Issues
Physics Update
Letters
More on How Nazi Germany Failed to Develop the Atomic Bomb
Search and Discovery
Geodynamo Turns Toward a Stable Magnetic Field
Supercomputer simulation shows 4 that fluid motions in Earth's core could sustain the geomagnetic field. Geophysicists are excited—and also a little relieved; such a “geodynamo” has been the only plausible explanation for geomagnetism for more than 40 years.
Experiments Probe the Wavefunction of Electron Pairs in High‐ Superconductors
As results from phase‐sensitive experiments accumulate, the nature of the wavefunction in high‐temperature superconductors is closer to being settled, but the pieces do not yet all fit.
Experimenters Cool Helium Below Single‐Photon Recoil Limit in Three Dimensions
A helium atom moving in six directions at once can be regarded as a six‐legged Schrödinger cat.
Articles
Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy
With a means of measuring a sample's natural resonance frequencies and a desktop computer, one can use resonant ultrasound spectroscopy to determine the elastic constants of a broad range of crystalline and noncrystalline materials.
The Industrialization of American Astronomy, 1880–1940
Big science took root in America long before World War II, as machines, money, personnel and leadership made astronomy the biggest of the sciences in the age of little science.
Electronic Publishing of Scientific Journals
We must avail ourselves of the extraordinary new possibilities offered by the Internet, but without compromising the high standards of the refereed research journals. The Astronomical Society's experience with electronic publishing offers some guidance.