ScienceDaily: Albert Einstein News

New method proposed for detecting gravitational waves from ends of universe

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:17:17 EDT

A new window into the nature of the universe may be possible with a device proposed by scientists that would detect elusive gravity waves from the other end of the cosmos.

New principle may help explain why nature is quantum

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:27:27 EDT

Like small children, scientists are always asking the question 'Why?'. One question they've yet to answer is why nature picked quantum physics, in all its weird glory, as a sensible way to behave. Researchers tackle this perennial question in a new paper.

Einstein's gravity theory passes toughest test yet

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:22:22 EDT

A strange stellar pair nearly 7,000 light-years from Earth has provided physicists with a unique cosmic laboratory for studying the nature of gravity. The extremely strong gravity of a massive neutron star in orbit with a companion white dwarf star puts competing theories of gravity to a test more stringent than any available before.

Light bursts out of a flying mirror

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:41:41 EDT

Researchers have succeeded in generating flashes of extreme ultraviolet radiation via the reflection from a mirror that moves close to the speed of light.

Curtains down for the black hole firewall paradox: Making gravity safe for Einstein again

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:41:41 EST

Scientists have revealed new insights into the life and death of black holes. Their findings dispel the so-called firewall paradox which shocked the physics community when it was announced in 2012 since its predictions about large black holes contradicted Einstein's crowning achievement -- the theory of general relativity. Those results suggested that anyone falling into a black hole would be burned up as they crossed its edge -- the so-called event horizon.

Particle physics research sheds new light on possible 'fifth force of nature'

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:27:27 EST

In a breakthrough for the field of particle physics, researchers have established new limits on what scientists call "long-range spin-spin interactions" between atomic particles. These interactions have been proposed by theoretical physicists but have not yet been seen. Their observation would constitute the discovery of a "fifth force of nature" (in addition to the four known fundamental forces: gravity, weak, strong and electromagnetic) and would suggest the existence of new particles, beyond those presently described by the Standard Model of particle physics.

Journey to the limits of space-time: Black hole simulations on supercomputers present new view of jets and accretion disks

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:16:16 EST

Black holes shape the growth and death of the stars around them through their powerful gravitational pull and explosive ejections of energy. In a recent article, researchers predicted the formation of accretion disks and relativistic jets that warp and bend more than previously thought, shaped by the extreme gravity of the black hole and by powerful magnetic forces generated by its spin.

Researchers explore quantum entanglement

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:02:02 EST

Researchers propose a way in which "spooky action at a distance" can be shown experimentally.

Dark energy alternatives to Einstein are running out of room

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:20:20 EST

Astronomers have found that a popular alternative to Albert Einstein's theory for the acceleration of the expansion of the universe does not fit newly obtained data on a fundamental constant, the proton to electron mass ratio.

News from the world of quantum physics: A non-causal quantum eraser

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:59:59 EST

Whether a quantum object behaves like a wave or like a particle depends (according to the Copenhagen interpretation) on the choice of measurement apparatus used for observing the system, and therefore on the type of measurement performed.

Testing Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 in outer space

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:22:22 EST

A team of physicists have stirred the physics community with an intriguing idea yet to be tested experimentally: The world's most iconic equation, Albert Einstein's E=mc2, may be correct or not depending on where you are in space.

A mathematical study of the famous Dirac equation that describes particles

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:22:22 EST

In 1928 the British physicist Paul Dirac put forward one of the fundamental equations that we use today to mathematically describe a spin one-half particle from a relativistic point of view. The mathematical representation that Dirac came up with enables certain particles, including the electron, to be better understood. Nevertheless, much more remains to be discovered.

Role of gravity in motion of granular materials: Discovery could have applications in pharmaceutical industry, space missions

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 10:18:18 EST

Researchers have made a new discovery about the role of gravity in granular materials which could have applications in the pharmaceutical industry and provide a new understanding of images of granular surfaces sent by space missions.

Black holes have properties that resemble dynamics of both solids and liquids

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:29:29 EST

Black holes are surrounded by many mysteries, but now researchers have come up with new groundbreaking theories that can explain several of their properties. The research shows that black holes have properties that resemble the dynamics of both solids and liquids.

Surveying Earth's interior with atomic clocks

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EST

Have you ever thought to use a clock to identify mineral deposits or concealed water resources within the Earth? Some scientists are convinced that ultraprecise portable atomic clocks will make this a reality in the next decade. The scientists argue that these atomic clocks have already reached the necessary degree of precision to be useful for geophysical surveying. They say that such clocks will provide the most direct measurement of the geoid – the Earth’s true physical form. It will also be possible to combine atomic clocks measurements to existent geophysical methods to explore the interior of the Earth.

