Today's headlines
COVID-19 leads to major overhaul for radiotherapy
Increased use of hypofractionated radiotherapy helped cancer patients in England receive radiation therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic
Multiplying light signals could give optical computers a boost
New coupling scheme preserves phase of output state
Iridium in undersea crater confirms asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs
Rock cores from Chicxulub crater contain elements associated with Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event
Research updates
Positrons possess unexplored potential for cancer therapy
Positron-emitting radionuclides play an essential role within diagnostic imaging, but positrons could also be used to destroy cancer cells
New superheavy isotope and excited state could point the way to islands of stability
Darmstadtium, copernicium and flerovium are under the microscope in Germany
Prototype detector uses cosmic muons to scan shipping containers
Technique can find dense materials such as plutonium and uranium
Air purifiers could spread viruses in confined spaces
Health and safety guidelines should be revised to consider the effects of air purifiers on droplets in confined spaces, say researchers
Polymer gels snap and jump on their own
Shell-shaped structures use a pressure-based mechanism to climb ladders and slopes without motors or batteries
ExoMars craft finds hydrogen chloride in the Martian atmosphere
Compound may be associated with dust storms or volcanic activity on the red planet’s surface
Physics World podcasts
Explore in depth
Shapley, Curtis and the ‘island universes’ controversy
Logan Chipkin looks at what lessons we can learn from the 1920 “Great Debate” about the scale of the universe
A million years into the future: why you need a dose of very deep thinking
Robert P Crease discovers why a nuclear-waste programme in Finland can help us to envisage the world a million years from now
Medical physics and biophysics
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Latest articles
Read article: Dress inspired by Perseverance Rover’s parachute, augmented reality Sun brightens your living room
Dress inspired by Perseverance Rover’s parachute, augmented reality Sun brightens your living room
Excerpts from the Red Folder
Read article: Real-time treatment verification with the Integral Quality Monitor (IQM) System
Real-time treatment verification with the Integral Quality Monitor (IQM) System
Join the audience for a live webinar on 26 March 2021 sponsored by Elekta
Read article: SRS treatment planning: where automation yields precision, speed, workflow efficiency
SRS treatment planning: where automation yields precision, speed, workflow efficiency
Elekta’s dose optimization software Leksell Gamma Knife Lightning is transforming the treatment planning of intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery
Read article: Twisted trilayer graphene could help make high-temperature superconductors
Twisted trilayer graphene could help make high-temperature superconductors
Superconductivity is more robust in a three-layer system compared to its two-layer counterpart
Read article: Monochromatic X-ray source could make mammograms safer
Monochromatic X-ray source could make mammograms safer
A prototype monochromatic X-ray source creates high-quality breast images at far lower doses than current mammography systems
Read article: NASA’s Perseverance rover lands safely on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover lands safely on Mars
Mission now begins the search for signs of ancient microbial life in a dried-out river delta
Read article: There is no magic in having 32 neutrons, reveals study done at CERN
There is no magic in having 32 neutrons, reveals study done at CERN
Contradictory results continue to puzzle nuclear physicists
Read article: Fostering a culture of inclusivity
Fostering a culture of inclusivity
The American Physical Society's National Mentoring Community helps students from under-represented minorities find the right support and mentorship
Read article: Thermal vacuum test systems: gearing up for preflight qualification of small satellites
Thermal vacuum test systems: gearing up for preflight qualification of small satellites
Rydberg Vacuum Sciences provides a core enabling technology to support the development and prelaunch validation of small-satellite systems
Read article: Quantitative MRI for biological image-guided adaptive radiotherapy
Quantitative MRI for biological image-guided adaptive radiotherapy
Join the audience for a live webinar on 18 March 2021 sponsored by Elekta
Read article: Dynamic light scattering in electrochemical energy conversion systems
Dynamic light scattering in electrochemical energy conversion systems
Join the audience for a live webinar on 16 March 2021 sponsored by HORIBA Scientific, in partnership with The Electrochemical Society
Read article: Graphene and its supercapacitor applications
Graphene and its supercapacitor applications
Join the audience for a live webinar on 10 March 2021 sponsored by Hiden Analytical and COMSOL Inc., in partnership with The Electrochemical Society
Read article: Reinventing the science museum
Reinventing the science museum
Margaret Harris reviews Idea Colliders: the Future of Science Museums by Michael John Gorman
Read article: Could gravitational-wave detectors spot hairy black holes?
Could gravitational-wave detectors spot hairy black holes?
Dark matter could put wigs on black holes
Read article: Living bioink could enhance bone repair and regeneration
Living bioink could enhance bone repair and regeneration
A bioink containing both organic and inorganic elements of bone and laden with stem cells could improve treatments of injured or diseased bone
Read article: How FRIB will expand our chemical universe
How FRIB will expand our chemical universe
Introducing the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
Read article: Biggest expansion of known chemical universe targeted by FRIB nuclear facility
Biggest expansion of known chemical universe targeted by FRIB nuclear facility
The upcoming Facility for Rare Isotope Beams in Michigan promises great things for nuclear physicists, as Kit Chapman discovers
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Introduction to scanning Auger spectroscopy and microscopy
Live webinar on 3 March 2021 exploring the theoretical background of Auger electron spectroscopy and the necessary instrumentation
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10th International Conference on Waste Management and the Environment 2020
Society is increasingly aware of the need to establish better practices and safer solutions for waste disposal. This requires further investigation into disposal methods and recycling as well as new technologies to monitor landfills, industrial mining wastes and chemical and nuclear repositories.
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