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Thunderhead Accelerator

June 30, 2009

Gamma rays and energetic electrons detected on a Japanese mountaintop confirm that thunderstorms are efficient electron accelerators.

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Viewpoints

Matthew Grayson, June 29, 2009By exploiting the concept of particle-hole duality, one can realize a point junction between integer and fractional quantum Hall phases, which constitutes a crucial building block towards possible applications of the quantum Hall effect. Read More »

Challenging a hole to move through an ordered insulator

Mona Berciu, June 29, 2009A theoretical framework to explain how a hole moves through an antiferromagnetically and orbitally ordered lattice could also provide insight into the interplay between these two ordered phases. Read More »

Super resolution with superposition

Petr M. Anisimov and Jonathan P. Dowling, June 22, 2009A proposal for obtaining optical resolution better than the classical limit by means of spatially entangled quantum states of light opens a new frontier in the fields of quantum optical imaging, metrology, and sensing. Read More »

Distinguishing between molecules that look the same

Thomas Weinacht, June 22, 2009Different molecules with nearly identical absorption spectra can be distinguished with the help of shaped laser pulses and adaptive algorithms. Read More »

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Trends

Spintronics without magnetism

David Awschalom and Nitin Samarth, June 15, 2009The spin-orbit effect is at the heart of efforts to merge spintronics—where information is carried and stored by spin, rather than by charge—with semiconductor technology. Read More »

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Letters to the Editor

Premature call on cosmic-ray anomalies?

June 26, 2009

A Viewpoint commentary discussing recent results from the Fermi Gamma-Ray Telescope on cosmic rays from dark matter may have dismissed an unusual spectral feature too soon; the authors respond. Read More »

Synopses

The demon is in the details

June 29, 2009 [Synopsis on Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 250602 (2009)]

Statistical Mechanics

In the theory of statistical information processing, what is the minimum amount of energy needed to make a measurement and then erase its memory? Read More »

What it takes to be a team player

June 29, 2009 [Synopsis on Phys. Rev. E 79, 066117 (2009)]

Interdisciplinary Physics

A comparison between two social groups—urban gangs and the virtual “guilds” found in online role-playing games—suggests that they tend to follow similar patterns in how they form. Read More »

Spinning out plastics

June 29, 2009 [Synopsis on Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 248303 (2009)]

Soft Matter

The rapid evaporation of solvent during spin casting—a technique widely used in the manufacture of plastic parts—may prevent polymer films from reaching equilibrium. Read More »

A force by any other name…

June 25, 2009 [Synopsis on Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res 5, 010110 (2009)]

Interdisciplinary Physics

Misconceptions about “force” and “motion” are often rooted in everyday experiences. Understanding this link may help teachers better communicate with physics students. Read More »

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