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As two neutron stars orbit one another, they release gravitational waves that sap energy from the orbit until the two stars eventually collide and merge. Scientists used supercomputer simulations to explore how the behavior of different models for nuclear matter affects gravitational waves released after these mergers. They found a strong correlation between the remnant’s temperature and the frequency of these gravitational waves.

Particle accelerators are incredibly complex. Operators must continuously monitor performance and sensors to identify problems in the devices. Now researchers have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that mimics how human operators approach this challenge. The approach could also be applied to other complex systems such as manufacturing plants and the electric grid.

Colliding nuclei at high speeds melts their constituent quarks and gluons into a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). Quarks and gluons from the colliding nuclei also sometimes ricochet off one another very early on in the collision and form sprays of energetic particles known as jets. These jets lose their energy as they exit the plasma, with wide jets losing more energy than narrow jets. Researchers have confirmed that the plasma treats each prong of a jet independently only when the prongs are separated by a sufficiently large angle.

Fast ions that heat plasma in a fusion device can resonate with waves in the plasma, potentially causing waves to grow and kick the fast ions out of the device. This research used mathematical calculations and computer simulations to examine these resonant interactions to reveal how different types of collisions compete to determine the way energy transfers between the resonant particles and the plasma waves. The results will aid in models of how to keep plasmas hot enough to sustain fusion reactions.

Researchers are developing a synthetic form of a peptide that self-assembles into nanoscale fibers that conduct electricity when combined with heme. They determined how key properties of the peptide are affected by the length of the sequence of amino acids in the peptide and their identity. These properties include ease of binding the cofactor, assembly, and ability to conduct electricity.

New calculations predicting the spatial distributions of the charges, momentum, and other properties of the quarks within protons found that the up quarks are more symmetrically distributed and spread over a smaller distance within the proton than the down quark. The results imply that these two types of quarks contribute differently to a proton’s properties.

Researchers are making catalysts more efficient by designing nanoscale materials. Now scientists demonstrated that porous nanoscale silica films boost the catalytic activity of a metal palladium surface for carbon monoxide oxidation. The confined two-dimensional space between the metal catalyst and the silica film enhanced carbon monoxide conversion and increased carbon dioxide production by 12%, compared to palladium alone. Researchers are making catalysts more efficient by designing nanoscale materials. Now scientists demonstrated that porous nanoscale silica films boost the catalytic activity of a metal palladium surface for carbon monoxide oxidation. The confined two-dimensional space between the metal catalyst and the silica film enhanced carbon monoxide conversion and increased carbon dioxide production by 12%, compared to palladium alone.

Researchers have developed a novel gate design that provides fast control of the flow of coherent information in electromagnonic devices. The design could be the basis for next-generation classical and quantum circuitry. The gate is realized by introducing a fast and uniform modulation technique to the magnon resonance, which could be applied at cryogenic temperatures for quantum signal processing.

Particle collisions produce quarks and gluons that interact in structured ways. Scientists have for the first time directly observed a predicted “dead cone" in this structure. This finding helps to confirm a feature of the theory of strong interactions, which explains how quarks and gluons form protons and neutrons.