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In depth: Condensed matter
Vitaly Ginzburg: a life in physics
Nov 3, 2009 9 comments Opinion
Vitaly Ginzburg – one of the most prominent Russian theoretical physicists of the 20th century – talks exclusively about his achievements in physics, his distrust of the church's growing role in Russian society and how the hydrogen bomb saved his life.
The lure of synchrotrons
Nov 2, 2009 1 comment Opinion
Robert P Crease asks how sound are the arguments that the next generation of synchrotron sources are an essential tool for meeting the energy challenge?
The road to sustainability
Oct 1, 2009 1 comment Feature
"Sustainability" is the hottest topic in energy research today, but what does it actually mean? George Crabtree and John Sarrao describe what makes a technology sustainable, and outline the materials-science challenges standing between us and clean, long-lasting energy
Of gluons, atoms and strings
Sep 1, 2009 Feature
An unusual alliance between physicists who study ultrahot plasmas and ultracold atoms is yielding intriguing results – and may even lead to an experimental test for string theory, as Barbara Jacak reveals
Diamond coatings are branching out
Jul 31, 2009 Feature
Chris Walker looks at some of the uses of a novel amorphous diamond material
The power of robotics
Jun 2, 2009 2 comments Opinion
Robotics competitions supply a vital missing link in science and engineering education, says Robert P Crease
Web life: Hyperphysics
May 1, 2009 1 comment Review
Doing science in the open
May 1, 2009 12 comments Feature
Online networking tools are pervasive, but why have scientists been so slow to adopt many of them? Michael Nielsen explains how we can build a better culture of online collaboration
In search of the black swans
Apr 1, 2009 14 comments Feature
The publish-or-perish ethic too often favours a narrow and conservative approach to scientific innovation. Mark Buchanan asks whether we are pushing revolutionary ideas to the margins
Reasons to be cheerful
Jan 5, 2009 3 comments Opinion
The economy may be in a nosedive but there is plenty to look forward to in science this year
Seeing the quantum world
Dec 1, 2008 2 comments Feature
Barry Sanders explains how state-of-the-art animations are taking over the role of classic quantum-mechanical Gedanken experiments to help visualize the complexities and challenges of the new quantum technologies
A feast of visualization
Dec 1, 2008 Feature
As physics enters the age of the petabyte, pioneering methods of visualization are fast changing the way we understand and disseminate science. Opening this special issue, Physics World presents a gallery of stunning images from New Journal of Physics
Optical tweezers: where physics meets biology
Nov 13, 2008 Feature
Joost van Mameren explains how quantitative force measurements by optical tweezers can unravel the mechanical properties of biological molecules
...And now for the next 20 years
Oct 1, 2008 3 comments Feature
Six leading physicists peek into the future
The global-village pioneers
Oct 1, 2008 1 comment Feature
Paul Ginsparg, who founded the arXiv e-print archive, recounts the early days of the Web and looks at how it has changed scientific communication