Physics and Astronomy News Archive: March 2007

Image: Physicists shine a light, produce startling liquid jet

Physicists shine a light, produce startling liquid jet

Source: UChicago   Posted: 3/27/07

By shining a laser beam through a soapy liquid, scientists produced a long jet of liquid that broke up into droplets after traversing a surprisingly long distance.
Image: Tiny Enceladus Masks Mighty Saturn's Clock

Tiny Enceladus Masks Mighty Saturn's Clock

Source: PPARC   Posted: 3/27/07

New data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows how the small moon, Enceladus, is weighing down Saturn's magnetic field so much that the field is rotating slower than the planet.
Image: A Mathematical Solution for Another Dimension

A Mathematical Solution for Another Dimension

Source: NSF   Posted: 3/27/07

Scientists have mapped E8 math group -- a feat numerically akin to the mapping of the human genome -- allowing for breakthroughs in geometry, number theory and the physics of string theory.
Image: Cassini Images Bizarre Hexagon on Saturn

Cassini Images Bizarre Hexagon on Saturn

Source: NASA/JPL   Posted: 3/27/07

An odd, six-sided, honeycomb-shaped feature circling the entire north pole of Saturn has captured the interest of scientists with NASA's Cassini mission.
Image: New form of matter-antimatter transformation observed for first time

New form of matter-antimatter transformation observed for first time

Source: PPARC   Posted: 3/17/07

For the first time, scientists using the BaBar experiment at SLAC have observed the transition of one type of particle, the neutral D-meson, into its antimatter particle - a process known as 'mixing'.
Image: Mars' South Pole Ice Deep and Wide

Mars' South Pole Ice Deep and Wide

Source: NASA   Posted: 3/17/07

New measurements of Mars' south polar region indicate extensive frozen water. The polar region contains enough frozen water to cover the whole planet in a liquid layer approximately 11 meters (36 feet) deep.
Image: A Single-Photon Server with Just One Atom

A Single-Photon Server with Just One Atom

Source: Max Planck Soc.   Posted: 3/17/07

Physicists at Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have succeeded in turning a Rubidium atom into a single-photon server.
Image: Ice created in nanoseconds by Sandia’s Z machine

Ice created in nanoseconds by Sandia’s Z machine

Source: Sandia   Posted: 3/17/07

Sandia’s huge Z machine, which generates temperatures hotter than the sun, has turned water to ice in nanoseconds.
Image: Gamma-Ray Burst Challenges Theory

Gamma-Ray Burst Challenges Theory

Source: NASA   Posted: 3/11/07

In a series of landmark observations, NASA's Swift satellite has challenged some of astronomers' fundamental ideas about gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which are among the most extreme events in our universe.
Image: From Diatoms to Gas Sensors

From Diatoms to Gas Sensors

Source: GaTech   Posted: 3/11/07

The three-dimensional shells of tiny ocean creatures could provide the foundation for novel electronic devices, including efficient gas sensors.
Image: XMM-Newton finds the leader of the Magnificent Seven in a spin

XMM-Newton finds the leader of the Magnificent Seven in a spin

Source: ESA   Posted: 3/11/07

A decade-long mystery has been solved. The brightest member of the so-called 'magnificent seven' has been found to pulsate with a period of seven seconds.
Image: New Coating Is Virtual Black Hole for Reflections

New Coating Is Virtual Black Hole for Reflections

Source: NSF   Posted: 3/11/07

Researchers have created an anti-reflective coating that allows light to travel through it, but lets almost none bounce off its surface.