# Gabriel Popkin

Gabriel Popkin is a freelance science writer in Mount Rainier, Maryland.

Nonlinear Dynamics

### Focus: Ocean Wave Breaking Stirs Up Atmosphere

Simulations show that breaking ocean waves contribute most of their energy to the air, rather than the water, which could affect cloud formation and climate evolution. Read More »

Optics

### Focus: Circuits for Light

Devices that process light signals the way traditional circuits process electronic signals can now work in a technologically important wavelength range. Read More »

Interdisciplinary Physics

### Focus: Voter Model Works for US Elections

A computer simulation of individual voter behavior matches statistical measures of data from $30$ years of US presidential elections. Read More »

Nanophysics

### Focus: Thin-film Peeling is Not Always Smooth

The attractive force that allows geckos to walk on the ceiling fluctuates in time at the nanoscale, potentially causing a gecko’s feet to detach from a surface more easily than previous theories suggested. Read More »