Fysik & material
Researchers have discovered that computer models of how electricity flows through materials miss crucial physics — complex interactions between electrons that only show up in precise measurements. The finding affects how engineers design better semiconductors and could improve predictions for emerging quantum devices and high-temperature superconductors.EN
Researchers have replaced a toxic tin-based manufacturing process for semiconductors with a cleaner alternative that produces materials with identical performance. The breakthrough could reduce environmental hazards in electronics production while maintaining the electrical properties needed for next-generation phones and computing devices.EN
Researchers have demonstrated that direct-injection hydrogen engines can operate at very lean fuel-air ratios by carefully controlling how the fuel mixture forms inside the cylinder. The finding could help automakers and energy companies overcome a key technical barrier to hydrogen combustion engines as a cleaner alternative to battery-electric vehicles.EN
Scientists have developed a process to convert standard paper-grade chemical pulps into highly reactive cellulose, potentially opening new applications in biochemicals and materials. The advance could reshape how paper mills repurpose their feedstock and compete in higher-value markets beyond traditional paper products.EN
An international team searched for ghostly neutrinos from colliding neutron stars using the world's most sensitive detector and found nothing—a null result that reshapes expectations for multimessenger astronomy. The finding suggests either these cosmic collisions emit far fewer high-energy neutrinos than theorists predicted, or detection requires radically more sensitive instruments to develop next-generation gravitational wave science.EN
Researchers who gained first access to the 1957 Nobel Prize selection records have uncovered the real reason Chien-Shiung Wu, the Chinese-American physicist who experimentally verified parity violation, was excluded from the award. The finding raises uncomfortable questions about recognition bias in science's highest honors and how institutional decisions shape scientific history.EN
Pulserad elektronkemisk ångdeposition möjliggör järnfilmer med betydligt lägre kolhalt än tidigare metoder — en framsteg som kan öka efterfrågan på lågtemperaturkemiskdepositionssystem för metallytbeläggningar. Teknikens centrala fördel är att plasmafria elektroner driver reduktionen av järnföreningar istället för att kräva reaktiva gaserna, vilket eliminerar många föroreningar. Forskare vid Linköpings universitet demonstrerar att pulsering minskar kolinnehållet från cirka 32 procent vid kontinuerlig process till cirka 10 procent. Järnandelen ökar motsvarande från 27 till 38 procent. De testar två prekursorer — ferrocen och en järnamidinatförening — och tillskriver förbättringarna till minskade plasmareaktioner i gasvolymen när processer pausas mellan cykler. För leverantörer av beläggningsutrustning och metallkomponenttillverkare öppnar metoden vägar mot renare filmsamlingar vid rumstemperatur, relevant för elektronik och känsliga substratlager där värmetålighet är begränsad.
**XPS-analyser av tunnfilmer kräver omvärdering av laddningsförskjutningar** Röntgeninducerad ledningsförmåga förklarar varför ytladdning blir problematisk vid XPS-analys av isolatorer — en mekanismsom industrin hittills undervärderat vid materialkarakterisering. Forskare vid Linköpings universitet demonstrerade effekten på volframtrioxid-tunnfilmer (1–5000 nm tjocklek). När filmerna är tunnare än röntgenabsorptionslängden skapar röntgenstrålningen elektronhålpar i hela oxiden, vilket motverkar laddningsuppbyggnad. Vid tjockare skikt faller ledningsförmågan till intrinsiska nivåer som är för låga för att kompensera fotoemission — då uppstår måtbara laddningsförskjutningar. Genom att variera provinställningen bekräftades att röntgenindidensen direkt påverkar topografiska förskjutningar. Resultaten innebär att materialutvecklare kan minska eller eliminera mätartefakter genom att aktivt välja filmtjocklek, röntgenenergi och strålvinkel — vilket förbättrar diagnostik för oxidiska och keramiska komponenter utan kostnadskrävande kalibrering.
