APS Weekly NewsBrief

Frequency comb takes a measure of distance

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

Physicists have unveiled a new method for measuring distance based on an optical frequency comb. The main benefit of the technique, which involves passing the light from an optical comb through a Michelson interferometer and analyzing the resulting interference patterns, is that it allows distances to be measured accurately without already knowing the value to within half a wavelength of the light used. Read the associated Physical Review Letters abstract.

Black holes throttle star formation

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

The brighter the black hole shines, the fewer stars form nearby.

Researchers fold origami with light

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

Replacing the need for nimble fingers, researchers have demonstrated how to make origami using light of a specific wavelength. They call the new folding technique photo-origami, and it could potentially be used as a way to manufacture 3D structures.

Quantum dots give graphene photodetector a boost

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

Physicists have fabricated a new, highly sensitive photodetector from graphene and semiconducting quantum dots. The device is a billion times more sensitive to light than previous graphene-based photodetectors and might be ideal for a variety of applications, including light sensors and solar cells, infrared cameras for night vision and in biomedical imaging.

A boost for quantum reality

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

The philosophical status of the wavefunction - the entity that determines the probability of different outcomes of measurements on quantum-mechanical particles - would seem to be an unlikely subject for emotional debate. Yet online discussion of a paper claiming to show mathematically that the wavefunction is real has ranged from ardently star-struck to downright vitriolic since the article was first released as a preprint in November 2011.

Senior official in charge of energy investment agency to step down

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

Arun Majumdar, a top Energy Department official, will leave the agency next month, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said. Majumdar will step down as head of the Energy Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) on June 9. He will leave his position as acting under secretary of Energy effective immediately.

Massive active fault found beneath Japan's Mount Fuji

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

Japan's Mount Fuji may be sitting on a large, active fault that could trigger a magnitude-7 earthquake, changing the shape of the mountain and devastating nearby communities, the education ministry said. A survey commissioned by the ministry found a 30-km fault beneath Japan's highest mountain, believed by many to be sacred, and research results indicate it was likely to be active, a ministry official said.

Sun's shock wave goes missing

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

The sun isn't quite the speed demon scientists once suspected. It chugs around the galactic center at a relatively pokey 83,500 kilometers per hour - or roughly 11,000 kilometers per hour slower than expected.

University of Alberta physicist sets up extreme deep freeze

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

If you shiver your way through winter, cursing the mercury as it dips below -30 C, thank your stars you're not in one of John P. Davis's experimental refrigerators. The University of Alberta physicist and his team are building a workspace that at -273.1497 C will give it bragging rights as the coldest spot in Canada - at least within the confines of the man-sized, Thermos-like container that will house the nano-scale experiments.

Chinese group breaks distance record for teleporting qubits

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

A team of Chinese physicists has set a new distance record for teleporting qubits, extending it from 16 to 97 kilometers.

Roulette beater spills physics behind victory

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

A prominent mathematician famous the world over for successfully turning the odds of roulette against the house has broken his decades-long silence about how he achieved the coup. In the 1970s, Doyne Farmer, then a graduate student, used the world's first wearable computer to beat roulette tables in Nevada, but never revealed how he did it.

Spider silk weaves new path for electronics

15 May 2012 15:51:57 CDT

Adding gold or nanotubes to spider silk creates microscopic wires. Read the associated APS March Meeting abstract.