Browse Physics

A study of ancient and modern papers reveals how cellulose reacts with light to discolor documents and art over time.

A discrepancy between theory and experiment regarding how molecules fold in response to applied forces is resolved.

The symmetry of a molecule may affect how it adsorbs on a surface.

Bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen burn spontaneously if they are small enough.

To complement normal NMR spectroscopy performed in high magnetic fields, researchers are developing a technique that works in nearly zero fields.

New STM experiments resolve the nodal structure of individual orbitals of single organic molecules.

Calculations elucidate how the lateral diffusion of macromolecules within a liquid membrane depends on the properties of the solvent layer surrounding it.

Protected surface states of topological insulators could be exploited to enhance surface reaction dynamics.

Theoretical analysis of periodic RNA modifications in a simple biochemical reactor reveals emergent evolutionary properties.

Mapping out the force between two molecules offers a way to test out a new, high-resolution force microscopy technique.

The lead-acid battery found in most cars owes much of its voltage to relativistic effects in the lead atom, as shown by simulations.

Nanoscale simulations of a classic experiment show that it’s harder to cut through ice with the pressure of a water-repelling wire than with a water-attracting one.

A new technique gives more detailed images of molecules by measuring the quantum mechanical repulsion between the imaged molecule and a small probe molecule.

The effects of ionizing radiation in an aqueous environment are often calculated in clusters of water molecules, but how well does this approximate the response of a bulk liquid?

Simulations reveal how laser-excited persistent currents in ring-shaped aromatic molecules couple to vibrational modes.

Experiments now quantitatively confirm the standard model of electrokinetics, in which electric fields drive the flow of electrolytes, potentially leading to better sensors and biomedical diagnostic devices.

New experiments extend chemical dynamics research to temperatures below $1$ microkelvin.

A combination of simulations and experiments explicitly demonstrates that common chemical reactions can drive convection flows in fluids.

Negative ions dissolved in water may be attracted to the surface because of the rearrangement of charges within the ions.

A new tool is developed to study dynamics of molecular dissociation under electron bombardment.