Viewpoints

Metal-Coated Waveguide Stretches Wavelengths to Infinity

Metal-Coated Waveguide Stretches Wavelengths to Infinity

January 2, 2013

Wenshan Cai

A zero refractive index at optical frequencies, as demonstrated in a new nanoscale waveguide, enables opportunities for better control and enhancement of light propagation in waveguides, as well as development of photonic nanocircuits.

A Glance at the Earliest Universe

A Glance at the Earliest Universe

December 17, 2012

Parampreet Singh

A new cosmological theory tackles the description of the earliest era of the Universe, a period inaccessible by current models.

Turbulent Plasma in the Lab

Turbulent Plasma in the Lab

December 17, 2012

Gianluca Gregori and Brian Reville

Confirmation that interacting magnetic plasma waves can generate “daughter” waves of a higher frequency supports the current picture of how turbulence leads to heat in astrophysical plasma.

A Cut Above the Rest

A Cut Above the Rest

December 10, 2012

Manoj K. Chaudhury

A study reveals the optimal balance of forces needed to make the cleanest cuts in soft solids.

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Coherent Control of Chemical Reactions on the Attosecond Time Scale

December 10, 2012

Helium Puddles Near Absolute Zero

December 3, 2012

Matter-Wave Self-Interferometry

December 3, 2012

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Synopses

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Through the Eye of the Needle

January 7, 2013

Experiments explain how DNA strands can be captured at their extremities by nanoscale pores.

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ac/dc Spin Control

January 7, 2013

Manganese defects in zinc oxide have been identified as a class of electrically controllable qubits.

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Sizing Up Quark Interactions

January 3, 2013

Muon capture experiments provide a rare opportunity to measure the effects of quark interactions in the proton.

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Grain Flow Relies on Gravity

January 3, 2013

Previously observed convection in granular materials is now shown to be driven in part by the force of gravity, according to new microgravity experiments.

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Electron Snapshots of Fast Fields

January 2, 2013

Relativistic electrons passing through a laser-produced plasma map out magnetic fields that move at nearly the speed of light.

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Up Close, A Warm Glow Turns Cooler

January 2, 2013

Radiative heat transfer usually increases at shorter separation distances, but new calculations describe micron-scale cases where less heat is exchanged as two objects approach.

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Logic with Light and Matter

December 27, 2012

A Pulsar’s Inner Secrets

December 13, 2012

Looking for Atoms that Pack By the Rules

December 13, 2012

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Focus

Leaf Size Fixed by Tree Physics

Leaf Size Fixed by Tree Physics

January 4, 2013

The near-uniform leaf size of the tallest trees is set by the requirements of their vascular network.

Proposed Device Would Shape Magnetic Fields

Proposed Device Would Shape Magnetic Fields

December 28, 2012

A proposed design for a cylindrical shell with unusual magnetic properties offers a way to concentrate magnetic field energy.

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Atomic Spins at Human Scale

December 17, 2012

Subterranean Sound Waves from Projectile Impact

December 7, 2012

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Notes from the Editors

A Different Kind of Impact Factor

A Different Kind of Impact Factor

December 19, 2012

Applied science is taking off in New York, and physics skills are in demand.

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Trends in Physics session

February 21, 2012

Broadening Our Reach

October 20, 2011

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