Read article: Astrophysicist and space pioneer dies Metrology Research update Astrophysicist and space pioneer dies James Van Allen has died at the age of 91
Read article: It’s raining again Metrology Research update It’s raining again Scientists think they know why rain can start so suddenly from cumulus clouds
Read article: Sunspots hit new highs Stars and solar physics Research update Sunspots hit new highs Analysis of carbon-14 in tree rings sheds news light on the Sun
Metrology Research update Silicon joins race to redefine the kilogram A new measurement of the Avogadro constant could allow the unit of mass to be defined in terms of atomic and fundamental constants
Read article: Bose-Einstein condensates break temperature record Optical physics Research update Bose-Einstein condensates break temperature record Physicists have cooled a gas of sodium atoms down to less than a nanokelvin
Metrology Research update Super-cool thermometer relies on noise Researchers have made a new type of thermometer to measure low temperatures
Semiconductors and electronics Research update Semiconductor laser makes broadband debut Applications abound across the spectrum for ‘quantum cascade’ technique
Metrology Research update Atomic clocks speed up The most successful applications of atomic clocks include the global positioning system (GPS) of satellites for navigation, and also the international basis of timekeeping, known as the coordinated un...
Read article: Interference makes super-sensitive ruler Metrology Research update Interference makes super-sensitive ruler An optical-fibre interferometer could be a thousand times better than existing devices
Optics & Photonics Briefing This issue explores lasers and detectors, solar power, medical imaging and high-resolution displays