Physics news

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 8:57 am

Re "Or put a lid on it."

There's more than one way to interpret that.

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:34 am

UW-Madison stellerator a step forward in plasma research

A project by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has come one step closer to making fusion energy possible.

The research team, headed by electrical and computer engineering Professor David Anderson and research assistant John Canik, recently proved that the Helically Symmetric eXperiment (HSX), an odd-looking magnetic plasma chamber called a stellarator, can overcome a major barrier in plasma research, in which stellarators lose too much energy to reach the high temperatures needed for fusion.

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:26 am

New form of matter-antimatter transformation observed for first time

For the first time, scientists of the BaBar experiment at the Department of Energy's Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) have observed the transition of one type of particle, the neutral D-meson, into its antimatter particle. Mesons, of which there are about 140 types, are made up of fundamental particles called quarks, which can be produced when particles collide at high energy. [...]

(Now all they need is a source of dilithium crystals... )

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Physicists wipe away complexity for a clearer view of atomic nuclei

Atomic nuclei have long locked away their secrets in huge data sets that tax even high-power supercomputers.
But in a March 16 Physical Review Letters article, researchers from Michigan State and Central Michigan universities report dramatic success in stripping away this stubborn mathematical complexity.

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Henry

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:03 pm

Laser-cooling brings large object near absolute zero

Using a laser-cooling technique that could one day allow scientists to observe quantum behavior in large objects, MIT researchers have cooled a coin-sized object to within one degree of absolute zero.

(BRRR!!!)

Henry

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:40 am

Assistive robot adapts to people, new places

In the futuristic cartoon series "The Jetsons," a robotic maid named Rosie whizzed around the Jetsons' home doing household chores--cleaning, cooking dinner and washing dishes.

Such a vision of robotic housekeeping is likely decades away from becoming reality.

(Number Five isn't yet alive, but they're working on it!)

Henry

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:15 am

Was Einstein right? Scientists provide first public peek at Gravity Probe B results

For the past three years a satellite has circled the Earth, collecting data to determine whether two predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity are correct.

[...]

One is the geodetic effect—the amount by which the mass of the Earth warps the local space-time in which it resides. The other effect, called frame-dragging, is the amount by which the rotating Earth drags local space-time around with it.

[...]

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:17 am

Iowa State physicist leads team designing detector for international particle collider

John Hauptman stood before an international gathering of particle physicists and announced he had another idea.

One that was different. One that was simpler. And best of all, one that he was sure would work.

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 3:48 pm

Just remember - "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:46 pm

New model describes avalanche behavior of superfluid helium

By utilizing ideas developed in disparate fields, from earthquake dynamics to random-field magnets, researchers at the University of Illinois have constructed a model that describes the avalanche-like, phase-slip cascades in the superflow of helium.

lswot · Post by **lswot** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:15 pm

If it looks like a duck.....quacks like a duck....it's helium?

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:54 am

It's elementary!

Website · Post by **brian** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:10 am

Henry J wrote:New model describes avalanche behavior of superfluid helium

And here I thought her talent was fire baton.

lswot · Post by **lswot** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:35 am

Henry J · Post by **Henry J** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:19 pm

Re "If it looks like a duck..... quacks like a duck.... it's helium?"

Nah, it's Daffy, or Donald.

Henry

lswot · Post by **lswot** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:28 am

Ah....but they both talk like they've inhaled helium.