Fighter pilots in training are leveraging AI technology to read their brainwaves while flying in virtual reality simulations. This innovative approach helps assess task difficulty and adjust complexity in real-time, offering a more personalized training experience. Recent experiments revealed that trainee pilots prefer this adaptive training system over traditional, static methods, although it hasn’t demonstrated a measurable improvement in skills.
Utilizing simulators and virtual reality platforms for pilot training is not only more cost-effective but also significantly safer than real-world flight exercises. However, it’s crucial that these educational scenarios are dynamically fine-tuned to balance comfort and cognitive load effectively.
Evi van Weerden, a researcher at the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Center in Amsterdam, has spearheaded this initiative by utilizing a brain-computer interface to read student pilots’ brainwaves through electrodes attached to their scalps. The AI analyzes this data to assess the difficulty levels of tasks pilots encounter.
“We are continually striving to enhance pilot training. It may sound like science fiction, but for me, as I analyze the data, it feels quite normal,” Van Weerden states.
A total of 15 Dutch Air Force pilots participated in the experiment, where the system calibrated between five distinct difficulty levels by adjusting visibility within the simulation based on the AI’s assessment of task complexity.
Post-training interviews revealed that while none of the pilots reported noticing real-time adjustments in difficulty, 10 out of the 15 pilots expressed a preference for the adaptive tests over preprogrammed exercises that incrementally increased in difficulty. Nevertheless, it’s noteworthy that pilots displayed no significant improvement in task performance when compared to traditional training methods. In essence, while pilots appreciated the mind-reading technology, it did not enhance their skill levels.
This discrepancy may stem from the individual differences in brain function, as Van Weerden explains. The AI model was initially trained on data from a separate cohort of novice pilots and subsequently applied to the 15 study participants. Implementing AI systems that accurately analyze brainwaves across varied populations remains a challenge. Notably, six pilots exhibited minimal variation in perceived difficulty, suggesting the AI may not have accurately interpreted their brain data.
Dr. James Blundell from Cranfield University in the UK highlighted that similar technologies are being explored for use in live aircraft to enhance pilot operation safety. “We’re investigating the ability to detect panic responses and creating interventions to help pilots regain control and composure during challenging situations,” Blundell explains. For instance, should a pilot find themselves inverted, the technology could provide critical information to enable a return to stable flight.
While promising progress has been made in isolated scenarios, the question of whether brain-reading technology can be effectively harnessed to bolster aviation safety remains unanswered. “There is still a considerable journey ahead to realize this potential,” concludes Blundell.
In 2009, the World Swimming governing body prohibited specific swimsuits from international competitions, citing unfair advantages. High-tech equipment from NASA was instrumental in designing these swimsuits, which featured ultrasonically welded seams instead of traditional stitching.
Swimmers donning these suits shattered 23 of the 25 world records during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. What made this swimwear so revolutionary? The answer lies in its remarkable ability to minimize friction between the swimmer and the water, enhancing speed and performance.
This instance illustrates the critical influence of friction in our world, a theme thoroughly investigated by Jennifer R. Vail in her book, Friction: Biography.
Bale is a tribologist, focusing on friction, wear, and lubrication as materials interact. She emphasizes, “The forces that resist movement drive us forward.” This concept forms the foundation of her work, which, while technical, delves into friction’s impact on science, technology, and civilization—a necessity as we confront future technological hurdles.
“We study friction because it is omnipresent,” Vail remarks. How did ancient Egyptians transport heavy materials for monumental projects? How do anoles and geckos scale vertical surfaces? Why was Teflon included in the Manhattan Project? What aerodynamic principles govern airplane wings? These queries all converge on friction.
From desert sands controlled by hair-like structures on animal legs to synthetic substances optimizing fluid interactions, friction plays a pivotal role, shaping everything from quantum activities to cosmic phenomena. Bale provides a detailed, passionate narrative on friction’s ubiquitous presence, showcasing its significance.
“
Friction has been central to civilization ever since humans began rubbing objects together to create fire. “
While discussing friction, Bale emphasizes the potential risks associated with harnessing this force. Our ability to manipulate friction has been integral to civilization, from the earliest fire-starting methods to modern innovations in engines, turbines, and contact lenses.
