Browse Physics

Published April 14, 2009

Nanophysics

Coupling two electromechanical oscillators can extend the range over which each individual device is practically useful.

Published April 13, 2009

Nuclear Physics

The study of reaction rates between unstable, light nuclei can lead to a better understanding of thermonuclear processes in massive stars and novae.

Published April 13, 2009

Statistical Mechanics

Cross-correlations in Monte Carlo simulation data can be used for numerical estimates of superior statistical quality.

Published April 13, 2009

Fluid Dynamics Soft Matter

Scaling laws are a useful way to characterize fluid flow over a wide range of flow rates and experimental conditions. Theorists now explain several earlier experiments by finding a scaling law that describes how a liquid-liquid interface changes shape when driven by viscous forces.

Published April 6, 2009

Mesoscopics Semiconductor Physics

Random disorder in topological insulators leads to an insulating phase reminiscent of one known for years in two-dimensional systems.

Published March 30, 2009

Nuclear Physics

High-precision mass measurements of an isotope of mercury will help us to understand the forces between nucleons in nuclei.

Published March 30, 2009

Mesoscopics Nanophysics Spintronics

Optical measurements in electron gases at low temperatures and high magnetic fields show the electron spins are, as predicted, polarized, but that this state is surprisingly delicate.

Published March 30, 2009

Materials Science Superconductivity

The addition of tellurium helps to grow large single crystals of an iron-based superconductor.

Published March 23, 2009

Nanophysics Nonlinear Dynamics

Molecular dynamics simulations unveil an example of dynamical symmetry breaking at the nanoscale.

Published March 16, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics

New measurements have pinned down the frequency of a long-lived optical transition in ytterbium with the potential for better atomic clocks.

Published March 16, 2009

Magnetism Nanophysics

An advance in magnetic resonance force microscopy enhances its chemical sensitivity and opens up the possibility of identifying different organic substances at the nanoscale.

Published March 9, 2009

Mesoscopics Semiconductor Physics

The finding of one-dimensional, topologically protected conducting states on the surface of bismuth suggests the possibility of a quantum spin Hall effect in one dimension.

Published March 9, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics

The hyperfine levels of a calcium ion form the basis of a qubit that stores quantum information with high fidelity for nearly 100 ms.

Published March 2, 2009

Graphene

The friction on a sharp tip sliding along a double layer of graphene is half that of a single layer. The source of the contrast may be the difference in electron-phonon coupling in the two systems.

Published February 23, 2009

Cosmology Particles & Fields

Two antimatter measurements performed by the PAMELA experiment appear to lead to conflicting results. Now, theorists are exploring the extent to which these measurements can be reconciled.

Published February 23, 2009

Nuclear Physics

A method for calculating the overlap of wave functions in a many-body system will make it easier to determine quantum mechanical states starting from mean-field calculations.

Published February 23, 2009

Soft Matter

Gold wire networks made with a simple tabletop method may provide an alternative to more expensive transparent conductors.

Published February 19, 2009

Materials Science

Diamond is famous for its exceptional hardness and structural stability. Researchers are exploring different ways to push these mechanical properties beyond their current limits.

Published February 17, 2009

Strongly Correlated Materials

A new analysis of photoemission measurements on a material undergoing a metal-insulator transition suggests that an apparent surface “dead layer” is really a bulk effect.

Published February 12, 2009

Magnetism

Researchers report an unusual critical scaling regime in a material that goes from a spin liquid to a spiral magnet upon application of a magnetic field.

Published February 9, 2009

Cosmology Particles & Fields

Interactions between dark matter particles may explain unusual matter-antimatter production rates in the universe.

Published February 9, 2009

Interdisciplinary Physics

The development of an accurate density functional method that scales linearly with system size will enable the study of large ensembles of atoms.

Published February 9, 2009

Interdisciplinary Physics

Images of the craters that form in underwater sand piles as air is forced to flow from beneath lead to a quantitative model of granular flow.

Published February 2, 2009

Particles & Fields String Theory

In particle physics theory, the presence of multiple metastable vacua gives rise to new possibilities for transitions between energy states.

Published February 2, 2009

Quantum Information

A rigorous estimate shows that an error correction code for a scalable quantum computer can accommodate error at the 0.1% level—about ten times more tolerant than most other methods.