Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 09/04/2025Researchers 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.orgSuperconductivity Traverses a Single Molecule BridgeA single molecule provides a controllable connection between a normal metal and a superconductor. 2102
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 08/04/2025One 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.orgAiming for Lighter Light SailsResearchers are developing highly reflective thin films that could be installed on small light-propelled spacecraft. 191
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 02/04/2025Each 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.orgA Potential Tool for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s DiseaseTransforming an MRI brain scan into a hyperbolic network of nodes allows researchers to detect brain connectivity disruption caused by Alzheimer’s disease. 1198
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 27/03/2025Much 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... ⚛️ 🧪physics.aps.orgArtificial Intelligence Makes the GradeLanguage models such as ChatGPT could help university educators provide more consistent and transparent grades for introductory-level physics exams. 470
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 25/03/2025Researchers thought the rules on how swarming locusts move was all wrapped up. Turns out they were wrong. ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgDesert Locusts Follow Unexpected Motion RulesNew experiments with virtual reality suggest that locusts do not follow traditional rules of collective behavior. 1104
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 23/03/2025An update on the microsoft-majorana story. physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgMicrosoft’s Claim of a Topological Qubit Faces Tough QuestionsMicrosoft’s announcement of achieving a milestone in a potentially transformative approach to quantum computing is met with skepticism by researchers attending the APS Global Summit. 173
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 19/03/2025The @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.orgLensing Candidates Stand Out in Euclid Mission’s First Data ReleaseThe Euclid satellite released its first trove of galaxy data based on seven days of deep-field observations in three sky areas. 0258
Reposted by Katherine WrightJonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 13/03/2025NASA 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...newscientist.comNASA may have to cancel major space missions due to budget cutsPotential 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 139346
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 13/03/2025Altermagnets 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.orgAltermagnets That Turn On and OffResearchers have proposed methods to tune the properties of altermagnets, a step toward practical applications for this new form of magnet. 0114
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 10/03/2025Republished from @physicsworld.bsky.social. ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgExperts Weigh in on Microsoft’s Topological Qubit ClaimTech giant Microsoft claimed in a recent press release to have made the first topological qubit–an important milestone in the development of quantum computers. But some experts say the firm’s claim ha... 391
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 05/03/2025“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.orgGender Gap in Recognition PrevailsWhen 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. 193
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 04/03/2025The s8 tension is not going away. ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgNo Easy Fix for Cosmology’s “Other” TensionThe tension—a disagreement between cosmic-clumpiness measurements—is not going away, according to a new analysis of galaxy lensing data. 43611
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 26/02/2025Researchers 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.orgNonchiral Clusters Self-Assemble into Chiral FilmsResearchers have demonstrated a method to create circular polarizing films from nonchiral nanoclusters that form spiral chains during drying. 070
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 20/02/2025Just when you think everything about ice must be known. ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgIce Moves in a Cascade of QuakesObservations of a new deformation mode of ice could improve models of sea-level rise. 0151
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 18/02/2025Great 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.orgDetecting Axion-Like Dark Matter with the JWSTMeasurements 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. 021
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 13/02/2025“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.orgGauging Edge Instabilities in Future Fusion ReactorsResearchers are unraveling the influence of energetic particles on the stability of plasmas in fusion reactors. 0130
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 12/02/2025The big physics news of the day, in case you missed it. ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgAn Ultrahigh Neutrino Detection Makes WavesA new underwater neutrino experiment—for now, only partially installed—has detected what appears to be the highest-energy cosmic neutrino observed to date. 2279
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 04/02/2025physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgCooking Flawless PastaScientists have pinpointed energy-efficient ways to cook al dente pasta and developed an infallible recipe for the perfect cacio e pepe sauce. 000
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 04/02/2025"...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.orgThe Tumultuous Birth of Quantum MechanicsThe creation of modern quantum mechanics was a messy business in which many of the participants did not grasp the significance of their own discoveries. 0275
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 03/02/2025Its #IYQ25 launch week, so here is another quantum milestone for your delectation. ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgQuantum Milestones, 1927: Electrons Act Like WavesDavisson and Germer showed that electrons scatter from a crystal the way x rays do, proving that particles of matter can act like waves. 080
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 31/01/2025A story that will make you hungry. ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgCooking Flawless PastaScientists have pinpointed energy-efficient ways to cook al dente pasta and developed an infallible recipe for the perfect cacio e pepe sauce. 2123
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 27/01/2025Grab 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.orgQuantum Milestones, 1923: Photons Are RealArthur Compton’s results convinced most skeptics that in some experiments, light can act like a stream of particles. 1176
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 23/01/2025Your daily dose of quantum physics for #IYQ25 ⚛️ 🧪 1163
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 23/01/2025I 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 🧪⚛️ 2255
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 21/01/20252025 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.orgQuantum Milestones, 1916: Millikan’s Measurement of Planck’s ConstantThe experiment provided further proof of the reality of photons, yet Millikan didn’t accept their existence until later in his career. 1247
