Daily Archives: September 17, 2021

Matter that is both solid and liquid helps classical physics advance – Innovation Origins

Posted: September 17, 2021 at 9:03 pm

There are some inventions that do not have a major impact on our daily lives until much later. Like the invention that you could use to store information on a disc with pits and bumps and read it with a laser. Thats when the CD was born. Last month, Austrian scientists managed to make quantum matter (read the IO article here) that can be both a liquid and a solid. The practical application is still some time away. But it could have a major impact on the development of new materials.

The Innsbruck research team managed to form a crystal and a superfluid at the same time. Superfluids are liquids that flow without any resistance. The experiment was based on magnetic atoms and an ultracold quantum gas, called the Bose Einstein condensate. This is what is created when a gas is cooled to just above absolute zero (minus 273 degrees Celsius).

Also interesting: Relationship discovered between quantum physics and spacetime

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In everyday life, we can only observe three states of aggregation: gaseous, liquid and solid. Substances change their state of aggregation, for example, by changing temperature. Usually substances are solid at low temperatures and gaseous at high temperatures. But if you take a highly diluted gas and cool it down in an extreme way, it becomes neither liquid nor solid, but remains gaseous.

Despite this, the particles do lose more and more energy. Below a certain critical temperature, the quantum properties of these particles become so dominant that what is known as a Bose-Einstein condensate is formed. In this condensate, the individual atoms are completely delocalized. This means that the same atom is present at any point in the condensate at any given time. Consequently, Bose-Einstein condensates are also superfluids.

Francesca Ferlainos team used the Bose-Einstein condensate two years ago to create one-dimensional supersolids. The researchers got magnetic atoms to organize themselves into droplets in the ultracold quantum gas and rearrange themselves as crystals. However, all particles still delocalized across all of the droplets, so the gas remained superfluid. The combination of the crystal structure with simultaneous superfluidity is called suprasolid or supersolid. Now scientists have succeeded in extending this phenomenon to two dimensions. They have managed to create systems with two or more rows of droplets.

This breakthrough significantly broadens the perspectives for research. In a two-dimensional suprasolid system, for example, it is possible to study how vortices form in the gap between several adjacent droplets. These vortices have been defined in theory but had not yet been demonstrated in practice. Yet they are an important consequence of superfluidity.

So far, vortices have only been observed in uniform superfluids and in quantized forms. A quantized vortex is basically a hole in the system, and then the superfluid circulates around this hole with a certain amount of rotation, explains Matthew Norcia of the research team. But in supersolids, the vortices should not be quantified in this way. And they should be found in low-density regions. Thats between droplets, not within a droplet where the atomic density is high.

A quantized vortex is basically a hole in the system, and then the superfluid circulates around this hole with a certain amount of rotation, Matthew Norcia

When researchers talk about quantized vortices in superfluid systems, they are talking specifically about the momentum impulse per particle. This is a unique property of the superfluid that stems from a quantum mechanical treatment of the system. Norcia: We assume that these quantum conditions are relaxed in supersolids. And in such a way that the momentum impulse per particle associated with a vortex can vary, depending on how the density of the state is modulated. So, if we look at the momentum impulse of these quantized vortices, we may have a measure of just how superfluid different supersolids are.

However, observing the phenomena of supersolids in quantum gas promises even more insights for research. This is because some important properties of supersolids can only be studied in two dimensions. For example, the rotational properties of a suprafluid can differ drastically from those of a normal fluid or a different system. Similarly, quantities such as viscosity, for which superfluids are unique, only make sense in systems with more than one dimension.

Nevertheless, these findings also help researchers explore the effects of symmetries. Norcia: When crystalline structures and superfluidity occur simultaneously in supersolids, it relates to the combination of translational and phase symmetries that are each broken in a supersolid. A comprehensive understanding of symmetries is critical to physics in general and to materials systems in particular. In this sense, studying the effects of these symmetries can help us better understand other physics systems. Both in the laboratory and in terms of practical applications.

Back in 2017, several research groups undertook similar experiments with lasers and quantum gases made up of sodium or rubidium atoms. The atoms were coupled to periodic structures excited by laser light. That is, the crystalline structure of the atom state was determined by the laser light. The result was that the supersolid that was produced was extremely rigid. This is because laser light does not support the oscillations of the crystalline structure of solids. By contrast, in the case of the magnetic atoms that the Austrian scientists used, it is the direct magnetic interaction between the atoms that causes the density to modulate. This allows the supersolid to be compress and vibrate. It is also this interaction, in combination with the drop potential, that determines the crystalline fraction.

Also interesting: Physicists develop an interface for quantum computers

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Ohio State-led QuSTEAM initiative awarded $5 million from NSF – The Ohio State University News

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A multidisciplinary, multi-institutional program led by The Ohio State University is taking the next step in its aim to develop a diverse, effective and contemporary quantum-ready workforce by revolutionizing and creating more equitable pathways to quantum science education.

