Scientists See Quantum Interference between Different Kinds of Particles for First Time

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January 12, 2023

Dear Reader,   This week, we’re zooming in on a never-before-seen facet of the quantum world. Our lead story details new work from scientists using the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y. While using RHIC to map the inscrutable innards of atomic nuclei, the researchers managed to also observe something else for the very first time: quantum interference between two different kinds of subatomic particles. After wrapping your head around that one, read this week’s other featured stories, which include the discovery of a mysterious object near the Andromeda galaxy, the privacy-breaking perils of quantum computing, and more.

Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space & Physics

Particle Physics Scientists See Quantum Interference between Different Kinds of Particles for First Time A newly discovered interaction related to quantum entanglement between dissimilar particles opens a new window into the nuclei of atoms By Stephanie Pappas

Astronomy A Recently Discovered Gas Cloud Near Andromeda Stumps Astronomers Clues to the origin of this enormous cloud of gas have been maddeningly vague By Phil Plait

Quantum Computing Are Quantum Computers about to Break Online Privacy? A new algorithm is probably not efficient enough to crack current encryption keys—but that’s no reason for complacency, researchers say By Davide Castelvecchi,Nature magazine

Astronomy Audio Astronomy Unlocks a Universe of Sound Turning astronomical data into sound rather than images can inspire blind and visually impaired people—and maybe lead to some discoveries, too By Timmy Broderick

Planetary Science Volcanic Activity on Mars Upends Red Planet Assumptions A mass of moving material on Mars called a mantle plume may be causing marsquakes and volcanism By Phil Plait

Astrophysics All the Gold in the Universe Was (Likely) Created This Way For a long time, no one knew how “heavy metals” formed—or showed up on Earth. Now some new evidence finally points the way to an answer. By Jason Drakeford,Clara Moskowitz,Jeffery DelViscio

Cosmology How Star Collisions Forge the Universe's Heaviest Elements Scientists have new evidence about how cosmic cataclysms forge gold, platinum and other heavy members of the periodic table By Sanjana Curtis

FROM THE STORE Special Editions Volume 31, Issue 4s

QUOTE OF THE DAY "What's so wonderful is that these contemporary experiments are still pushing the boundaries of our understanding of both quantum mechanics and measurement, and opening up new horizons for both theory and experiment." Jordan Cotler, a physicist and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, on groundbreaking efforts to probe the interiors of atomic nuclei.

FROM THE ARCHIVE Galaxy Collisions Preview Milky Way's Fate New revelations about how galaxies collide show what might happen when our galaxy meets Andromeda By Aaron S. Evans,Lee Armus | December 2021

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