Read article: Laser lights up water droplets Ultrafast science Research update Laser lights up water droplets New technique could monitor the composition of pollutants in the atmosphere
Read article: Condensates on crest of a wave Condensed matter Research update Condensates on crest of a wave Fine-tuning Bose-Einstein condensates creates novel quantum states
Particles and interactions Research update Oil company’s ‘microlepton’ technology dismissed 'Bogus technology' secures oil-exploration licence from the UK government
Structure and dynamics Research update Electron pulses reach the femtosecond scale Bursts of electrons – rather than light – could probe ultra-fast processes
Telescopes and space missions Research update Galactic lenses cut black holes down to size Quasar claim could boost models of the early Universe
Quantum optics Research update Defects combine to make perfect devices Physicists have shown it is possible to make near-perfect devices from defective components
Read article: Hawking scoops book prize Cosmology Research update Hawking scoops book prize The Universe in a Nutshell wins the 2002 Aventis Prize for Science Books
Read article: KEK names new leader Particles and interactions Research update KEK names new leader Cosmic ray expert is made boss of Japan’s high-energy physics lab
Read article: Silver foils the diffraction limit Optical physics Research update Silver foils the diffraction limit Fine patterns on metal films could lead to smaller photonic and electronic devices
Quantum optics Research update Magnetic spins to store quantum information Long-lived spin clusters in magnetic compounds could be ‘entangled’