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Physics

Physics is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal which presents latest researches on all aspects of physics.
It publishes original research articles, review articles, communications with no restriction on the length of the papers. Physics is published quarterly online by MDPI.
Quartile Ranking JCR - Q2 (Physics, Multidisciplinary)

All Articles (453)

The applicability of the first-order Fermi mechanism—a cornerstone of the diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) model—in explaining the cosmic ray spectrum is reexamined in light of recent observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission at Earth’s bow shock. It is demonstrated that the Fermi and DSA mechanisms lack physical justification and should be replaced by the physically correct ballistic surfing acceleration (BSA) mechanism. The results show that cosmic rays are energized by the convection electric field during ballistic surfing upstream of quasi-perpendicular shocks, independently of internal shock processes. The spectral index of cosmic rays is determined by the magnetic field compression and shock geometry: the acceleration is strongest in perpendicular shocks and vanishes in parallel shocks. The BSA mechanism reproduces the observed spectral indices, with s=2.7 below the knee at 1016 eV and s=3 above it. It is suggested that the spectral knee may correspond to particles whose gyroradii are comparable to the characteristic size of shocks in supernova remnants. The acceleration time to reach the knee energy, as predicted by the BSA, is in the order of 500 years.

16 October 2025

Ion trajectories and heating due to TTT and BSA in an oblique shock with a shock angle of 
  
    η
    =
    
      85
      ∘
    
    ,
    
    
      χ
      B
    
    =
    8
  
, a cross-shock electric field of 
  
    
      χ
      S
    
    =
    1.5
  
, a compression of 
  
    
      c
      B
    
    =
    4
  
, and a thickness ratio of 
  
    
      r
      
        c
        i
      
    
    /
    D
    =
    1
  
, without waves. (a) Trajectories of two ions injected at 
  
    x
    =
    −
    40
  
 with a sonic Mach number of 
  
    M
    =
    8
  
 and the additional velocities 
  
    
      u
      x
    
    =
    +
    20
  
 (blue) and 
  
    
      u
      y
    
    =
    −
    20
  
 (red) in units of the upstream ion thermal velocity 
  
    v
    
      T
      i
    
  
. (b) Total kinetic energies of ions along their respective trajectories. (c) Thermal (gyration) energies of ions along their trajectories. The black curve shows theoretical adiabatic heating for the shock profile given by 
  
    b
    
      (
      x
      )
    
    ≡
    B
    
      (
      x
      )
    
    /
    
      B
      u
    
  
. (d) Parallel energies of ions along their trajectories. Typical values upstream of the bow shock are 
  
    
      T
      i
    
    ≈
    20
  
 eV, 
  
    
      v
      
        T
        i
      
    
    ≈
    60
  
 km 
  
    s
    
      −
      1
    
  
, 
  
    
      r
      
        c
        i
      
    
    ≈
    100
  
 km, and 
  
    
      B
      u
    
    ≈
    5
  
 nT. See text for more details.

Canonical Quantization of Metric Tensor for General Relativity in Pseudo-Riemannian Geometry

  • Abdel Nasser Tawfik,
  • Salah G. Elgendi and
  • Sameh Shenawy
  • + 1 author

By extending the four-dimensional semi-Riemann geometry to higher-dimensional Finsler/Hamilton geometry, the canonical quantization of the fundamental metric tensor of general relativity, i.e., an approach that tackles a geometric quantity, is derived. With this quantization, the smooth continuous Finsler structure is transformed into a quantized Hamilton structure through the kinematics of a free-falling quantum particle with a positive mass, along with the introduction of the relativistic generalized uncertainty principle (RGUP) that generalizes quantum mechanics by integrating gravity. This transformation ensures the preservation of the positive one-homogeneity of both Finsler and Hamilton structures, while the RGUP dictates modifications in the noncommutative relations due to integrating consequences of relativistic gravitational fields in quantum mechanics. The anisotropic conformal transformation of the resulting metric tensor and its inverse in higher-dimensional spaces has been determined, particularly highlighting their translations to the four-dimensional fundamental metric tensor and its inverse. It is essential to recognize the complexity involved in computing the fundamental inverse metric tensor during a conformal transformation, as it is influenced by variables like spatial coordinates and directional orientation, making it a challenging task, especially in tensorial terms. We conclude that the derivations in this study are not limited to the structure in tangent and cotangent bundles, which might include both spacetime and momentum space, but are also applicable to higher-dimensional contexts. The theoretical framework of quantization of general relativity based on quantizing its metric tensor is primarily grounded in the four-dimensional metric tensor and its inverse in pseudo-Riemannian geometry.

20 October 2025

Net-Proton Fluctuations at FAIR Energies Using PHQMD Model

  • Rudrapriya Das,
  • Anjali Sharma and
  • Susanne Glaessel
  • + 1 author

One of the main goals of the Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) is to investigate the properties of strongly interacting matter under high baryon densities and explore the QCD phase diagram. Fluctuations of conserved quantities like baryon number, electric charge, and strangeness are key probes for phase transitions and critical behavior, as are connected to thermodynamic susceptibilities predicted by lattice QCD calculations. In this paper, we report on up-to-the-fourth-order cumulants of (net-)proton number distributions in gold–gold ion collisions at the nucleon–nucleon center of mass energies sNN = 3.5–19.6 GeV using the Parton–Hadron-Quantum-Molecular Dynamics (PHQMD) model. Protons and anti-protons are selected at midrapidity (|y| < 0.5) within a transverse momentum range 0.4 <pT< 2.0 GeV/c of STAR experiment and 1.08 <y< 2.08 and 0.4 <pT< 2.0 GeV/c of CBM acceptances. The results obtained from the PHQMD model are compared with the existing experimental data to undersatand potential signatures of critical behavior and to probe the vicinity of the critical end point in the CBM energy range. The results obtained here with the PHQMD calculations for κσ2 (the distribution kurtosis times variance squared) are consistent with the overall trend of the measurement results for the most central (0–5% centrality) collisions, although the calculations somewhat overestimate the experimental values.

16 October 2025

Molecular quantum electrodynamics is a powerful and effective tool for the representation and elucidation of optical interactions with matter. Its history spans nearly a century of significant advances in its detailed theory and applications, and in its wider appreciation. To fully appreciate the development of the subject into its modern form invites a perspective on progressive technical progress in the theory, noting a growth in applications that closely mirrors advances in optical experimentation. The challenges and deficiencies of alternative approaches to theory are also taken into consideration.

15 October 2025

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Physics - ISSN 2624-8174Creative Common CC BY license