Browse Physics

A magnetic field can control the speed with which waves move on the surface of a ferrofluid. Scientists take advantage of this capability to explore new regimes of wave turbulence.

Shock waves, familiar from hydrodynamics, acoustics, and optics, have been observed in the changing charge state of iron defects in lithium niobate crystals upon application of even a modest voltage across the crystal.

Scientists have developed a unifying theory to describe turbulence in two dimensions that could help explain large-scale flow in the earth’s ocean and atmosphere.

Acoustic vortices that interact in a nonlinear medium may be one route to a new kind of robust arithmetic computation.

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.

Small earthquakes may trigger more aftershocks than do larger quakes, according to an analysis of California’s seismic history.

A flickering light can improve a person’s visual perception in a way that they can act upon it. The result might lead to goggles that improve vision by adding “TV static” to the wearer’s view.

Sparks branch for the same reason that coral reefs and snowflakes do, according to computer simulations.

A new scheme suggests a way of reducing the deadly wake turbulence of aircraft.

A controversial experiment suggests that one laser can anticipate the chaotic fluctuations in a second laser.

The gentle shaking at the end of a quake comes from waves that scatter many times in the Earth’s crust before reaching the surface.

Internet viruses can spread more easily than those in the biological world.

Experiments with electronic circuits prove that adding a time delay between coupled oscillators leads to new and unexpected behaviors of the system.