QuSTEAM: Convergence Undergraduate Education in Quantum Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, was awarded a $5 million cooperative agreement over a two-year period from the National Science Foundations (NSF) Convergence Accelerator. Following QuSTEAMs initial assessment period, Phase I, the award will fund Phase IIs objective to build transformative, modular quantum science degree and certification programs.

I know from personal experience that collaboration is the key to scientific success. Working across disciplines especially when it comes to the highly complex and multidisciplinary world of quantum science research will help us more quickly harness the enormous power of this emerging field and deliver real-world results more quickly and efficiently, said Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson. As an added bonus, this project enables Ohio State to further part of its core mission, which is to educate the next generation of researchers through educational opportunities that advance diversity and workforce development.

The rapidly evolving field of quantum information science will enable technological breakthroughs and have far-reaching economic and societal impacts what researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology refer to as the second quantum revolution. Ohio State is emerging as a key leader in pushing the field forward, recently joining the Chicago Quantum Exchange, a growing intellectual hub for the research and development of quantum technology, as its first regional partner.

NSFs Convergence Accelerator is focused on accelerating solutions toward societal impact. Within three years, funded teams are to deliver high-impact results, which is fast for product development, said Douglas Maughan, head of the NSF Convergence Accelerator program. During Phase II, QuSTEAM and nine other 2020 cohort teams will participate in an Idea-to-Market curriculum to assist them in developing their solution further and to create a sustainability plan to ensure the effort provides a positive impact beyond NSF funding.

QuSTEAM is a great example of how universities and industry can work together to build the foundation for a strong, diverse workforce, said David Awschalom, the director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange andLiew Family Professor in Molecular Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago. Innovations in this field require us to provide broadly accessible quantum education, and QuSTEAM represents an ambitious approach to training in quantum engineering.

Unlocking that potential, however, also requires a foundational shift in teaching and growing a quantum-literate workforce. QuSTEAM brings together scientists and educators from over 20 universities, national laboratories, community colleges, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to develop a research-based quantum education curriculum and prepare the next generation of quantum information scientists and engineers. The initiative also has over 14 industrial partners, including GE Research, Honda and JPMorgan Chase, and collaborates with leading national research centers to help provide a holistic portrait of future workforce needs.

We have leaders in quantum information and STEM education, and both of these groups independently do good work building undergraduate curriculum, but they actually work together surprisingly rarely, said QuSTEAM lead investigator Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, professor in the Department of Physics at Ohio State. We are talking to people in industry and academia about what aspects of quantum information are most critical, what skills are needed, what workforce training looks like today and what they expect it to look like a couple years from now.

We feel strongly about the need for redesigning quantum science education, which is the objective of QuSTEAM, said Marco Pistoia, head of the Future Lab for Applied Research and Engineering (FLARE) at JPMorgan Chase. The complexity of the quantum computing stack is enabling the creation of many new job opportunities. It is crucial for quantum curricula nationwide to collectively support this multiplicity of needs, but for this to happen, quantum scientists and engineers must have the proper training. We are very excited to see the impact of QuSTEAMs work in the near and long term, considering finance is predicted to be the first industry sector to start realizing significant value from quantum computing.

QuSTEAM is headed by five Midwestern universities: lead institution Ohio State, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, all of which have partnered with local community colleges and regional partners with established transfer pipelines to engage underrepresented student populations.

The group is also collaborating with the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center to recruit faculty from its network of over 20 partner colleges and universities, as well as Argonne National Laboratory. In all, the QuSTEAM team comprises 66 faculty who share expertise in quantum information science and engineering, creative arts and social sciences, and education research.

To best develop a quantum-ready workforce, QuSTEAM identified the establishment of a common template for an undergraduate minor and associate certificate programs as the near-term priority. The team will build curricula consisting of in-person, online and hybrid courses for these degree and certification programs including initial offerings of the critical classes and modules at the respective universities while continuing to assess evolving workforce needs.

QuSTEAM plans to begin offering classes in spring 2022, with a full slate of core classes for a minor during the 2022-2023 academic year. The modular QuSTEAM curriculum will provide educational opportunities for two- and four-year institutions, minority-serving institutions and industry, while confronting and dismantling longstanding biases in STEM education.

If we want to increase diversity in quantum science, we need to really engage meaningfully with community colleges, minority-serving institutions and other small colleges and universities, Johnston-Halperin said. The traditional STEM model builds a program at an elite, R1 university and then allows the content to diffuse out from there. But historically this means designing it for a specific subset of students, and everything else is going to be a retrofit. Thats just never as effective.

QuSTEAM leverages integrated university support from faculty and staff from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning, the Institute for Materials Research, the Department of Physics and the Ohio State Office of Research.

