Physics and Matter News - December 2008 Archives
 | A Princeton-led team of researchers has discovered an entirely new mechanism for making common electronic materials emit laser beams. The finding could lead to lasers that operate more efficiently and at higher temperatures than existing devices, and find applications in environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics. ...> Full Article |
The ability to exploit the extraordinary properties of quantum mechanics in novel applications, such as a new generation of super-fast computers, has come closer following recent progress with some of the remaining underlying mathematical problems.
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 | President-elect Barack Obama has nominated Steve Chu, Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, to be Secretary of Energy. ...> Full Article |
Michigan State University scientists make first-of-its-kind measurements of rare nuclei
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Calibration tool will reveal when hypothetical particles are detected
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Researchers at MIT recently found an elegant solution to a sticky scientific problem in basic fluid mechanics: why water doesn't soak into soil at an even rate, but instead forms what look like fingers of fluid flowing downward. Scientists call these rivulets "gravity fingers," and the explanation for their formation has to do with the surface tension where the water meets the soil. Accounting for this phenomenon mathematically will have wide-ranging impact on research in many fields.
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The first generation of quantum dots were made from the toxic heavy metal cadmium and had emission wavelengths, and colors, determined by their size. "Lattice strain" created by layers of different semiconductor materials allows the color of quantum dots to be tuned independent of size. Small enough to pass through the kidneys if administered systemically, the new quantum dots are expected to be useful for cancer detection and possibly in solar energy conversion.
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Research carried out at MIT's Alcator C-Mod fusion reactor may have brought the promise of fusion as a future power source a bit closer to reality, though scientists caution that a practical fusion powerplant is still decades away.
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 | Researchers use optical lattices as a construction kit /Juelich supercomputer confirms model ...> Full Article |
'Striped' material offers more clues to high-temperature superconductivity
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 | Researchers working at NIST have demonstrated for the first time the existence of a key magnetic property of specially built semiconductor devices that raises hopes for even smaller and faster gadgets that could result from magnetic data storage in a semiconductor material. ...> Full Article |
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Fish can recognize a face based on UV pattern alone
Ancient DNA from rare fossil reveals that polar bears evolved recently and adapted quickly
'Anaconda' meets 'Jurassic Park': Study shows ancient snakes ate dinosaur babies
Scientists locate apparent hydrothermal vents off Antarctica
Mars Express heading for closest flyby of Phobos
Artificial bee silk a big step closer to reality
Predicting the fate of stem cells
Artificial foot recycles energy for easier walking
New fiber nanogenerators could lead to electric clothing
What drives our genes? Researchers map the first complete human epigenome
Juggling enhances connections in the brain
Tracking down the human 'odorprint'
Fill 'er up - with algae
Researchers help identify cows that gain more while eating less
How to see through opaque materials
Kent State researchers play lead role in significant new physics discovery
From 2-trillion-degree heat, researchers create new matter - and new questions
Dark matter lens used to measure age of universe
Scientists find an equation for materials innovation
Study quantifies the electron transport effects of placing metal contacts onto graphene
Neutrons poised to play big role in future scientific advances
Researchers move closer to understanding chaotic motion of a solid body in a fluid
Brown physicist discovers odd, fluctuating magnetic waves
Physicists use ultra-fast lasers to open doors to new technologies unheard of just years ago
Quantum leap for phonon lasers
Exploring the secrets of dark matter
Atom interferometer provides most precise test yet of Einstein's gravitational redshift