Recent Articles
Carbon Monoxide Leaves Cosmic Ice with a Kick
Molecular “kicks” induced by ultraviolet light are predicted to cause carbon monoxide molecules to be released from the icy layers that cover cosmic dust. Read More »
Electron Crystal Reveals Its Dynamics
Researchers have precisely measured the electrical-transport properties of a highly ordered Wigner solid—a crystalline state formed of electrons rather than atoms. Read More »
Might There Be No Quantum Gravity After All?
A proposed model unites quantum theory with classical gravity by assuming that states evolve in a probabilistic way, like a game of chance. Read More »
Why It’s Hard to Break Plastics
The crack resistance of polymer materials is explained by a new model that incorporates a network of stretchable polymer chains. Read More »
Solid-State Physicist Turns to Rocks
An archaeology-focused sabbatical prompted semiconductor physicist Kristin Poduska to ask questions about how the environment impacts the chemical and structural properties of natural materials. Read More »
Mapping the Thermal Forces That Push Particles through Liquids
Using fluorescent tracers, researchers visualize the forces that move micrometer-diameter particles through a liquid subjected to a temperature gradient. Read More »
Control Knob Found for Viscous Fingers
The onset time for “viscous fingering”—an instability that can occur at a gas–liquid boundary—depends on the compressibility of the gas, offering a way to control the behavior. Read More »
Model Correctly Predicts High-Temperature Superconducting Properties
A first-principles model accounts for the wide range of critical temperatures (Tc’s) for four materials and suggests a parameter that determines Tc in any high-temperature superconductor. Read More »
Winning Videos Feature Marbling Paint and Freezing Flashes
For the Gallery of Fluid Motion, researchers take the director’s chair and create videos on 3D printer patterns, frost formation, and paint swirls. Read More »