Johnston-Halperin is joined at Ohio State by QuSTEAM co-PI Andrew Heckler, professor of physics and physics education research specialist. Other Ohio State faculty included on QuSTEAM are Daniel Gauthier, professor in the Department of Physics; Christopher Porter, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics; David Penneys, associate professor in the Department of Mathematics; Zahra Atiq, assistant professor of practice of computer science and engineering in the College of Engineering; David Delaine and Emily Dringenberg, assistant professors of engineering education in the College of Engineering; and Edward Fletcher, associate professor of educational studies in the College of Education and Human Ecology.

QuSTEAM is one of 10 teams selected for two-year, $5 million Phase II funding as part the NSF Convergence Accelerator 2020 Cohort, which supports efforts to fast-track transitions from basic research and discovery into practice, and seeks to address national-scale societal challenges. With this funding, QuSTEAM will address the challenge of developing a strong national quantum workforce by instituting high-quality, engaging courses and educational tracks that allow for students of all backgrounds and interests to choose multiple paths of scholarship.

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Could fundamental physical constants not be constant across space and time? – Big Think

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Whenever we examine the universe in a scientific manner, there are a few assumptions that we take for granted as we go about our investigations. We assume that the measurements that register on our devices correspond to physical properties of the system that we are observing. We assume that the fundamental properties, laws, and constants associated with the material universe do not spontaneously change from moment to moment. And we also assume, for many compelling reasons, that although the environment may vary from location to location, the rules that govern the universe always remain the same.

But every assumption, no matter how well-grounded it may be or how justified we believe we are in making it, has to be subject to challenge and scrutiny. Assuming that atoms behave the same everywhere at all times and in all places is reasonable, but unless the universe supports that assumption with convincing, high-precision evidence, we are compelled to question any and all assumptions. If the fundamental constants are identical at all times and places, the universe should show us that atoms behave the same everywhere we look. But do they? Depending on how you ask the question, you might not like the answer. Here is the story behind the fine-structure constant, and why it might not be constant, after all.

When most people hear the idea of a fundamental constant, they think about the constants of nature that are inherent to our reality. Things like the speed of light, the gravitational constant, or Plancks constant (the fundamental constant of the quantum universe) are often the first things we think of, along with the masses of the various indivisible particles in the universe. In physics, however, these are what we call dimensionful constants, which means that they rely on our definitions of quantities like mass, length, or time.

An alternative way to conceive of these constants is to make them dimensionless instead: so that arbitrary definitions like kilogram, meter, or second make no difference to the constant. In this conception, each quantum interaction has a coupling strength associated with it, and the coupling of the electromagnetic interaction is known as the fine-structure constant and is denoted by the symbol alpha (). Fascinatingly enough, its effects were detected before quantum physics was even remotely understood, and remained wholly unexplained for nearly 30 years.

In 1887, arguably the greatest null result in the history of physics was obtained, via the Michelson-Morley experiment. The experiment was brilliant in conception, seeking to measure the speed of Earth through the rest frame of the universe by:

Michelson originally performed a version of this experiment by himself back in 1881, detecting no effect but recognizing the need to improve the experiments precision.

Six years later, the Michelson-Morley experiment represented an improvement by more than a factor of ten, making it the most precise electromagnetic measuring device at the time. While again, no shift was detected, demonstrating no need for the hypothesized aether, the apparatus they developed was also spectacular for measuring the spectrum of light emitted by various atoms. Puzzlingly, where a single emission line was expected to occur at a specific wavelength, sometimes there was just a single line, but at other times there were a series of narrowly-spaced emission lines, providing empirical evidence (but without a theoretical motivation) for a finer-than-expected structure to atoms.

What is actually happening became clearer with the development of modern quantum mechanics. Electrons orbit around the atomic nucleus in fixed, quantized energy levels only, and it is known that they can occupy different orbitals, which correspond to different values of orbital angular momentum. These are required to balance by both relativity and quantum physics. First derived by Arnold Sommerfeld in 1916, it was recognized that these narrowly-spaced lines were an example of splitting due to the fine-structure of atoms, with hyperfine structure from electron/nucleon interactions discovered shortly thereafter.

Today, we understand the fine-structure constant in the context of quantum field theory, where it is the probability of an interacting particle having what we call a radiative correction: emitting or absorbing an electromagnetic quantum (that is, a photon) during an interaction. We typically measure the fine-structure constant, , at todays negligibly low energies, where it has a value that is equal to 1/137.0359991, with an uncertainty of ~1 in the final digit. It is defined as a dimensionless combination of dimensionful physical constants: the elementary charge squared divided by Plancks constant and the speed of light, and the value we measure today is consistent across all sufficiently precise experiments.

