Physics and Astronomy News Archive: May 2010

Image: Melting Colloidal Crystal Films

Melting Colloidal Crystal Films

Source: UPenn   Posted: 5/24/10

Physicists have reported an elegant experimental study of the melting behaviors of thin crystalline films, uncovering a variety of interesting differences between thick films of greater than four layers and thinner or single-layer films.
Image: NASA's MISR Provides Unique Views of Gulf Oil Slick

NASA's MISR Provides Unique Views of Gulf Oil Slick

Source: NASA/JPL   Posted: 5/21/10

These unique images of the Deepwater Horizon oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico were obtained by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft on May 17, 2010, at around 16:40 UTC (11:40 a.m. CDT).
Image: Significant Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry Found

Significant Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry Found

Source: Fermilab   Posted: 5/21/10

Scientists have found evidence for significant violation of matter-antimatter symmetry in the behavior of particles containing bottom quarks beyond what is expected in the current theory, the Standard Model of particle physics.
Image: Trapping Giant Rydberg Atoms For Faster Quantum Computers

Trapping Giant Rydberg Atoms For Faster Quantum Computers

Source: UMich   Posted: 5/12/10

In an achievement that could help enable fast quantum computers, University of Michigan physicists have built a better Rydberg atom trap.
Image: Herschel Gets Sneak Peak at Star Birth

Herschel Gets Sneak Peak at Star Birth

Source: ESA   Posted: 5/12/10

The first scientific results from ESA's Herschel infrared space observatory are revealing previously hidden details of star formation.
Image: NASA Captures Night Infrared View of Gulf Oil Spill

NASA Captures Night Infrared View of Gulf Oil Spill

Source: NASA/JPL   Posted: 5/9/10

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft captured this nighttime image of the growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on May 7, 2010.
Image: New Nanoscale Views

New Nanoscale Views

Source: MIT   Posted: 5/9/10

MIT researchers are building a microscope that uses MRI technology to image viruses and other tiny biological structures.
Image: New Fiber Optics Technology May Replace Semi-Conductors

New Fiber Optics Technology May Replace Semi-Conductors

Source: AFTAU   Posted: 5/9/10

It looks like a piece of gel that slips into the sole of your sneaker, but it's a new nano-based technology that can make computers and the Internet hundreds of times faster.
Image: Explained: Thermoelectricity

Explained: Thermoelectricity

Source: MIT   Posted: 5/9/10

Turning temperature differences directly into electricity could be an efficient way of harnessing heat that is wasted in cars and power plants.