However, it is Bale’s outlook on the future that captivates readers. Alarmingly, friction consumes approximately 40% of energy in manufacturing processes, impacting both production and friction mitigation efforts. A study highlighted that an average car’s fuel consumption was over a third burnt solely to counteract friction. In a world increasingly challenged by energy conservation, optimizing friction is vital for sustainable practices.
Vail noted that innovations in tribology could potentially save energy equivalent to 34 million barrels of gasoline annually—180 times the daily gasoline consumption in the U.S. Bale’s urgent call for more tribologists in energy certification and greater emphasis on this field in educational curriculums is vital for our energy future.
This book is essential reading. Yet, despite Bale’s engaging tone and clear enthusiasm, the complexity may overwhelm some casual readers. Nevertheless, the effort is rewarding; gaining insight into friction enriches our understanding of the world, highlighting how countless interactions shape our experiences.
US President Donald Trump (left) announces the Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield, joined by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (right).
Chris Kleponis/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
US President Donald Trump has introduced the Golden Dome defense initiative, designed to intercept threats like polar sounds, ballistic missiles, and advanced cruise missiles.
“Once fully operational, the Golden Dome is engineered to intercept missiles launched from around the globe or even from outer space,” Trump stated during a White House announcement on May 20th. Watch here.
However, many experts express skepticism regarding the feasibility of such a comprehensive interception system. Concerns have been raised that, even if successful, the Golden Dome could require over a decade to implement and exceed $50 trillion in costs, potentially exacerbating global nuclear arms races and space militarization.
What is the Golden Dome?
The project is inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome system, which utilizes ground-based missiles to intercept incoming artillery and rockets launched from shorter ranges. In contrast, the Golden Dome aims to safeguard a significantly larger area, with the landmass of the contiguous US being over 350 times that of Israel.
According to Trump and his team, the system should be capable of targeting ballistic missiles fired from distant locations, advanced cruise missiles operating at lower altitudes, and hypersonic missiles traveling at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound. These could possess nuclear or conventional warheads.
To detect and neutralize threats, the Golden Dome is expected to employ a mix of “space-based sensors alongside air and missile defenses,” as noted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a statement. Essentially, the Golden Dome would represent an umbrella system integrating multiple technologies to combat various threats, as explained by David Berbach in an article with New Scientist.
Nevertheless, many of these defense capabilities are still in development or do not currently exist. For instance, the proposal mentions space-based interceptors in low Earth orbit, which remains a technological hurdle yet to be overcome. Thomas Gonzalez Roberts from Georgia Tech pointed this out.
A similar concept known as Star Wars was initially suggested by President Ronald Reagan as part of his strategic defense initiatives during the Cold War. Trump characterized the Golden Dome as an endeavor to complete “the mission President Reagan initiated 40 years ago.”
How does the Golden Dome function?
Experts in missile defense have likened the challenge of intercepting long-range nuclear missiles to “shooting bullets at bullets,” given that “the targets are minuscule, emit minimal signals, and move rapidly.” Even the most optimistic technical specialists acknowledge that achieving a 100% interception rate is unlikely.
The U.S. already possesses an array of ground-based interceptor missiles located predominantly in Alaska, capable of countering “dozens of oncoming warheads at best,” according to Burbach. He also highlighted that both Russia and China are working on countermeasures to complicate missile detection and interception.
“Interception of subsonic cruise or short-range ballistic missiles launched from just outside the U.S. borders employs established technology, yet effectively implementing those defenses across the nation can be cost-prohibitive,” said Burbach. He further emphasized the difficulty of the Golden Dome’s goal to thwart a significant volume of intercontinental missiles, particularly from China and Russia.
Trump’s vow to shield the Golden Dome against missile strikes from distant points, even from space, “requires a densely packed constellation of space-based missile interceptors in low-Earth orbit that could engage missiles within moments of their launch,” indicated Roberts.
“The number of satellites necessary far exceeds the current constellations launched,” he noted. Presently, the largest constellations consist of about 7,000 Starlink satellites managed by SpaceX.
