Category Archives: APS Physics

How Fur Frustrates Fouling

Posted on January 12, 2024 by rberkowitz

A hair’s resistance to dirt depends on how much it deforms in a flowing fluid. Read more in APS Physics… Continue reading →

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Water Reduces Ground Coffee’s Charge

Posted on January 6, 2024 by rberkowitz

Adding water to coffee beans before grinding can reduce the buildup of static charge—and make a stronger espresso. Continue reading →

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Why Humidity Doesn’t Affect Drying Paint

Posted on December 15, 2023 by rberkowitz

Experiments verify a theory that explains why paint doesn’t dry any faster on a dry day than on a wet day. Continue reading →

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Solid-State Physicist Turns to Rocks

Posted on December 1, 2023 by rberkowitz

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. Continue reading →

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Tension Remodeling Resolves Tissue Architecture Question

Posted on November 27, 2023 by rberkowitz

A dynamical tension model captures how cells swap places with their neighbors in epithelial tissues, explaining observed phase transitions and cellular architectures. Continue reading →

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It’s a Trap—for Lanthanides

Posted on November 15, 2023 by rberkowitz

Trapping and imaging single dysprosium atoms extends the utility of optical tweezer arrays to electronically complex species, opening the door to new quantum physics studies. Continue reading →

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Binary Colloids Don’t Flock Together

Posted on October 26, 2023 by rberkowitz

A homogenous mixture of two self-propelling species first forms a polar vortex and then spontaneously demixes, thanks to a difference in speeds and other competing effects. Continue reading →

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Earplugs That Block Out All Sounds

Posted on October 24, 2023 by rberkowitz

A new 3D-printed earplug can absorb physiological sounds made by the body, potentially making it more acoustically comfortable to use than some commercially available earplugs. Continue reading →

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Intense X Rays Can Free Bound Electrons

Posted on October 18, 2023 by rberkowitz

Measurements indicate that intense x-ray pulses can change the electronic structure of a material on femtosecond timescales, a finding that could improve imaging of light–matter interactions. Continue reading →

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How Rotation Drives Magnetic Levitation

Posted on October 13, 2023 by rberkowitz

A detailed experimental analysis explains the forces by which a spinning magnet can cause another magnet to levitate in midair. Continue reading →

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