At high energies in particle physics experiments, however, we notice that the value of gets stronger at higher energies. As the energy of the interacting particle(s) increases, so does the strength of the electromagnetic interaction. When the universe was very, very hot such as at energies achieved just ~1 nanosecond after the Big Bang the value of was more like 1/128, as particles like the Z-boson, which can only exist virtually at todays low energies, can more easily be physically real at higher energies. The interaction strength is expected to scale with energy, an instance where our theoretical predictions and our experimental measurements match up remarkably well.

However, there is an entirely different way to measure the fine-structure constant at todays low energies: by measuring spectral lines, or emission and absorption features, from distant light sources throughout the cosmos. As background light from a source strikes the intervening matter, some portion of that light is absorbed at specific wavelengths. The exact wavelengths that are observed depend on a number of factors, such as the redshift of the source but also on the value of the fine-structure constant.

If there are any variations in , either over time or directionally in space, a careful examination of spectral features from a wide variety of astrophysical sources, particularly if they span many billions of years in time (or billions of light-years in distance), could reveal those variations. The most straightforward way to look for these variations is through quasar absorption spectroscopy: where the light quasars, the brightest individual sources in the universe, encounter every intervening cloud of matter that exists between the emitter (the quasar itself) and the observer (us, here on Earth).

There are very intricate, precise energy levels that exist for both normal hydrogen (with an electron bound to a proton) and its heavy isotope deuterium (with an electron bound to a deuteron, which contains both a proton and a neutron), and these energy levels are just slightly different from one another. If you can measure the spectra of these different quasars and look for these precise, very-slightly-different fine and hyperfine transitions, you would be able to measure at the location of the quasar.

If the laws of physics were the same everywhere throughout the universe, then based on the observed properties of these lines, which includes:

you would expect to be able to infer the same value of everywhere. The only difference you would anticipate would be redshift-dependent, where all the wavelengths for a specific absorber would be systematically shifted by the same redshift-dependent factor.

Yet, that is not what we see. Everywhere we look in the universe at every quasar and every example of fine or hyperfine structure in the intervening, absorptive gas clouds we see that there are tiny, minuscule, but non-negligible shifts in those transition ratios. At the level of a few parts-per-million, the value of the fine-structure constant, , appears to observationally vary. What is remarkable is that this variation was not expected or anticipated but has robustly shown up, over and over again, in quasar absorption studies going all the way back to 1999.

Beginning in 1999, a team of astronomers led by Australian astrophysicist John K. Webb started seeing evidence that was different from different astronomical measurements. Using the Keck telescopes and over 100 quasars, they found that was smaller in the past and had risen by approximately 6 parts-per-billion over the past ~10 billion years. Other groups were unable to verify this, however, with complementary observations from the Very Large Telescope showing the exact opposite effect: that the fine-structure constant, , was larger in the past, and has been slowly decreasing ever since.

Subsequently, Webbs team obtained more data with greater numbers of quasars, spanning larger fractions of the sky and cutting across cosmic time. A simple time-variation was no longer consistent with the data, as variations were inconsistent from place-to-place and did not scale directly with either redshift or direction. Overall, there were some places where appeared larger than average and others where it appeared smaller, but there was no overall pattern. Even with the latest 2021 data, the few-parts-in-a-million variations that are seen are inconclusive.

It is often said that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, but the uncertainties associated with each of these measurements were at least as large as the suspected signal itself: a few parts-per-million. In 2018, however, a remarkable study even though it was only of one system had the right confluence of properties to be able to measure , at a distance of 3.3 billion light-years away, to a precision of just ~1 part-per-million.

Instead of looking at hydrogen and deuterium, isotopes of the same element with the same nuclear charges but different nuclear masses, researchers using the Arecibo telescope in one of its last major discoveries found two absorption lines of a hydroxyl (OH-) ion: at 1720 and 1612 megahertz in frequency around a rare and peculiar blazar. These absorption lines have different dependencies on the fine-structure constant, , as well as the proton-to-electron mass ratio, and yet these measurements combine to show a null result: consistent with no variation over the past ~3 billion years. These are, to date, the most stringent constraints on tiny changes in the fine-structure constants value from astronomy, consistent with no effect at all.

The observational techniques that have been pioneered in quasar absorption spectroscopy have allowed us to measure these atomic profiles to unprecedented precision, creating a puzzle that remains unsolved to this day: why do quasars appear to show small but significant differences in the inferred value of the fine-structure constant between them? We know there has been no significant variation over the past ~3 billion years, from not only astronomy but from the Oklo natural nuclear reactor as well. In addition, the value is not changing today to 17 decimal places, as constrained by atomic clocks.

