Browse Physics

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.

The 1965 discovery of the isolated waves known as solitons—which appear in many physical systems—was a direct result of the new computer technology available for numerical simulations.

Experiments and simulations lead to a new model for the curling of a thin strip, which could be useful for plant growth and micromechanics.

A new, secure way to send messages camouflages them inside the same kind of self-organizing patterns that appear in vegetation patterns and the stripes on animal coats.

Simulations explain why the first wave of a tsunami is sometimes less devastating than the subsequent waves. A resonance effect can boost the waves that come later.

‘Explosive’ chaos may occur in a system experiencing a sudden change–like an electric circuit moments after it’s switched on–according to theoretical work.

The patterns in two spinning tanks of fluid representing different parts of the Earth’s atmosphere can synchronize with only a small amount of thermal coupling, suggesting that heat flow can transmit weather cycles over long distances.

Three papers explain aspects of the size and structure of natural supply networks such as blood vessels and leaf veins.

Electric current flowing through simple wire arrangements can induce chaotic magnetic fields, according to computations, so magnetic chaos is probably common in everyday electronics.

A new system for analyzing sleep data could help future patients by providing a more complete picture of their sleep process.

Researchers built a digital circuit that relies on noise to perform correctly, offering a possible solution to the problem of electronic background noise in the smallest computer circuits.

The thin stream kicked up by dropping an object in water results from a kind of squirting action by the fluid, according to experiments and simulations.

A new system can smoothly guide a pendulum from stable to unstable motion and find the border between the two states. Similar set-ups might someday improve testing of auto or airplane parts.

The brain may need sleep in order to concentrate on one activity at a time.

Large networks like the Internet may remain connected after many broken links, but they may not be very effective.

Calculations relate the properties of DNA and proteins to their suitability as “clocks” for measuring evolutionary time in a species.

A mathematical model of animal populations shows precisely what elements are required for predators and prey to avoid extinction.

Colorful soap films confirm an old theory on mixing in a turbulent fluid.

Researchers solve a serious problem with a computer model for how the brain stores memories.

A new vaccination strategy finds the ‘super-spreaders’ of a disease without knowing who they are in advance.