Looking beyond space and time to cope with quantum theory

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 14:22:22 EDT

Physicists have proposed an experiment that could force us to make a choice between extremes to describe the behaviour of the Universe.

NASA pursues atom optics to detect the imperceptible

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:59:59 EDT

A pioneering technology capable of atomic-level precision is now being developed to detect what so far has remained imperceptible: gravitational waves or ripples in space-time caused by cataclysmic events including even the Big Bang itself.

Extending Einstein's theory beyond light speed

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:27:27 EDT

Applied mathematicians have extended Einstein’s theory of special relativity to work beyond the speed of light.

Dark energy is real, say astronomers

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 08:47:47 EDT

Dark energy, a mysterious substance thought to be speeding up the expansion of the Universe is really there, according to a team of astronomers. After a two-year study, scientists conclude that the likelihood of its existence stands at 99.996 per cent.

Mathematicians offer unified theory of dark matter, dark energy, altering Einstein field equations

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:20:20 EDT

A pair of mathematicians have proposed a unified theory of dark matter and dark energy that alters Einstein's equations describing the fundamentals of gravity. They suggest the law of energy and momentum conservation in spacetime is valid only when normal matter, dark matter and dark energy are all taken into account. For normal matter alone, energy and momentum are no longer conserved, they argue.

'Cry' of a shredded star heralds a new era for testing relativity

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:39:39 EDT

Last year, astronomers discovered a quiescent black hole in a distant galaxy that erupted after shredding and consuming a passing star. Now researchers have identified a distinctive X-ray signal observed in the days following the outburst that comes from matter on the verge of falling into the black hole.

A wrinkle in space-time: Math shows how shockwaves could crinkle space

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:29:29 EDT

Mathematicians have come up with a new way to crinkle up the fabric of space-time -- at least in theory.

A roll of the dice: Quantum mechanics researchers show that nature is unpredictable

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 16:27:27 EDT

Many of the predictions we make in everyday life are vague, and we often get them wrong because we have incomplete information, such as when we predict the weather. But in quantum mechanics, even if all the information is available, the outcomes of certain experiments generally can't be predicted perfectly beforehand. power. The paper looks at measurements on members of maximally entangled pairs of photons that are sent into Stern-Gerlach-type apparatus, in which each photon can take one out of two possible paths.

Black holes as particle detectors

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:28:28 EDT

Black holes could serve as particle detectors, say scientists. Axions, a hypothetical but not improbable kind of particles, could accumulate around a black hole, creating a "boson cloud". After some time, this boson cloud would collapse, sending out characteristic gravity waves.

Hall effect at the speed of light: How can you demonstrate relativistic effects with your mobile phone?

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:29:29 EDT

The relativistic Hall effect describing objects rotating at speeds comparable with the speed of light has now been reported.

First light: Researchers develop new way to generate superluminal pulses

Thu, 03 May 2012 19:42:42 EDT

Researchers have developed a novel way of producing light pulses that are "superluminal" -- in some sense they travel faster than the speed of light. The new method could be used to improve the timing of communications signals and to investigate the propagation of quantum correlations.

Clocking an accelerating universe: First results from BOSS

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:18:18 EDT

First spectroscopic results from BOSS give the most detailed look yet at the time when dark energy turned on some six billion light years ago, as the expansion of the universe was slipping from the grasp of matter's mutual gravitational attraction, and expansion began to accelerate.

Quantum copies do new tricks

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:15:15 EDT

New research shows that it is possible to perfectly recover the original from the imperfect quantum copies. Scientists also propose a way that his could be done in practice.

Looking at quantum gravity in a mirror

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:40:40 EDT

Einstein's theory of gravity and quantum physics are expected to merge at the Planck-scale of extremely high energies and on very short distances. Now scientists have proposed a new quantum experiment using Planck-mass mirrors.

Direct measurement of the formation length of photons

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:20:20 EST

How long does it take an electron to form a photon? The answer would normally be: so short a time that it cannot be measured. However, the scientists responsible for experiment NA63 have now succeeded in dragging out the process, thereby making it measurable.

Pulsars: The universe's gift to physics

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:08:08 EST

Pulsars, which already have produced two Nobel Prizes, are providing scientists with unique insights on topics from particle physics to General Relativity.

The perfect liquid -- now even more perfect

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:35:35 EST

How liquid can a fluid be? This is a question particle physicists have been working on. The “most perfect liquid” is nothing like water, but the extremely hot quark-gluon-plasma which is produced in heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. New theoretical results show that this quark-gluon plasma could be even less viscous than was deemed possible by previous theories.

