Cosmology standard candle not so standard after all
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers have turned up the first direct proof that "standard candles" used to illuminate the size of the universe, termed Cepheids, shrink in mass, making them not quite as...
View ArticleTraces of cow’s methane emissions in the milk
Wageningen University researchers in the Netherlands are able to determine cows' methane emissions using the composition of fatty acids in their milk. This opens up the prospect of a method for...
View ArticleIs graphene the best quantum resistance standard?
New research from NPL's Quantum Detection Group presents the most precise measurements of the quantum Hall effect ever made, using the two-dimensional material graphene.
View ArticleRedefining the kilogram and the ampere
New research using graphene presents the most precise measurements of the quantum Hall effect ever made, one of the key steps in the process to redefine two SI units.
View ArticleDams -- what goes up must come down, and then what?
Time can take its toll on a dam. As dams age, they are more costly to repair and the risk of a catastrophic dam break increases--putting property and lives at risk. But, removing them can mean big...
View ArticleGLORIA: Unique climate research experiment worldwide
Precise measurements of the atmosphere are indispensable for predictions of climate change and its impacts, as is currently being discussed at the climate change conference in Durban. A group of...
View ArticleHigh-power, 532 nm-wavelength compact green laser module with high...
QD Laser, Inc., the Institute for Nano Quantum Information Electronics, the University of Tokyo, and Fujitsu Laboratories Limited today announced the successful development of a high-power 532...
View ArticlePhysicists create first 'frequency comb' to probe ultraviolet wavelengths
Physicists at JILA have created the first "frequency comb" in the extreme ultraviolet band of the spectrum, high-energy light less than 100 nanometers (nm) in wavelength. Laser-generated frequency...
View ArticleScientists deploy lasers, GPS technology to improve snow measurements
- Equipped with specialized lasers and GPS technology, scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are working with colleagues to solve a critical wintertime weather mystery: how...
View ArticleDance like a neutrino: Quantum scheme to simulate neutrino oscillations
The behaviour of some of the most elusive particles in the known universe can be simulated using three atoms in a lab, researchers at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National...
View ArticleHobby-Eberly Telescope measures two stars with one orbiting planet
(Phys.org) -- A team of Penn State University astronomers has obtained very precise measurements of a pair of stars that are orbited by a planet -- like the stellar system of the fictional planet...
View ArticleAncient jugs hold the secret to practical mathematics in Biblical times
Archaeologists in the eastern Mediterranean region have been unearthing spherical jugs, used by the ancients for storing and trading oil, wine, and other valuable commodities. Because we're used to the...
View ArticleRHESSI will use Venus transit to improve measurements of the sun's diameter
(Phys.org) -- The RHESSI (Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager) satellite focuses on the highest energy x-rays and gamma-rays produced by the sun, helping to observe solar flares of all shapes...
View ArticleFrequency comb helps evaluate novel biomedical decontamination method
JILA researchers are using a laser frequency comb -- a technique for making extraordinarily precise measurements of frequency -- to identify specific molecules in gases. The project is helping...
View ArticleNASA Radiation Belt Storm Probes to launch, UNH components aboard
At 4:08 a.m. Thursday, August 23, NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes are scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida on a two-year mission to investigate Earth's hazardous radiation belt...
View ArticleManmade 'wall of wind' used to test construction
A Category 5 hurricane is a monster of a storm that most people would want to avoid. But, civil engineer Arindam Chowdhury actually recreates those monster hurricane force winds in hopes of helping...
View ArticleGaia—the billion-star surveyor—proven to withstand temperature extremes
(Phys.org)—ESA's Gaia mission to survey a billion stars has passed a gruelling test to prove it can withstand the extreme temperatures it will experience in space when it is launched next year.
View ArticleBendable crystals resolve properties of X-ray pulses
(Phys.org)—A frustrating flaw in a set of custom crystals for an instrument at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory inspired a solution for an important scientific challenge: how to accurately measure...
View ArticleGaia's instruments installed and ready for testing
(Phys.org)—The payload module of ESA's billion-star surveyor Gaia is integrated and ready for the next stage of rigorous testing it must undergo before launch next year. Once in space, Gaia will make...
View ArticleOscillating microscopic beads could be key to biolab on a chip (w/ Video)
If you throw a ball underwater, you'll find that the smaller it is, the faster it moves: A larger cross-section greatly increases the water's resistance. Now, a team of MIT researchers has figured out...
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