Author: WeWorldMedia-admin

U.S. production of all types of coal has declined over the past two decades

Published: 8 April 2025
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

April 8, 2025

In 2023, the United States produced 578 million short tons (MMst) of coal, or less than half of the amount produced in 2008 when U.S. coal production peaked, according to our most recent Annual Coal Report. The production decline is spread almost evenly across each type of coal and continued in 2024. Rising mining costs, increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and competition from other sources of electric power generation have contributed to domestic coal production declines.

The rank of coal depends on the depth at which coal deposits are buried. Deeper coal deposits have experienced more heat and pressure over time, providing those coals with higher heat capacity, higher carbon content, lower moisture, and fewer impurities. When ranked by their carbon content, the highest-ranking coal is anthracite, followed by bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite

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Quantum quasiparticle could make future quantum computers more reliable

Published: 8 April 2025
Categories: National Science Foundation

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

Supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, physicists have revealed the presence of a previously unobserved type of subatomic phenomenon called a fractional exciton. Their findings confirm theoretical predictions of a quasiparticle with unique quantum properties that behaves as though it is made of equal fractions of opposite electric charges bound together by mutual attraction.

The discovery was supported by NSF through multiple grants and laboratory work performed at the NSF National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida. The results are published in Nature and show potential for developing new ways to improve how information is stored and manipulated at the quantum level, which could lead to faster and more reliable quantum computers.

“Our findings point toward an entirely new class of quantum particles that carry no overall charge but follow unique quantum statistics,” says Jia Li, leader of the research team and associate professor of physics at Brown University. “The most exciting part is that this discovery unlocks a range of novel quantum phases of matter, presenting a new frontier for future research, deepening our understanding of fundamental physics and even opening up new possibilities in quantum computation.”

Li and his team were able to observe fractional excitons by using a phenomenon known as the fractional quantum Hall effect, which occurs when a strong magnetic field is applied to layers of atomically thin

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Professor/Meiere Chair in Physics

Published: 8 April 2025
Categories: Eng Jobs Academic Keys

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

Indiana University Indianapolis, School of Science Department of Physics invites applications for an endowed professorship in physics. The appointment will begin August 1, 2025 (or earlier) on the Indianapolis campus. The successful candidate will be the Inaugural Meiere Professor of Physics. The Chair includes a significant annual funding stream that can be used for a wide variety of purposes, within limits of Indiana University policy.

The search is part of a major expansion of the research profile of IU Indianapolis. We expect close collaboration with the newly established Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute at Indiana University Indianapolis (CBATI). The creation of CBATI, the upcoming construction of a new research building, and the establishment of other new research institutes, consortia, and academic programs is part of a record-breaking new investment in the Indianapolis campus by the Indiana State Legislature.

The successful candidate will have an outstanding

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