All articles tagged with #quantum electrodynamics
Using IXPE X-ray polarization data and Parkes radio constraints for magnetar 1E 1547.0−5408, researchers find polarization consistent with vacuum birefringence predicted by quantum electrodynamics, marking the strongest evidence to date that empty space behaves like a birefringent medium in ultra-strong magnetic fields—though not a final proof and tied to geometry and models.
Astronomers using multiple instruments observed magnetar 1E 1547.0−5408 and found polarization patterns consistent with vacuum birefringence, a quantum-electrodynamics effect where light splits in polarization under extreme magnetic fields. The result, aligning with Heisenberg–Euler predictions, provides strong observational evidence that empty space can modify light’s speed and polarization in ultra-strong magnetic environments, one of the clearest demonstrations of quantum vacuum properties to date.
Observations of a highly magnetic magnetar (1E 1547-5408) with NASA’s IXPE show X-ray polarization nearly three times higher than typical neutron-star emission and aligned with the star’s magnetic field, providing the strongest evidence yet that vacuum birefringence occurs—empty space acting like a prism under extreme magnetic fields. This long-predicted quantum effect, rooted in Heisenberg and Euler’s work from 1936, tests quantum electrodynamics in nature’s most extreme laboratories and motivates future missions (e.g., GoSOX) to confirm the finding.
Astronomers observing magnetar 1E 1547.0–5408 with IXPE and NICER detected strong X-ray polarization aligned with the star's magnetic field, matching predictions for vacuum birefringence, a long-predicted quantum electrodynamics effect where empty space behaves like a birefringent medium under extreme magnetic fields. While this could be the first direct test of the effect, researchers caution that other magnetar processes could mimic the signal and more data are needed to confirm the finding.
Two new measurements (Nature and PRL) yield a proton radius of about 0.84 femtometers, consistent with the 2010 muonic-hydrogen result and with electron-based experiments and theory, effectively resolving the proton-radius puzzle and finding no evidence for physics beyond the Standard Model.
Researchers led by Dr. Benjamin Yuen at the University of Birmingham have defined the precise shape of a single photon for the first time, marking a significant advancement in quantum physics. Published in Physical Review Letters, the study provides a visual representation of a photon and enhances understanding of photon emission and interaction with the environment. This breakthrough could revolutionize nanophotonic technologies, impacting fields like secure communication, pathogen detection, and quantum computing by enabling engineered light-matter interactions.
Researchers have found a correspondence between the spectrum of elementary excitations of a quantum spin liquid (QSL) and a quantum field theory, suggesting the possibility of testing particle physics theories with condensed-matter systems. The study focused on a well-studied QSL model, the Heisenberg J1 − J2 triangular antiferromagnet, and found a one-to-one correspondence with quantum electrodynamics in two spatial dimensions plus time (QED3). This discovery opens the prospect of detecting hypothetical elementary particles, such as magnetic monopoles, in a real QSL, and further research is needed to understand how QED3 excitations manifest in the physical response of the frustrated antiferromagnet and its stability to physical perturbations.
German researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) are planning to conduct the first-ever experiments in 2024 to directly measure quantum flickering in an empty vacuum. If successful, the experiments could confirm the existence of quantum energy in the vacuum or potentially lead to the discovery of new laws of nature. The researchers will use an ultra-powerful laser to manipulate vacuum fluctuations and change the polarization of an X-ray flash, aiming to detect the presence of quantum flickering. The experiments may also reveal the existence of axions, exotic "ghost" particles, or uncover previously unknown laws of nature.
Astrophysicist Dong Lai proposes that a quantum electrodynamics effect called "photon metamorphosis" explains the observed X-ray polarization from a magnetar, a neutron star with a strong magnetic field. Lai's theory suggests that X-ray photons passing through the magnetar's magnetized atmosphere can temporarily transform into pairs of virtual electrons and positrons, resulting in different polarizations for low and high-energy X-rays. This phenomenon, known as vacuum birefringence, provides insights into the behavior of matter in extreme conditions and helps scientists understand the nature of magnetars and neutron stars.
Scientists have successfully conducted a proof-of-principle experiment to verify strong-field quantum electrodynamics within exotic atoms. By measuring the energy spectrum of muonic characteristic X-rays emitted from muonic atoms using a sophisticated X-ray detector, they were able to verify contributions from vacuum polarization in strong-field quantum electrodynamics with a high precision of 5.8%. This achievement marks a significant advancement in the verification of key physical laws and has potential applications in various research areas.
The remnants surrounding the supernova leftovers of Cassiopeia A may contain a highly magnetized neutron star, or magnetar, and quantum activity never seen before. The first-ever measurement of the polarization of X-rays around a magnetar showed that lower energy X-rays were polarized at 180 degrees to the high-energy X-rays. "Photon metamorphosis," an element of quantum electrodynamics, may be able to explain the weird behavior of X-rays around magnetars. The study of neutron stars helps scientists better understand the physics of matter in conditions that couldn't ever be simulated ever on Earth, meaning it adds to our understanding of the universe's beauty and diversity.
An international team of researchers, including the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, has conducted a proof-of-principle experiment to verify strong-field quantum electrodynamics with exotic atoms. The team performed high-precision measurements of the energy spectrum of muonic characteristic X-rays emitted from muonic atoms using a state-of-the-art X-ray detector. The highly efficient and accurate X-ray energy determination method using state-of-the-art quantum technology demonstrated in this research is expected to be applied to various research fields, such as non-destructive elemental analysis methods using muonic atoms.
Scientists have observed a "beautiful effect" predicted by quantum electrodynamics (QED) that explains the first observations of polarized X-rays emitted by a magnetar, a neutron star with a powerful magnetic field. The phenomenon can be naturally explained as a result of "photon metamorphosis" - a transformation of X-ray photons that has been theorized but never directly observed. The research builds on calculations incorporating observations NASA reported last November of the magnetar 4U 0142+61, located 13,000 light-years away in the Cassiopeia constellation.