Issues
From the Editor
Readers’ Forum
Search and Discovery
Does quantum mechanics need imaginary numbers?
A newly proposed experiment rules out a class of real-valued quantum theories.
Krypton isotopes tell the early story of Earth’s life-giving elements
Since its infancy, our planet has accumulated volatiles from more than one source.
Laser pulses probe quantum beats
States of nearly equal energy underlie physiological processes, but studying them directly has been a challenge.
Issues and Events
Diamond’s sparkle is in more than gemstones
The transparent carbon allotrope is finding new applications, but expanded use for electronics will depend on further advances in crystal growth.
The US is in dire need of STEM teachers
Faculty attitudes, public perceptions, tuition, and state requirements are barriers to science majors entering the teaching profession.
Articles
Philip Anderson: Virtuoso of condensed matter
The theorist’s work on disordered and magnetic solids earned him a Nobel Prize, but it was his profound influence on the condensed-matter community—and well beyond—that set him apart.
Dipolar supersolids: Solid and superfluid at the same time
Ultracold atomic gases with the right balance of interactions enter a phase that demonstrates a superposition of seemingly opposing properties.
A deterministic source of single photons
New quantum computing applications are now possible because of advances in atomic and solid-state physics.
Books
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Obituaries
Francis Patton Bretherton
Quick Study
How does light behave in a material whose refractive index vanishes?
The light’s wavelength becomes effectively infinite, and the spatial and temporal variations of its electric and magnetic fields decouple.
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