Physicists in the Department of Physics, University of Oxford, have used a hybrid quantum computer, formed by qubits and quantum oscillators, to observe the Aharonov-Bohm effect in a quantum simulation. The effect is a quantum phenomenon in which a particle can acquire a measurable phase by travelling around a magnetic flux, even though it never passes through a region where a magnetic field is present.

Pitting corrosion can threaten the durability of aluminum components. Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, used interpretable machine learning to reveal a critical shift in how surface morphology affects steam-coated aluminum. The model identified a thickness-dependent change in this interaction near 2,200 nm, or 2.2 µm, within a specific roughness range. The findings suggest directions for coating design and further experimental validation.

More than 80 years after scientists at the University of Oxford turned penicillin into a lifesaving medicine, researchers have revealed previously unseen stages in how nature builds its antibiotic structure.

Vascular topology and hemodynamics define tissue perfusion boundaries, providing essential information for surgical margin planning, vessel preservation, and postoperative functional assessment. Scientists in China developed PAATAM, a real-time photoacoustic tracking and mapping strategy that fuses vascular geometry and signal-intensity features to estimate six-degree-of-freedom handheld probe motion. The method reconstructs globally consistent panoramic 3D vascular maps with 99.67% registration accuracy, opening new avenues for photoacoustic surgical navigation and functional vascular assessment.

A novel interpenetrated RuO₂/Co₃O₄ heterostructure catalyst is developed, which synergistically couples the traditional adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM) with the more efficient oxide pathway mechanism (OPM) for acidic oxygen evolution, achieving exceptional activity and stability that far surpass commercial RuO₂.