Researchers discovered that a quantum material called FeSn can be manipulated using spin currents more efficiently than previously thought possible, opening a potential path to faster, cheaper computer processors and storage devices. The finding could reduce the energy consumption of next-generation electronics by eliminating the need for conventional magnetic fields to control data.EN
Researchers found that adding the right kind of noise to fluid equations on spheres mimics friction without distorting other properties—a finding that could improve weather forecasts and climate models. The discovery offers a practical shortcut for simulating complex planetary flows where computing power is limited.EN
Researchers have developed a sunlight-based manufacturing process for organic semiconductors that eliminates toxic chemicals and works on skin, fabrics, and other biological surfaces. The breakthrough could dramatically lower production costs and enable direct-to-body device manufacturing, opening new markets in neural monitoring, biosensing, and wearable electronics.EN
Researchers have created glowing molecular tags that stick to actin — the protein that controls cell structure and movement — without disrupting its function. The breakthrough could accelerate drug development by letting scientists see exactly how experimental compounds affect cellular mechanics, potentially speeding therapies for cancer and neurological disease.EN
Researchers have developed an AI system that can design viable multi-step chemical synthesis routes for 92% of target compounds, matching the quality of patented industrial processes. The breakthrough could accelerate drug discovery and manufacturing by automating a task that currently consumes months of expert chemist labor.EN
A detailed study of Stockholm's historic transit telescope reveals that precision astronomy depended less on individual tools than on carefully choreographed networks of clocks, buildings, and trained observers working in sync. The finding reshapes how museums and heritage institutions preserve scientific equipment—and offers lessons for modern labs where instrument reliability matters.EN
Neutron star observations hint at pressure imbalances that fundamental physics cannot yet explain, suggesting either unknown physics or exotic matter lurks inside them. The finding matters for space agencies and defense contractors building next-generation gravitational wave detectors that could resolve the puzzle.EN
Physicists have found that dense molecular clouds can act as detectors for some of the universe's most elusive dark matter particles. The method sets the strongest limits yet on a category of ultralight dark matter and could guide telescope observations and fund allocation for dark matter research programs.EN
Physicists have mapped how stellar rotation changes neutrino emissions from dying massive stars, potentially unlocking a new way to detect invisible particles and measure cosmic distances. The finding could sharpen how scientists use future supernova observations to answer fundamental questions about neutrino properties—opening commercial opportunities in detector technology and astrophysical forecasting.EN
Researchers have developed a new palladium-catalyzed method that builds complex ring-shaped molecules with precise stereochemistry—a key requirement for pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. The breakthrough uses a clever workaround to combine two notoriously difficult chemical operations in one step, potentially accelerating drug discovery timelines and reducing manufacturing costs.EN
Physicists have proven that higher-dimensional braneworld models—a leading framework for reconciling string theory with cosmology—cannot produce the accelerating universe we observe without invoking exotic negative-mass matter. The finding tightens constraints on viable paths to unifying fundamental physics, potentially redirecting billions in theoretical research priorities.EN
Scientists using IceCube found that high-energy muons from cosmic rays match predictions, but low-energy muons don't—exposing a crack in widely used physics simulations. The discrepancy could reshape how researchers model particle interactions, affecting cosmic ray studies and potentially detector designs across the field.EN
Researchers have decoded the gravitational wave signatures produced by core-collapse supernovae, creating a detailed blueprint for detecting these cosmic events. The work could improve how scientists identify and study distant stellar explosions, with practical implications for gravitational wave observatories like LIGO that are racing to catch these elusive signals.EN
Researchers using the IceCube neutrino detector in Antarctica have tightened measurements of ultra-high-energy cosmic neutrinos, finding the universe's most powerful astrophysical objects may emit less extreme particles than some models predict. The findings could reshape how scientists search for and interpret signals from supernovae, black holes, and other cosmic events—refining the next generation of space-observation instruments.EN
The Euclid mission's optical system is performing as designed after its first year in orbit, confirming that its ability to map dark matter through gravitational lensing will deliver on promises to reshape cosmology. This validation matters to space agencies and research institutions betting billions on next-generation observatories—it's proof that rigorous engineering predictions can survive the harsh realities of space.EN
Researchers at CERN have separated, for the first time, how different types of quarks interact with Z bosons—fundamental particles that carry the weak nuclear force. The finding tests the limits of current physics theory and could reveal new particles or forces lurking beyond what we can currently detect.EN
Scientists have demonstrated superconductivity in a single-layer cobalt selenide material operating at 27 Kelvin (−246°C) using a chemically treated strontium titanate substrate. The breakthrough could accelerate development of higher-temperature superconductors for power grids, computing, and quantum devices—technologies currently hampered by extreme cooling requirements.EN