Browse Physics

A proposed system for measuring tiny masses could be several times more sensitive than others because it avoids electrical connections, using laser techniques instead.

The stiffness of a single gold atom–measured as a material property–is at least twice that of a macroscopic chunk of gold, according to measurements of a sharp gold point pressed against a gold surface.

Sometimes particles dispersed in a rotating fluid collect into a seemingly rigid filament structure. A new mathematical model explains this mysterious behavior, first observed 15 years ago.

Theorists created a gravitational model that is mathematically analogous to one for a standard superconducting device, extending the ways that the tools of general relativity can lead to insights into condensed matter physics.

Complex structures appear spontaneously in a plasma in a strong magnetic field. The work explores a new regime of plasma behavior that could be relevant for industry and demonstrates a new technique for imaging plasma dynamics.

Scratching steel and other materials is unexpectedly dominated by a process of cutting rather than pressing, according to new experiments and analytical modeling.

Experiments show that the tumbling of gas molecules has a significant effect on the energies of electrons they eject in response to x rays.

Radiation pressure from an ordinary, DVD-scale laser can make a dimple on a liquid’s surface.

Liquid sodium agitated gently in a rotating tank can significantly amplify a magnetic field. The experiment is the first step toward demonstrating a self-sustaining field in a low-turbulence fluid, which may be analogous to Earth’s core.

A laser that emits visible light using atomic nuclei, rather than electrons, could be made from a thorium alloy. It could be a first step toward a gamma-ray laser.

A wave “diode” could use a nonlinear medium to allow light to travel in only one direction.

Two different kinds of mechanical stresses explain the unique reversal of rotation during the growth of a fungus, according to a new theory.

Theorists can mathematically construct waves that propagate on straight-line paths through environments with many obstacles that would ordinarily cause scattering.

The idea of inflation–an exponential expansion of the universe in its first moments–was published in 1981, in a paper that imported new ideas from particle physics into theoretical cosmology.

A statistical analysis reveals new organizational structure within the genetic code–“superstructures” containing hundreds of genes that appear to have related functions.

LISA, a future gravitational wave detector, could find evidence that the early universe had fewer than three spatial dimensions.

A material filled with nanometer-sized particles could deform dramatically in a magnetic field. It may lead to improved magnetic materials for devices.

Experiments show that the spin of an electron can cause its path to curve as it moves through a semiconductor, even in the absence of scattering, which may be important for future devices.

Experiments with soap films clinging to an adjustable wire framework show that the shape of the film depends on its history.

The complex topography of a crumpled piece of paper has only two basic types of regions, and they can be combined to build up the whole surface, according to calculations.