Article 3G4G7 Physics Week in Review: February 17, 2018

Physics Week in Review: February 17, 2018

by
JenLucPiquant
from on (#3G4G7)

6a00d8341c9c1053ef01b7c950974c970b-800wiAmong this week's physics highlights: using a quantum computer to improve election forecasting; physicists create a new form of light; and a hotly debated new paper claiming scaling laws aren't universal to complex networks.

I wrote an article for New Scientist on an intriguing proof of principle study: using a quantum deep learning neural network to improve election forecasting, specifically addressing the issue of correlations between states that was missing from many 2016 presidential election forecasts. It's behind a paywall, but New Scientist is worth a subscription. :) Speaking of the magazine, on Saturday February 26, I'll be hosting a special all-day Instant Expert master class in Boston: Big Physics, Big Questions. Sign up and join us if you're in town!

This was my last week as journalist in residence at the Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara. One of the highlights was a visit by writer/producer Amy Berg, who led a session on Inside the Writers' Room: Writing Science for Hollywood. You can watch the whole thing here.

The Quantum Internet Has Arrived (and It Hasn't). Networks that harness entanglement and teleportation could enable leaps in security, computing and science. Related: Old-fashioned silicon might be the key to building ubiquitous quantum computers. New Silicon Chip-Based Quantum Computer Passes Major Test.

Scant Evidence of Power Laws Found in Real-World Networks: A new study challenges one of the most celebrated and controversial ideas in network science. "Network scientists agree, by and large, that the paper's analysis is statistically sound. But when it comes to interpreting its findings, the paper seems to be functioning like a Rorschach test, in which both proponents and critics of the scale-free paradigm see what they already believed to be true."

Physicists Created a New Form of Light: "The technology isn't quite ready to defeat the Dark Side, but it could be a major boon to photon-based quantum computers."

A team of scientists led by researchers from Imperial College London have proven that electrons can be stopped in their tracks solely with the use of light. This work can help unravel the mysteries of black holes.

LISA pathfinder mission a glorious success. "The latest report from the pathfinder mission is not just positive, it is what-did-I-just-snort positive."

Five ways oganesson, the heaviest element on the periodic table, is really bizarre.

The IceCube mission in the ice of Antarctica has measured neutrino oscillations at energies higher than any previous observation.

6a00d8341c9c1053ef01b7c95099c8970b-320wiA scientist captured an "impossible" photo of a single atom with ordinary photographic equipment. "The image won first prize in a science photo contest conducted by UK based Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)." [Image: David Nadlinger/University of Oxford/EPSRC]

These Perfectly Imperfect Diamonds Are Built for Quantum Physics by DeBeers.

Smart Swarms Seek New Ways to Cooperate: New algorithms show how swarms of very simple robots can be made to work together as a group.

Scientists Have No Idea Why This Enriched Uranium Particle Was Floating Above Alaska. "One of the main motivations of this paper is to see if someobody who knows more about uranium than any of us would understand the source of the particle."

How One of the Fastest Spinning Animals Catches Its Prey: paper detailing the hunting technique of flattie spiders could be used for developing multi-legged robots in the future.

Neutron Lifetime Puzzle Deepens, but No Dark Matter Seen. Two methods of measuring the neutron's longevity give different answers, creating uncertainty in cosmological models. But no one has a clue what the problem is.

How the Snake Pours Itself Along the Ground. Laboratory tests of a 70-year-old hypothesis illuminate the details of a subtle form of snake locomotion. "It is eerily liquid. Slyly, slowly, the snake flows without bending."

Artist Uses World's Blackest Paint to Turn Warehouse into a Night Sky. "Artist Asif Khan used VBx2 to paint the outside of the nearly 33-foot tall, 13,000 square-foot Hyundai Pavilion, which made it's premiere in front of the whole world at this year's Winter Olympics."

So. Much. Olympics. Science. To wit: How does mass affect luge? There's actually a minimum weight for luge. A wind tunnel and laser guidance helped the Olympic luge team learn about uniform tech. The surprising science of why ice is so slippery. "For much of the past two centuries, scientists have struggled to explain why, exactly, ice is slippery - and why skates can glide atop it so well." Could Plastic "Ice" Help Overcome Bias toward Colder Countries? Bobsled, luge and skeleton tracks lined with plastic rather than ice could make those sports more accessible worldwide. The Science Of Winds Affecting The 2018 Winter Olympics In PyeongChang, South Korea.

And even more Olympic physics: "No winter sport is more aerodynamically demanding than ski jumping. A jump consists of four parts: the in-run, take-off, flight, and landing." Under Armour, U.S. Speedskating, and a tale of two suits. The Physics of Why the triple axel is such a big deal. How Ice Skaters Turn Physics Into Astonishing Spins: the conservation of angular momentum is the name of the game. The gravity-defying physics of figure skater Nathan Chen's quadruple jumps:

Don't Cliff Jump Like a Dummy-Use Physics. You can measure the height of a drop with just a rock, a phone, and the gravitational force.

Why women's ice hockey has a higher concussion rate than football.

Five Times That People Claimed to Be Real-Life Time Travelers. Related: What's the Origin of Time Travel Fiction? New Video Essay Explains How Time Travel Writing Got Its Start with Charles Darwin & His Literary Peers.

Chaos Theory, The Butterfly Effect, And The Computer Glitch That Started It All.

That Time Apollo Astronauts Detonated Explosives on the Moon.

World's Oldest Seismic Lab in Germany Creates Tiny, Artificial Earthquakes by Dropping a 4 Ton Steel Ball.

Inside a supercomputer in Virginia, thousands of imaginary people experience a hypothetical nuclear blast over and over again. How those e-people respond will impact real-world planning.

Wrestling the Demon: the Physics of Free Will. "At the intersection of physics and philosophy, there's a question that's weighed on the minds of great thinkers for centuries: Is there truly such a thing as free will? When we make a choice, are we fundamentally any different than a calculator "choosing" which segments of its display to light up when the = button is pressed?"

Werner Heisenberg Falls in Love: The Love Letters of the Nobel-Winning Pioneer of Quantum Mechanics and Originator of the Uncertainty Principle.

Meet the scientist who makes identical snowflakes: Kenneth Libbrecht is part physicist, part artist, with eight books about snowflakes to his name.

Ask a Physicist: How Many Calories are in that Sunbeam?

Does being devoted to rationality make you better at correcting for cognitive biases, or just elevate you to more subtle biases?

The Future of Science Is Black. "Radical science is key to understanding how calling us, Black peoples, monkeys makes no scientific sense."

The Amazing Laser-Like Sounds of Speed Skaters Propelling Themselves Across Fresh Black Ice.

Watch The Gorgeous Slow Motion Movement of Drowned Color As It Dances Up to the Water's Surface.

A cosmic rose for Valentine's Day... a really, really big rose: the Rosette Nebula, a red bloom 5,000 light years away and 130 light years in diameter. Express your love with a science valentine. Or maybe Do Science With Your Loved Ones This Valentine's Day. Related: If Quantum and Gravity were in a relationship...worst Valentine's day in the Universe!

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