Light Pulses Change Speed in a Plasma

Posted on May 24, 2021 by rberkowitz

Interactions between two laser beams in a plasma allow for precise
control over the light’s velocity. Read more in APS Physics…

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Do Merging Dwarf Galaxies Explain a Peculiar Gravitational-Wave Detection?

Posted on May 11, 2021 by rberkowitz

The hard-to-explain masses of two coalescing black holes could be accounted for if they were the central black holes in two distant, tiny galaxies that merged. Read more in APS Physics…

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Linking Glaciers on Earth to the Climate on Mars

Posted on April 30, 2021 by rberkowitz

Geophysicist Jack Holt explains how Earth’s debris-covered glaciers can teach us about the climate history of Mars. Read more in APS Physics…

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Cubes Keep Their Distance

Posted on April 22, 2021 by rberkowitz

Cubes suspended in a liquid are less likely than spheres to form clusters and fall out of solution. Read more in APS Physics…

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Counting All the Antistars in the Sky

Posted on April 22, 2021 by rberkowitz

Analyzing gamma-ray sources leads to an upper limit on how many antimatter stars could exist in the Milky Way. Read more in APS Physics…

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Laser-Cooled Atoms and Molecules Collide in a Trap

Posted on April 14, 2021 by rberkowitz

An experiment shows the circumstances under which ultracold atoms are quick to kick molecules out of a trap, providing clues for how to use atoms as a refrigerant for molecules. Read more in APS Physics…

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Ancient lightning may have provided the phosphorus necessary for life

Posted on April 6, 2021 by rberkowitz

On early Earth, lightning strikes created glassy rocks that hosted abundant soluble minerals, which were rich in phosphorus, a vital ingredient in biomolecules. Read more in Physics Today…

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A tabletop waveguide delivers coherent x rays

Posted on April 1, 2021 by rberkowitz

The layered anode emits bright, directed beams without the need for mirrors or large-scale accelerators. Read more in Physics Today…

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Shape-Shifting Proteins Follow Diffusion Rules

Posted on March 23, 2021 by rberkowitz

How quickly a protein diffuses in a liquid depends directly on its radius, which changes as the protein’s conformation fluctuates. Read more in APS Physics…

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Loopy Pipe Network Converts AC to DC

Posted on March 19, 2021 by rberkowitz

A simple network of pipes based on the structures of a bird’s lung transforms back-and-forth flow into one-way flow. Read more in APS Physics…

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