nuclear
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Earth
Nuclear surveillance systems suggest landslides blocking the internet in West Africa
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A light blue signal captured by the global international nuclear surveillance system suggests that underwater landslides for weeks in March 2024 could have destroyed communication cables and destroyed internet traffic in West Africa. Using data collected by hydrophones installed by the Comprehensive Nuclear Testvan Convention Agency (CTBTO) international surveillance system, the researchers determined possible landslide locations…
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Science
The US has the power to turn off British nuclear submarines, raising security issues
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Prime Minister Kiel recently called for a photo call from one of the four British nuclear-armed submarines as part of his attempt to demonstrate Britain’s defensive capabilities as tensions continue with Russia. But priorities face problems. The submarines, and the rest of the British nuclear fleet, rely heavily on the US as its operating partner. And…
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Physics
New calculations link different pion reactions in nuclear physics
Credit: DOE’s Jefferson Lab Early career physicists mathematically connect space-like form factors in timelines, opening the door to further insight into the inner workings of powerful forces. The new lattice QCD calculations link two seemingly different reactions containing the lightest particles, pion, governed by powerful interactions. As an undergraduate at Technology Code Monterrey in Mexico, Felipe Ortegagama worked at the…
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Science
Unexpected shapes of lead 208 nuclei encourage reevaluation of nuclear models
For ⟨0 +1 |, the mean (points) and confidence regions are the regions corresponding to 1σ (solid line) and 2σ (dotted line) | E3 | 3-1⟩ and ⟨3 −1 | E2 | 3 −1⟩Matrix elements (top), and ⟨0 +1 | E2 | 2 +1⟩ and ⟨2 +1 | E2 | 2 +1⟩Matrix elements (bottom). Credit: Physics Review Letter (2025). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.134.062502…
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Physics
China’s ‘artificial sun’ sets record for nuclear fusion power generation
An experimental advanced superconducting tokamak achieved a remarkable scientific milestone by sustaining steady-state, highly confined plasma operation for 1,066 seconds. Credit: HFIPS The Advanced Superconducting Tokamak Experimental Station (EAST), commonly known as China’s “artificial sun,” has achieved a remarkable scientific milestone by sustaining steady-state, highly confined plasma operation for an astonishing 1,066 seconds. . The achievement, achieved on Monday, sets…
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Physics
Scientists achieve coherence of nuclear spins in suspended particles
Left: Schematic diagram showing a floating diamond with 14 nitrogen nuclear spins embedded. Right: Spin energy levels showing polarization. Credit: Julien Voisin. A new study published in Physical Review Letters demonstrates the suspension of microparticles using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), with potential implications from biology to quantum computing. NMR is a spectroscopic technique commonly used to analyze various materials based…
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Chemistry
Ultrafast electron imaging captures never-before-seen nuclear motion in hydrocarbon molecules excited by light
The researchers used a genetic algorithm to obtain the time-varying molecular structure of photoexcited o-nitrophenol from ultrafast electron diffraction data. Credit: JPF Nunes (generated using Microsoft Copilot) Interactions between light molecules and nitroaromatic hydrocarbon molecules have important effects on chemical processes in the atmosphere that can cause smog and pollution. However, changes in molecular geometry due to interaction with light…
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Physics
New state of thorium opens possibilities for nuclear clocks
Increase in nuclear excitation probability with a single laser pulse. The symbol η (η) represents the relative strength between the interaction energy and the transition energy. The dashed purple line near the top represents a 10% probability. Credit: Physical Review Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.152503 Why do we have atomic clocks but not nuclear clocks? After all, the nucleus is usually…
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Science
Nuclear rockets may reach Mars in half the time, but designing the reactors to power them is not easy
Nuclear-powered rockets may one day enable faster space travel. Credit: NASA NASA plans to send a crewed mission to Mars over the next decade, but the 140 million mile (225 million kilometer) journey there could take months or years round trip. This relatively long flight time is a result of the use of conventional chemical rocket fuel. The agency is…
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Earth
Tonga’s volcanic eruption was caused by an explosion equivalent to ‘five underground nuclear bombs,’ new study reveals
Mr. Jinyin Hu and Dr. Thanh-Son Phạm. Credit: Jamie Kidston/ANU Two years on, new research from the Australian National University (ANU) has revealed the main trigger of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, the Hunga Tonga submarine volcano. The study is published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Until now, the cause of this disaster has remained a…
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