Laser light diffracts electrons
The Kapitza-Dirac effect is spotted for the first time nearly 70 years after it was first predicted
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Magic layer solves semiconductor snag
A technical hitch solves a long-standing problem in semiconductor growth
Read article: Magic layer solves semiconductor snag
The magnetic attraction of learning
A new study likens the classroom learning process to the alignment of spins in a magnet
Experts reject Bush astronomy shake-up
NASA and the NSF could work more closely to integrate ground- and space-based astronomy
X marks the spot for our local black hole
Galactic X-rays pinpoint our local black hole 1500 times more accurately than earlier studies
From femtochemistry to attophysics
Physicists are developing sources that emit ultrashort bursts of X-rays to study and control the motion of electrons inside atoms, says Ferenc Krausz
Read article: From femtochemistry to attophysics
Taming light with cold atoms
The ability to stop light in its tracks by passing it through a cloud of ultracold atoms could lead to new techniques for optical storage
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Ultrafast cameras streak ahead
According to the old adage, “a picture paints a thousand words”. And in many scientific disciplines ultrahigh-speed imaging is the only reliable way to visualize the countless physical and mechanical processes that occur on microsecond timescales. Such processes include ballistics, the propagation of cracks in materials, flame fronts in combustion research, the generation of shock […]
Read article: Ultrafast cameras streak ahead
A new twist for magnetic moments
First discovered in experiments on ions in the early 1920s, the understanding of magnetic moments played a central role in theoretical physics during the 20th century. In the case of free electrons, comparisons between theory and experiments of ever-increasing accuracy continue to provide one of the most significant tests of the theory of quantum electrodynamics. […]
Rewriting the laws of optics
New experiments are pushing our understanding of light and optics to the limit and are also opening up new areas of physics and novel applications
Read article: Rewriting the laws of optics
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