More Like this

1. Atomic Physics Studies at the Gamma Factory at CERN

   https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.202000204  

   Budker, Dmitry; Crespo López‐Urrutia, José R.; Derevianko, Andrei; Flambaum, Victor V.; Krasny, Mieczyslaw Witold; Petrenko, Alexey; Pustelny, Szymon; Surzhykov, Andrey; Yerokhin, Vladimir A.; Zolotorev, Max (January 2020, Annalen der Physik)

   The Gamma Factory initiative proposes to develop novel research tools at CERN by producing, accelerating, and storing highly relativistic, partially stripped ion beams in the SPS and LHC storage rings. By exciting the electronic degrees of freedom of the stored ions with lasers, high‐energy narrow‐band photon beams will be produced by properly collimating the secondary radiation that is peaked in the direction of ions' propagation. Their intensities, up to 1017 photons per second, will be several orders of magnitude higher than those of the presently operating light sources in the particularly interesting γ–ray energy domain reaching up to 400 MeV. This article reviews opportunities that may be afforded by utilizing the primary beams for spectroscopy of partially stripped ions circulating in the storage ring, as well as the atomic‐physics opportunities made possible by the use of the secondary high‐energy photon beams. The Gamma Factory will enable ground‐breaking experiments in spectroscopy and novel ways of testing fundamental symmetries of nature. 

   more » « less
2. Buried at Sea

   https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican122024-7eyo5ikLOZe2H1hkN6IvYQ  

   Palter, Jaime B (December 2024, Scientific American)

   Fischetti, Mark (Ed.)
3. Spiking at the edge: Excitability at interfaces in reaction–diffusion systems

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2307996120  

   Scheibner, Colin; Ori, Hillel; Cohen, Adam E; Vitelli, Vincenzo (January 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Excitable media, ranging from bioelectric tissues and chemical oscillators to forest fires and competing populations, are nonlinear, spatially extended systems capable of spiking. Most investigations of excitable media consider situations where the amplifying and suppressing forces necessary for spiking coexist at every point in space. In this case, spikes arise due to local bistabilities, which require a fine-tuned ratio between local amplification and suppression strengths. But, in nature and engineered systems, these forces can be segregated in space, forming structures like interfaces and boundaries. Here, we show how boundaries can generate and protect spiking when the reacting components can spread out: Even arbitrarily weak diffusion can cause spiking at the edge between two non-excitable media. This edge spiking arises due to a global bistability, which can occur even if amplification and suppression strengths do not allow spiking when mixed. We analytically derive a spiking phase diagram that depends on two parameters: i) the ratio between the system size and the characteristic diffusive length-scale and ii) the ratio between the amplification and suppression strengths. Our analysis explains recent experimental observations of action potentials at the interface between two non-excitable bioelectric tissues. Beyond electrophysiology, we highlight how edge spiking emerges in predator–prey dynamics and in oscillating chemical reactions. Our findings provide a theoretical blueprint for a class of interfacial excitations in reaction–diffusion systems, with potential implications for spatially controlled chemical reactions, nonlinear waveguides and neuromorphic computation, as well as spiking instabilities, such as cardiac arrhythmias, that naturally occur in heterogeneous biological media. 

   more » « less
4. Categorical symmetries at criticality

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-5468/ac08fe  

   Wu, Xiao-Chuan; Ji, Wenjie; Xu, Cenke (July 2021, Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment)
5. Navigating Gender at Sea

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2023AV000927  

   McMonigal, Kay; Evans, Natalya; Jones, Dani; Brett, Jay; James, Reece C.; Arroyo, Mar C.; Gong, A‐bel Y.; Miller, Elizabeth C.; Kelly, Colette; Middleton, Jule; et al (August 2023, AGU Advances)

   Fieldwork, including work done at sea, is a key component of many geoscientists' careers. Recent studies have highlighted the pervasive harassment faced by women and LGBTQ+ people during fieldwork. However, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) scientists face obstacles which have not yet been thoroughly examined. We fill this gap by sharing our experiences as TGD people. We have experienced sexual harassment, misconduct, privacy issues, and legal and medical struggles as we conduct seagoing work. In this work, we provide recommendations for individuals, cruise leaders, and institutions for making seagoing work safer for our communities. 

   more » « less