Category: Index
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Vortex
Introduction A vortex is a region within a fluid where the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. This phenomenon is one of the fundamental patterns of fluid motion, observable in various natural and man-made systems, from whirlpools and tornadoes to the spiraling wakes behind airplanes. Basics of a Vortex…
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Wien’s Displacement Law
Introduction Wien’s Displacement Law, formulated by physicist Wilhelm Wien in 1893, explains the distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a black body in thermal equilibrium. The law reveals a fascinating correlation between the peak wavelength of a black body’s spectral radiance and its temperature. Basic Principle of Wien’s Displacement Law The law states that the…
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Vacuum Fluctuations
Introduction Quantum mechanics introduces an intriguing concept: vacuum fluctuations. This principle suggests that even in a perfect vacuum, there are tiny, momentary changes in energy. Unlike classical physics, which describes a vacuum as an absolute emptiness, quantum physics sees it as a sea of transient particles and antiparticles that continuously form and annihilate. Vacuum State…
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Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Introduction In the dynamic world of fluid mechanics, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability stands out as a classic yet intriguing phenomenon. It involves an unstable interface between two fluids of different densities under the effect of gravity or any equivalent acceleration. These instabilities appear in a wide array of scenarios from ink dispersing in water to the…
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Raman Scattering
Introduction Raman Scattering, a fundamental phenomenon in the world of light-matter interactions, provides a powerful tool for scientists to explore the nature of materials. Discovered by Sir C.V. Raman in 1928, this scattering event involves a change in the energy (and thus wavelength) of light when it interacts with a material. The study of Raman…
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Quark-Gluon Plasma
Introduction Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) is an extreme state of matter believed to have existed microseconds after the Big Bang. It’s a hot, dense phase of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) where quarks and gluons—fundamental particles of the strong interaction—roam free rather than being confined within hadrons (like protons and neutrons). The study of QGP provides crucial insights…
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Q-Switching
Introduction Q-switching, a technique used in laser physics, produces high-intensity laser beams by controlling the Q factor (quality factor) of the laser’s optical resonator. These short, intense bursts of laser light find numerous applications, including laser cutting, welding, and medical procedures. The Basic Principle of Q-Switching A laser operates by amplifying light within an optical…
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Fick’s Laws of Diffusion
Introduction Diffusion, the process through which particles spread out from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration, is a fundamental transport phenomenon in physics. It is quantitatively described by Fick’s laws, named after the German physicist Adolf Fick who first stated them in 1855. Fick’s First Law Fick’s first law relates…
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Higgs Boson
Introduction The Higgs Boson, often nicknamed the “God Particle”, is a fundamental particle that gives mass to other elementary particles. Its existence was predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics and finally confirmed in 2012 by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The Higgs Field and the Higgs Boson In the universe, there…
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Hamiltonian (Quantum Mechanics)
Introduction Quantum mechanics, with its blend of abstract concepts and mathematical formalism, has been the cornerstone of our understanding of the microscopic world. The Hamiltonian, named after physicist Sir William Rowan Hamilton, plays a central role in this theory, acting as the generator of time evolution in quantum systems. The Hamiltonian in Classical and Quantum…