Press releases
Getting a grip on exotic atomic nuclei
2015-02-18
A new model describing atomic nuclei, proposed by a physicist from the University of Warsaw Faculty of Physics, more accurately predicts the properties of various exotic isotopes that are created in supernova explosions or inside nuclear reactors.
Only the Lonely… (Reveal the Secrets of Atomic Nuclei)
2015-01-21
Individual protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei turn out not to behave according to the predictions made by existing theoretical models. This surprising conclusion, reached by an international team of physicists including staff members from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw (UW), forces us to reconsider how we have been describing large atomic nuclei for the past several decades.
Global Quantum Communications – No Longer the Stuff of Fiction?
2014-11-26
Neither quantum computers nor quantum cryptography will become prevalent technologies without memory systems able to manipulate quantum information easily and effectively. The Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw has recently made inroads into popularizing quantum information technologies by creating an atomic memory with outstanding parameters and an extremely simple construction.
Can material rivaling graphene be mined out of rocks? Yes, if…
2014-03-12
Will one-atom-thick layers of molybdenum disulfide, a compound that occurs naturally in rocks, prove to be better than graphene for electronic applications? There are many signs that might prove to be the case. But physicists from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw have shown that the nature of the phenomena occurring in layered materials are still ill-understood and require further research.
Solotronics: New quantum dots herald a new era of electronics operating on a single-atom level
2014-01-27
New types of solotronic structures, including the world’s first quantum dots containing single cobalt ions, have been created and studied at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw. The materials and elements used to form these structures allow us forecast new trends in solotronics – a field of experimental electronics and spintronics of the future, based on operations occurring on a single-atom level.
Squeeze and you shall measure – squeezed coherent states shown to be optimal for gravitational wave detection
2013-11-13
Extremely precise measurements of distances are key in all techniques used to detect gravitational waves. To increase this precision, physicists have started using quantum effects linked with photons. A paper published in "Physical Review A" by Polish and German physicists shows that it is not necessary to use quantum light states more refined than the squeezed coherent states available currently.
Quantum Reality More Complex Than Previously Thought
2013-10-28
Imagine you order a delivery of several glass vases in different colors. Each vase is sent as a separate parcel. What would you think of the courier if the parcels arrive apparently undamaged, yet when you open them, it turns out that all the red vases are intact and all the green ones are smashed to pieces? Physicists from the University of Warsaw and the Gdańsk University of Technology have demonstrated that when quantum information is transmitted, nature can be as whimsical as this crazy delivery man.
GR20/Amaldi10: A time of great discoveries in understanding gravity is fast approaching
2013-07-15
The secrets of the mysterious force of gravity should soon be coming unravelled. The results of work by scientists all over the world, presented during the grand GR20/Amaldi10 gravitational conference in Warsaw, indicate that a major turning-point is close on the horizon.
Stellar monsters do not collide – no hope for a spectacular catastrophe
2013-07-11
One might expect that collisions between the remains of monstrous stars, with masses reaching 200-300 times that of our Sun, would be among the most spectacular phenomena in the Universe. Perhaps they are, but we will unfortunately probably never have the chance to find out. Astrophysicists from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw have discovered that the first such collisions will not occur until billions of years from now.
GR20/Amaldi10: Space-time is not the same for everyone
2013-07-09
Before the Big Bang, space-time as we know it did not exist. So how was it born? The process of creating normal space-time from an earlier state dominated by quantum gravity has been studied for years by theorists at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw. Recent analyses suggest a surprising conclusion: not all elementary particles are subject to the same space-time.