Prof. Nergis Mavalvala, dean of the School of Science, speaks with Wired reporter Swapna Krishna about her work searching for gravitational waves, the importance of skepticism in scientific research and why she enjoys working with young people. Mavalvala explains, “there’s an idea that the greatest scientific discoveries are made by wiry silver-haired scientists. But it’s the work of young people that enables all of these scientific discoveries.”
Prof. Sara Seager and her colleagues have discovered “a six-pack of planets, formed at least 4 billion years ago,” that orbit a nearby sun-like star named HD110067, reports Joel Achenbach for The Washington Post. “Occasionally, nature reveals an absolute gem,” says Seager. “HD 110067 is an immediate astronomical Rosetta stone – offering a key system to help unlock some mysteries of planet formation and evolution.”
MIT researchers have successfully figured out how to trap tiny electrons in a three-dimensional crystal prison, reports Jess Thomson for Newsweek. The researchers hope that “the flat band properties of the electrons in these crystals will help them to explore new quantum states in three-dimensional materials,” Thomson explains, “and therefore develop technology like superconductors, supercomputing quantum bits, and ultraefficient power lines.”
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers at MIT and elsewhere have discovered that the young cosmos hosted a large number of tempestuous galaxies with large black holes at their cores, reports Charlie Wood for Quanta Magazine. “The exact numbers and the details of each object remain uncertain, but it’s very convincing that we’re finding a large population of accreting black holes,” says Prof. Anna-Christina Eilers. “JWST has revealed them for the first time, and that’s very exciting.”
Science News reporter James Riordon writes that by employing a new technology called frequency-dependent squeezing, LIGO detectors should now be able to identify about 60 more mergers between massive objects like black holes and neutron stars than before the upgrade. Senior research scientist Lisa Barsotti, who oversaw the development of this new technology, notes that even next-generation gravitational wave detectors will be able to benefit from quantum squeezing. “The beauty is you can do both. You can push the limit of what is possible from the technology of laser power and mirror [design],” Barsotti explains, “and then do squeezing on top of that.”
MIT researchers Lisa Barsotti, Deep Chatterjee and Victoria Xu speak with Curiosity Stream about how developments in gravitational wave detection are enabling a better understanding of the universe. Barsotti notes that in the future, gravitational wave science should help enable us to, “learn more about dark matter about primordial black holds to try to solve some of the biggest mysteries in our universe.” Xu notes, “the detection of gravitational waves is a completely new window that has opened into our universe.”
Researchers from Atlantic Quantum, an MIT startup building quantum computers, have published new research showing “the architecture of the circuits underlying its quantum computer produces far fewer errors than the industry standard,” reports Rashi Shrivastava for Forbes.
MIT researchers are leading three missions over the next decade to characterize Venus’ atmosphere for habitability, reports Bruce Dorminey for Forbes. “Understanding Venus is key to understanding exo-earths,” writes Dorminey.
The Center for UltraCold Atoms, located at MIT, is one of four university physics programs that will share $76 million in funding from the National Science Foundation as part of the organization’s Physics Frontiers Centers program, which aims to “foster major breakthroughs at the intellectual frontiers of physics,” writes Michael T. Nietzel for Forbes. “[T]he Center for UltraCold Atoms is a joint effort with Harvard University that will explore how to achieve greater control and programmability of complex quantum systems,” he explains.
Prof. Max Tegmark has been named to TIME’s list of the 100 most influential people in AI. “Our best course of action is to follow biotech’s example, and ensure that potentially dangerous products need to be approved by AI-experts at an AI [version of the] FDA before they can be launched,” says Tegmark of how government should regulate the development of AI. “More than 60% of Americans support such an approach.”
Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray spotlights WiTricity, an MIT spinoff that designs wireless charging systems. “WiTricity uses magnetic fields rather than cables to give batteries a boost,” explains Bray.
Prof. Mark Tegmark speaks with The Wall Street Journal reporter Emily Bobrow about the importance of companies and governments working together to mitigate the risks of new AI technologies. Tegmark “recommends the creation of something like a Food and Drug Administration for AI, which would force companies to prove their products are safe before releasing them to the public,” writes Bobrow.
Popular Science reporter Jon Kelvey writes that astronomers from MIT and elsewhere recently captured views of a galaxy cluster as it existed when it was 5 billion years old, and found it is one of the few relaxed galaxy clusters from that time period in the cosmos. The findings “could be telling us that galaxies are forming at a younger age than we thought,” in the early universe, explains graduate student Michael Calzadilla. “That’s challenging our timeline of when things happened.”
Prof. Tracy Slatyer and Prof. Janet Conrad speak with Scientific American reporter Clara Moskowitz about their favorite discoveries in the field of physics. Slatyer notes that “the accelerating expansion of the universe has to be a strong contender.” For Conrad, “I think my favorite event in physics was the prediction of the existence of the neutrino [a subatomic particle with no charge and very little mass] because so much of our fundamental approach to physics today grew out of that moment.”
Researchers at MIT have discovered that the ocean’s color has changed considerably in the last 20 years and is “another warning sign of human-driven climate change,” reports Maria Luisa Paul for The Washington Post. “These ecosystems have taken millions of years to evolve together and be in balance,” says Senior Research Scientist Stephanie Dutkiewicz. “Changes in such a short amount of time are not good because they put the whole ecosystem out of balance.”