Evidence of rare hypernucleus

A view of one of the three events found by FINUDA: a schematic frontal view of the apparatus is shown, and the two blue lines represent the two 'pi' mesons moving along opposite bent trajectories in the magnetic field of the apparatus. Image credit: FINUDA collaboration

(PhysOrg.com) -- Physicists in Italy have discovered the first evidence of a rare nucleus that doesn’t exist in nature and lives for just 10^-10 seconds before decaying. It’s a type of hypernucleus that, like all nuclei, contains an assortment of neutrons and protons. But unlike ordinary nuclei, hypernuclei also contain at least one hyperon, a particle that consists of three quarks, including at least one strange quark. Hypernuclei are thought to form the core of strange matter that may exist in distant parts of the universe, and could also allow physicists to probe the inside of the nucleus.

The particular hypernucleus investigated here, called "hydrogen six Lambda" (⁶_ΛH).

Making H2 from solar panel

This is the hybrid system schematic. Credit: Nico Hotz

Hybrid solar system makes rooftop hydrogen

While roofs across the world sport photovoltaic solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity, a Duke University engineer believes a novel hybrid system can wring even more useful energy out of the sun's rays.

"Instead of systems based on standard solar panels, Duke engineer Nico Hotz proposes a hybrid option in which sunlight heats a combination of water and methanol in a maze of glass tubes on a rooftop. After two catalytic reactions, the system produces hydrogen much more efficiently than current technology without significant impurities. The resulting hydrogen can be stored and used on demand in fuel cells."

Read full article in PhysicsOrg.com

First Hydrogen Bomb

Found an archived video at Columbia University:

"Wired.com: The long-distance scientific recordings of the blast wave from the first hydrogen bomb test have been rediscovered in a formerly classified safe at Columbia University."