Physics and Astronomy News Archive: March 2010

Image: World’s Most Precise Clock

World’s Most Precise Clock

Source: NIST   Posted: 3/21/10

Physicists have built an enhanced version of an experimental atomic clock based on a single aluminum atom that is now the world’s most precise clock, more than twice as precise as the previous mercury atom one.
Image: Self-Assembling Computer Chips

Self-Assembling Computer Chips

Source: MIT   Posted: 3/21/10

Molecules that arrange themselves into predictable patterns on silicon chips could lead to microprocessors with much smaller circuit elements.
Image: Cassini Shows Saturnian Roller Derby, Strange Weather

Cassini Shows Saturnian Roller Derby, Strange Weather

Source: JPL/NASA   Posted: 3/21/10

New evidence shows that Saturn rings are a rough and tumble roller derby and the planet itself roils with strange weather and shifting patterns of charged particles.
Image: Unraveling Silks’ Secrets

Unraveling Silks’ Secrets

Source: MIT   Posted: 3/21/10

A new analysis of the structure of silks explains the paradox at the heart of their super-strength, and may lead to even stronger synthetic materials.