of rain, this storm brought showers of electrons.” From the report: In August 2014, satellites observed a swirling mass with a quiet center more than 125 miles above the…
Tag: electrons
‘Earth wind’ may generate water on the moon
Particles carried from Earth’s poles via our planet’s magnetosphere could be interacting with lunar rocks to create small quantities of water on the moon. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/earth-wind-may-generate-water-on-moon…
Quantum shuttle to quantum processor made in Germany launched
The quantum computer race is in full swing. Germany has long been one of the world leaders in basic research. An alliance between Forschungszentrum Jülich and the semiconductor manufacturer Infinion, together with institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (IAF, IPMS) as well as the Leibniz Association (IHP, IKZ), the universities of Regensburg and Konstanz and the quantum start-up HQS, now aims to apply…
Magnetic effect without a magnet
Electric current is deflected by a magnetic field—in conducting materials, this leads to the so-called Hall effect. This effect is often used to measure magnetic fields. A surprising discovery has now been made at TU Wien, in collaboration with scientists from the Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland), McMater University (Canada), and Rice University (U.S.): an exotic metal made of cerium, bismuth and…
CSI Solid-State: The fingerprints of quantum effects
In solid-state physics, the precise interactions of electrons are analyzed through meticulous detective work, ultimately to gain a better understanding of fundamental physical phenomena. …
Electrons living on the edge
Scientists at the University of Tsukuba demonstrated the possibility of electrons moving as if they were massless when certain materials called “topological insulators” are irradiated with laser beams. This work may lead to a new class of highly efficient electronic devices and photonic crystals. …
Wrinkling atom-thin layers of carbon could make tiniest chips yet
Ridges and wrinkles in a graphene sheet can affect electrons and cause them to behave as they do inside electrical components, creating the possibility for smaller and faster computer processors Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2267964-wrinkling-atom-thin-layers-of-carbon-could-make-tiniest-chips-yet/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Galaxies have magnetic fields, too! Images here
Until recently, magnetic fields in the outskirts of galaxies were too faint to be detected. Although it’s still not clear what causes them or how they’re maintained, astronomers have started to create images of their observations of galaxies’ magnetic fields producing beautiful aurora-like effects. See them here. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/images-of-magnetic-fields-in-galaxies…
Particles zipping around Earth at near light-speed finally explained
When the plasma of the Van Allen belts drops in density during a solar storm, it can set up the perfect conditions for electrons to travel nearly as fast as light. Source: https://www.livescience.com/van-allen-electrons-ultra-relativistic.html
X-ray emission from dark matter
About eighty-five percent of the matter in the cosmos emits neither light nor any other known kind of radiation as far as is known, and hence is called dark matter. One of its other notable qualities is that it only interacts with other matter via gravity; it carries no electromagnetic charge, for example. Dark matter is also called “dark” because it…