Issues
Physics Update
Reference Frame
Letters
Search and Discovery
Four Experiments Give Evidence of an Exotic Baryon With Five Quarks
It’s been a long-standing puzzle that the quantum numbers of all the known mesons and baryons could be attributed to bound states of two or three quarks. But now the first exception has apparently been found.
Gamma-Ray Images Uncover Solar Flare Surprises
A new space-based observatory is providing unprecedented views of solar activity.
Issues and Events
APS Study Points to Severe Limits on Boost-Phase Missile Defense
A two-year study challenges many of the assumptions behind the Bush administration’s $600 million boost-phase program.
HERA Scientists Fight to Extend Strong Interaction Studies
When should a productive machine be turned off?
Astronomers Lobby for New Lease on Hubble’s Life
Tight budgets, new rules for space shuttle missions since the Columbia disaster, and plans for the James Webb Space Telescope may stymie efforts to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Articles
Why Many Undergraduate Physics Programs Are Good but Few Are Great
No single action, activity, or curricular reform will rescue a struggling physics department. Rather, it takes many elements, interacting over time, to make a department thrive.
What Works for Women in Undergraduate Physics?
The predominance of men in physics remains a puzzle. To attract talented women and minorities, the culture of college physics needs a makeover.
Paradigms in Physics: Restructuring the Upper
Eight years ago, Oregon State University’s physics faculty reshaped their curriculum into one focusing on themes and concepts that cut across a variety of subjects. Students, faculty, and teaching assistants discuss the changes.