This Week in Physics — 2022 Physics Magazine Highlights

This Week in Physics Magazine — December 19, 2022 Special Feature Highlights of the Year December 19, 2022 Physics Magazine Editors pick their favorite stories from 2022. Research News Gaining Ground in Nuclear Fusion December 14, 2022 Fusion researchers received an early holiday present with the confirmed measurement of a laser-induced fusion reaction that produced more energy than it consumed. Viewpoint Cooking with Phason Gas Evan Constable – December 14, 2022 Heat-transport measurements and neutron-scattering spectroscopy probe a form of thermal conduction based on excitations called phasons. Research News A New Day Awaits Solar Neutrinos December 13, 2022 Solar neutrinos are no longer the "stars" of neutrino research, but next-generation experiments characterizing these neutrinos may deepen our understanding of solar and neutrino physics. synopsis Bubbles Have an Unexpected Chill December 19, 2022 The film surrounding a soap bubble can be up to 8 °C cooler than the environment, a finding that has implications for bubble stability. synopsis Hunting for Axions in the Galactic Center December 13, 2022 A neutron star's ultrastrong magnetic field could create the conditions for uncloaking a promising dark matter candidate. synopsis The Two Faces of Supercooled Water December 15, 2022 Computations support the 30-year-old idea that supercooled liquid water can undergo a transition between high- and low-density states. Focus Why Wetting a Surface Can Increase Friction December 16, 2022 Experiments suggest that hydrogen bonding explains why a wet surface can have nearly twice as much friction as a dry surface. 1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740 © 2022 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 — Elemental Accounting of the Solar Interior

This Week in Physics Magazine — December 12, 2022 Viewpoint Elemental Accounting of the Solar Interior Aldo Serenelli – December 12, 2022 A study of neutrinos from the Sun has measured the signal from the so-called CNO cycle, offering a direct measure of the elemental abundances in the Sun's core. Viewpoint Enhanced Emission for Improved Electron Spectroscopy Jennifer Dionne, Parivash Moradifar, and Alan Dai – December 7, 2022 Researchers have demonstrated a new electron field emitter with unprecedented brightness and spectral purity, promising a breakthrough in electron microscope spectroscopy. synopsis Sea Urchin Sperm Follow Their Noses December 9, 2022 Using concepts from control theory, researchers link the complex navigation behavior of a sea urchin sperm to a single parameter: its response to changing chemical "smells." Research News Meet the Unimon, the New Qubit on the Block December 8, 2022 In initial tests, a simplified version of a popular superconducting qubit achieves high computation accuracies, making it attractive for future quantum computers. Focus Microsphere Pair Converts Microwaves to Light December 9, 2022 A pair of microspheres can convert microwave signals over a wide frequency range into optical signals, which will be essential for future quantum technologies. synopsis Energy Evolution of Electrons Measured Noninvasively December 6, 2022 Researchers have demonstrated a noninvasive technique for measuring the energy evolution of an electron bunch inside a laser-plasma accelerator. synopsis Foot Functionality Elucidated December 8, 2022 When humans walk, our feet act as levers rather than landing pads as previously thought. synopsis Dark Matter Goes Down to the Wire December 9, 2022 A superconducting nanowire detector places new bounds on how a hypothetical lightweight dark matter particle interacts with electrons. synopsis Uncovering an Odd Form of Superconductivity December 7, 2022 An innovative technique will allow scientists to probe superconductivity involving an unusual type of electron pairing called odd-frequency pairing. 1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740 © 2022 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 — Getting a Clearer View of Iron Emission Lines

This Week in Physics Magazine — December 5, 2022 Viewpoint Getting a Clearer View of Iron Emission Lines Roberto C. Mancini – December 5, 2022 Researchers have solved a long-standing puzzle surrounding iron emission lines, which are used to characterize laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. Focus Metal-to-Insulator Transition Similar to Water-to-Ice December 5, 2022 A textbook theory for the freezing of water also explains the growth of a new phase in a more complicated phase transition of a different material. Q&A Physics in Confined Spaces December 1, 2022 Erin Flowers develops laboratory courses for incarcerated men and women, an endeavor that she says is both challenging and rewarding. synopsis Dark Matter Could Cause Excess Optical Background November 29, 2022 Axions that decay into photons could account for visible light that exceeds what's expected to come from all known galaxies. synopsis A Holistic Approach to Graduate Admissions November 30, 2022 Physics-education researchers have found that a rubric-based evaluation method is an easy and practical way to help fight inequities in the physics-graduate-admissions process. Research News Intelligent Materials: Science Fiction to Science Fact November 29, 2022 Materials that learn to change their shape in response to an external stimulus are a step closer to reality, thanks to a prototype system produced by engineers at UCLA. synopsis Quantum Steering That's Robust to Loss and Noise November 30, 2022 Researchers demonstrate a loss-tolerant method for so-called quantum steering, a phenomenon that could give quantum communication networks complete security. 1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740 © 2022 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.