It remains possible that the fundamental constants did actually vary a long time ago, or that they varied differently in different locations in space. To untangle whether that is the case or not, however, we first have to understand what is causing the observed variations in quasar absorption lines, and that remains an unsolved puzzle that could just as easily be due to an unidentified error as it is to a physical cause. Until there is a confluence of evidence, where many disparate observations all come together to point to the same consistent conclusion, the default assumption must remain that the fundamental constants really are constant.

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Google’s latest discovery changes the laws of physics – SwordsToday.ie

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Published by Google Researchers A study On the ArXiv server, they deny physics using the companys Sycamore quantum computer, claiming that they created time crystals or time crystals, but it is not clear how important this is. Discovery.

A crystal constant of time is also in constant flow, with fixed conditions repeated at predictable intervals without loss of energy. In other words, these crystals omit one of the most important laws of physics, the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the disturbance or entropy of an isolated system must always increase. Despite the constant flux state, they remain stable by resisting any irregular dissolution.

Well, these crystals do not have to be new, they were included in the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics winner Frank Wilzek.

It was a big surprise, said Kurt von Keiserling, a physicist at the University of Birmingham in the UK who did not participate in the study. If you asked someone 30, 20 or 10 years ago, they wouldnt expect it.

Basically, a crystal of time is like a pendulum that never stops swinging.

Even if you completely separate a pendulum from the universe, if there is no friction and no air resistance, it will eventually stop, because it is the second law of thermodynamics, said Achilles Lazarides, a physicist at the University of Loughborough in the UK, who was one of the first scientists to discover the theoretical possibility of a new phase in 2015.

The theoretical novelty of crystals is, in some respects, a double-edged sword, as physicists are currently struggling to find ways to use them, although von Keiserling suggested that they could be used as high-precision sensors. Other proposals include the use of crystals for better memory storage or for the development of quantum computers with even faster processing power.

But the greatest use for time crystals may already be here. These will allow scientists to explore the limits of quantum mechanics.

It not only allows you to learn what is happening in nature, but also to design and look at what is actually happening Quantum Mechanics It allows you to do what you do not do, Lazarides said.

If you can not find something in nature, it does not mean it does not exist, because we created one of these, he added.

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1st ‘atom tornado’ created from swirling vortex of helium atoms – Livescience.com

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Physicists have created the first-ever atomic vortex beam a swirling tornado of atoms and molecules with mysterious properties that have yet to be understood.

By sending a straight beam of helium atoms through a grating with teeny slits, scientists were able to use the weird rules of quantum mechanics to transform the beam into a whirling vortex.

The extra gusto provided by the beam's rotation, called orbital angular momentum, gives it a new direction to move in, enabling it to act in ways that researchers have yet to predict. For instance, they believe the atoms' rotation could add extra dimensions of magnetism to the beam, alongside other unpredictable effects, due to the electrons and the nuclei inside the spiraling vortex atoms spinning at different speeds.

Related: The 18 biggest unsolved mysteries in physics

"One possibility is that this could also change the magnetic moment of the atom," or the intrinsic magnetism of a particle that makes it act like a tiny bar magnet, study co-author Yair Segev, a physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, told Live Science.

In the simplified, classical picture of the atom, negatively-charged electrons orbit a positively-charged atomic nucleus. In this view, Segev said that as the atoms spin as a whole, the electrons inside the vortex would rotate at a faster speed than the nuclei, "creating different opposing [electrical] currents" as they twist. This could, according to the famous law of magnetic induction outlined by Michael Faraday, produce all kinds of new magnetic effects, such as magnetic moments that point through the center of the beam and out of the atoms themselves, alongside more effects that they cannot predict.

The researchers created the beam by sending helium atoms through a grid of tiny slits each just 600 nanometers across. In the realm of quantum mechanics the set of rules which govern the world of the very small atoms can behave both like particles and tiny waves; as such, the beam of wave-like helium atoms diffracted through the grid, bending so much that they emerged as a vortex that corkscrewed its way through space.

The whirling atoms then arrived at a detector, which showed multiple beams diffracted to differing extents to have varying angular momentums as tiny little doughnut-like rings imprinted across it. The scientists also spotted even smaller, brighter doughnut rings wedged inside the central three swirls. These are the telltale signs of helium excimers a molecule formed when one energetically excited helium atom sticks to another helium atom. (Normally, helium is a noble gas and doesn't bind with anything.)

The orbital angular momentum given to atoms inside the spiraling beam also changes the quantum mechanical "selection rules" that determine how the swirling atoms will interact with other particles, Segev said. Next, the researchers will smash their helium beams into photons, electrons and atoms of elements besides helium to see how they might behave.

If their rotating beam does indeed act differently, it could become an ideal candidate for a new type of microscope that can peer into undiscovered details on the subatomic level. The beam could, according to Segev, give us more information on some surfaces by changing the image that is imprinted upon the beam atoms bounced off it.