What is the estimated cost of the Golden Dome?
Trump has suggested a budget of $175 billion for the Golden Dome, though this funding remains unapproved by Congress. The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency, has estimated that space-based interceptor systems akin to the Golden Dome may cost upwards of $542 billion.
“It’s uncertain what expenses are incorporated in the $175 billion figure,” noted Patrycja Bazylczyk of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.
Trump also asserted that the Golden Dome would be “fully operational” by the conclusion of his second term, a claim that experts find dubious. “The three-year timetable is overly ambitious. Realistically, this initiative will take at least a decade or more,” Bazylczyk added.
The timelines could significantly depend on existing military system capabilities. “Notable advancements could arise in the short term, including the deployment of new interceptors, radar systems, space-based sensors, and technology demonstrations,” Bazylczyk mentioned.
Ultimately, considerable challenges exist regarding the rapid deployment of thousands of satellites required for the Golden Dome. Additionally, developing the necessary space-based interceptor technology remains a daunting task.
“Finding a launch schedule capable of supporting a massive satellite constellation emerging in just three years is extremely challenging,” Roberts pointed out. “SpaceX has launched more than any other entity in the history of space operations, raising the question of how to surpass that threshold even more.”
Burbach added, “It seems unlikely that the system will achieve a complete defense against missile attacks. We might attain some limited operational capabilities, but accomplishing this quickly is fraught with difficulties.”
Will the Golden Dome enhance U.S. security?
Currently, an arms race is underway among the U.S., China, and Russia, with each nation enhancing its space-based capabilities to modernize and grow their nuclear arsenals and military strength.
Should the Golden Dome effectively bolster U.S. air and missile defenses, it might lessen adversaries’ confidence in their missile capabilities, possibly altering strategic calculations and discouraging them from launching attacks, according to Bazylczyk.
In contrast, the Golden Dome could potentially “contribute to instability” by signaling distrust towards nuclear adversaries, indicated Roberts. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to Trump’s announcement, arguing that the Golden Dome carries a “strongly offensive implication” and could spur an arms race in space. Likewise, a Kremlin spokesperson suggested that the Golden Dome might restart discussions on nuclear arms control between Russia and the U.S.
In response to the system, both China and Russia “may attempt to destroy or disrupt U.S. satellites,” posited Burbach. Both nations have already developed missiles capable of targeting satellites, and they have demonstrated the capacity to jam or hack into satellite systems. In February 2024, U.S. intelligence agencies alerted that they intended to develop space weapons capable of using nuclear detonations to incapacitate or obliterate satellites.
Moreover, these countries could increase their missile arsenals and create more versatile weapons equipped with decoys, Burbach noted. He pointed out that Russia is already advancing technologies like underwater intercontinental nuclear torpedoes designed to evade space-based interception.
The Minister employs obscure parliamentary tactics to block amendments to data bills that demand artificial intelligence firms to reveal their use of copyrighted material.
Last week, the government removed the transparency amendment, backed by their colleagues in the House of Representatives. Consequently, there is no budget allocated for new regulations during the Commons discussion on Wednesday afternoon.
This amendment would have compelled tech companies to specify the copyrights utilized in their models.
168 members opposed, whereas 297 lawmakers voted for the elimination of the amendment.
Data Protection Minister Chris Bryant acknowledged that this situation “feels like an apocalyptic moment” for many in the creative sector, but he argued that a revision on transparency wouldn’t solve the core issues, emphasizing it “should be done comprehensively, not just piecemeal.”
Bryant stated that the more data bills are approved, the quicker he can move to update copyright laws.
Mrs. Kidron remarked that the Minister then responded with a roundtable session and misleading queries about technical solutions.
“It’s astonishing that the Labour government is abandoning the workforce of the entire sector. My inbox is flooded with messages from individual artists and global companies expressing that the government allows widespread theft and is comfortable with being associated with thieves. Yet, this government has chosen to disregard these concerns.
“Throughout the creative and business communities, as well as in Congress, people are bewildered by the government’s maneuvering over issues that affect their livelihoods.”