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 16/01/2025“There was a belief that all fundamental particles must be fermions or bosons. Here we show there could be something beyond that.” (Caveat, its a highly idealized system, so experimental realization is not imminent and may not happen at all. Still cool though). ⚛️ 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...physics.aps.orgStrange Swapping Behavior Defines New Particle CandidateResearchers predict the existence of a class of particles that behave differently from those already known. 0323
Reposted by Katherine WrightRobert "The Bobby Yaga" McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 08/01/2025Stephen Hawking was born #OTD in 1942. He developed theorems with Penrose that determine when general relativity produces singularities, established classical laws of black hole mechanics, and hypothesized that quantum effects cause black holes to radiate. 🧪 ⚛️ 🔭 Image: Santi Visalli/Getty 621560
Reposted by Katherine WrightMargaret Harris @drmlharris.bsky.social · 07/01/2025ICYMI over the holiday period, here's a thread of articles summarizing some of the most interesting developments in various areas of physics in 2024, compiled by my @physicsworld.bsky.social colleagues and myself. (1/n) 🧵🧪⚛️ 1199
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 07/01/2025It's been a hot minute since I last posted here. Welcome to all the new people! My reason for posting is that I have a new story out 👇 But also--who is new on here who I should be following? Drop a comment below. physics.aps.org/articles/v18/3physics.aps.orgAntiferromagnet Magnetized with LightResearchers show they can magnetize an antiferromagnet using terahertz light, switching the state on a million times faster than is possible for other magnetic states. 1143
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 24/04/2024"The biggest obstacle in making a green battery isn’t technological. It's changing the mindsets of companies and consumers, who largely treat batteries as disposable commodities that can be thrown in the dustbin." --Shirley Meng. #WomenInSTEM 🧪 ⚛️🌏 physics.aps.org/articles/v17... 043
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 12/04/2024Bring on multimessenger tau-neutrino triggered observations. Scientists have found seven astrophysical tau neutrinos—particles that are notoriously difficult to detect—in an analysis of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica. 🧪 ⚛️ physics.aps.org/articles/v17... 1112
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 08/04/2024Rochester’s inquiries “should be ‘Exhibit A’ about how not to run one of these things,” says Peter Armitage, a condensed-matter experimentalist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Latest update on the Dias story and a damning one. 🧪⚛️ 062
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 08/04/2024I am meant to be at #TESS24 in Dallas right now, in the middle of watching the solar #eclipse. I am however at home with COVID. Sad to miss the experience and the conference. Anyone who is there, please share photos. 🧪 ⚛️ #scicomm 110
Reposted by Katherine WrightLaura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 03/04/2024It's the year 2024 and West Virginia just passed a law that will allow the teaching of religious alternatives to science (meaning creationism) in public schools. 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-... by Amanda Townley of the National Center for Science Education in Scientific Americanscientificamerican.comNew Law Allowing Religion into Science Classrooms Is Dangerous for EveryoneIt is imperative that we protect science education from “intelligent design” and other alternative “theories” 961108520
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 21/03/2024Who knew cerium was so interesting? A widening gap between the cerium-140 abundance predicted by theories and that measured in observations of certain stars indicates a potential need for updated models of element formation. 🧪⚛️ physics.aps.org/articles/v17... 070
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 15/03/2024This year marks the 5th anniversary of the release of the first-ever image of a black hole (M87*). The team that produced the image recently released a second image of that same black hole. The collaboration now expects to issue increasingly frequent updates. ⚛️🔭 🛰️🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v17...physics.aps.orgBlack Hole Portraits Will Become More FrequentThe release of a second, higher-resolution image of the supermassive black hole M87* marks the start of what researchers hope will be an era of many more black hole photos. 02710
Reposted by Katherine WrightPhysics Magazine @physicsmagazine.aps.org · 13/03/2024A @physicsmagazine.bsky.social editor has been seen in the wild (@katrwright.bsky.social visiting Princeton Plasma Physical Laboratory for the opening of the Quantum Diamond Lab). Credit: Michael Livingston, PPPL. ⚛️ 031
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 13/03/2024What do you think it was coming from? A truck. As in, a hyperspeed alien truck? No, it was an ordinary truck, like a normal truck driving past a seismometer... all they did was find a truck. No holding back on the punches here.🧪 ⚛️ 0100
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 12/03/2024A rare lab visit for me. I attended the opening of Princeton Plasma Physics's new Quantum Diamond Lab, where researchers will grow diamonds for quantum applications. I also toured the magnetic confinement fusion reactor. Reactor smaller than I expected, equipment need to operate it, much bigger. 🧪⚛️ 0170
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 08/03/2024For those following this story, a wonderfully reported story here from Dan Garisto that explains exactly what was going on in Ranga Dias's lab and how these two papers came to be. Mindboggling. 🧪⚛️ #scicomm www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comSuperconductivity scandal: the inside story of deception in a rising star's physics labRanga Dias claimed to have discovered the first room-temperature superconductors, but the work was later retracted. An investigation by Nature’s news team reveals new details about what happened — and... 0112
Reposted by Katherine WrightCorey S. Powell @coreyspowell.bsky.social · 06/03/2024A lot of writers got excited when it looked like early findings from JWST might have "broken" cosmology. (Who doesn't like a good paradigm-smashing?) The reality, as usual, turns out to be more subtle and complex. Great summary by @katrwright.bsky.social: physics.aps.org/articles/v17... 153
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 01/03/2024No. The book is well written. Certainly some parts could have been improved, but it was the level the piece was pitched at that was off. Also, personally, I disliked that a problem or question might be posed in one chapter and then left unanswered until chapters later. I at least wanted a hint. 120
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 01/03/2024My first book review and a first story for @physicsworld.bsky.social. I could get into writing these reviews, its fun to be able to put my opinion in for a change. #scicomm 🧪 ⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/an-ambitio...physicsworld.comAn ambitious journey through the cosmos that sometimes gets lost at sea – Physics WorldKatherine Wright reviews Waves in an Impossible Sea: How Everyday Life Emerges from the Cosmic Ocean by Matt Strassler 161
Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 29/02/2024While undergraduate physics students that identify as neurodivergent report little outright discrimination or violence, they do say that structural ableism has negatively impacted their time as students. #scicomm 🧪⚛️ physics.aps.org/articles/v17... 052