Browse Physics

The oscillations of a carbon nanotube can strongly affect the spin of an electron trapped on the tube, and the tube can also be affected by the spin, according to theory.

Metallic glasses, new materials that are strong and durable, are not entirely disordered on the atomic scale but can have regions of near-crystalline order.

The binding of two proteins is strongest in regions where the packing of surrounding water molecules is already disrupted.

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 spherically symmetric interaction force between particles can cause them to self-assemble into a surprisingly asymmetric (chiral) pattern in two dimensions, according to simulations.

A semiconductor chip that generates entangled photon pairs is friendlier to integration with other chip-based quantum components than any previous device.

Researchers propose a way to transfer quantum information between ions and electronic circuits, opening up new options for quantum computation.

Incoherent light from the sun or from an LED could cool a small object, according to two theory papers.

The propagation of sound waves can be dramatically altered by forcing them to follow meandering channels, according to simulations.

A neutron-rich nucleus can emit a neutron pair as a single unit as a product of nuclear decay.

Light passing through a pair of adjacent glass strips generates a slight bending in the material, causing the light to concentrate into narrow tracks. The technique works for all wavelengths of light.

Sheets of single-layer carbon with a variety of bonding patterns may have properties similar to the wonder material graphene, according to new computer simulations.

A uniform stream of liquid can form one big drop or break up into many droplets. Experiments test the conditions that lead to breakup.

Classical physics explains why isotopes segregate in molten rock.

Salt crystallizing on walls or old artifacts forms in discrete bunches, rather than coating the surface, because of an unexpected feedback effect, according to experiments and simulations.

A sheet of tiny structures, such as nanoscale graphene disks, can absorb all incident light of a specific wavelength coming from any direction, theory suggests.

The Millikan oil drop experiment, published in final form in 1913, demonstrated that charge comes in discrete chunks and was a bridge between classical electromagnetism and modern quantum physics.

A proposed device improves on past designs and would sort small particles from large ones to a purity of over 99 percent, without any moving parts.

A new technique measures each unit of charge that accumulates on a submerged plastic bead, unprecedented resolution for a liquid-solid interface and an experiment that may benefit a variety of commercial devices and processes.

Infrared spectroscopy can detect trace gases and potentially provide an alternative carbon dating technique.