Quantum vacuum effect glimpsed in magnetar's magnetic field

Magnetar observations may reveal first evidence of vacuum birefringence Researchers studying magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 detected X-ray polarization patterns consistent with vacuum birefringence, a quantum electrodynamics prediction that empty space can alter light's behavior in extreme magnetic fields. If confirmed, this would be the first direct evidence of the effect, published in Nature. 12

Cygnus X-3 becomes highest-energy gamma-ray source known China's LHAASO observatory detected ultra-high-energy gamma rays from the binary system Cygnus X-3, showing it accelerates particles to at least 30 PeV. The emission follows a 4.8-hour cycle and correlates with lower-energy GeV activity, revealing an extreme cosmic-ray accelerator within the Milky Way. 3

Quantum entanglement survives 38 miles of noisy above-ground fiber NIST researchers successfully transmitted entangled photons across 62 kilometers of existing fiber-optic cabling strung between street-side poles, exposed to wind, temperature swings, and traffic vibrations. The demonstration, published in the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, is a major step toward practical quantum networks. 4

ALICE finds gluons behaving collectively inside atomic nuclei New measurements from CERN's ALICE experiment provide the first multidimensional view of incoherent J/ψ photonuclear production, distinguishing between gluon saturation and conventional nuclear shadowing. The results, published in Physical Review Letters, offer a detailed picture of how gluons are distributed inside nuclei at high energies. 5

JWST finds water-altered clay on Neptune's inner moons and rings Webb detected magnesium-rich phyllosilicates on Larissa, Galatea, and Neptune's rings, minerals that form when rock is altered by liquid water. The finding suggests these small moons are rubble from much larger primordial satellites destroyed when the captured moon Triton tore through Neptune's original system. 6

Galactic archaeologists pinpoint ancient merger that built the Milky Way Using precise ages of dense star clusters, astronomers led by Davide Massari determined when the Gaia–Sausage–Enceladus galaxy merged with the young Milky Way, its mass, and its evolution. The study, published in Nature Astronomy, sharpens our understanding of the galaxy's formative first few billion years. 7

MIT engineers wire bacteria into living transistors and circuits Researchers engineered bacterial colonies that function as switches controlling the flow of small molecules, creating 'living circuit boards' printed on Petri dishes. The biological circuits can perform complicated calculations, opening new possibilities for biocomputing. 8

New method converts factory CO2 to fuel feedstock without purification An international team developed an organic solvent mixture of dimethyl sulfide and acetonitrile that selectively converts carbon dioxide from industrial flue gas into carbon monoxide, even in the presence of oxygen. Published in Nature Communications, the approach could make carbon capture and conversion far more economical. 9

Physicists rebuild fluid theory from symmetries, going beyond Navier-Stokes A 20-year effort has produced a new theory of fluids built from fundamental symmetries, showing the Navier-Stokes equations emerge as a consequence. The modern framework predicts new behaviors stemming from microscopic particle motions, redefining what it means to be a fluid. 10

Shortcut for simulating logical magic states could speed quantum computer design Researchers have found a faster way to simulate logical magic states, a key resource for fault-tolerant quantum computing. The shortcut could accelerate the design and optimization of error-corrected quantum computers. 11