Kidron plans to propose a rephrased amendment next week, ahead of the bill’s return to the Lords, setting the stage for another round of contention. This proposal entails eliminating references to regulations or disregarding implemented timelines.
Owen Meredith, CEO of the News Media Association, commented: “It is regrettable that the government has overlooked the serious concerns of the creative sector, especially news publishers, regarding democratic values.
“Instead, the government has utilized Parliamentary measures to dismiss industry concerns, rather than seizing this critical opportunity to promote transparency that could enhance the UK’s vibrant licensing market for valuable creative content. The time remains for Parliament to support the UK’s creative industry while granting AI companies access to high-quality data. The focus is shifting towards the Lords. The government must acknowledge the urgent necessity to wield the required powers now.”
Recently, hundreds of artists and organizations, including Paul McCartney, Jeanette Winterson, Dua Lipa, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, urged the Prime Minister to “not sacrifice our work for the interests of a few powerful foreign tech companies.”
The government’s copyright proposal is set for consultations this year, but opponents of the plan are leveraging the data bill to voice their dissent.
The primary government proposition is to permit AI companies to utilize copyrighted works for model training without prior consent from copyright holders unless they choose to opt out.
The government contends that the creative and tech sectors are being hindered and that new legislation is essential to address this issue. They have already made one concession to the data bill by pledging to conduct an economic impact assessment of their proposal.
A spokesperson for Science, Innovation and Technology stated: “We aim to enable both the creative industry and AI companies to flourish. That’s why we’re negotiating individual packages of measures that we hope will benefit both sectors. We are not rushing into decision-making or advancing with legislation until we are confident we have a viable plan to achieve each objective.”
Sir Keir Starmer does not create visions. But last Monday, he broke a lifelong habit. Speech at University College London. It was about AI, which he sees as “the defining opportunity of our generation.” He declared that Britain was “the land of Babbage, Loveless and Turing” and, of course, “the country that birthed the modern computer and the World Wide Web.” Please mark my words. Britain will become one of the great AI superpowers. ”
It's kind of exciting. Within days of taking office, the Prime Minister invited Matt Clifford, a clever engineer from Central Casting, to think about “how to seize the opportunity in AI''. Clifford scored 50 points. AI Opportunity Action Plan Starmer fully accepted this, saying he would “take full responsibility for the British state”. He also named Clifford AI Opportunity Advisor Supervise the implementation of the plan and report directly to him. It's only a matter of time until then solar We call him “Britain's AI emperor.”
Clifford's appointment is both predictable and puzzling. That was to be expected, as he had been hanging around government for a while: Rishi Sunak, for example, hosted the AI Safety Summit and approached him to set up the UK Safety Summit. AI safety unit. It's puzzling because he's already made so much money in technology. External Interests Register This will be a fairly long scroll. Several media and technology executives said to financial times They were concerned that Clifford, who had founded a successful investment firm with offices around the world, was being given too much influence over AI policy.
Damian Collins, a former Conservative technology secretary, said Clifford was “clearly a very capable person” but said he was “concerned about the balance of interests represented and how they are represented.” “It will be done,” he said. If Mr Starmer really believes that AI is a game-changing technology, it is strange that his chief adviser would be so involved in such an important game.
Collins was referring to a particularly hot topic. It is a routine copyright violation by tech companies that train AI models on the creative works of others without permission, approval, or payment. The latest revelations about this practice come from new, unredacted documents. US lawsuit This shows that the training dataset for Meta's Llama AI includes a huge database of pirated books collected from the internet.
Recommendation 24 of the plan calls for reform of the UK text and data mining regime. And the argument that “the current uncertainty around intellectual property (IP) is hindering innovation and undermining our broader ambitions for growth in AI and the creative industries” is a strong argument for many in these industries. made people furious. “There is no 'uncertainty' in the UK text and data mining regime,” he said. Creative Rights in the AI Coalition. “UK copyright law does not allow text or data mining for commercial purposes without a license. The only uncertainty is who will use Britain's creative crown as training material without permission and who will That's how you got it.”
