Marric Stephens

Corresponding Editor at Physics APS

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Articles

Gamma-Ray Halos May Be Common Around Pulsars

2 weeks ago | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

April 30, 2025&bullet; Physics 18, s59The results of a survey of middle-aged pulsars suggest that a feature previously seen around a handful of pulsars might be ubiquitous. In 2017, researchers with the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory discovered that two nearby pulsars are surrounded by halos of tera-electron-volt (TeV) gamma rays [1]. Now the HAWC Collaboration has found evidence that TeV halos may be ubiquitous around middle-aged pulsars [2].
Active Polymers Tie Themselves in Knots

3 weeks ago | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

April 24, 2025• Physics 18, s55Simulations show that polymers that include inert and self-propelled components are more likely to form and retain knots, with possible applications in materials engineering. Long molecules can become spontaneously entangled with themselves. Sometimes—in strands of DNA, for example—those knots are a problem. But the ability to create knots in polymers on demand could lead to materials with bespoke properties.
Intergalactic Collision Constrains Dark Electromagnetism

4 weeks ago | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

April 17, 2025&bullet; Physics 18, s48The distribution of dark matter around a pair of colliding galaxy clusters appears unaffected by a putative dark-sector version of electromagnetism. ×Dark matter, by definition, does not participate in electromagnetic interactions. But some theories include a dark matter analogue of this familiar force. These theories imply that dark matter particles might possess positive or negative “dark charges” and thereby experience attractive or repulsive forces.
Prizes for Eels, Algae, Leaves, and More

1 month ago | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

March 20, 2025&bullet; Physics 18, 61The winners of the annual “Gallery of Soft Matter” competition included posters and videos depicting wiggling worms, wrinkly leaves, sun-shy algae, flowing solids, and drying fibers. The APS Division of Soft Matter has announced the winners of the 2025 Gallery of Soft Matter video and poster contest. Below are the winners.
New Experiment Solves a Nuclear Mystery

1 month ago | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

March 18, 2025&bullet; Physics 18, s33Measuring how efficiently an isotope captures neutrons of various energies both confirms and refutes some surprising recent results. ×When an atomic nucleus is struck by a neutron, it has a chance of capturing that neutron and becoming a heavier isotope.
The Effectiveness of Carbon-Ion Cancer Therapy

2 months ago | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

March 11, 2025&bullet; Physics 18, s32Experiments have shown that heavy-ion irradiation of biomolecules in aqueous environments efficiently triggers DNA-destroying cascades. Y. Gao et al. [1]; adapted by APSY. Gao et al. [1]; adapted by APS×Ion beams are especially effective in treating cancer in part because heavy particles deposit their energy over shorter distances within the target volume than lighter ones do.
New Measurements of a Charmed Baryon

2 months ago | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

February 28, 2025• Physics 18, s16Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider have measured the spin parity of a charm-quark-hosting particle, offering a new test of theoretical models. ×On the basis of data collected between 2016 and 2018, researchers at the LHCb experiment at CERN have measured a fundamental property of a short-lived particle known as the Ξc baryon [1].
Demonstrating a Quantum Edge in a Coloring Game

2 months ago | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

February 21, 2025&bullet; Physics 18, s27A two-player team that shares a pair of entangled particles can outplay a team that uses only classical strategies. In principle, a modest quantum computer can perform in minutes a computational task that would occupy the most powerful classical computer for millennia.
Building a Scalable Ion Clock with a Coulomb Crystal

Jan 16, 2025 | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

January 16, 2025&bullet; Physics 18, s7Researchers have built an optical clock using an array of trapped ions—an architecture that can be scaled up to boost the clock’s precision. Improving the precision of optical clocks depends on reducing two types of uncertainty: statistical and systematic. Typically, devices that minimize one type of uncertainty pay for it with an increase in the other.
Fracture Energy of Soft Lattices

Jan 8, 2025 | physics.aps.org | Marric Stephens

January 8, 2025&bullet; Physics 18, s1The energy required to fracture a lattice material obeys a scaling law governed by just three parameters, researchers find. ×What determines the minimum energy needed for a crack to propagate through a lattice?