A team of researchers led by the University of Tokyo Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI) Project Assistant Professor Elisa Ferreira has shown that a discrepancy in a key cosmic measurement in the early universe originates from a subtle statistical interplay between measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO).

In the south-east of Chile, terraces host relic gypsum, a sulfate mineral, in layered sedimentary formations, known as stromatolites, that were formed under extreme climates. This environment provides a natural analog for sedimentary rocks on Mars. In a recent Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences study, an international team of researchers investigated colonization and biosignatures of microbes growing inside fossilized gypsum layers – an approach that could help them understand the formation and preservation of environmental systems on Mars where sulfate plays a central role.

Quantum computers outperform typical computers in many tasks, yet in many other tasks, classical computers have the upper hand. Researchers at Saarland University, together with industry partners BMW, Infineon and the quantum computing start-up planqc, want to combine the strengths of both types of computing. The team plans to employ a quantum computer to help classical computers handle highly complex optimization challenges from industrial practice.  The project is funded by a €2.3 million grant from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.

This study proposes a thin, compact system for enabling high-contrast projection mapping in brightly lit environments. By precisely controlling light so that only the target object remains unilluminated, high-contrast images can be projected onto the object without darkening the entire space. In contrast to existing large-scale illumination systems, the proposed system employs an LED display panel with an aperiodic lens array, enabling next-generation immersive spatial experiences in commercial facilities, exhibition spaces, and public environments.

The mysterious properties of meteorites will be transformed into music and performed live at the Cambridge Festival this Saturday (21 March). Presented by experts from Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Cambridge, the event will allow the audience to experience space science in a new way by turning the microscopic textures and mineral structures of meteorites into melodies.

Magnetic fields are observed throughout the universe, including in very young galaxies where they extend across thousands of light-years. The standard explanation for the origin of these fields is the dynamo mechanism, in which turbulent motions in an ionized gas amplify weak seed magnetic fields over time. However, conventional dynamo theory predicts that building large-scale magnetic fields in galaxies should take several billion years. Observations of galaxies in the early universe that already host strong magnetic fields therefore present a major puzzle.

In a study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers propose a mechanism that may help resolve this discrepancy. They show that the gravitational collapse of plasma clouds during galaxy formation can significantly accelerate the amplification of magnetic fields.

Most visible matter in the universe exists as plasma — an ionized gas that can be stirred by gravity, temperature gradients, and rotation, producing turbulence. Turbulent flows contain swirling structures known as eddies, and the rate at which magnetic fields grow depends on how quickly these eddies turn over. The study finds that during gravitational collapse the properties of turbulence evolve in a way that leads to super-exponential growth of magnetic fields, allowing large-scale fields to develop up to possibly a hundred times faster than predicted by standard dynamo theory.

These results suggest that magnetic fields in galaxies could have formed much earlier than previously thought, potentially influencing galaxy evolution across cosmic time.

A new study shows that the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT)  satellite can track lake volume changes across China with strong accuracy while greatly improving the monitoring of small lakes that were often missed before.