Issues
From the Editor
Readers’ Forum
Search and Discovery
When does a molecule make up its mind?
Speedier laser measurements are unlocking long-sought secrets of chemical dynamics.
Viscoelastic fluids with no strings attached
Dispensing a fluid is quick and clean when the nozzle is rotated. The fluid’s elastic properties are the reason why.
Squeezed hydrogen and helium don’t mix
The results of a high-pressure experiment that re-creates the temperatures and pressures inside Jupiter and Saturn reconcile disparate space-based observations.
Issues and Events
Europe’s experiment in funding graphene research is paying off
The outputs of the European Union’s eight-year-old Graphene Flagship include products, spinoffs, and “Spearheads.”
Submarines afford a view from below the Arctic
Civilian–military cooperation builds understanding of the ocean, Earth, and climate change and benefits national security.
Articles
Intuitive or rational? Students and experts need to be both
Research into dual-process theories of reasoning from cognitive psychology suggests ways to improve classroom instruction in physics.
The structures of protoplanetary disks
Astronomical observations of gas, dust, and rocky material in the disks from which planets emerge help refine theoretical ideas about how they form.
Microchip accelerators
An international collaboration aims to couple ultrafast lasers with integrated photonics to create chip-scale devices.
Books
New Products
Obituaries
Zdeněk Herman
Thomas James McIlrath
Quick Study
Is the electric potential physical?
In the yet-unmeasured electric Aharonov–Bohm effect, an electric potential influences the quantum mechanical wavefunction of charged matter—even in regions where the electric field vanishes.