Issues

Precisely controlled logic gates are key ingredients in quantum computers, which can easily outperform classical computers for some problems.

Physicists at Los Alamos propose a new kind of surveillance imaging that avails itself of a ubiquitous natural flux of highly penetrating radiation.

Twenty-first century experimental techniques combine with 19th century theory to explore how cell membranes behave when breached.

Aggressive spending in Canada has spruced up research labs and promises an expansion of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, but it has also led to a time lag between setting up new equipment and finding money to maintain it.

The US government’s plan to overturn a ban on designing new nuclear weapons is generating controversy.

Nondefense physical sciences run a distant second to big increases in weapons development and homeland security in the administration’s budget, and Congress is wondering what happened to money it authorized for NSF.

Fluctuations in the flow of electrons can signal the transition from particlelike to wavelike behavior and signify the nature of charge transport in mesoscopic systems.

Improvements in our understanding of how molecules transport charge, and how they interface to the macroscopic world, are fueling new devices and applications.

Thousands of teachers are saddled with error-filled physical science textbooks that fail to present what science is all about. Physicists deserve some of the blame.