Browse Physics

Published February 2, 2009

Superconductivity

Small changes in stoichiometry can destroy superconductivity in FeSe.

Published February 2, 2009

Optics

A laser beam in a squeezed state may be an effective source for cooling a macroscopic resonator.

Published January 28, 2009

Magnetism

Scientists identify the microscopic origin of a record magnetocaloric effect in Mn_1+yFe_1-y(P_1-xGe_x).

Published January 26, 2009

Mesoscopics Nanophysics

Measurements of how out-of-equilibrium electrons lose energy along a carbon nanotube reveal that they do not significantly scatter over several microns.

Published January 26, 2009

Particles & Fields

Measurements at Fermilab hint at a new particle—but not the one they were looking to find.

Published January 22, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics

Trapping atoms inside of a submicron volume for applications such as quantum computing and nanoscale optics poses a host of experimental difficulties. One idea for doing this takes advantage of the strong electric field that can be excited on the surface of metal nanoparticles.

Published January 20, 2009

Particles & Fields

The results from a search at Fermilab for the Higgs boson edge closer to the predictions of the Standard Model.

Published January 16, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics

Ultracold atoms in an optical lattice share a lot of physics with electrons in a crystalline solid and it is a system that is often much easier to control. By forcing an optical lattice to vary with time, it is possible to engineer the energy of cold atoms and essentially bring them to a halt.

Published January 12, 2009

Particles & Fields

Branes are multidimensional objects that arise in the formulation of string theory. Finding more general ways to describe these objects mathematically often leads to new insights into string theory itself.

Published January 12, 2009

Quantum Mechanics

Quantum graphs are convenient mathematical tools for describing complex molecules and networks of quantum wires. Scientists are addressing the question: When and how fast can a wave function spread out over the entire graph?

Published December 22, 2008

Cosmology Particles & Fields

Mounting evidence seems to rule out weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs ) as the source of a so-far unexplained signal in the DAMA/LIBRA experiments.

Published December 22, 2008

Magnetism

The unusual properties of a single-atom-thick layer of a ferromagnetic alloy deposited on platinum hint at new possibilities for the further miniaturization of recording devices.

Published December 22, 2008

Fluid Dynamics Nonlinear Dynamics

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.

Published December 22, 2008

Atomic & Molecular Physics

A new method for computing electron properties in many-electron molecules yields better results at lower computational cost.

Published December 15, 2008

Nuclear Physics

The report of a successful experiment at the new radioactive ion trap at RIKEN paves the way for future measurements of more exotic nuclei, and tests some of the key methods needed to build future rare-isotope accelerators.

Published December 15, 2008

Atomic & Molecular Physics Optics

Lasers can make an opaque material transparent, but to determine how long this state survives, you have to shut off the lights.

Published December 11, 2008

Spintronics

The effects of torques caused by spin-polarized currents are often unwanted in magnetic nanostructures, but they can be diminished with the right design.

Published December 8, 2008

Superconductivity

Scientists find that stripe order in cuprates coexists with an unusual two-dimensional superconductivity.

Published December 3, 2008

Biological Physics

Physicists present the mechanism of a DNA-based molecular motor that is fueled by a catalytic reaction and walks in one direction along a reusable track.

Published December 1, 2008

Fluid Dynamics

Turbulent states in a pipe do eventually decay, but you may have to wait for an extremely long time to prove it.

Published December 1, 2008

Magnetism

An unconventional muon spin rotation experiment can determine if the magnetism in a spin ice is static or dynamic.

Published November 17, 2008

Mesoscopics

Researchers report the observation of a Kondo effect when charge and spin on a double quantum dot system are entangled.

Published November 17, 2008

Semiconductor Physics

The transport anomalies found in a bismuth alloy under moderate magnetic field might be the signature of unexpected many-body physics.

Published November 12, 2008

Nanophysics

Individual molecules can be accurately positioned using a scanning tunneling microscope tip by transferring the energy of internal molecular vibrations into a controlled translational motion.

Published November 12, 2008

Mesoscopics

Researchers explore how the excitonic condensate phase in a bilayer electron gas depends on the relative electron densities of the two layers.