All articles tagged with #interferometry
Vienna and Duisburg-Essen researchers show that sodium nanoparticle clusters (~8 nm, >170,000 amu) can exhibit quantum interference, existing in a superposition as they pass through three UV-laser diffraction gratings. Achieving a macroscopicity value of μ = 15.5, the experiment extends quantum behavior toward larger scales and opens the door to studying bigger particles and precision sensing.
Researchers propose a Moon–Earth radio telescope network that could reach sub‑microarcsecond resolution, enabling direct shadows of dozens of supermassive black holes. Six strong targets are identified (including M104 and NGC 1052); a 100‑meter lunar dish paired with Earth baselines could detect all 31 candidates, with far‑side sites offering radio‑quiet observations. The approach relies on visibility data rather than traditional images and remains a decades‑long pursuit, but could greatly advance tests of general relativity and black hole imaging beyond current capabilities.
Researchers demonstrate quantum interference of sodium clusters containing thousands of atoms (mass >170 kDa) in a near-field Talbot–Lau interferometer using three UV gratings, achieving fringe visibilities that align with quantum predictions and yielding a macroscopicity value of μ = 15.5—the highest reported to date. This shows the quantum superposition principle persists at this unprecedented mass/size and provides a platform to test macrorealist modifications of quantum mechanics, with future work aiming to reach even larger masses (MDa range) as experimental techniques improve.
Astronomers using the CHARA Array and other telescopes captured real-time images of two novae (V1674 Herculis and V1405 Cassiopeiae), revealing complex, multi-stage gas outflows and gamma-ray emissions—showing that nova explosions are not single blasts and linking surface nuclear processes to the geometry of ejected material and high-energy radiation.
Physicists in Vienna demonstrated the largest quantum superposition yet by placing clusters of about 7,000 sodium atoms (≈8 nm across) into spatially distinct paths that interfere, showing that sizeable objects can exhibit wave-like behavior and informing the quantum‑classical boundary for future quantum technologies.
High-resolution CHARA Array images of 2021 novae V1674 Herculis and V1405 Cassiopeiae reveal complex, jet-driven eruptions in binary white-dwarf systems, including perpendicular outflows and a delayed ejection likely tied to a common-envelope phase. The gamma-ray signals observed by NASA’s Fermi coincide with internal shocks in the debris, linking surface nuclear reactions to high-energy radiation and challenging the idea of novae as simple spherical shells. These findings, published in Nature Astronomy, position novae as natural laboratories for extreme physics.
Scientists using the CHARA Array’s near-infrared interferometry captured high‑resolution images of two novae (V1674 Herculis and V1405 Cassiopeiae), showing non‑spherical, interacting ejecta and fast/slow evolution, with a gamma-ray connection that challenges the idea of a single impulsive explosion.
The James Webb Space Telescope’s interferometric imaging provides the sharpest view yet of Circinus galaxy’s center, revealing that the infrared glow around its supermassive black hole mainly originates from the dusty accretion disk feeding the hole rather than outflows, a finding that sheds light on how such black holes grow and influence their host galaxies.
Webb’s Aperture Masking Interferometer on NIRISS allowed a high‑contrast look at Circinus’ core, yielding the sharpest view yet of a black hole’s surroundings. The study finds roughly 87% of the near‑infrared emission comes from hot dust near the black hole’s torus rather than from outflows, overturning decades of models that emphasized outflows. This marks the first extragalactic infrared interferometry in space and demonstrates Webb’s ability to double effective resolution in a focused region, offering a technique to study other bright black holes and build a broader picture of accretion versus outflow contributions.
Scientists in China have developed a device using laser interferometry that can read text from nearly a mile away, raising significant privacy and security concerns due to its potential for surveillance and misuse, with future enhancements likely involving AI to improve accuracy and applications.
NASA is planning to establish a lunar Long-Baseline Optical Imaging Interferometer (LBI) on the moon's far side as part of the Artemis Program, which aims to create a sustained program of lunar exploration and development. The proposed array, known as the Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI), could take detailed images of stellar surfaces and their environments, leveraging the moon's "radio quiet" environment and extended periods of darkness. The facility's construction and maintenance will address key engineering concerns and could lead to advancements in astrophysics, public engagement, and inspire future generations of STEAM workers.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has achieved a significant breakthrough by surpassing the standard quantum limit for signals in its detectors. LIGO uses interferometry to detect gravitational waves, and by optimizing the trade-off between amplitude and phase uncertainty through the technique of squeezed quantum states, the detection sensitivity of LIGO has improved by up to 65%. This advancement allows for the detection of mergers at greater distances and the characterization of fainter-amplitude signals. The frequency-dependent quantum squeezing technique will be implemented in LIGO's fourth observing run, along with the upgraded Virgo detector and the KAGRA gravitational wave observatory, providing a clearer window into the gravitational wave Universe.
Researchers have developed a new measurement technique using on-axis Kramers-Kronig interferometry to retrieve the spectrum of orbital angular momentum (OAM) in structured light waves. By applying the Kramers-Kronig relation, they were able to untangle the complex helical light pattern from intensity-only measurements, enabling single-shot retrieval in interferometry. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize technologies that rely on structured light, such as communication, imaging, and quantum information processing. The technique is simpler, faster, and more cost-effective than conventional methods, providing a powerful means to measure and understand OAM in structured light fields.
University of Michigan astronomers have used interferometry to capture the most detailed images of the inner region of a planet-forming disk around a young, massive star called V1295 Aquilae. The images show unexpected moving structures and confirm mysterious inner emissions reported in previous studies. The findings raise more questions about the early stages of planet formation and demonstrate the power of interferometry to perform cutting edge science at a fraction of the price of space telescopes.
China's Miyin project aims to construct an array of telescopes in deep space to search for habitable planets orbiting other stars. The project envisions sending four light-collecting telescopes and a beam combiner to Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2. The spacecraft will use interferometric techniques to provide high angular resolution mid-infrared observations to directly image and characterize exoplanets around stars up to 65 light-years away. The project is still in the development phase, but current plans map out on-orbit technology demonstrations in 2024, followed by interferometry experiments conducted aboard the Tiangong space station a year later.