Browse Physics

Klaus Jungmann, Physics 2, 68 (2009) – Published August 10, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics Particles & Fields Nuclear Physics

A huge, predicted atomic parity violation has now been observed in ytterbium, further aiding tabletop experimental searches for physics beyond the standard model that complement ongoing efforts at high-energy colliders.

N. W. Ashcroft, Physics 2, 65 (2009) – Published August 3, 2009

Chemical Physics

We can generally understand the way simple chemical combinations arise by assuming a standard valence structure for the elements, but a high-pressure study suggests that the rules for hydrogen may not be so easily pinned down.

Thomas Vojta, Physics 2, 66 (2009) – Published August 3, 2009

Mesoscopics Nanophysics Statistical Mechanics

Quantum states in disordered solids are characterized by wild spatial fluctuations. As a result, the behavior of a single typical wave function differs markedly from the ensemble average.

Karen L. Kavanagh, Physics 2, 63 (2009) – Published July 27, 2009

Semiconductor Physics

A new generation of electron microscopes that correct for spherical aberration may be able to chart the positions of individual atoms as they diffuse through a crystal.

Georg Held, Physics 2, 64 (2009) – Published July 27, 2009

Nanophysics

The complete geometry of C₆₀ molecules adsorbed on a silver surface has been determined for the first time with low-energy electron diffraction.

Natalia Berloff, Boris Svistunov, Physics 2, 61 (2009) – Published July 20, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics Fluid Dynamics

Chaotic matter waves formed by perturbing a Bose-Einstein condensate may provide a valuable laboratory setting for understanding many different kinds of quantum-fluid turbulence.

Julien Laurat, Physics 2, 62 (2009) – Published July 20, 2009

Quantum Information Optics

This design of atomic quantum memory tells us when a pulse of light has been successfully stored and then proceeds to retrieve it without significantly affecting its polarization. The exquisite operation provides a new capability for quantum information networks.

Alexander V. Balatsky, David Parker, Physics 2, 59 (2009) – Published July 13, 2009

Superconductivity

An angle-resolved photoemission study suggests that different physics may underlie two major classes of iron-based superconductors.

Zlatko Tesanovic, Physics 2, 60 (2009) – Published July 13, 2009

Superconductivity

Are electronic correlations in the new iron-pnictide high-temperature superconductors as strong as in their older cuprate brethren? Yes, say some physicists; no, say others. X-ray experiments deliver the verdict.

Igor F. Herbut, Physics 2, 57 (2009) – Published July 6, 2009

Graphene

Along with the quark gluon plasma and cold atom gasses, graphene is establishing its place as a perfect liquid.

Quentin G. Bailey, Physics 2, 58 (2009) – Published July 6, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics Particles & Fields

Measuring quantum interference of atomic matter waves may help detect experimental signatures of a fundamental theory of physics.

Mona Berciu, Physics 2, 55 (2009) – Published June 29, 2009

Strongly Correlated Materials

A theoretical framework to explain how a hole moves through an antiferromagnetically and orbitally ordered lattice could also provide insight into the interplay between these two ordered phases.

Matthew Grayson, Physics 2, 56 (2009) – Published June 29, 2009

Semiconductor Physics Mesoscopics

By exploiting the concept of particle-hole duality, one can realize a point junction between integer and fractional quantum Hall phases, which constitutes a crucial building block towards possible applications of the quantum Hall effect.

Thomas Weinacht, Physics 2, 51 (2009) – Published June 22, 2009

Optics Chemical Physics

Different molecules with nearly identical absorption spectra can be distinguished with the help of shaped laser pulses and adaptive algorithms.

Petr M. Anisimov, Jonathan P. Dowling, Physics 2, 52 (2009) – Published June 22, 2009

Quantum Information Optics

A proposal for obtaining optical resolution better than the classical limit by means of spatially entangled quantum states of light opens a new frontier in the fields of quantum optical imaging, metrology, and sensing.

Fiona J. Burnell, Shivaji L. Sondhi, Physics 2, 49 (2009) – Published June 15, 2009

Magnetism Semiconductor Physics Mesoscopics

The fractional quantum Hall effect, thought to be special to two dimensions, may also flourish in three, providing a possible explanation for anomalies observed in certain 3D materials in high magnetic fields.

F. Javier García de Abajo, Physics 2, 47 (2009) – Published June 8, 2009

Optics Metamaterials

Materials with unusual optical properties may allow the construction of sensors surrounded by a cloaking shell that makes the detectors undetectable.

Frédéric Chevy, Physics 2, 48 (2009) – Published June 8, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics

The fermionic analog of a solid-state polaron (an electron surrounded by a cloud of phonons) has been created by dropping a spin-down atom into a Fermi sea of spin-up ultracold atoms.

Jürgen Appel, Physics 2, 45 (2009) – Published June 1, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics Optics

Dispersive probing of an atomic transition decreases the “dead time” of optical atomic clocks, potentially enabling more stable time reference standards.

Miles V. Klein, Physics 2, 46 (2009) – Published June 1, 2009

Superconductivity

Calculations of the Raman response for iron pnictide superconductors reveal a collective mode that may be crucial to unravel the pairing symmetry.

Felix Ritort, Physics 2, 43 (2009) – Published May 26, 2009

Statistical Mechanics Interdisciplinary Physics

Small nonequilibrium systems behave quite unexpectedly when in contact with a thermal reservoir. However, all of them—from molecular machines to molecular magnets—are described by a single fluctuation theorem.

Aaron Pierce, Physics 2, 44 (2009) – Published May 26, 2009

Particles & Fields Astrophysics

New connections have been made between experimental astrophysical signatures and theories that unify the electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces, called grand unified theories.

Andrew M. C. Dawes, Physics 2, 41 (2009) – Published May 18, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics Quantum Information Optics

Loading cold atoms into a hollow-core optical fiber enables all-optical switching with just several hundred photons.

Jan van Ruitenbeek, Physics 2, 42 (2009) – Published May 18, 2009

Nanophysics Graphene

With a high-energy electron beam, it is possible to carve out atomically thin strands of carbon. Whether these carbon structures are conducting remains an open question.

Dave Bacon, Physics 2, 38 (2009) – Published May 11, 2009

Quantum Information

Entanglement may not be the source of a quantum computer’s power. But if not, what is?