"I think that as is often the case in science, it's not a leap of capability that leads to something new, but rather a change in perspective," Segev said.

The researchers published their findings Sept. 3 in the journal Science.

Originally published on Live Science.

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The migration of birds fascinated Einstein – Vaughan Today

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While watching the BBCs report on bees in 2019, Judith Davis recalled the existence of a letter Einstein sent to her late husband, Glenn. In the 1940s, the latter was interested in the research of behaviorist Carl von Frisch on the ability of bees to direct thanks to the polarization of light from the sky.

Einstein tells in this short letter that he was familiar with the work of Carl von Frisch. Above all, he says he believes that analyzing the perceptions of animals can allow an understanding of physical processes that are not yet known. He cites an examination of the behavior of migratory birds as a promising example.

A hunch that has been proven after 70 years! It was in 2004 that a study He proved for the first time that castles navigate thanks to some form of magnetic compass. One theory to explain this phenomenon It comes from quantum biology Which, as its name suggests, is concerned with the links between quantum mechanics and biology.

It shows us how extraordinary Einstein was, said Adrian Dyer, the scientist who saw Judith Davis in the BBC report. He must have thought about this problem, these birds that orient themselves precisely at incredible distances. He anticipated the degree to which this feat would be difficult and felt that his study might push the boundaries of our understanding of physics. Professor Dyer and colleagues recounted the whole thing. in an article The Journal of Comparative Physiology A Posted last May.

Expectation is not supernatural for Annie Angers, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Montreal. All scientists know that nature has a lot to teach us, so it doesnt surprise me that Einstein might have thought about this.

Instead, it was Professor Dyers investigative work that impressed her. In fact, Adrian Dyer and his team must have researched the Davys family memories and archives of the time to clarify the subject of the initial letter from Glyn Davys (now untraceable) and understand why he had contact with Einstein. in the first place. I found Mr. Dyers words very compelling, says Annie Ingres. But when we finally read this famous letter from Einstein, we realized that it was only 10 lines long. Falls a little flat! What reinforces this great spirits reputation as a man of few words.

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COVID-19 credited with local rise in vaping – The Daily Universe – Universe.byu.edu

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Officials at local school districts say vaping continues despite new vaping laws enacted by the Utah Legislature. It is definitely a trend that is on the up and up, and I think with COVID-19 it has just gotten worse, Provo School Board President Melanie Hall said. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Vaping still persists in its high popularity among Utahs youth, despite anti-vaping laws enacted by Utah legislators in 2020.

It is definitely a trend that is on the up and up, and I think with COVID-19 it has just gotten worse, Provo School Board President Melanie Hall said, adding that students have had more downtime to experiment with vaping.

According to Yale Medicine, there may be a link between vaping and COVID-19. A ScienceDirect study found that 13 to 24-year-old vape users were five times more likely to get a COVID-19 diagnosis.

It just seems these days that kids are more likely to start an addiction problem with vaping, Provo School Board member Nate Bryson said. We see how attractive it is to children and companies have marketed flavors like cotton candy and make it seem innocuous.

According to Ryan Bartlett of the Utah Department of Health Tobacco Prevention & Control Program, more people have turned to tobacco products during the pandemic. The pandemic is a stressful situation where people dont know what to expect. From little surveys here and there and calls to the Quitline, weve seen that there has been a bit of an uptick, Bartlett said.

Utah legislators passed a spate ofanti-vaping bills into law before the pandemic struck. There has been some progress since then. In June 2021, the Provo City School District officially joined the national lawsuit against the vape company Juul.

According to Hall, the law group driving the case is currently waiting for more districts to join and move forward.

Awareness and education can also be used to help combat the rising underage vaping issue. Bartlett said parents who are willing to have an open-minded discussion about vaping can help their children curb the habit. Students and youth who feel like they can talk about it are going to be much more likely to find the resources that they need,he said.

Students within Utah County have been making strides in spreading awareness about vaping. After a student-run effort coordinated by Outrage Youth Group and the Island Teens Advocacy Team establishing anti-vaping signs on Nebo School District buses, Provo City School District is eager to follow suit, already posting signs on some of their own buses.

Outrage coordinator Sarah Simons said she believes student-led advocacy is the best way to approach legislators with issues that directly impact youth. In addition to the anti-vaping signage, Outrage is assessing the community to better understand where the most underage vaping instances happen and will focus on raising awareness based on those needs.

Simons said the youth involved in Outrage felt empowered. They felt like they really did make a difference in the community. It felt like adults really listened to them. And they could confidently say that they were helping to combat the youth epidemic.

For more resources on vaping prevention, readers can visit the See Through the Vape and Way to Quit websites or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.If teenagers ages 12-18 or parents are interested in getting involved with Outrage, they can contact Sarah Simons at *protected email*.

