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Issue 4, 2026
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Extracts from the Internet


Baryon Ξcc+

A 3.62-GeV particle Ξcc+, consisting of two c quarks and one d quark was for the first time reliably registered in the LHCb experiment at Large Hadron Collider [1]. The baryon Ξcc+ is an isospin partner of the baryon Ξcc++ discovered earlier (the composition ucc) but has a six times shorter lifetime. The baryon Ξcc+ was produced in pp collisions and was registered with a statistical significance of 7 σ by analyzing the products of its decay. The examination of Ξcc+ is important as providing insight into the properties of strong interaction binding quarks in hadrons. [1] CERN News, online publication on March 17, 2026

The new proposed method of recording relic neutrinos

Predicted in the Big Bang cosmology is the presence of low-energy relic neutrino background. As distinct from the microwave background radiation, the relic neutrinos cannot be recorded directly at this moment, although some methods of their detection are being discussed. The most promising is the S Weinberg’s proposal to use inverse beta decay; a corresponding PTOLEMY project with a tritium target is being developed. G Huang (China University of Geosciences) and S Zhou (Chinese Academy of Sciences) proposed a new method for recording relic neutrinos [2]. It is proposed to register resonant fluorescence radiation during neutrino scattering by M molecules due to the usual weak interaction νi+M → νj+γ+M. A neutrino in the mass state νi# transfers M into the excited state, and in the reverse transition, a neutrino in another state νj and an IR photon are emitted. The key factor is the coherence time of the ensemble of molecules Tc. According to the authors, if Tc=10  ns, then one event per year will occur in a volume of 5 m3 and if Tc=10 10μs, even in 40 sm3, eight photons a year should be produced. The available data show that such # are well accessible, and the fluorescent signal can be recorded by superconducting detectors. [2] Huang G, Zhou S Phys. Rev. Lett. 136 081003 (2026)

Record superconducting transition temperature Tc at atmospheric pressure

Although under the action of high pressure (190 GPa) superconductivity of LaH10 was obtained at temperatures Tc ≈ 260 K approaching room temperature, the record Tc at atmospheric pressure was Tc=133 K in cuprate HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+δ and has not changed since 1993. L Deng (University of Houston, USA) and their co-authors could obtain Tc=151 K at atmospheric pressure in the same compound HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+δ through sample compression to 10 – 30 GPa in a diamond anvil and a fast pressure removal [3]. The authors associate the success of this method with the presence of structure defects because a slow sample annealing returned Tc to the initial value. [3] Deng L et al. PNAS 123 e2536178123 (2026)

Photonic Chern insulator with frequency coding

Chern insulators are a topological phase of matter with a violated symmetry of time reversal. An example is the quantum Hall effect for electrons, but the extension of the Hall effect to photonics faces some challenges. A Chenier (University of Montreal, Canada) and their co-authors worked out a new approach to obtaining photonic Chern insulators by creating synthetic frequency dimensions, when internal degrees of freedom of particles are used to imitate additional spatial coordinates [4]. This method is realized in the system of fiber-optical loops with electrooptic modulation of the refractive index. Measurement of the Berry curvature showed the existence of quantum transverse drift of photons in the frequency space, similar to the electron drift in the case of the Hall effect. Photonic Chern insulators may find application in devices requiring high resistance to noise, for example, in metrology and in quantum computations. [4] Chenier A et al. Phys. Rev. X 16 011020 (2026)

Avalanche discharge in a solid-state dielectric

An electric discharge on runaway electrons in the atmosphere during a thunderstorm is associated with the development of a cascade of relativistic electrons and generation of accompanying X-ray and gamma-ray radiation [5 – 7]. In 2024, K M Sturge et al. hypothesized that a similar discharge could be created on a scale of the order of centimeter in some solid-state materials, for example, in acryl C5H8O2 capable of accumulating significant charge density when irradiated with an electron beam. In their theoretical work [8], V P Pasko (Pennsylvania State University, USA), S Celestin (University of Orleans, France), and A Bourdon (Paris Polytechnic Institute, France) found the conditions under which an avalanche discharge could be realized experimentally. These conditions appeared to be closely connected with the thermal threshold for the formation of an electron avalanche calculated by A V Gurevich (FIAN) as far back as 1961 [5]. In [8], the photon absorption length and other characteristics of the discharge in acryl, quartz, and bismuth germanate were calculated. In particular, it has been found that the expected energy of X-ray photons is 360 keV and ≈ 0.05 % of the electron beam energy will be converted into radiation. The results of [8] support the fundamental possibility of creating new X-ray radiation sources, although the effect in question has not yet been demonstrated in experiments. [5] Gurevich A V Sov. Phys. JETP 12, 904 (1961) [6] Gurevich A V, Zybin K P Phys. Usp. 44 1119 (2001) [7] Babich L P Phys. Usp. 63 1188 (2020) [8] Pasko V P, Celestin S, Bourdon A Phys. Rev. Lett. 136 095301 (2026)

Mass distribution in the Local Group of galaxies

The Andromeda Galaxy and our Milky Way Galaxy dominate in mass in the Local Group of galaxies. Their gravity primarily determines the motion of smaller galaxies, although the invisible dark matter outside the galaxies also makes a significant contribution. In the central region of the Local Group there is a strong deviation from the Hubble expansion law [9], expressed, in particular, in the fact that the Andromeda and Milky Way are moving towards each other. E Wempe (University of Groningen, Netherlands) and their co-authors performed a new numerical simulation of the Local Group dynamics [10]. The best agreement with observations is obtained when the dark matter distribution takes the form of a flattened structure ≥ 10 Mpc in size, with Local Group galaxies in the center and lowered density regions (voids) on both sides. The gravitational field generated by such a structure is not spherically symmetric, which explains the observed Hubble expansion anisotropy. The obtained mass distribution is consistent with the standard picture of the formation of a large-scale Universe structure and reproduces well the velocities of 31 galaxies near the Local Group. [9] Karachentsev I D Phys. Usp. 69 (3) (2026) [10] Wempe E et al. Nature Astronomy, online publication on January 27, 2026

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The Extracts from the Internet is a section of Uspekhi Fizicheskih Nauk (Physics Uspekhi) — the monthly rewiew journal of the current state of the most topical problems in physics and in associated fields. The presented News is devoted to the fundamental discoveries of physics and astrophysics.

Permanent editor is Yu.N. Eroshenko.

It is compiled from a multitude of Internet sources.
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