Issues
Physics Update
Reference Frame
Letters
Derivatives Trading: Physicists Favor Less Complex and Risky Theory
Search and Discovery
Antihydrogen Makes a Fleeting Debut
Now that antihydrogen atoms have made their first appearance, researchers are hoping for further visits that will reveal more fully the traits of this rare species.
Experimenters Produce New Bose–Einstein Condensate(s) and Possible Puzzles for Theorists
Three different systems of bosonic alkali atoms have now been cooled well into their respective quantum degenerate regimes. Two clearly exhibit Bose–Einstein condensation, whereas the third poses challenges to experimenters and theorists alike.
Labs Demonstrate Logic Gates for Quantum Computation
After years of just writing down Hamiltonians and algorithms, quantum computer enthusiasts have begun creating logic gates in the lab. Where will it end?
Articles
Music from Oil Drums: The Acoustics of the Steel Pan
Over the past 50 years, the steel pan has evolved from a Caribbean folk instrument into a versatile and popular instrument, used worldwide in musical styles ranging from symphonic to calypso. Behind its rich sound lie some interesting acoustical properties.
James Dewar, His Flask and Other Achievements
Blurring the line between physics and chemistry, he advanced the research frontier in several fields at the turn of the century, gave dazzling lectures and invented the dewar flask—which also gave us the vacuum bottle.
Tuning in to Noise
Since its introduction more than ten years ago, stochastic resonance has become widely recognized as a paradigm for noise‐induced effects in driven nonlinear dynamic systems.
Power Applications of High‐Temperature Superconductors
High‐Tc superconductors show promise for bulk applications from transmission cables to high‐field magnets.