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Canadian Vaping Association: Academics caution that restrictive regulation has unintended consequences – GlobeNewswire

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BEAMSVILLE, Ontario, Sept. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A group of 15 scientists, who specialize in addictions and tobacco research, have released an essay, published by the American Public Health Association, calling for a more balanced approach to regulating vaping. When a group of scientists join forces to advocate for vapings potential benefit to public health, governments everywhere should take notice. A revelatory section of their essay focuses on how vaping can increase smoking cessation, which has been proven through several research methods including randomized studies, population studies, and cigarette sales.

The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) has raised concerns surrounding Canadas current proposed flavour ban and excise tax, on the basis that such regulation would reduce the appeal of vaping and lead to increased smoking rates. The CVAs concerns have often been dismissed as self-serving, but the release of this document by highly credible tobacco and addictions researchers, should cause regulators to reevaluate the evidence on vaping.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study reported that, in 2018, 15.1% of smokers had quit smoking for 6 months or longer using e-cigarettes, compared with 3.3% using other noncigarette tobacco products and 6.6% using no tobacco products, said the authors.

The authors cite multiple studies that demonstrate how vaping has been proven to be more effective than Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT) and note that population studies findings are consistent with a near doubling of quit attempt success, found in the randomized controlled trials, and the fact that e-cigarettes are smokers most used aid in quit attempts.

They leave no room for uncertainty stating, smokers unable to quit smoking with evidence-based cessation methods should be well informed about the relative risks of vaping and smoking and vapings potential to help them quit smoking.

The research indicates that cigarettes and vaping products are substitutes for one another, leading to a positive cross-price elasticity of demand that is sensitive to any changes made to the price of the items. The author shares this example: One study associated a Minnesota e-cigarette tax with increased adult smoking and reduced cessation, estimating that taxing e-cigarettes at the same rate as cigarettes nationwide could deter 2.75 million smokers from quitting smoking over a decade. The likelihood that current vapers could opt to return to smoking would be a devastating setback for Canada. This price sensitivity has already been seen in Nova Scotia, as many vapers returned to smoking or began purchasing their vaping products through the black market once the flavour ban and taxation was implemented.

Vaping has proven to be an effective harm reduction tool for smokers seeking an alternative to tobacco. Vaping can be an effective quit aid, however, taxes and flavour bans are likely to negate any positive outcome that could be achieved. The dismissal of science by Canadian health authorities depletes the public of accessible and proven tools. Vaping has successfully disrupted tobacco use, by modernizing options for smokers. Through vaping, Canada has seen remarkable reductions in smoking rates that had been stagnate for years.

Contact:Darryl TempestExecutive Director647-274-1867dtempest@thecva.org

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The Juuls reputation goes up in smoke in Move Fast & Vape Things – The A.V. Club

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A still from The New York Times Presents: Move Fast & Vape ThingsPhoto: FX

Lets face ithumanity is facing one too many crises right now. Its an eerily ideal time for The New York Times and FXs jointly produced series of standalone documentaries, which have been airing periodically for over a year now. Featuring reporting by the newspapers staff, The New York Times Presents is a series of character-driven investigations into pertinent topics like the coronavirus ravaging New York City, the death of Breonna Taylor, and Britney Spears fight to free herself from her conservatorship. The latest is excruciatingly timely as it charts the rise of e-cigarette company Juul and its instrumental role in spreading a nicotine epidemic among young people. Like most of these films, Move Fast & Vape Things is straightforward and expertly pieced together. At just over an hour long, it covers essential facts and interviewees, including Times reporters Julie Cresswell and Sheila Kaplan. But its also just scratching the surface of a labyrinthine issue.

The film opens with two parallel worlds: the sprawling tech industry in San Francisco, where the Juul was birthed, and a more rural area, where teenager Jackie Franklin rides her bike. We soon see how the Juul, which was conceived by Stanford graduates James Monsees and Adam Bowen, invades Jackies coming-of-age, as she became addicted to vaping. Director John Pappas quietly, efficiently builds both worlds. Franklins story is a hard-hitting visual representation of the damage caused by e-cigarettes, facilitated by Juuls marketing, which was catered to millennials. Who else did they think would indulge in flavors like ice watermelon limeade vaping juice?

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September 17 on FX and Hulu at 10 p.m. ET

Hourlong documentary; entire film watched for review

Move Fast & Vape Things follows Monsees and Bowens quick rise once they established Juul in 2015. Theyd actually met a decade before that, and the two smokers embarked on a mission to invent a product that would help eliminate combustible cigarettes and hopefully save lives in the process. The Times reporters and even former Juul employees who appear in the documentary suggest that while this was the goal early on, it started to change over time. The film doesnt take sides, but its hard to ignore how damning the footage is. At one point, Monsees is giving a Ted Talk about smoking, calling it sexy and that it exudes personality. One of the companys first employees, Kurt Sonderegger, calls it the Apple of vaping industry as far as design goes. A title card reveals that Juuls vaporizer contained twice the amount of nicotine as any other device on the market.

