Issues

Supercomputers still can’t simulate the self-excitation of planetary dynamos. So experimenters have taken up the challenge.

Imaging an electromagnetically stirred tray of chemicals under diverse conditions reveals surprisingly uniform behavior.

Six NSF-funded materials science institutes are working to train a new generation of internationally minded US researchers and to stimulate collaborations around the world.

Nuclear reactor builders are jostling for business as energy utilities take another look at nuclear power.

When interactions between magnetic degrees of freedom in a lattice are incompatible with the underlying crystal geometry, exotic phenomena such as spin ice and spin liquid phases can emerge.

Physics students, particularly in today’s information age, need to understand the unity of physics and the way in which scientific knowledge is generated.

Fully one-third of recent high-school graduates have taken physics. Much of the increase comes from nontraditional courses geared toward students not headed for careers in science or technology.