Issues
Letters
Search and Discovery
Exotic spin textures show up in diverse materials
A binary semiconductor, an insulating alloy, and a bulk ferromagnet can each be coaxed into manifesting new and different forms of spin coherence.
A nonbiological system offers insight into biological synchronization
Porous microparticles suspended in a reagent solution can make the transition to synchronous activity in two ways—one gradual, the other sudden.
Issues and Events
The universe, yours to discover
Astronomy enthusiasts the world over are hosting activities from puppet shows to telescope viewings to get the public to say ‘wow!’
DOE, NSF get billions in R&D funding from stimulus act
Agencies are planning to quickly spend their shares of recovery monies; further budget increases are provided in omnibus spending bill.
‘Smart grid’ gets big stimulus from US recovery plan
An updated electric grid will be more reliable and secure, but some warn that investments should await industry standards.
Superconductors to boost wind power
More powerful generators are key to growing offshore wind farms.
Articles
John Wheeler’s work on particles, nuclei, and weapons
For a time, Wheeler regarded nuclear physics as the best way to “do battle with nature.” But then he became attracted to the simplicity of the muon, which is immune to the strong nuclear force. He himself, however, could not escape the ramifications of that force in a world at war.
Mechanism of fission
On a morning walk across the snowy Princeton campus early in 1939, Niels Bohr suddenly understood that the rare isotope uranium-235 was alone responsible for the recently discovered nuclear fission.
John Wheeler, relativity, and quantum information
From the mid-1950s on, John Wheeler’s “radical conservative-ism” allowed him to explore without fear crazy-sounding ideas that often led to profound physical insights.
Introducing the black hole
According to present cosmology, certain stars end their careers in a total gravitational collapse that transcends the ordinary laws of physics.
John Wheeler’s mentorship: An enduring legacy
“We all know that the real reason universities have students is in order to educate the professors.” —John Archibald Wheeler, 1976
Books
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Obituaries
Arthur Robert Kantrowitz
Quick Study
The Hall effect and rocket flight
The phenomenon discovered more than 100 years ago by Edwin Hall is now used to generate thrust for unmanned spacecraft in our solar system. In time, Hall effect thrusters might propel manned spacecraft to nearby planets.