New Material May Reveal Inner Workings of Hi-Temp Superconductors
Measurements taken at NIST may help physicists develop a clearer understanding of high-temperature superconductors, whose behavior remains in many ways mysterious decades after their discovery. A new copper-based compound exhibits properties never before seen in a superconductor and could be a step toward solving part of the mystery.
Glasperlenspiel: NIST Scientists Propose New Test for Gravity
A new experiment proposed by NIST physicists may allow researchers to test the effects of gravity with unprecedented precision at very short distances--a scale at which exotic new details of gravity's behavior may be detectable.
Researchers Create 'Quantum Cats' Made of Light
Researchers at NIST have created 'quantum cats' made of photons, boosting prospects for manipulating light in new ways to enhance precision measurements as well as computing and communications based on quantum physics.
IceCube Neutrino Observatory Nears Completion
In December 2010, IceCube -- the world's first kilometer-scale neutrino observatory, located beneath the Antarctic ice -- will finally be completed after two decades of planning. In an article in the journal Review of Scientific Instruments, Francis Halzen, the principal investigator of the IceCube project, and his colleague Spencer Klein of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provide a comprehensive description of the observatory, its instrumentation, and its scientific mission.
Physicists Headed for UChicago Beijing Center Sept. 1-3
The University of Chicago's new center in Beijing will host its first academic conference, on novel quantum states in condensed matter, from Sept. 1 to 3.
Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet from a Grounded Electrode
Because they are portable and easy to operate at ambient temperatures, cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) should find innovative applications in biomedicine, materials science and fabrication industries. Research reported in the Journal of Applied Physics investigates an APPJ that extends from the ground electrode of a circuit.
LEDs Promise Brighter Future, Not Necessarily Greener
Cheaper light may encourage more use.
Good Vibrations: New Atom-Scale Products on Horizon
Breakthrough discovery enables nanoscale manipulation of the piezoelectric effect.
First Use of Cosmic Lens to Probe Dark Energy
An international team of astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has devised a new method for measuring perhaps the greatest puzzle of our universe - dark energy. This mysterious phenomenon, discovered in 1998, is pushing our universe apart at ever-increasing speeds. The team's results appear in the August 20, 2010 issue of the journal Science.
JILA Frequency Comb System Detects Gas Impurities to Aid Semiconductor Manufacturing
In a step toward solving a long-standing problem in semiconductor manufacturing, scientists at JILA have used their unique version of a 'fine-toothed comb' to detect minute traces of contaminant molecules in the arsine gas used to make a variety of photonics devices, where a mere trace of contaminants can damage or ruin tiny devices.
Molecules Delivering Drugs as they Walk
A new paper in The Journal of Chemical Physics provides a theoretical model that compares the transport characteristics of straight- and branched-chain polymers in various channels -- work that could aid in the development of carrier molecules for delivering drugs at a controlled rate in the body.
Sensing Wind Speed with Kites
UK researchers report in the journal Review of Scientific Instruments have developed a way to use a kite itself to measure wind speed.
Cheaper Substrates Made of Oxide Materials
Imagine building cheaper electronics on a variety of substrates -- materials like plastic, paper, or fabric. Researchers at Taiwan's National Chiao Tung University have made a discovery that opens this door, allowing them to build electronic components like diodes on many different substrates.
An Invisibility Cloak Made of Glass
From Star Trek's Romulans, who could cloak their warships, to Harry Potter's magical garment, the power to make someone or something invisible has intrigued mankind. Now a Michigan Technological University scientist is doing it for real, building a working invisibility cloak.
'Broken Symmetry' Discovery in High-Temperature Superconductors Opens New Research Path
In a major step toward understanding the mysterious "pseudogap" state in high-temperature cuprate superconductors, a team of scientists have found a "broken symmetry," where electrons act like molecules in a liquid crystal: Electrons between copper and oxygen atoms arrange themselves differently "north-south" than "east-west."
Video Game Processors Help Lower CT Scan Radiation
A new approach to processing X-ray data could lower by a factor of ten or more the amount of radiation patients receive during cone beam CT scans, report researchers from the University of California, San Diego.
New Superconductor Research May Solve Key Problem in Physics
Binghamton University physicist Michael Lawler and his colleagues have made a breakthrough that could lead to advances in superconductors. Their findings will be published this week in the prestigious British journal Nature.
Noninvasive Probing of Geological Core Samples
ols to measure a core sample's electrical anisotropy have been sadly lacking, says John Kickhofel. To solve this problem, he and colleagues at Schlumberger found inspiration in a type of logging technology currently used by the modern oil industry. They created a device capable of noninvasively measuring electrical conductivity.
Rainbow Trapping in Light Pulses
Now a group of scientists at Nanjing University in China have shown how a rather wide spectrum of light -- a rainbow of radiation -- can be trapped in a single structure. They propose to do this by sending the light rays into a self-similar-structured dielectric waveguide (SDW) -- essentially a light pipe with a cladding of many layers.
Moving Polymers Through Pores
The movement of long chain polymers through nanopores is a key part of many biological processes, including the transport of RNA, DNA, and proteins. New research reported in The Journal of Chemical Physics describes an improved theoretical model for this type of motion.
A Simple Quantum Dynamics Problem?
Research reported in The Journal of Chemical Physics, which is published by the American Institute of Physics, provides the first real-time measurements of the time dependence of the individual steps of dissociation of a complex consisting of two rare gas atoms and a halogen molecule.
Novel Ion Trap with Optical Fiber Could Link Atoms and Light in Quantum Networks
Physicists at NIST have demonstrated an ion trap with a built-in optical fiber that collects light emitted by single ions, allowing quantum information stored in the ions to be measured. The advance could simplify quantum computer design and serve as a step toward swapping information between matter and light in future quantum networks.
JILA Team Finds New Parallel Between Cold Gases and 'Hot' Superconductors
Scientists at JILA, working with Italian theorists, have discovered another notable similarity between ultracold atomic gases and high-temperature superconductors, suggesting there may be a relatively simple shared explanation for equivalent behaviors of the two very different systems.
Study Explains Science of Soccer
With the attention of sports fans worldwide focused on South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, U.S. scientist John Eric Goff has made the aerodynamics of the soccer ball a focus of his research.
APS Physics Files Petition Requesting NRC Change Licensing Rules
Physicists concerned about proliferation of smaller, more efficient technologies that could be used to build nuclear weapons.