Press releases
Semiliquid chains pulled out of a sea of microparticles
2017-07-20
An electrode brought to the surface of a liquid that contains microparticles can be used to pull out surprisingly long chains of particles. Curiously enough, the particles in the chains are held together by a thin layer of liquid that covers them. This spectacular phenomenon, discovered with the involvement of Polish scientists and described in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, holds promise for a broad variety of applications | More
Quantum entanglement between a single photon and a trillion of atoms
2017-03-01
New light is shed on the famous paradox of Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen after 80 years. A group of researchers from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw has created a multidimensional entangled state of a single photon and a trillion of hot rubidium atoms. This hybrid entanglement has been stored in the laboratory for several microseconds. The research has been published in the prestigious Optica journal | More
Miniature device is three times more efficient in generating new colours of laser pulses
2017-02-24
A group of researchers from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw has just published the results of their works on miniature device - a tripler - for generating femtosecond laser pulses in the UV. Not only does the device has three times higher efficiency than previously used setups, but also fits on a finger tip, thanks to using a unique software package, developed in Warsaw, during the design stage | More
Large groups of individual photons now available on demand – an equivalent of photonic ‘integrated circuit’
2017-02-08
Holographic atomic memory, invented and constructed by physicists from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, is the first device able to generate single photons on demand in groups of several dozen or more. The device, successfully demonstrated in practice, overcomes one of the fundamental obstacles towards the construction of some type of quantum computer | More
Towards therapeutic applications of mRNA: new insights into translation and decapping
2016-11-30
Gene therapy gives hope to millions of patients. Researchers from the University of Warsaw have been working on mRNA containing a modified fragment which initiates protein biosynthesis. Recently published results reveal that new compounds – designed and synthesized at the University of Warsaw – are more stable and effective than their natural equivalents, and their synthesis is simpler. The compounds allow scientists to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of protein biosynthesis in cells, which in turn should help them design better therapeutics | More
Single photon converter – a key component of quantum internet
2016-11-22
A Polish-British team of physicists has constructed and tested a compact, efficient converter capable of modifying the quantum properties of individual photons. The new device should facilitate the construction of complex quantum computers, and in the future may become an important element in global quantum networks, the successors of today’s Internet | More
Natural scale caterpillar soft robot is powered and controlled with light
2016-08-18
Researchers at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, using the liquid crystal elastomer technology, originally developed in the LENS Institute in Florence, demonstrated a bioinspired micro-robot capable of mimicking caterpillar gaits in natural scale. The 15-millimeter long soft robot harvests energy from green light and is controlled by spatially modulated laser beam. Apart from travelling on flat surfaces, it can also climb slopes, squeeze through narrow slits and transport loads. | More
The “Big Bang” of the Internet in Poland occurred exactly a quarter-century ago, initiated by scientists from the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Physics
2016-08-17
The Internet, a powerful tool for shaping the world and societies, first took root in Poland a quarter-century ago, starting from a landmark email sent from the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Physics. Today, it can be found in almost every pocket or purse in Poland. How did the Internet explode into the Polish mainstream?
Today marks a beautiful anniversary: the Internet in Poland is celebrating its silver jubilee. On 17 August 1991, a short yet historically significant email was sent from the pavilion in front of the building of the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Physics on 69 Hoża Street in Warsaw to the DESY laboratory in Hamburg, Germany.
Safer air travel: existing navigation data can help pilots avoid turbulence
2016-08-10
Detecting turbulence remains the Achilles' heel of modern-day aviation. The reports submitted by pilots, subjective and often very inaccurate, are the least expensive and the most frequently used method for trying to predict where it will occur. Scientists from the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, have demonstrated that turbulence can be detected in a much faster and more precise way, using data already routinely broadcast by the aircraft operated by commercial airlines | More
Polish muon hunters increase the research potential of the LHC
2016-07-27
As the beams of the LHC accelerator start colliding at maximum energies, the detectors become inundated by a flow of secondary particles, including muons. The challenging task of quickly identifying the most interesting collisions within the CMS detector, one of the main experiments at the LHC, is handled by a special selection system. Having been recently revamped and modernized by physicists and engineers from Poland, the system is now playing a key role in the search for new physical phenomena | More