This Week in Physics — Probing Majorana Neutrinos

This Week in Physics Magazine — January 30, 2023 Viewpoint Probing Majorana Neutrinos Laura Baudis – January 30, 2023 Detecting neutrinoless double-beta decay would confirm that the neutrino is its own antiparticle. Data from the KamLAND-Zen experiment contain no strong evidence of such events, constraining neutrino properties. News Feature The Uneven Spread of Citations January 30, 2023 Minority physicists are significantly undercited compared to their white, male counterparts, which can have serious career consequences. A new tool is allowing researchers to reduce this imbalance. Focus Memories Become Chaotic before They Are Forgotten January 27, 2023 A model for information storage in the brain reveals how memories decay with age. synopsis Quantum Circuit Tackles "Diabolical" Photochemical Process January 26, 2023 A quantum device shows promise for simulating molecular dynamics in a difficult-to-model photochemical process that is relevant to vision. synopsis How Nature's Donuts Get Their Wrinkles January 25, 2023 A new model explains the wrinkling patterns seen in nature's donut-shaped objects, such as those found in jellyfish. synopsis The Unimportance of Accurate Financial Knowledge January 27, 2023 Simulations of the behavior of individual financial traders show that imperfect market knowledge increases risk but not overall losses. synopsis Twinkling of a Shrinking Droplet Reveals Hidden Complexity January 24, 2023 Captivating patterns found in the light scattered by an evaporating water droplet could be used to infer the properties of the droplet as it shrinks. 1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740 © 2023 American Physical Society | All rights reserved View Email Online You are receiving this message because you signed up to receive Physics Magazine email alerts or are a member of APS. Manage Email Preferences.

This Week in Physics — Air Waveguide from “Donut” Laser Beams

This Week in Physics Magazine — January 23, 2023 Viewpoint Air Waveguide from "Donut" Laser Beams Ya Cheng – January 23, 2023 A waveguide sculpted in air with lasers transmits light over a distance of nearly 50 meters, which is 60 times farther than previous air-waveguide schemes. Research News A Laser-Based "Lightning Rod" January 23, 2023 Experiments on a Swiss mountain demonstrate that a high-powered laser can influence the trajectory of lightning strikes—a step toward laser-based lightning protection. Focus Sound Waves Mimic Gravity January 20, 2023 A recently discovered acoustic effect allows a hot gas to simulate the gravity-induced convection within a star or giant planet. Research News Massive Star Formation Displays Self-Control January 19, 2023 New observations of a stellar nursery highlight a self-regulation mechanism that appears to resolve discrepancies between simulated and observed efficiencies of star formation. synopsis No-Show for Cosmic-Ray-Boosted, Lightweight Dark Matter January 18, 2023 Interactions with cosmic rays could make low-mass dark matter particles detectable by neutrino observatories. But an analysis of two decades' worth of data shows no signs of the particles. synopsis A Nonlinear Cavity Cools a Cantilever January 17, 2023 Photons in a nonlinear cavity perform "negative" work on a mechanical oscillator, cooling it toward its ground state. synopsis A Salt-Based Laser Color Converter January 19, 2023 Artificial salts that are liquid at room temperature can be used to efficiently tune the wavelength of a laser source. 1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740 © 2023 American Physical Society | All rights reserved View Email Online You are receiving this message because you signed up to receive Physics Magazine email alerts or are a member of APS. Manage Email Preferences.

This Week in Physics — Quantum Phase Transition Predicted for Gaseous Water

This Week in Physics Magazine — January 17, 2023 Viewpoint Quantum Phase Transition Predicted for Gaseous Water Marivi Fernández-Serra – January 11, 2023 Water molecules that are close enough to "see" each other but far enough apart to be gas-like can undergo a quantum phase transition, a finding of relevance for making future water-based quantum devices. Research News Quasicrystal with a "Flashy" Origin January 12, 2023 A previously unseen quasicrystal has been found in a sand dune in Nebraska, and researchers think it may have been produced by a lightning strike. synopsis Explaining Anomalies in Reactor Antineutrinos January 10, 2023 A new analysis finds that discrepancies between reactor neutrino experiments and theory may be the result of errors in the analysis of electron data that form the basis of the neutrino predictions. Focus Signatures of Competing Cardiac Pacemakers January 11, 2023 Computer simulations and experiments with cardiac cells identify signatures of a condition in which two sets of pacemaker cells lead to an abnormal heartbeat. synopsis Watching Rydberg Molecules Vibrate in Slow Motion January 12, 2023 Researchers have recorded for the first time the dynamics of vibrating Rydberg molecules, the slow-motion counterparts of regular molecules. Video Why Fish Swim Intermittently January 13, 2023 A simulation shows in detail why the "burst-and-coast" swimming strategy is often more efficient than continuous swimming. synopsis A Nonlinear Cavity Cools a Cantilever January 17, 2023 Photons in a nonlinear cavity perform "negative" work on a mechanical oscillator, cooling it toward its ground state. 1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740 © 2023 American Physical Society | All rights reserved View Email Online You are receiving this message because you signed up to receive Physics Magazine email alerts or are a member of APS. Manage Email Preferences.