Physicists measure the gravitational pull of a ladybug
Physicists measure the gravita. 1/4
The team measured the gravitational pull between two tiny gold balls, one on the end of a glass rod suspended on a wire
Tobias Westphal 2/4
One of the gold spheres used in the experiment, sitting on top of a coin to give an indication of just how tiny it is
Tobias Westphal/Arkitek Scientific
Barbara Mair 4/4
Of the four fundamental forces, gravity is the one we’re most familiar with in our everyday lives, but perhaps surprisingly, it’s the weakest and hardest to measure here on Earth. Now, physicists in Austria have made the smallest measurement of gravity so far, equivalent to the gravitational pull of a ladybug.
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IMAGE: A light field with time-dependent frequencies - propagating in a waveguide. Due to self-compression the pulse addresses individual quantum emitters. view more
Credit: University of Innsbruck
In order to exploit the properties of quantum physics technologically, quantum objects and their interaction must be precisely controlled. In many cases, this is done using light. Researchers at the University of Innsbruck and the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have now developed a method to individually address quantum emitters using tailored light pulses. Not only is it important to individually control and read the state of the emitters, says Oriol Romero-Isart, but also to do so while leaving the system as undisturbed as possible. Together with Juan Jose? Garci?a-Ripoll (IQOQI visiting fellow) from the Instituto de Fi?sica Fundamental in Madrid, Romero-Isart s research group has now investigated
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Remote control for quantum emitters
Quantum technologies are enabled by precise control of the state and interactions of individual quantum objects. Innsbruck physicists have now proposed a way to remotely control the state of individual quantum emitters. The underlying idea, developed by a research group led by Oriol Romero-Isart, is based on chirped light pulses.
In order to exploit the properties of quantum physics technologically, quantum objects and their interaction must be precisely controlled. In many cases, this is done using light. Researchers at the University of Innsbruck and the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have now developed a method to individually address quantum emitters using tailored light pulses. “Not only is it important to individually control and read the state of the emitters,” says Oriol Romero-Isart, “but also to do so while leaving the system as undisturbed as possible.”
Professor Mathai Varghese FAA
The University of Adelaide’s Professor Mathai Varghese FAA has been awarded the prestigious Hannan Medal by the Australian Academy of Science for his career-long outstanding contributions in the field of geometric analysis.
Professor Varghese is Elder Professor of Mathematics and Australian Laureate Fellow in the School of Mathematical Sciences. Since 2009, he has been Director of the Institute for Geometry and its Applications at Adelaide. Since joining the University of Adelaide in 1989 he has held various ARC Postdoctoral positions and was appointed Professor of Pure Mathematics in 2006 and the Elder Chair in Mathematics in 2013. He completed his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1986 and was a postdoctoral researcher (Dickson Instructor) at the University of Chicago.
Yolande Hutchinson
UNSW scientists have been honoured for their world-changing discoveries, including revealing the physics of sea-level change, understanding heatwaves, and creating cheap flexible stable and non-toxic solar cells.
Professor Angela Moles, Professor John Church, Professor Joseph Powell, Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, Dr Vera Roshchina and Scientia Associate Professor Xiaojing Hao. Photo: UNSW.
Six outstanding UNSW researchers have today been recognised by the Australian Academy of Science with 2021 honorific awards. They are among 24 of Australia’s top scientists to be celebrated by the country’s most prestigious scientific organisation.
The Academy presents its annual medals to recognise scientific excellence by researchers from the early stages of their careers to those who have made lifelong achievements.