Much of Clifford's plan seems sensible (albeit expensive). For example, building a national computing infrastructure for AI. Improving university research capabilities. Train tens of thousands of new AI professionals. Promote public-private partnerships to maximize the UK's interests in 'frontier' AI. Ensure strong technical and ethical standards to oversee the development and deployment of AI.
All of this is a refreshing change from the empty fuss about 'Global Britain' of the Johnson-Snak-Truss era. The plan's stated ambition to position the UK as an “AI maker rather than an AI taker” is that the UK has real potential in this area but lacks the resources to realize that potential. This suggests a candid recognition. But making that happen means we have to face two troubling truths.
The first is that this powerful technology is controlled by a small number of giant companies, none of which are based in the UK. Their power lies not only in their capital and human resources, but also in the vast physical infrastructure of data centers they own and manage. This means that any nation wishing to operate in this field must get along with them.
The UK Government needs to do a lot in this regard. The current attitude towards business is the snobbish attitude exhibited by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, who said the Government needed to take a 'Government is' attitude.feeling humble” and uses a “national strategy” when dealing with technology giants, rather than using the threat of new legislation to influence developments in areas such as frontier artificial intelligence. In other words, the UK should treat these organizations as nation-states. Clearly, Kyle doesn't realize that appeasement is the art of being nice to the alligator in the hopes that it will eat you in the end.
Another troubling truth is that even though AI is powerful, economists like Nobel Prize winners Daron Acemoglu The general economic impact, at least in the short term, is believed to be significantly smaller than technology evangelists believe. Even worse, Economist Robert Gordon once pointed out thatgeneral-purpose technologies take a long time to have a significant impact. The message to the Prime Minister is clear. Becoming an “AI superpower” may take at least several election cycles.
During the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., residents were trapped under ash and rock, unable to escape. Surprisingly, a new study shows that some people did survive, only to meet their end later due to a different natural disaster.
The eruption covered the city in ash and rock particles for 18 hours, preserving the Roman inhabitants in a protective shell of solidified ash. However, experts discovered two skeletons in a house buried on top of the ash, rather than beneath it, indicating a massive earthquake as the cause of death.
Researchers investigating the house, Casa dei Pittori al Lavoro, noticed the absence of typical volcanic signs in the excavation near Vesuvius. Further examination revealed that the two men found in the house, around 50 years old, suffered severe injuries and were crushed by a collapsing wall due to the earthquake.
Scientists have discovered two skeletons in the ruins of a building in Pompeii and concluded that the cause of death was the collapse of a wall caused by an earthquake. – Image courtesy of Pompeii Archaeological Park
Residents who survived the initial eruption likely thought they were safe and attempted to flee, only to be met with powerful earthquakes. The combination of volcanic and seismic effects made it difficult to study the coincident earthquakes occurring at that time.
Researchers suggest that seismic activity during the eruption played a significant role in the destruction of Pompeii and may have affected the decisions made by its inhabitants facing imminent death.
in paper Published in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle PhysicsScientists have considered theoretical and observational cases of “cosmic glitches” in the universe's gravity.
Wen other. Specifically, we develop a model that modifies general relativity on a cosmological scale by introducing a "glitch" in the gravitational constant between the cosmological (superhorizon) and Newtonian (subhorizon) regions. Research. Image credit: M. Weiss / Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
For the past 100 years, physicists have relied on Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity to explain how gravity acts throughout the universe.
General relativity, proven accurate by countless experiments and observations, suggests that gravity affects not just the third physical dimension, but also a fourth dimension: time. Masu.
“This gravity model has been essential to everything from theorizing the Big Bang to photographing black holes,” said Robin Wen, a researcher at the California Institute of Technology.
“But when we try to understand gravity at the cosmic scale, beyond galaxy clusters, we run into clear contradictions with the predictions of general relativity.”
“It's as if gravity itself is no longer fully consistent with Einstein's theory.”
“We call this contradiction a 'cosmic glitch.' When dealing with distances of billions of light years, gravity weakens by about 1%.”
For more than 20 years, researchers have been trying to create a mathematical model to explain the apparent contradictions in general relativity.
“Almost a century ago, astronomers discovered that the universe was expanding,” said Professor Nyaesh Afsholdi of the University of Waterloo.
