Issue #8 — Equilibrium

Basically, Science

The basic research newsletter from ISTA

Whether finding a new balance or striving to maintain order, the tendency towards stability in systems is universal. In this issue, we look at Equilibrium.

See how the levitation of particle clusters relies on a delicate balance of forces, how ants signal terminal illness to maintain colony health, and how colliding black holes find a new equilibrium shaped by their cosmic environment.

Unpacking of a fatally-infected pupa from its cocoon. © Christopher D. Pull

Ants Signal Death to Maintain Colony Health

Infected ant pupae emit a chemical signal instructing worker ants to destroy them, allowing the colony to protect itself from a spreading pathogen. Researchers have now documented how this signal triggers a precise response: workers open the cocoon, expose the pupa, and apply antimicrobial poison.

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A particle is being levitated in the acoustic levitation setup in the Waitukaitis group’s lab at ISTA. © ISTA

Cluster Levitation: A Delicate Balance

Sound waves can suspend tiny particles in mid-air, but when many particles are involved, they often clump together in “acoustic collapse”. Now, physicists combined acoustic levitation with electrostatic charge to counter this limitation, keeping particles separated in stable, suspended configurations.

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PhD alum Gökhan Yalnız (front), Professor Maksym Serbyn, and the study’s first author and PhD student Elena Petrova. © ISTA

Quantum Scars: Back to a Forgotten State

Quantum systems are expected to reach equilibrium, a state where details of the initial configuration are irretrievably diluted. Yet some return periodically to their original configuration. A recently-developed algorithm can now uncover these “quantum scars” by using classical equations of motion as a guide.

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Editor's Pick

Explaining social dilemmas. Game theory models the interactions of players in a given scenario and predicts their behavior. © Shutterstock

The Mathematics Behind Stable Cooperation

Groups facing shared problems can settle into stable cooperation, but only under certain conditions. By analyzing how differences in resources and abilities shape these situations, it is possible to identify when cooperation holds and when it breaks down. These findings map the fine balance between working together and sliding into conflict.

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In Profile

The senior astrophysicist and black hole specialist Zoltan Haiman joined ISTA after 23 years at Columbia University. © ISTA

When Black Holes Collide: Zoltan Haiman

Merging galaxies bring their central black holes into a dark cosmic dance that ends with a single black hole settling into equilibrium. Zoltan Haiman examines how gas, stars, and other environmental factors steer this final stage and shape the properties of the remnant. His work links the behavior of black hole binaries to the broader history of how galaxies form and grow over cosmic time.

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ISTA Campus

Officially open: (L-R) Christoph Kaufmann, Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Martin Hetzer, and Georg Schneider cut the ribbon. © ISTA

New ISTA Kindergarten For Work-Life Balance

The on-campus kindergarten, which opened in October, supports ISTA families in balancing work and childcare. The newly renovated facility offers modern classrooms, outdoor spaces, and extended opening hours designed around the rhythms of Institute life.

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