Latest press releases
Two decades of blazar observations, and the mysteries keep piling up
6 August 2026
Narrow jets of luminous matter may be emitted towards Earth from the nuclei of active galaxies, billions of light-years away. The galaxy then appears as a point source and is called a blazar. A Polish-German team of scientists has, for the first time, analysed the activity of one such blazar over a long period of time and instead of finding answers, they have been faced with an ever-increasing number of intriguing questions.
One experiment maps multiple isotopes exhibiting pygmy excitations
16 July 2026
In a single experiment, physicists have measured the ‘excess’ emission of highenergy gamma rays from more than a dozen heavy, unstable atomic nuclei. Mapping the gamma-ray emissions of so many isotopes produced in nuclear fission marks an important step towards a better understanding of one of the key phenomena in modern nuclear physics: the fission process itself.
Laser pulses capture unexplored polaronic states
24 June 2026
In an international experiment, researchers observed Jahn–Teller polarons – quasiparticles that could play an important role in future ultrafast spintronic devices. These polarons emerged within the crystal lattice of cobalt oxide that had been activated by carefully tailored laser pulses.
Diffusion in a heterogeneous medium – or how voting preferences can be described in terms of physics
10 June 2026
A drop of dye added to a glass of water undergoes ordinary diffusion. However, when placed on the surface of a foam, the dye spreads differently – diffusion becomes anomalous. An example of this is the pattern on the froth of a cup of cappuccino. Interestingly, the latest research suggests that diffusion equations in a heterogeneous environment can also describe social phenomena, such as election results or the behaviour of stock market traders.
How long and sharp are the proton ‘needles’ used in radiotherapy treatments?
30 April 2026
Proton beams are not only used in sophisticated nuclear physics experiments. Today, they are becoming increasingly popular in radiotherapy, where they are an irreplaceable tool for destroying cancer cells. Doctors and physicists can enhance their precision thanks to two solutions developed at the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.