Physics

  1. Materials Science

    Savvy Sieve: Carbon nanotubes filter petroleum, polluted water

    A filter made out of carbon nanotubes has potential for such applications as processing crude oil and decontaminating drinking water.

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  2. Materials Science

    To make bronze, tin flakes do a wild dance

    Upsetting some prevailing ideas about how alloys form, rafts of tin atoms jitterbug madly around on a pure copper surface and leave spots of bronze in their wakes.

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  3. Materials Science

    Charging gold with a single electron

    Dropping a single electron onto a gold atom with a scanning tunneling microscope converts gold from its neutral state to an ionic state.

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  4. Physics

    Starting from Square One

    Physicists appear to have wedded the arcane theory of quarks to cutting-edge computer science, giving themselves tools for precisely predicting properties of subatomic matter and possibly observing new physical phenomena.

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  5. Physics

    Inside Plastic Transistors: Crystal-clear window opens on hidden flows

    By creating a new type of plastic transistor, researchers have identified crucial details regarding electric flow through plastic semiconductors.

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  6. Physics

    Feel the Force: Magnetic probe finds lone electron

    Scientists have observed a single electron's magnetism.

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  7. Physics

    Quantum snare entraps key fifth photon

    By coaxing five quantum particles into a state of entanglement, physicists have taken an important step toward dependable quantum computers and more-versatile schemes for transferring quantum information.

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  8. Materials Science

    Diatom Menagerie

    Materials scientists are trying to coerce diatoms into making silicon-based microdevices with specific features.

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  9. Physics

    Grainy Geyser: Tall squirts reveal sand’s liquid ways

    Dropping a steel ball into fine, loosely packed sand produces towering jets of grains.

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  10. Materials Science

    DNA coordinates assembly of glassy nanoscale structures

    Chemists use DNA as a scaffold to construct miniature rings and rods out of silica.

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  11. Materials Science

    Cool Magnet: A little bit of iron gives magnetic refrigeration a boost

    An improved material moves magnetic refrigeration one step closer to commercial reality.

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  12. Physics

    Misbehavin’ Meson: Perplexing particle flouts the rules

    The discovery of what appears to be a new subatomic particle with bizarre properties is challenging theorists' understanding of how matter behaves.

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