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Soft Matter news
Breaking the ice: Molecular insights into saltwater droplet freezing
In a new study, researchers have observed the freezing of saltwater droplets at a molecular level, offering new insights for de-icing and anti-icing technologies. Contrary to conventional wisdom, these droplets don't conform ...
Research suggests how turbulence can be used to generate patterns
The turbulent motion of a tumbling river or the outflow from a jet engine is chaotic: that is, it contains no obvious pattern.
General Physics
Mar 20, 2024
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Breakthrough in melting point prediction: 100-year-old physics problem solved
A longstanding problem in physics has finally been cracked by Professor Kostya Trachenko of Queen Mary University of London's School of Physical and Chemical Sciences. His research, published in Physical Review E, unveils ...
General Physics
Mar 18, 2024
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A theory linking ignition with flame provides roadmap to better combustion engines
In a study published on January 18, 2024 in the journal Physics of Fluids, researchers from Tohoku University theoretically linked ignition and deflagration in a combustion system, unlocking new configurations for stable, ...
General Physics
Mar 14, 2024
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212
You didn't see it coming: New research shows turbulent flows can be caused by minute triggers
We experience turbulence every day: a gust of wind, water gushing down a river, or mid-flight bumps on an airplane.
General Physics
Mar 12, 2024
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Dolphin-kick swimming maximizes water-flow utilization with increasing speed, researchers find
Researchers from University of Tsukuba investigated the propulsion mechanism by visualizing water flow around a swimmer during underwater dolphin-kick swimming in a water channel via particle image velocimetry. Their findings ...
General Physics
Mar 12, 2024
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A 3D view into chaos: Researchers visualize temperature-driven turbulence in liquid metal for the first time
Experiments with liquid metals could not only lead to exciting insights into geophysical and astrophysical flow phenomena, such as atmospheric disturbances at the rim of the sun or the flow in the Earth's outer core, but ...
General Physics
Mar 11, 2024
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Cicadas' unique urination unlocks new understanding of fluid dynamics
Cicadas are the soundtrack of summer, but their pee is more special than their music. Rather than sprinkling droplets, they emit jets of urine from their small frames. For years, Georgia Tech researchers have wanted to understand ...
Soft Matter
Mar 11, 2024
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Dancing droplets' new spin on water harvesting
A more efficient way to capture fresh water from the air could be inspired by a phenomenon of motion first glimpsed in bowls of breakfast cereal.
General Physics
Mar 7, 2024
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Researchers uncover new principle of motion in liquid crystals
A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled for the first time a new principle of motion in the microworld, where objects can move in a directed manner simply by changing their sizes periodically within a substance ...
Soft Matter
Mar 6, 2024
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161
New soft magnetic materials for a high-frequency future
Imagine tiny magnets powering our world, silently switching energy on and off in phones, cars, and even power grids. These unsung heroes are called soft magnetic materials. However, as devices become faster and more efficient, ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 5, 2024
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A key to the future of robots could be hiding in liquid crystals
Robots and cameras of the future could be made of liquid crystals, thanks to a new discovery that significantly expands the potential of the chemicals already common in computer displays and digital watches.
Condensed Matter
Mar 4, 2024
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Beyond the ink: Painting with physics
Falling from the tip of a brush suspended in mid-air, an ink droplet touches a painted surface and blossoms into a masterpiece of ever-changing beauty. It weaves a tapestry of intricate, evolving patterns. Some of them resemble ...
Soft Matter
Mar 4, 2024
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Researchers offer theoretical description of topological water wave structures
Topological wave structures are wave patterns that exhibit specific topological properties, or in other words, properties that remain unvaried under smooth deformations of a physical system. These structures, such as vortices ...
A new theoretical development clarifies water's electronic structure
There is no doubt that water is significant. Without it, life would never have begun, let alone continue today—not to mention its role in the environment itself, with oceans covering over 70% of Earth.
General Physics
Feb 26, 2024
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Uncovering the physics of how electrons screen against conductivity-killer in organic semiconductors
California's Silicon Valley and Utah's Silicon Slopes are named for the element most associated with semiconductors, the backbone of the computer revolution. Anything computerized or electronic depends on semiconductors, ...
Condensed Matter
Feb 15, 2024
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A first in the lab: A tiny network of microparticles that is both strong and flexible
Daniela Kraft's group has succeeded in creating a network of microparticles that is both strong and completely flexible. This may sound simple, yet they are the first in the world to succeed in doing so. The achievement represents ...
Soft Matter
Feb 15, 2024
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How measuring Reynolds similitude in superfluids could help demonstrate existence of quantum viscosity
Every fluid—from Earth's atmosphere to blood pumping through the human body—has viscosity, a quantifiable characteristic describing how the fluid will deform when it encounters some other matter. If the viscosity is higher, ...
Soft Matter
Jan 30, 2024
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How does a 'reverse sprinkler' work? Researchers solve decades-old physics puzzle
For decades scientists have been trying to solve Feynman's Sprinkler Problem: How does a sprinkler running in reverse—in which the water flows into the device rather than out of it—work? Through a series of experiments, ...
General Physics
Jan 29, 2024
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Supercomputers shine new light on ocean turbulence
As an ocean wave laps up against a beach, it contains innumerable swirls and eddies. The seawater forms complex patterns at each level, from the waves that surfers catch to ripples too small and fast for the human eye to ...
General Physics
Jan 26, 2024
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