The American Institute of Physics is still accepting nominations for the 2020 John Torrence Tate Medal for International Leadership in Physics. The deadline to apply is Oct. 1, 2020. The medal was established in 1959 and is awarded every two years to non-U.S. citizens for their leadership, research contributions and service to the international physics community. The award consists of a certificate of recognition, a bronze medal, and a $10,000 prize.
Tag: Physics
Research provides simple explanation for paradox of a spiraling football
A team of researchers, including LLNL Physicist Willy Moss, provided a simple resolution to a longstanding paradox of why a spiraling football’s tip follows the trajectory of the ball in a paper published as an Editor’s Selection in the American Journal of Physics on Aug. 19.
Chemotherapy Drug More Effective When Combined With Microbubbles
Hepatocellular carcinoma is usually treated by blocking the flow of blood to the tumor to induce cancer cell death, but the common treatment, transarterial chemoembolization, is invasive and too imprecise to be a local drug delivery method. Aiming to increase the precision, researchers at Tulane University created a treatment that involves vaporizing tiny droplets of perfluorocarbon, a common organic material composed of carbon and fluorine. The method of gas embolization is published in APL Bioengineering.
Recharging N95 Masks for Continued Usage
N95 masks achieve 95% efficiency at filtering out tiny 0.3-micron particles, while maintaining reasonable breathability, thanks to a layer of polypropylene fibers incorporating electrical charges to attract particles. Extended usage and decontamination, provoked by severe shortages during the pandemic, can easily remove the charges and degrade filtration efficiency. In Physics of Fluids, researchers share a method to restore the filtration efficiency of N95 masks to out-of-box levels, as long as the mask is not structurally compromised.
Quantum light squeezes the noise out of microscopy signals
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory used quantum optics to advance state-of-the-art microscopy and illuminate a path to detecting material properties with greater sensitivity than is possible with traditional tools.
Scientists find new way to measure important beam property
In a new study from Argonne, researchers have measured important beam properties that will help scientists develop more focused beams for high-impact science.
Decorating Windows for Optimal Sound Transmission
Glass windows typically offer some amount of sound proofing, sometimes unintentionally. In general, ventilation is required to achieve large sound transmission. But some applications — like gas explosion studies — require a transparent partition that allows for acoustic propagation without the presence of airflow. In those cases, ventilation is not allowed. In Applied Physics Letters, researchers discuss a layered glass material they developed that allows for efficient sound transmission with no air ventilation.
Detecting Small Amounts of Virus in Early Infections
Diagnostic devices that are used at home or in doctors’ offices are often not sensitive enough to detect small amounts of a virus that might be present in samples from asymptomatic patients, which can occur in early stage COVID-19. In Biomicrofluidics, scientists report a membrane-based invention that can concentrate the virus content of a sample of urine or saliva, allowing it to be detected.
Microscopic robots ‘walk’ thanks to laser tech
A Cornell University-led collaboration has created the first microscopic robots that incorporate semiconductor components, allowing them to be controlled – and made to walk – with standard electronic signals.
Revised code could help improve efficiency of fusion experiments
Researchers led by PPPL have upgraded a key computer code for calculating forces acting on magnetically confined plasma in fusion energy experiments. The upgrade will help scientists further improve the design of breakfast-cruller-shaped facilities known as stellarators.
Polymers Prevent Potentially Hazardous Mist During Dentist Visit
If the mist in a dentist’s office — sent flying into the air by spinning, vibrating tools — contains a virus or some other pathogen, it is a health hazard for dentists and patients. So researchers in Illinois studied the viscoelastic properties of food-grade polymers and discovered that the forces of a vibrating tool or dentist’s drill are no match for them. Not only did a small admixture of polymers completely eliminate aerosolization, but it did so with ease.
Effectiveness of Cloth Masks Depends on Type of Covering
Months into the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing a mask while out in public has become the recommended practice. However, many still question the effectiveness of this. To allay doubts, Padmanabha Prasanna Simha, from the Indian Space Research Organisation, and Prasanna Simha Mohan Rao, from the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, experimentally visualized the flow fields of coughs under various common mouth covering scenarios. They present their findings in the journal Physics of Fluids.
Building Mechanical Memory Boards Using Origami
Origami can be used to create mechanical, binary switches, and in Applied Physics Letters, researchers report the fabrication of such a paper device, using the Kresling pattern, that can act as a mechanical switch. By putting several together on a single platform, the investigators built a functioning mechanical memory board. They found that oscillating the platform up and down at a certain speed will cause it to flip, or switch, between its two stable states.
Martin Centurion: Then and Now
Martin Centurion is the Susan J. Rosowski Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
First-Person Science: Chris Polly on Muon Physics
In the First-Person Science series, scientists describe how they made significant discoveries over years of research. Chris Polly is a physicist at the Department of Energy’s Fermilab and co-spokesperson for the Muon g-2 project.
Physics Through Art: Geraldine Cox to Receive 2020 Gemant Award
The American Institute of Physics announced artist Geraldine Cox as the winner of the 2020 Andrew Gemant Award. The award is given annually to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the cultural, artistic or humanistic dimension of physics. The selection committee cited her “for articulating deep physics concepts through visual arts and other media, reaching a remarkable range of people in innovative ways and sharing her passion for the expression of physical truths.”
Henriksen lands CAREER grant to chase electron effects
Erik Henriksen, assistant professor of physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been awarded a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award by the National Science Foundation. His grant, expected to total $850,000 over the next five years, is for research that explores many-particle interactions in graphene and other single-atom-thick materials.
Humid Air Can Extend Lifetime of Virus-Laden Aerosol Droplets
The novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread through natural respiratory activities, but little is known about how the virus is transported through the air. Scientists report in Physics of Fluids on a study of how airflow and fluid flow affect exhaled droplets that can contain the virus. Their model includes a more accurate description of air turbulence that affects an exhaled droplet’s trajectory. Calculations with their model reveal, among other things, an important and surprising effect of humid air.
Trace Vapor Generator for Detecting Explosives, Narcotics
Trace vapor detection technologies are crucial for ensuring reliable and safe detection of explosives and illegal drugs. Researchers have developed a compact testing device called the Trace Vapor Generator for Explosives and Narcotics, which is portable and can be used for non-contact sampling of these vapors. In Review of Scientific Instruments, the team reports the TV-Gen can accurately generate trace vapors of low vapor pressure compounds and can produce vapors in complex backgrounds.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Awards and Appointments
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announces its most recent awards and appointments for the institution’s physicians, scientists, nurses, and staff.
AIP CEO Joins CASIS Board to Guide ISS National Lab Projects
Michael Moloney, CEO of AIP, joins the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space as a member of their board of directors in their efforts to optimize the use of the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory. The laboratory is used “for improving quality of life on Earth, promoting collaboration among diverse users, and advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.” Moloney joins three other new members on the board of directors: Eric D. Isaacs, Elizabeth R. Cantwell and Gale J. Allen.
New phase of nanoconfined water discovered
Researchers at MIPT Laboratory of Terahertz Spectroscopy together with their Russian and international colleagues discovered a new phase of nanoconfined water; separate water molecules that are confined within nanocavities formed by ions of cordierite crystal lattice. The first reliable experimental observation of a phase transition in a network of dipole-dipole coupled water molecules is, in and of itself, an important fundamental breakthrough. But apart from that, the discovered phenomenon can also find practical applications in ferroelectrics, artificial quantum systems, and biocompatible nanoelectronics.
Quantum Materials Quest Could Benefit From Graphene That Buckles
Graphene, an extremely thin two-dimensional layer of the graphite used in pencils, buckles when cooled while attached to a flat surface, resulting in beautiful pucker patterns that could benefit the search for novel quantum materials and superconductors, according to Rutgers-led research in the journal Nature. Quantum materials host strongly interacting electrons with special properties, such as entangled trajectories, that could provide building blocks for super-fast quantum computers. They also can become superconductors that could slash energy consumption by making power transmission and electronic devices more efficient.
Why Does COVID-19 Impact Only Some Organs, Not Others?
In severe cases of COVID-19, damage can spread beyond the lungs and into other organs, such as the heart, liver, kidney and parts of the neurological system. Beyond these specific sets of organs, however, the virus seems to lack impact. Ernesto Estrada aimed to uncover an explanation as to how it is possible for these damages to propagate selectively rather than affecting the entire body. He discusses his findings in the journal Chaos.
Digital Content on Track to Equal Half Earth’s Mass by 2245
As we use resources to power massive computer farms and process digital information, our technological progress is redistributing Earth’s matter from physical atoms to digital information. Eventually, we will reach a point of full saturation, a period in our evolution in which digital bits will outnumber atoms on Earth, a world “mostly computer simulated and dominated by digital bits and computer code,” according to an article published in AIP Advances. It is just a matter of time.
Explosive nuclear astrophysics
An international team has made a key discovery related to “presolar grains” found in some meteorites. This discovery has shed light on stellar explosions and the origin of chemical elements. It has also provided a new method for astronomical research.
Grasshopper jumping on Bloch sphere finds new quantum insights
New research at the University of Warwick has (pardon the pun) put a new spin on a mathematical analogy involving a jumping grasshopper and its ideal lawn shape. This work could help us understand the spin states of quantum-entangled particles.
Natalie Roe Named Berkeley Lab’s Associate Director for Physical Sciences
Natalie Roe, who joined Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) as a postdoctoral fellow in 1989 and has served as Physics Division director since 2012, has been named the Lab’s Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for the Physical Sciences Area. Her appointment was approved by the University of California. The announcement follows an international search.
UIC physicist earns innovation award from Microscopy Today
Groundbreaking approach in high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy has been judged to be one of the 10 best microscopy innovations in the 2020 Microscopy Today Innovation Award competition.
Speaker Change: International Year of Sound Events Explore Acoustics from Steelpan Music to Oceanography
The Acoustical Society of America continues to host virtual events in August as part of the International Year of Sound. The ASA Student Council will host Virtual Student Summer Talks for science students to present their research on topics ranging from acoustical oceanography to speech communication and Andrew Morrison will discuss how the acoustical physics of the steelpan helps machine learning algorithms process large datasets. All events are open to the public, and admission is free.
Coronavirus Drug for Cats Has Potential Use for COVID-19 Virus in Humans
Researchers at the University of Alberta say a protease in SARS-CoV-2 can be targeted with a drug that is also used to treat feline infectious peritonitis, a fatal infection in cats caused by a coronavirus. The drugs, dipeptide-based protein inhibitors, could be used to slow or stop replication of the COVID-19 virus in humans. During the 70th annual meeting of the American Crystallographic Association, Joanne Lemieux will outline how the drugs are strong candidates for the treatment of human coronavirus infections.
The Problem with Microwaving Tea
Through convection, as the liquid toward the bottom of a container warms up, it becomes less dense and moves to the top, allowing a cooler section of the liquid to contact the heating source. This ultimately results in a uniform temperature throughout the container. Inside a microwave, however, the electric field acting as the heating source exists everywhere and the convection process does not occur. Researchers studied this nonuniform heating behavior and present a solution in AIP Advances.
Nanostructures Modeled on Moth Eyes Effective for Anti-Icing
Researchers have been working for decades on improving the anti-icing performance of functional surfaces and work published in AIP Advances investigates a unique nanostructure, modeled on moth eyes, that has anti-icing properties. Moth eyes are of interest because they have a distinct ice-phobic and transparent surface. The researchers fabricated the moth eye nanostructure on a quartz substrate that was covered with a paraffin layer to isolate it from a cold and humid environment.
X-Ray Scattering Facility for Extreme Biology Opens for Research
Life on Earth manages to exist in the Mariana Trench and deep below the ocean floor, where extreme conditions create large effects on the behavior of biological molecules. At the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, a facility dedicated to high-pressure biological X-ray scattering is available for use to explore those deep ocean molecules. Richard Gillilan will describe the main capabilities of BioSAXS and call for scientific use of the facility at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Crystallographic Association.
Physicists Find Misaligned Carbon Sheets Yield Unparalleled Properties
A material composed of two one-atom-thick layers of carbon has grabbed the attention of physicists worldwide for its intriguing — and potentially exploitable — conductive properties.
Another Win for the Standard Model: New Study Defies Decades-Old ‘Discrepancy’ With High-Precision Measurement
A new study dives into a decades-old discrepancy from a Standard Model of particle physics pillar known as “lepton flavor universality,” and provides strong evidence to resolve it.
AIP Welcomes Nominations for 2020 Tate Medal for International Leadership
The American Institute of Physics is accepting nominations for the 2020 John Torrence Tate Medal for International Leadership in Physics. The deadline to apply is Oct. 1, 2020. The Tate medal was established in 1959 and is awarded every two years to non-U.S. citizens for their leadership, research contributions and service to the international physics community. The award consists of a certificate of recognition, a bronze medal and a $10,000 prize.
Black Phosphorus Future in 3D Analysis, Molecular Fingerprinting
Many compact systems using mid-infrared technology continue to face compatibility issues when integrating with conventional electronics. Black phosphorus has garnered attention for overcoming these challenges thanks to a wide variety of uses in photonic circuits. Research published in Applied Physics Reviews highlights the material’s potential for emerging devices ranging from medical imaging to environment monitoring, assessing progress in different components of the chips, from light detection to laser emission.
International Year of Sound Events Explore Acoustics from Sounds of the Sacred to Oceanography
The Acoustical Society of America continues to host virtual events in August as part of the International Year of Sound. The ASA Student Council will host Virtual Student Summer Talks for science students to present their research on topics ranging from acoustical oceanography to speech communication and David Carreon Bradley will discuss how sounds in religious spaces are essential to the worship experience. All events are open to the public, and admission is free.
Scientists Team Up to Create Spongy Droplets that Mimic Cellular Organelles
Taking a bottom-up approach to synthetic biology, UC San Diego chemists and physicists show that lipid sponge droplets can be programmed to internally concentrate specific proteins, host and accelerate biochemical transformations and control enzymatic reactions.
The spin on baseball: WVU experts break down the physics of America’s favorite pastime
With MLB up to bat for opening day (July 23), two West Virginia University astrophysicists are hurling a fastball of science at us to better understand the game. WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty D.J. Pisano, chair and professor,…
SLAC’s upgraded X-ray laser facility produces first light
The LCLS-II upgrade project will increase the X-ray laser’s power by thousands of times, producing a million pulses per second compared to 120 per second today. Now, the first phase of the upgrade has come into operation, producing an X-ray beam for the first time using newly installed undulators. The full upgrade is due to be completed within the next two years.
Buffalo State College Physics Professor Seeks New Path to Cool
A Buffalo State physics professor is researching ways to make refrigeration and air conditioning environmentally friendly.
AIP to Fund Programs Combating Racial Injustice, Inequities in Physics, Physical Sciences
The American Institute of Physics has established a $200,000 fund to support efforts by its 10 member societies and an AIP affiliated society, the National Society of Black Physicists, for actions that are a direct response to racial injustice. The AIP 2020-2021 Diversity Action Fund will have a special focus on society actions for Black students in the physical sciences, as well as programs focused on minority communities.
Pandemic Puts Physical Sciences at ‘Tipping Point’ Between Perilous, Vibrant Futures
Commissioned by the AIP board of directors, “Peril and Promise: Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Physical Sciences,” outlines several areas where the scientific community has been tested by the pandemic and examines what the future could look like for the workforce, infrastructure and conduct of research. Calling it “a tipping point,” the panel challenges leaders in government, academia, the private sector and other areas who depend on the physical sciences to craft specific recommendations to address the pandemic’s impacts.
Researchers Observe Branched Flow of Light for the First Time
A team of researchers from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology has observed branched flow of light for the very first time. The beautiful phenomenon allows for new and exciting research opportunities in the fields of Optics and Optofluidics.
Six Argonne researchers receive DOE Early Career Research Program awards
Argonne scientists Michael Bishof, Maria Chan, Marco Govini, Alessandro Lovato, Bogdan Nicolae and Stefan Wild have received funding for their research as part of DOE’s Early Career Research Program.
Academic Achievement isn’t the Reason There are More Men than Women Majoring in Physics, Engineering and Computer Science
While some STEM majors have a one-to-one male-to-female ratio, physics, engineering and computer science (PECS) majors consistently have some of the largest gender imbalances among U.S. college majors – with about four men to every woman in the major. In a new study published today in the peer-reviewed research journal, Science, NYU researchers find that this disparity is not caused by higher math or science achievement among men. On the contrary, the scholars found that men with very low high-school GPAs in math and science and very low SAT math scores were choosing these math-intensive majors just as often as women with much higher math and science achievement.
Roll over, Aristotle, nature doesn’t always hate a vacuum
The study, published in Nature Chemistry, provides new insights on how to modify the stickiness of these molecular building blocks, allowing engineers to build materials, like gels, from the bottom-up.
QS rankings makes MIPT best Russian tech university
The latest edition of the QS World University Rankings places MIPT at No. 281 globally, up 21 positions from last year’s results. The Institute has the highest standing of all Russian technical universities featured in the league table.