Physics Lover

December 19, 2018,  Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology Hybrid quantum-classical spin system. Credit: Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology Physicists from Skoltech have invented a new method for calculating the dynamics of large quantum systems. Underpinned by a combination of quantum and classical modeling, the method has been successfully applied to nuclear magnetic resonance in solids. The results of the study were published in  Physical Review B . Physical objects around us consist of atoms which, in turn, are made up of negatively charged electrons and positively charged nuclei. Many of atomic nuclei are magnetic – they can be thought of as tiny magnets, which can get excited by an oscillating  magnetic field . This phenomenon known as " nuclear magnetic resonance " (NMR) was discovered in the first half of the 20 th century. Five Nobel prizes have been awarded since then, first for the discovery and then for various applications of NMR—magnetic reso...

December 19, 2018,  Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology Hybrid quantum-classical spin system. Credit: Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology Physicists from Skoltech have invented a new method for calculating the dynamics of large quantum systems. Underpinned by a combination of quantum and classical modeling, the method has been successfully applied to nuclear magnetic resonance in solids. The results of the study were published in  Physical Review B . Physical objects around us consist of atoms which, in turn, are made up of negatively charged electrons and positively charged nuclei. Many of atomic nuclei are magnetic – they can be thought of as tiny magnets, which can get excited by an oscillating  magnetic field . This phenomenon known as " nuclear magnetic resonance " (NMR) was discovered in the first half of the 20 th century. Five Nobel prizes have been awarded since then, first for the discovery and then for various applications of N...

So what is dark energy?  Well, the simple answer is that we don't know. It seems to contradict many of our understandings about the way the universe works. We all know that light waves, also called radiation, carry energy. You feel that energy the moment you step outside on a hot summer day. Einstein's famous equation, E = mc 2 , teaches us that matter and energy are interchangeable, merely different forms of the same thing. We have a giant example of that in our sky: the Sun. The Sun is powered by the conversion of mass to energy. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING Could dark energy show a link between the physics of the very small and the physics of the large? But energy is supposed to have a source — either matter or radiation. The notion here is that space, even when devoid of all matter and radiation, has a residual energy. That "energy of space," when considered on a cosmic scale, leads to a force that increases the expansion of the universe. Perhaps dark energy results fro...

So what is dark energy?  Well, the simple answer is that we don't know. It seems to contradict many of our understandings about the way the universe works. We all know that light waves, also called radiation, carry energy. You feel that energy the moment you step outside on a hot summer day. Einstein's famous equation, E = mc 2 , teaches us that matter and energy are interchangeable, merely different forms of the same thing. We have a giant example of that in our sky: the Sun. The Sun is powered by the conversion of mass to energy. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING Could dark energy show a link between the physics of the very small and the physics of the large? But energy is supposed to have a source — either matter or radiation. The notion here is that space, even when devoid of all matter and radiation, has a residual energy. That "energy of space," when considered on a cosmic scale, leads to a force that increases the expansion of the universe. Perhaps...