“The further away a galaxy is, the faster it is moving, so much so that it appears to be moving at a speed close to the maximum speed of light allowed by Einstein's theory.”
“Our findings suggest that at precisely that scale, Einstein's theory may also be inadequate.”
The research team's “cosmic glitch” model modifies and extends Einstein's formula in a way that resolves some discrepancies in cosmological measurements without affecting existing successful uses of general relativity. This is what I did.
“Think of this as a footnote to Einstein's theory,” Wen says.
“Once we reach the cosmic scale, terms and conditions apply.”
“This new model may be the first clue to the cosmic puzzles we are beginning to solve across time and space,” Professor Afshodi said.
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Robin Y. Wen other. 2024. Anomalies in the gravity of the universe. JCAP 03:045; doi: 10.1088/1475-7516/2024/03/045
The planets are doing a gravitational dance around the sun
Shutterstock/Johan Swanepoel
Mars’ gravitational pull could be strong enough to shake up Earth’s oceans and shift sediment as part of a 2.4 million-year climate cycle, researchers claim.
It has long been recognized that wobbles in Earth’s orbit around the sun affect Earth’s climate, and these Milankovitch cycles operate at intervals measured in thousands of years. Now, Adriana Dutkiewicz and his colleagues at the University of Sydney say they have discovered a 2.4-million-year “great cycle” that is driven by Mars and has dramatically affected the flow of Earth’s oceans for at least 40 million years. It is believed that it has been given.
Evidence for this cycle comes from approximately 300 deep-sea drill cores, revealing unexpected fluctuations in marine sediment deposition. During periods of stable ocean currents, oceanographers expect sediment to be deposited in stable layers, but when abnormal currents or eddies occur, sediment can be deposited elsewhere.
The researchers say the gaps or hiatus in the sediment record coincide with the period when Mars’ gravity exerts its greatest force on Earth, exerting subtle effects on the stability of Earth’s orbit. This changes solar radiation levels and climate, manifesting as stronger currents and eddies in the ocean.
team members Dietmar MullerResearchers, also from the University of Sydney, acknowledged that the great distance between Earth and Mars makes it unlikely that there is any significant gravitational force at work. “But there is so much feedback that even the slightest change can be amplified,” he says. “Mars’ influence on Earth’s climate is similar to the butterfly effect.”
benjamin mills Researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK say the drill core provides further evidence of the existence of “megacycles” in global environmental change.
“Many of us have seen these multimillion-year cycles in various geological, geochemical, and biological records, such as during the famous Cambrian explosion of animal life,” he said. says. “This paper helps solidify these ideas as an important part of environmental change.”
but matthew england A professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney welcomed the study and said he believed it would improve our understanding of climate cycles on a geological scale, but said he was not convinced by the paper’s conclusions.
“I’m skeptical about the Mars connection, given that Mars’ gravitational pull on Earth is very weak, only about a millionth of the Sun’s gravitational pull,” he says. “Even Jupiter has a stronger gravitational field than Earth.”
The UK also points out that even if there is an impact from Mars, it will be negligible compared to human-induced climate change. “By comparison, greenhouse gas forcing is like a sledgehammer and has no effect on our current climate, where melting ice sheets are reducing ocean circulation.”
Within the vast expanse of space, the Holtzmann Shield serves as a mobile force field capable of shielding individual soldiers in combat. This shield, generated by a device attached to a belt, can divert fast-moving projectiles away from the wearer, although slow-moving objects like combat knives can breach the barrier.
Creating such force fields presents a significant challenge in reality. Gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces are the four fundamental forces in nature. While gravity is too feeble to function as a local force field, the nuclear force is robust but limited to the atomic nucleus.
Physicist Professor Jim Al Khaliliand researchers at the University of Surrey are exploring the possibilities of constructing force fields based on electromagnetism, a force more potent than gravity and with a longer reach compared to the nuclear force. However, this force only affects charged objects, necessitating the charging of detected flying objects.
One proposed method involves bombarding objects with positron beams, which are antimatter particles with the same mass as electrons but opposite charge. The annihilation of positrons and electrons can potentially charge and deflect incoming projectiles, offering a route to building force fields.
