100 Greatest Discoveries by the Discovery Channel (2004-2005) Updated +Created
Hosted by Bill Nye.
Physics topics:
biology topics:
Genetics:
Medicine:
Condensed matter physics Updated +Created
Condensed matter physics is one of the best examples of emergence. We start with a bunch of small elements which we understand fully at the required level (atoms, electrons, quantum mechanics) but then there are complex properties that show up when we put a bunch of them together.
Includes fun things like:
As of 2020, this is the other "fundamental branch of physics" besides to particle physics/nuclear physics.
Condensed matter is basically chemistry but without reactions: you study a fixed state of matter, not a reaction in which compositions change with time.
Just like in chemistry, you end up getting some very well defined substance properties due to the incredibly large number of atoms.
Just like chemistry, the ultimate goal is to do de-novo computational chemistry to predict those properties.
And just like chemistry, what we can actually is actually very limited in part due to the exponential nature of quantum mechanics.
Also since chemistry involves reactions, chemistry puts a huge focus on liquids and solutions, which is the simplest state of matter to do reactions in.
Condensed matter however can put a lot more emphasis on solids than chemistry, notably because solids are what we generally want in end products, no one likes stuff leaking right?
But it also studies liquids, e.g. notably superfluidity.
One thing condensed matter is particularly obsessed with is the fascinating phenomena of phase transition.
Figure 1.
xkcd 2933: Elementary Physics Paths
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Video 1.
What Is Condensed matter physics? by Erica Calman
. Source. Cute. Overview of the main fields of physics research. Quick mention of his field, quantum wells, but not enough details.
High-temperature superconductivity Updated +Created
As of 2020, basically means "liquid nitrogen temperature", which is much cheaper than liquid helium.
Magnetic confinement fusion Updated +Created
Once again, relies on superconductivity to reach insane magnetic fields. Superconductivity is just so important.
Ciro Santilli saw a good presentation about it once circa 2020, it seems that the main difficulty of the time was turbulence messing things up. They have some nice simulations with cross section pictures e.g. at: www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/937941.
Second-order phase transition Updated +Created
The more familiar transitions we are familiar with like liquid water into solid water happen at constant temperature.
However, other types of phase transitions we are less familiar in our daily lives happen across a continuum of such "state variables", notably:
Superconducting magnet Updated +Created
Applications: produce high magnetic fields for
As of the early 2020s, superconducting magnets predominantly use low temperature superconductors Nb-Ti and Nb-Sn, see also most important superconductor materials, but there were efforts underway to create practical high-temperature superconductor-based magnets as well: Section "High temperature superconductor superconducting magnet".
Wikipedia has done well for once:
The current to the coil windings is provided by a high current, very low voltage DC power supply, since in steady state the only voltage across the magnet is due to the resistance of the feeder wires. Any change to the current through the magnet must be done very slowly, first because electrically the magnet is a large inductor and an abrupt current change will result in a large voltage spike across the windings, and more importantly because fast changes in current can cause eddy currents and mechanical stresses in the windings that can precipitate a quench (see below). So the power supply is usually microprocessor-controlled, programmed to accomplish current changes gradually, in gentle ramps. It usually takes several minutes to energize or de-energize a laboratory-sized magnet.
Superconductivity Updated +Created
Experiments:
Video 1.
20. Fermi gases, BEC-BCS crossover by Wolfgang Ketterle (2014)
Source. Part of the "Atomic and Optical Physics" series, uploaded by MIT OpenCourseWare.
Actually goes into the equations.
Notably, youtu.be/O_zjGYvP4Ps?t=3278 describes extremely briefly an experimental setup that more directly observes pair condensation.
Video 2.
Superconductivity and Quantum Mechanics at the Macro-Scale - 1 of 2 by Steven Kivelson (2016)
Source. For the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics. Gives a reasonable basis overview, but does not go into the meat of BCS it at the end.
Video 3. . Source. Lacking as usual, but this one is particularly good as the author used to work on the area as he mentions in the video.
Media:
Transition into superconductivity can be seen as a phase transition, which happens to be a second-order phase transition.
Two photon interference experiment Updated +Created
Can be achieved in two ways it seems:
Animation of Hong-Ou-Mandel Effect on a silicon like structure by Quantum Light University of Sheffield (2014): www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld2r2IMt4vg No maths, but gives the result clear: the photons are always on the same side.
Video 1.
Quantum Computing with Light by Quantum Light University of Sheffield (2015)
Source. Animation of in-silicon single photon device with brief description of emitting and receiving elements. Mentions:
Video 2. Source. More theoretical approach.
Video 3.
Building a Quantum Computer Out of Light by whentheappledrops (2014)
Source. Yada yada yada, then at youtu.be/ofg335d3BJ8?t=341 shows optical table and it starts being worth it. Jacques Carolan from the University of Bristol goes through their setup which injects 5 photons into a 21-way experiment.
Unsolved physics problem Updated +Created
The most important ones are:
Other super important ones: