Physics

• Researchers at CERN's Large Hadron Collider detected rare Higgs boson decay patterns that deviate from Standard Model predictions, suggesting potential physics beyond current theoretical frameworks. • The analysis examined 150 billion particle collisions collected over two years, revealing a 3.2 sigma deviation in the boson's decay pathways, announced on April 20 by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations. • The findings could indicate undiscovered particles or fundamental forces and represent significant progress toward understanding the universe's most elusive particles.

• Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science, working with collaborators from Japan's National Institute for Materials Science, have observed electrons in graphene flowing like a nearly frictionless liquid, defying a core law of physics. • Researchers created exceptionally clean graphene samples and measured electrical and thermal conductivity, finding that as electrical conductivity rose, thermal conductivity dropped—the opposite of expected behavior. • The team discovered the fluid's viscosity is extremely low, making it one of the closest realizations of a perfect fluid ever observed, establishing graphene as an accessible platform for studying extreme physics phenomena.

Grant cuts of nearly 70% may force university departments to close and ‘annihilate’ research, scientists sayBritish physicists have shaped our understanding of nature and the universe for more than a century, uncovering the building blocks of matter and furthering our knowledge on cosmic puzzles from the big bang to black holes.But senior scientists warned on Friday that the field of particle theory faces an existential threat after universities were informed of savage cuts to research. Brian Cox, a TV scientist and professor at the University of Manchester, said the impact amounted to the “destruction of the future”. Continue reading...

• Researchers made a major breakthrough in solving the mystery of static electricity, explaining how it causes hair to stand on end and related phenomena. • The findings elucidate the physics behind volcanic lightning and other electrostatic events, providing new insights into charge separation mechanisms. • This peer-reviewed discovery advances fundamental physics knowledge with potential applications in materials science and atmospheric studies.

• Researchers created pure hexagonal diamond (lonsdaleite) by compressing organized graphite at 20 gigapascals and 1,300-1,900°C for 10 hours, confirmed via structural analyses and simulations. • The material, rarer than cubic diamond, was identified in Arizona's Barringer Crater meteorite and offers superior hardness for tools and electronics. • Study provides definitive evidence of hexagonal diamond's existence, countering past skepticism about meteorite samples.

Shaped by a different biology or culture, other intelligent civilisations – if they’re out there – might understand the universe in a completely different way than we do. Physicist Daniel Whiteson explores what that could tell us about physics and ourselves