Browse Physics

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.

Yoseph Imry, Physics 2, 24 (2009) – Published March 30, 2009

Mesoscopics

The surprising prediction that currents can flow forever in small normal metal rings was confirmed almost twenty years ago. Highly precise new experiments find good agreement with theory that was not seen till now.

Gediminas Juzeliūnas, Physics 2, 25 (2009) – Published March 30, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics

Trapped cold atom gases mimic much of the behavior of electrons in a solid, but because the atoms are neutral, it is difficult to imitate the physics of electrons moving in a magnetic field. Now, experiments show that a suitable combination of lasers can create an artificial magnetic field for cold atoms.

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

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

Materials Science Superconductivity

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

Fabio Marchesoni, Physics 2, 23 (2009) – Published March 23, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics Interdisciplinary Physics

Stochastic resonance, in which a periodic signal applied to a nonlinear system can be amplified by adding noise, has been observed in a mechanical system and predicted to occur in a Bose-Einstein condensate.

Published March 23, 2009

Nanophysics Nonlinear Dynamics

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

Gilad Perez, Physics 2, 21 (2009) – Published March 16, 2009

Particles & Fields

Study of variations in the mass and interactions of quarks may reveal whether fundamental constants are governed by “environmental selection rules” that lead to complex universes capable of having observers.

Ernst Helmut Brandt, Shi-Ping Zhou, Physics 2, 22 (2009) – Published March 16, 2009

Superconductivity

Decoration experiments of the two-gap superconductor MgB₂ show evidence for long-range attraction between vortices in a superconducting mixed state, which is interpreted as coexisting type-I and type-II

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.

C. R. Stroud, Physics 2, 19 (2009) – Published March 9, 2009

Atomic & Molecular Physics

An atomic physics experiment demonstrates a solution to an eighty-year-old quantum conundrum by mimicking in an atom the astronomical problem of a satellite moving in a sun-earth system.

Daniel Khomskii, Physics 2, 20 (2009) – Published March 9, 2009

Materials Science

The field of multiferroics has greatly expanded in the last few years, particularly with the discovery of so many different types of multiferroic materials. This review organizes these materials according to the microscopic origin of their properties and explores how we can expect to find similar multiferroic behavior in systems that we have been studying all along.

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.

Thomas Philbin, Physics 2, 17 (2009) – Published March 2, 2009

Optics

A proposal for a new type of cloaking device suggests a way to hide both a distant object and the cloak itself.

Paul Mantica, Physics 2, 18 (2009) – Published March 2, 2009

Nuclear Physics

Experiments show that spherical and nonspherical states of a light nucleus near neutron number 28 coexist at the same energy, challenging the usefulness of the notion of stable and persistent “magic numbers.”

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.

H. A. Fertig, Physics 2, 15 (2009) – Published February 23, 2009

Semiconductor Physics Mesoscopics Nanophysics

Measurements of the heat transport at the edges of two-dimensional electron systems appear to provide explanations about the quantum Hall state that have not been forthcoming via charge transport experiments.

Matthew F. Doty, Daniel Gammon, Physics 2, 16 (2009) – Published February 23, 2009

Quantum Information Spintronics

Two theoretical studies reveal how one might achieve electric-field control of spin in semiconductors, both in an impurity-localized electron, and also with a quantum dot molecule.

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

Soft Matter

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

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 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.