Physical Review Focus -

Quarks Influenced by Their Neighborhood

Michael Schirber — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:31:51 -0500

The quark structure inside protons and neutrons changes based on the local nuclear environment, according to electron accelerator experiments.

Image: P. Mueller/Argonne National Lab

Ripples on a Cell

JR Minkel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:20:18 -0500

Detailed images of surface waves on the membrane of a living cell support a theory that the protein machinery involved in the cell's locomotion are responsible for the waves.

Image: Phys. Rev. Lett. (to be published)

Getting the Small Picture

Lauren Schenkman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:53:26 -0500

Researchers propose a noninvasive, nondestructive way to image structures inside cells and other small samples using visible light.

Image: 3DScience.com

Molecular Currents

Don Monroe — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:34:34 -0400

Researchers measured how the electrical conductance between two C₆₀ molecules depends on their distance and orientation.

Image:

Storage Ring Dust-Up

Michael Schirber — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:29:17 -0400

Researchers confirmed that dust contamination is the main cause of sudden beam failure in high energy electron experiments. They also saw flashes of the dust in video recordings of the beam.

Image: P. Ginter/ESRF

So Close, yet So Far

Michelangelo D'Agostino — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:44:34 -0400

Relic neutrinos from the big bang have come from a region of the universe much nearer than the famous cosmic microwaves, even though they are older.

Image: Todd Mason, Mason Productions Inc./LSST Corp.

Photonic Thermos

Lauren Schenkman — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:15:40 -0400

A "statistical" theory shows how a photonic structure could insulate a warm object more effectively than the pure vacuum of a thermos.

Image: iStockphoto/YouraPechkin

Stones from Sticks

Michelangelo D'Agostino — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:29:35 -0400

Computational work illustrates how multi-walled carbon nanotubes can create diamond nanocrystals.

Image: Phys. Rev. B 80, 144105 (2009)

Bead's Glow Creates Recoil

JR Minkel — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:10:55 -0400

Researchers detected the recoil motion of a bead when fluorescent molecules on its surface began emitting photons.

Image: D. Petrov/ICFO/ICREA

The Overlap of Two Photons

Don Monroe — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:54:15 -0400

Researchers have measured the overlap time of an entangled pair of photons by treating them like ordinary laser pulses.

Image: M. Csele/Niagara College