Issues
Letters
Science not yet without borders
Search and Discovery
Radio interferometry measures the black hole at the Milky Way’s center
Looking for structure at the galactic center on the size scale predicted by general relativity requires very-long-baseline interferometry at the shortest radio wavelengths.
Two models combined can forecast lava flow accurately and promptly
Changes in an erupting volcano can be monitored by satellite, but computing their consequences is a challenge.
Issues and Events
Big changes may loom for small business research program
Congress weighing more funding for grants program and letting in venture-capital-controlled companies.
Mishap shuts down LHC until April
Damage to the Large Hadron Collider’s magnets by an electrical fault and by the subsequent helium-vessel rupture is still to be assessed.
Europe sets priorities in astroparticle physics
Increased funding and global cooperation are key to realizing a wish list of astroparticle physics experiments unveiled this fall.
Articles
The physics of networks
Statistical analysis of interconnected groups—of computers, animals, or people—yields important clues about how they function and even offers predictions of their future behavior.
Rare isotopes in the cosmos
Such stellar processes as heavy-element formation and x-ray bursts are governed by unstable nuclear isotopes that challenge theorists and experimentalists alike.
Research needs for future internal combustion engines
The challenges of internal combustion require a broad collection of research discoveries to make the transition from hardware-intensive, experience-based fuel development and engine design to simulation-intensive, science-based design.
Opinion
Books
The Demon and the Quantum: From the Pythagorean Mystics to Maxwell’s Demon and Quantum Mystery
New Products
Obituaries
Willis Eugene Lamb Jr
Maurice M. Shapiro
Quick Study
On ships, trains, and the equation of time
Because of Earth’s elliptical orbit, tilted axis, and standardized time zones, high noon as measured by a clock does not coincide with the Sun’s apex in the sky.