Pam Frost Gorder » Physics

A Nanoscale Tractor Beam

Pam — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:18:08 +0000

A laser beam can push a nanoscale particle away with the pressure of its photons, but the particle may also be drawn toward the light when other particles are nearby–like the “tractor beams” of science fiction–according to a theory in the June Physical Review B. Full story

Universal Understanding

Pam — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:25:38 +0000

Married physicists Samir and Smita Mathur have their differences — especially when it comes to black holes. Full story (PDF)

Physics Experiment Could Spawn Permanent Computing Grid

Pam — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:21:54 +0000

The world’s biggest physics experiment starts in May 2008. To support it, the world’s biggest computing experiment has already begun. The payoffs could reach far beyond physics. Full story (PDF)

Disordered Design — A Profile of a Physicist

Pam — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:01:36 +0000

The next generation of electronics may rely on some quirky materials, including a type of silicon that dramatically changes its behavior when exposed to heat or light. One of the physicists at the forefront of this research is David Drabold. His unique way of looking at the world — including his use of a once-obscure statistical technique for predicting material properties — is pushing the development of these “disordered” materials forward. Full Story

Filter Physics

Pam — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 05:00:26 +0000

A theory predicts when a sieve will block particles smaller than its holes; this research could apply to a variety of natural and artificial filters. Full Story

Computing in Biological Time: The Design of an Anticocaine Molecule

Pam — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 05:00:02 +0000

At the molecular level, life already moves fast. In search of a better anticocaine medication, scientists at the University of Kentucky used computer simulations to create a souped-up version of the human enzyme that breaks down the drug even faster. Full story (PDF)

Channeling, via Fire and Ice

Pam — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 05:00:38 +0000

When Sicily’s Mount Etna erupted in 2001, rivers of super-hot lava scoured the mountainside, leaving channels up to 6 meters deep in their wake. A volcanologist who observed one of those channels has now published results that contradict conventional wisdom about how volcanoes sculpt the earth. Full story (link)

Hurricane Forecasting: Reducing Future Losses

Pam — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 05:00:04 +0000

Scientists at University College London are looking beyond the question of how many hurricanes will form during a given season to ask how severe and how damaging the hurricanes that strike the US coast will be. The idea is to help people anticipate hurricane damage and all the effects that follow. In Katrina’s wake, knowing what to expect from a storm season—well in advance of a disaster—is more important than ever before. Full story (PDF)

Modeling El Niño: A Force Behind World Weather

Pam — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 05:00:30 +0000

Today, scientists can predict the Earth’s climate months ahead of time. A new synergy between two competing analysis methods is helping push forecasts out even further. Full story (PDF)

Vortex Drive

Pam — Sat, 23 Oct 2004 05:00:35 +0000

A study of vortices may lead to ultra-maneuverable craft that can navigate beneath the ice, or even inside the human body. Full story (PDF)