This technology-driven, apparently less-harmful substitute became coveted by millennials and minors. Even if they didnt intend for it to happen initially, the companys top leaders and board members began to capitalize on this information. Juuls former employees claim it went from being mission-driven to growth-based. Times reporter Sheila Kaplan says rich investors showed off their luxurious lifestyle to convince Bowen and Monsees to continue to expand the market and earn more money. The Juul cofounders began to move away from their initial objective, because who wouldnt want to be a billionaire? But the film neither expands on this information nor gives any concrete names of the investors. Even though a quick Google search can provide this information (Tiger Global Management, Fidelity Investments, Tao Capital, etc.), Move Fast & Vape Things doesnt dwell on it. It prevents a detailed picture from forming, given that the investors and board members changed the companys agenda when it picked up steam within a couple years of launching.

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The documentary features critical interviews with Ryan Woodring, former director of market operations; Erica Halverson, former marketing manager; Steven Bailie, the creative director of a campaign called #Vaporized. They talk about being recruited to help advertise Juul pods and bringing them to a bigger market. An early commercial featured pop music, bright colors, and youth dancing with vapes in hand. Stephen Colbert was also quick to call it out in an episode of The Late Show. The ad ignores the heartbreaking journey of Jackie Franklin and her family, including her mother Janice, who also appears in the documentary. Jackie details the first time she used a Juul podIt tasted like candyand how, in the next hour, she started feeling sick. Woodring had a similar experience. Its addictive contents sent Jackies life spiraling, but she is on the mend now.

Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner in Move Fast & Vape ThingsPhoto: FX

Move Fast & Vape Things also succinctly looks at the FDAs investigation into the rise of e-cigarettes. Once again, the documentary only provides a snapshot of how the federal agency tackles this growing business, one that wants to transform the gigantic tobacco industry. Their inspection has been ongoing for years now, with the most recent update coming in only a week before the documentarys premiere. This latest report reveals that the FDA has further delayed taking any action against Juuls vaping products. At present, 3.6 million young kids (middle school- and high school-age) are deemed to be using them based on official surveys. Former commissioner Scott Gottlieb appears in the film, claiming that he had warned the company about the Juul causing early addiction in teens. When asked if he wished he had done more during his tenure, his answer is simply along the lines of hindsight is 20/20. Its a crucial question, one that points to how beneficial it would have been for the filmmakers to do similar prodding throughout the documentary.

The Juul company wanted to revolutionize its industry, so it was a shock when Altria Group (parent company of Marlboro) acquired a 35% stake in 2018 for $12.8 billion. In the same year, studies found a 78% increase in Juul vaping about high school students and 48% in middle school students who were Juul users. Altrias arrival into the picture brought more attention to the company, and Monsees was even called to testify in front of Congress in 2019; footage from that day shows him to be absolutely unprepared and nervous. Juul stopped selling flavored products in 2019, but the company has nearly 2000 lawsuits to battle now. The state of North Carolina became the first group to successfully sue Juul over their teen-centered marketing, winning a $40 million settlement. Move Fast & Vape Things rushes through these developments towards the end, but the film is still a solid effort to capture the many moving parts. It almost acts as the first chapter of what will probably make a riveting, complicated, and agonizing novel.

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LA fire captain burned in explosion sues warehouse owners, vaping supply shop | TheHill – The Hill

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A Los Angeles fire captain has sued the owners of one building and the owners of two vaping shops aftera May 2020 explosion left him with "catastrophic" injuries.

Victor Aguirre and his wife, Claudia, filed their lawsuit on Wednesday against building owner Steve Sungho Lee and hisothercompaniesas well as theownersof Green Buddha and Smoke Tokes,two smoke shopshoused inside where the explosion happened. Aguirre accuses the owners of "hazardous activity, premise liability and negligence," according tothe Los Angeles Times.

The explosion hurt12 firefighters and left Aguirre permanently injured. According to the lawsuit, he was hospitalized for two months and had to have all of his fingers partially amputated, the LA Times reported.

The property and store owners were charged with over 300 criminal counts after a criminal investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Los Angeles Police Department.

The owners of the smoke shops reportedly agreed to stop operating theirbusinessesand to pay the city of Los Angeles more than $100,000 as a result of plea deals they struck in November.

A report from the Los Angeles Fire Department found that the fire was fueled by too manynitrous oxide and butane containers in the smoke shops. The department had not inspected the building in at least a year at the time of the incident. The Times said that fire chief Ralph Terrazas noted that an inspection likely would have resulted in the removal of some of the materials that contributed to the fire.

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