Data, data everywhere
Examples of lost data include the results of heavy-ion experiments at the Bevelac accelerator at Berkeley. The accelerator stopped running in 1993 but much of the data – which are relevant to re...
Quantum dots detect single photons
The quantum dot device consists of a transistor made of different layers of gallium arsenide and aluminium gallium arsenide. One of the layers consists entirely of quantum dots just nanometers across....
Mini Earth created in the lab
A conducting fluid needs to have a small ‘seed’ magnetic field before it can generate a self- sustaining field. The seed field induces electric currents in the fluid that in turn create a ...
Heat flow surprise in space
On Earth, convection or thermal diffusion dominates heat transfer. But these effects are extremely weak in zero gravity, and adiabatic compression can dominate. To observe local overheating and adiaba...
‘The Quantum Project’ hits the Web
The 32-minute film can be downloaded from Sightsound.com. Viewers are charged $3.95 to view it for up to five days, with a higher charge for permanent downloads. The film’s makers, Metafilmics, ...
Read article: ‘The Quantum Project’ hits the Web
Turbulence turns elastic
Polymer films are used in to make many mass-produced products, such as compact discs. It has been known for some time that the flow rate of liquid polymers can become irregular during the manufacturin...
Cosmic rays: an in-flight hazard?
When Victor Hess discovered cosmic radiation almost 90 years ago, he did so in manned balloon flights that reached altitudes of up to 5 km in the Earth’s atmosphere. This was only a few years af...
Read article: Cosmic rays: an in-flight hazard?
Nuclear treaty review starts in New York
The New York conference is intended to specify a timetable for all the main nuclear powers – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – to abandon their nuclear weapon stockpiles. Delegate...
Quantum heat flow in the lab
Quantized electrical conductance was confirmed in experiments with very narrow conducting wires in the late 1980s. The electrons move through the wire along quantum channels, each of which contributes...
Carbon-60 and the ultimate switch
Most materials only become superconducting when they are cooled to low temperatures. In this state the electrons inside the material overcome their natural repulsion and travel through the material in...