One clock with two times: When quantum mechanics meets general relativity

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:47:47 EDT

General relativity, the joint theory of gravity, space and time gives predictions that become clearly evident on a cosmic scale of stars and galaxies. Quantum effects are fragile and observed on small scales like single particles and atoms. To test the interplay between them is very hard. Now theoretical physicists propose an experiment to overlap of the two theories.

Gravitational waves that are 'sounds of the universe'

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:44:44 EDT

Einstein wrote about them, and we're still looking for them -- gravitational waves, which are small ripples in the fabric of space-time, that many consider to be the sounds of our universe. Just as sound complements vision in our daily life, gravitational waves will complement our view of the universe taken by standard telescopes.

Light from galaxy clusters confirms general theory of relativity

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:17:17 EDT

All observations in astronomy are based on light (electromagnetic radiation) emitted from stars and galaxies and, according to the general theory of relativity, the light will be affected by gravity. At the same time all interpretations in astronomy are based on the correctness of the theory of relatively, but it has been difficult to accurately test Einstein's theory of gravity on scales larger than the solar system. Now astrophysicists in Denmark have managed to measure how the light is affected by gravity on its way out of galaxy clusters. The observations confirm the theoretical predictions.

Squeezed laser will bring gravitational waves to the light of day

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:52:52 EDT

Measuring at the limits of the laws of nature -- this is the challenge which researchers repeatedly take up in their search for gravitational waves. The interferometers they use here measure with such sensitivity that a particular quantum phenomenon of light -- shot noise -- limits the measuring accuracy. With the "squeezed light" method, scientists in Germany likewise use quantum physics in a countermove in order to remove the interfering effect. The new type of laser light improves the measuring accuracy of the gravitational wave detector GEO600 by around 50 percent and thus increases its effective sensitivity. This is the first time this technology has been used outside of a test laboratory anywhere in the world.

Recalculation of the Potsdam geoid shows time-dependent variation of gravity

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:44:44 EDT

The "Potsdam Gravity potato", as this representation of terrestrial gravity has become known, can for the first time display gravity variations that change with time. The seasonal fluctuations of the water balance of continents or melting or growing ice masses, i.e. climate-related variables, are now included in the modeling of the gravity field.

New physics research to deepen understanding of the universe

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 07:27:27 EDT

Physicists in the UK are beginning a new research project which aims to improve our understanding of the universe and the material within it. They also hope that their work will enable better mathematical predictions in systems as diverse as collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, to the development of room-temperature superconductors which could provide super-efficient power for electronic circuits.

Physicists apply Einstein's general theory of relativity to superconducting circuits

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:45:45 EDT

Using Einstein's general theory of relativity, scientists have demonstrated that the Josephson junction could be reproduced. The Josephson junction, a device that was first discovered by Brian David Josephson in the early 1960's, is a main ingredient in applications of superconductivity.

New hope of detecting gravitational waves: Final piece of Einstein's jigsaw puzzle

Thu, 26 May 2011 20:51:51 EDT

Direct evidence of the existence of gravitational waves is something that has long eluded researchers. However, new research has suggested that adding just one of the proposed detectors in Japan, Australia and India will drastically increase the expected rate of detection.

Dark energy is driving universe apart: NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer finds dark energy repulsive

Thu, 19 May 2011 11:31:31 EDT

A five-year survey of 200,000 galaxies, stretching back seven billion years in cosmic time, has led to one of the best independent confirmations that dark energy is driving our universe apart at accelerating speeds.

NASA's Gravity Probe B confirms two Einstein space-time theories

Wed, 04 May 2011 15:06:06 EDT

NASA's Gravity Probe B (GP-B) mission has confirmed two key predictions derived from Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which the spacecraft was designed to test. The experiment, launched in 2004, used four ultra-precise gyroscopes to measure the hypothesized geodetic effect, the warping of space and time around a gravitational body, and frame-dragging, the amount a spinning object pulls space and time with it as it rotates.

Primordial weirdness: Did the early universe have one dimension? Scientists outline test for theory

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:20:20 EDT

Did the early universe have just one spatial dimension? That's the mind-boggling concept at the heart of a new theory. Researchers now describe a test that could prove or disprove the "vanishing dimensions" hypothesis.

Probing the laws of gravity: A gravity resonance method

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:33:33 EDT

Quantum mechanical methods can now be used to study gravity. Scientists in Austria have developed a new measurement method that allows them to test the fundamental theories of physics.

Physicists discover new way to visualize warped space and time

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:27:27 EDT

When black holes slam into each other, the surrounding space and time surge and undulate like a heaving sea during a storm. This warping of space and time is so complicated that physicists haven't been able to understand the details of what goes on -- until now.

