New research shows the hidden challenges facing religious scientists - Rice University

Some quantum systems are so complex that even the most powerful supercomputers struggle to simulate their behavior. One solution is quantum simulation: building a controllable quantum system in the lab and tuning it to mimic the one researchers want to understand.

In optical fibers, chips and other light-guiding devices, minor defects can scatter photons and disrupt their path. A new study demonstrates a way to reveal properties which, in certain systems, help light wave behavior withstand such flaws. The method could help speed up the search for new kinds of electronics and optical technologies, and contribute to more reliable quantum devices.

Whether we are waiting for a car windshield to defrost in winter or a warm drink to cool down, how long it takes for an object to settle into a stable, even temperature within its environment (thermal equilibrium) depends on numerous factors. These can include surface area, the material properties of an object and airflow.

Roman is designed to return about 1.4 terabytes of data daily, with observations becoming publicly available after processing. A collaboration of roughly 900 astronomers is preparing to search those observations for planets, black holes and cosmic explosions. The telescope’s surveys could sharpen measurements of dark energy, but their major discoveries still lie ahead. A distant star briefly brightens. A supernova appears in a galaxy. Somewhere else, an unseen object bends passing starlight. NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is designed to capture such changes across crowded stretches of sky, then make its observations available for others to investigate. The challenge will be keeping up. Roman is expected to return about 1.4 terabytes of data daily during operations. Jessica Lu, an astronomy associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and David Weinberg of Ohio State University have organized a collaboration of roughly 900 astronomers to prepare. Their effort connects two ambitions: finding unusual objects in the Milky Way and understanding why the universe’s expansion is accelerating.

For the first time, scientists have observed bleached corals on the brink of death fully recover through brief contact with healthy clones. Ghostly white corals returned to full health in a laboratory setting within seven weeks, the fastest documented recovery to date, according to a study published in Science Advances.

Hamilton showed that, no matter how daunting the obstacles, there are few problems we can't solve.