ALL SPUN UP Molecules hit with a laser have reached record spin speeds of 600 trillion revolutions per minute.
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Laser kicks molecules into fastest ever spin
The powerful kick of a laser has spun molecules faster than they’ve ever been spun before: 10 trillion rotations per second, or 600 trillion RPM. A car with tires turning at that spin rate would travel the distance to the nearest star in half an hour. “There’s definitely nothing macroscopic that can spin that fast,” says Valery Milner, a molecular physicist at the University of British Columbia who led the study published March 19 in Physical Review Letters.
Science TickerMeet Big Bird, highest-energy neutrino ever detected
Big Bird, the neutrino, struck the Antarctic ice with a record 2 million billion electron volts of energy.Note: To comment, Science News subscribing members must now establish a separate login relationship with Disqus. Click the Disqus icon below, enter your e-mail and click “forgot password” to reset your password. You may also log into Disqus using Facebook, Twitter or Google.
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Chemistry
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Science TickerOyster shells could inspire improved armor
Making tiny indentations in windowpane oyster shells has revealed some processes that could inspire better armor.Note: To comment, Science News subscribing members must now establish a separate login relationship with Disqus. Click the Disqus icon below, enter your e-mail and click “forgot password” to reset your password. You may also log into Disqus using Facebook, Twitter or Google.
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Quantum Physics
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Condensed Matter
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