Large Hadron Collider could be world's first time machine, researchers' theory suggests

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:33:33 EDT

If the latest theory of Tom Weiler and Chui Man Ho is right, the Large Hadron Collider -- the world's largest atom smasher that started regular operation last year -- could be the first machine capable causing matter to travel backwards in time.

Black holes: A model for superconductors?

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:13:13 EST

Black holes are some of the heaviest objects in the universe. Electrons are some of the lightest. Now physicists have shown how charged black holes can be used to model the behavior of interacting electrons in unconventional superconductors.

Wave-generated 'white hole' boosts hawking radiation theory, physicists find

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:15:15 EST

A team of physicists and engineers has designed a experiment featuring a trough of flowing water to help bolster a 35-year-old theory proposed by eminent physicist Stephen Hawking.

Neutron stars and string theory in a lab: Chilled atoms give clues to deep space and particle physics

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:27:27 EST

Using lasers to contain some ultra-chilled atoms, a team of scientists has measured the viscosity or stickiness of a gas often considered to be the sixth state of matter. The measurements verify that this gas can be used as a "scale model" of exotic matter, such as super-high temperature superconductors, the nuclear matter of neutron stars, and even the state of matter created microseconds after the Big Bang. The results may also allow experimental tests of string theory in the future.

Distribution of gravitational wave sources predicted

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:19:19 EST

A pair of neutron stars spiraling toward each other until they merge in a violent explosion should produce detectable gravitational waves. A new study predicts for the first time where such mergers are likely to occur in the local galactic neighborhood.

Mathematical problems recast as physics questions, provide new tools for old quandaries

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:12:12 EST

A scientist with an interdisciplinary bent has taken two well-known problems in mathematics and reformulated them as a physics question, offering new tools to solve challenges relevant to a host of subjects ranging from improving data compression to detecting gravitational waves.

Pair of aluminum atomic clocks reveal Einstein's relativity at a personal scale

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:24:24 EDT

Scientists have known for decades that time passes faster at higher elevations, and more slowly when you move faster, curious aspects of Einstein's theories of relativity. Physicists have now used a pair of the world's best clocks to conduct new "time dilation" experiments to measure these effects at heights and speeds on personal, comprehensible scales.

Researchers discover how to conduct first test of 'untestable' string theory

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:19:19 EDT

Researchers have planned how to carry out the first experimental test of string theory. String theory was originally developed to describe the fundamental particles and forces that make up our universe. The new research describes the unexpected discovery that string theory also seems to predict the behavior of entangled quantum particles. As this prediction can be tested in the laboratory, researchers can now test string theory.

Physicists use offshoot of string theory to describe puzzling behavior of superconductors

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:29:29 EDT

Physicists have now used the connection between quantum and gravitational mechanics, known as gauge/gravity duality to describe a specific physical phenomenon -- the behavior of a type of high-temperature superconductor, or a material that conducts electricity with no resistance.

Physicists develop model that pushes limits of quantum theory, relativity

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:27:27 EDT

Physicists recently developed a new theoretical model to explain how the Pauli exclusion principle can be violated and how, under certain rare conditions, more than one electron can simultaneously occupy the same quantum state. Their model may help explain how matter behaves at the edges of black holes and contribute to the ongoing scientific quest for a unified theory of quantum gravity.

Test of quantum field theory and Bose-Einstein statistics of photons: Bosons aren't fermions, not even a little bit

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:15:15 EDT

Scientists have tested one of the major theoretical pillars of quantum field theory, the spin-statistics theorem. With a confidence level of 100 billion to one, they found that photons really are perfect bosons.

New 'fix' for cosmic clocks could help uncover ripples in space-time

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:09:09 EDT

Scientists have developed a promising new technique which could turn pulsars -- superb natural cosmic clocks -- into even more accurate time-keepers. This important advance could improve the search for gravitational waves and help studies into the origins of the universe.

Quantum gas in free fall: Bose-Einstein condensate at zero gravity

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:27:27 EDT

Physicists have produced a Bose-Einstein condensate at zero gravity -- a step towards extremely sensitive quantum sensors for gravitation.

Our universe at home within a larger universe? So suggests physicist's wormhole research

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:26:26 EDT

Could our universe be located within the interior of a wormhole which itself is part of a black hole that lies within a much larger universe?

No 'simple theory of everything' inside the enigmatic E8, researcher says

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:23:23 EDT

The "exceptionally simple theory of everything," proposed by surfing physicist Garrett Lisi, does not hold water, according to some mathematicians. Centered on the elegant E8 structure, they use linear algebra and proving theorems to translate the physics into math, and show that Lisi's formulas don't work, while also demonstrating flaws in a class of related theories.