Applied Physics

Scientists have developed a soap composed of iron rich salts dissolved in water that responds to a magnetic field when placed in solution. That's right, magnetic soap. But there is a practical side. The generation of this property in a fully function ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 23 2012 - 7:37pm

Champagne Science: Flute Or Coupe For The Best Bubbles?

In time for Valentine's Day, researchers have determined which champagne glass size will give drinkers the optimal experience. ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 9 2012 - 8:31am

Kink Instability, Magnetic Reconnection And The Origin Of Solar Flares?

Last month, we were treated to the biggest solar storm since 2005, generating some of the most dazzling northern lights in recent memory. The source of that storm, and others like it, was the sun's magnetic field, described by invisible field lines th ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 16 2012 - 12:31pm

Zapping Antihydrogen To Get An Anti-Atomic Fingerprint

The elusive antihydrogen atom has been manipulated using microwaves, providing the first glimpse of an "anti-atomic fingerprint." Antimatter is a staple of science fiction, but it also stands out as one of the biggest mysteries of science fact. ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 8 2012 - 4:30am

Neutron Clock- Accurate For 14 Billion Years

Time is relative, of course, but we still hate to be late for appointments. So there has always been research on making our keeping of time a little more accurate. A new clock tied to the orbiting of a neutron around an atomic nucleus could have such unpr ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Sep 5 2012 - 10:26pm

Laws Of Physics Did Not Get The Memo About The Titanic Being Unsinkable

Approaching the 100th anniversary of the maiden voyage and subsequent nearly immediate sinking of the ship marketed as 'unsinkable'- the RMS Titanic, also known as the world's largest metaphor- it has become synonymous with bold claims that ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 2 2012 - 5:00am

Mystery Of Modeling Sand- Part Fluid, Part Solid

Sand is so fundamental it seems simple- like a magnetic field, just because an industry is built around something doesn't mean we understand it- but granular material like sand is actually tricky to model. From a distance, flowing sand resembles a liq ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 6 2012 - 12:58pm

Solid-State Laser Weapons- Because America Is Not Far Enough Ahead Of The Rest Of The World

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) wants to develop a solid-state laser weapon prototype that will demonstrate multi-mission capabilities aboard a Navy ship, officials announced May 8. In case you were worried that America was only 25 years ahead of the re ...

Article - News Staff - May 9 2012 - 4:31am

New Atomic Structure Found In Metallic Glasses

Researchers have discovered a new nanometer-scale atomic structure in solid metallic materials known as metallic glasses, filling a gap in understanding of this atomic structure. Glasses include all solid materials that have a non-crystalline atomic struc ...

Article - News Staff - May 13 2012 - 8:40am

Build Your Own G-Force Test Rig

Rockets are powerful stuff, and satellites and astronauts experience tremendous G-forces pushing down on them during launch. For picosatellite work, it is necessary that your design be able to withstand forces equivalent to perhaps 10 times Earth gravity ...

Article - Project Calliope - May 18 2012 - 10:41am