Physics Today magazine

A century of cosmic rays

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Twenty years after puzzling atmospheric ionization led to the discovery of cosmic rays, their investigation opened up particle physics. Now they’re providing a window on extragalactic astrophysics.

Mikhail Lomonosov and the dawn of Russian science

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Curiously unsung in the West, Lomonosov broke ground in physics, chemistry, and astronomy; won acclaim as a poet and historian; and was a key figure of the Russian Enlightenment.

Women in physics: A tale of limits

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

A newly completed survey of 15 000 physicists worldwide reveals that women physicists still do not have equal access to the career-advancing resources and opportunities enjoyed by their male colleagues.

Optical-fiber microcavities reach angstrom-scale precision

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Using heat and light to subtly vary the local radius and refractive index of a glass fiber is a simple and surprisingly reproducible way to create and tune a microresonator.

The Large Hadron Collider yields tantalizing hints of the Higgs boson

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

There’s not yet enough data for a convincing sighting of standard particle theory’s long-sought capstone. But there’s less and less room for it to hide.

Multiple exciton generation enhances a working solar cell

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

A single energetic photon can excite more than one electron in a nanocrystal. Collecting those electrons may be a path to higher photovoltaic efficiencies.

Crevasses may make ice shelves more stable

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

A new suitor in the carbon-14 dating game

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Tethered proteins speed up photosynthetic electron transfer

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Ocean acidification and coral reefs

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Climate scientists not cowed by relentless climate change deniers

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Groups that provide moral support, legal counsel, and swift rebuttals of misinformation are sprouting up.

Small business technology program gains new lease on life

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Six-year extension of grants act will give small companies a leg up in the scramble for increasingly scarce federal research dollars.

From cells to limbs, UK center studies war injuries

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

More people are surviving with worse injuries than ever before.

With 2012 budgets set, the outlook for R&D clouds up

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Official scientific integrity

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Astronomy education and jobs

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Discussions in scientific nuclear diplomacy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Discussions in scientific nuclear diplomacy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Discussions in scientific nuclear diplomacy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Discussions in scientific nuclear diplomacy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Discussions in scientific nuclear diplomacy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Premature Nobel Prize decision?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

The “Doctor” title: Respect or confusion?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

The “Doctor” title: Respect or confusion?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

The “Doctor” title: Respect or confusion?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Analyses of dimensionless science

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Analyses of dimensionless science

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Analyses of dimensionless science

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Corrections

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Quantum Physics for Poets

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

An Indispensable Truth: How Fusion Power Can Save the Planet

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Quantum Computing: A Gentle Introduction

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Fractional Calculus: An Introduction for Physicists

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

New books

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Focus on bioinstrumentation and biotechnologies

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

The descriptions of the new products listed in this section are based on information supplied to us by the manufacturers. PHYSICS TODAY can assume no responsibility for their accuracy. For more information about a particular product, visit the website at the end of the product description.

Norman Foster Ramsey Jr

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Radiation meets food

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

It’s no secret that some people are wary of irradiated food. But radiation levels that effectively control pathogens have no demonstrated harmful effects on humans.

Improving organic semiconductors

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST