Physics Discoveries

NSF's public investment in science, engineering, education and technology helps to create knowledge and sustain prosperity. Read here about the Internet, microbursts, Web browsers, extrasolar planets, and more... a panoply of discoveries and innovations that began with NSF support.

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Showing: 1-26 of 26

		Physicists Gear Up for Huge Data Flow University of Nebraska researchers build a computer center to handle the flood of data expected from the world's next-generation particle accelerator Released  Thu Aug 07 00:00:00 EDT 2008
		Beyond Cold: How the World Works at Minus 459 Degrees Graduate student David McKay describes how atoms are cooled to near absolute zero for research using an approach called quantum simulation Released  Fri Jul 25 00:00:00 EDT 2008
		Cracking the Code of Images New software easily detects pictures' hidden messages Released  Tue Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2008
		Brightest X-ray Vision at the Nano-scale Superconducting 'universal toolkit' for scientists, engineers will conserve energy, too Released  Fri Jun 06 00:00:00 EDT 2008
		Building a Machine to Search for Cosmic Secrets Katherine McAlpine describes the intricate lowering into place of the last large piece of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector, part of the Large Hadron Collider Released  Wed Apr 02 00:00:00 EDT 2008
		Nuclear Scientists Explore the Core of Existence A journalist at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory describes physicists' experiments to understand the neutron dripline and some surprising results Released  Mon Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2008
		2007: Year in Review A look back at some of the NSF-supported advances and activities reported last year Released  Wed Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 2008
		Top Scientists Promote Innovative, Multidisciplinary Global Problem-Solving Strategies   Released  Tue Dec 11 00:00:00 EST 2007
		Nuclear Physics Boot Camp Preps Future Scientists Exotic Beam Summer School stimulates new learning and discoveries in nuclear physics students. Released  Fri Oct 19 00:00:00 EDT 2007
		UltraLight Project: Moving Huge Amounts of Data In spring 2008, the largest particle accelerator in the world will be completed Released  Fri Aug 24 00:00:00 EDT 2007
		The Science of All Things Squishy NSF-funded Emory researcher shares the excitement of cutting-edge physics phenomena with kids of all ages Released  Thu Aug 16 00:00:00 EDT 2007
		2006: Year in Review A look back at some of the NSF-supported activities highlighted last year Released  Tue Jan 09 00:00:00 EST 2007
		Nanotubes Not for Toothpaste . . . Yet Researchers Squeeze Even Rock-Hard Materials Through Minuscule Carbon Tubes Released  Tue Jul 25 00:00:00 EDT 2006
		Purple Haze Ancient pigment reveals secrets about unusual state of matter Released  Tue Jul 11 00:00:00 EDT 2006
		Micro Pills Could Deliver Drugs on Demand Temperature-sensitive capsules release chemicals at tightly controlled rates Released  Mon Mar 27 00:00:00 EST 2006
		New Sensor Based on Human Organ Is No Tin Ear Precision micromachining yields life-size, precise, artificial cochlea Released  Thu Nov 03 00:00:00 EST 2005
		The World’s Smallest Fountain Pen? New microscope tips use capillary action to print patterns tens of nanometers across Released  Wed Oct 05 00:00:00 EDT 2005
		Deeper View Helps Explain Rio Grande Rift Subsurface revealed down to the Earth's mantle Released  Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2005
		High Energy Physics Center Attracts U.S. Undergrads to Summer in Switzerland Apprenticeship at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland Released  Thu Jan 27 00:00:00 EST 2005
		Cold Flashes: Astrophysics at the South Pole What one scientist calls the world’s weirdest telescope was built to detect high-energy particles, not the light from distant stars. In 1997, AMANDA recorded the first precise map of neutrinos from outer space as they zipped through Antarctic ice. Released  Wed Oct 13 00:00:00 EDT 2004
		Double Soap Bubbles: Proof Positive of Optimal Geometry What do dish soap, an ancient question, a team of mathematicians and their ingenious proof of the Double Bubble Conjecture have to do with solving 21st century optimization problems? Plenty. Released  Thu Oct 07 00:00:00 EDT 2004
		Ogling Distant Stars An NSF-funded project that monitors the brightness of stars has given astronomers a potent tool for discovering planets far beyond our part of the galaxy. We can expect to find more "exoplanets" in the decade ahead. Released  Mon Aug 09 00:00:00 EDT 2004
		Triangles, Not Circles, Make Optimal Faucets It had long been assumed that circular nozzles, such as those used by ink-jet printers to deposit tiny droplets of ink, were the best shapes for the job. Now, mathematicians at Harvard University have shown that triangular may be the way to go. Released  Fri Jul 30 00:00:00 EDT 2004
		Researchers Get First Look into Antimatter Atoms Physicists have probed the properties of whole atoms of antimatter, the "mirror image" of matter, providing the first look inside an antimatter atom and taking a big step on the way to testing standard theories of how the universe operates. Released  Fri Jul 30 00:00:00 EDT 2004
		Researchers Solve 100-Year-Old Puzzle of How Layer of Particles Coats the Surface of a Sphere Researchers have discovered how nature arranges charged particles in a thin layer around a sphere. Understanding this theoretical problem may help reveal chinks in the armor of viruses and bacteria and guide engineers designing new molecules. Released  Fri Jul 30 00:00:00 EDT 2004
		Breakthrough Brings Laser Light to New Regions of the Spectrum Researchers have created a "waveguide" that coaxes extreme-ultraviolet light waves into forming a tightly focused laser-like beam that will allow researchers to "see" tiny features and carve miniature patterns. Released  Tue Dec 09 00:00:00 EST 2003