Though theoretically possible, this technology is likely a distant prospect, possibly not materializing for another 20,000 years. In the meantime, research is underway on electric armor for tanks, which replaces heavy steel plates with energized thin metal plates separated by insulation to store a significant charge. This innovative armor system improves efficiency and reduces weight, enhancing the agility of armored vehicles.
Protons are one of the main building blocks of all visible matter in the universe. Its unique properties include charge, mass, and spin. These properties emerge from the complex dynamics of its basic building blocks, quarks and gluons, explained by the theory of quantum chromodynamics. The charge and spin of protons shared between quarks has been previously studied using electron scattering. One example is the high-precision measurement of the charge radius of protons. In contrast, little is known about the internal mass density of protons, which is dominated by the energy carried by gluons. In a new study, a team of physicists led by Argonne National Laboratory used a small colored dipole to probe the gravitational density of gluons through threshold photogeneration of J/ψ (J/Psi) particles.
Proton valence quarks (blue, red, green), quark and antiquark pairs, and gluons (springs). Scalar gluon activity (pink) extends beyond the charge radius (orange) surrounding the gluon energy core (yellow). Image credit: Argonne National Laboratory.
For many years, nuclear physicists have determined the size of protons by precisely measuring their charge response. This is a result of the proton's charged constituent quarks.
However, determining the size of matter by the size of its protons is a more difficult task. This is because part of the proton's mass is driven by the elusive neutral gluon, rather than by the mass or motion of charged quarks. These gluons combine themselves with quarks within the proton.
The new discovery provides a view of this mass region produced by gluon interactions.
This measurement not only reveals the mass radius resulting from the strong force, but also its confinement effect on quarks that extend far beyond the proton's charge radius.
“A key detail of the proton's structure is its size,” said lead author Dr. Zein Eddin Meziani, a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory, and his colleagues.
“The most commonly used measure of a proton's size is its charge radius, which uses electrons to measure the spherical size of the proton's charge.”
The new measurements come from the J/Ψ -007 experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
This differs in that a small colored dipole ( ) was used to reveal the sphere size and position of the gluon mass and its range of influence on the gluon within the proton.
In the experiment, physicists used a high-energy beam of electrons to create J/Ψ particles from protons. The J/Ψ particle provides information about the distribution of gluons inside the proton.
Experimenters inserted these measurements into a theoretical model and analyzed them.
As a result, the mass radius of the gluon inside the proton was determined.
Furthermore, the area of influence of a strong force called a confinement scalar cloud, which also affects proton quarks, was also shown.
“This study paves the way for a deeper understanding of the prominent role of gluons in imparting gravitational mass to visible matter,” the authors concluded.
Their paper It was published in the magazine Nature.
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B. Duran other. 2023. Determination of the Grunick gravitational shape factor of protons. Nature 615, 813-816; doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05730-4
Many of us have felt some amount of stress over the past few years. Exhibit A for me is my teeth. A recent trip to the dentist confirmed that I had been clenching my jaw for months due to the pandemic. This was the result of the normal stress of deadlines, compounded by the demands of two young children, four of whom had broken bones.
A broken tooth is a small fry. Last year, the American Psychological Association Two-thirds of people in the US report feeling more stressed due to the pandemic, found, and predicted “a mental health crisis that could have serious health and social consequences for years to come.” Increased risks of diabetes, depression, and cardiovascular disease are all associated with high stress levels. Just thinking about it makes me feel stressed.
But maybe we just need to think about stress differently. At least, that's the surprising conclusion of researchers studying the mind-body relationship. They say there are natural benefits to feeling stressed, and if we change the way we “think about stress,” we can turn things around and make stress have a positive impact on our lives. maybe. Fortunately, there are some simple hacks that can help you do this, and you can expect to see improved physical health, clarity of thought, increased mental strength, and increased productivity. Masu.
There's no denying that too much stress can have a negative impact on your body and mind. In the West, it has been linked to all six major causes of death: cancer, heart disease, liver disease, accidents, lung disease, and suicide. Your immune system may be weakened, making you more susceptible to infections and less infectious.
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