Physics and Astronomy News Archive: April 2007

NASA Spacecraft Make First 3-D Images of Sun

Source: NASA/JPL Posted: 4/29/07

NASA's twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft have made the first three-dimensional images of the sun.

Quantum Secrets of Photosynthesis Revealed

Source: LBL Posted: 4/29/07

How photosynthesis achieves this near instantaneous energy transfer is a long-standing mystery that may have finally been solved. Answer lies in quantum mechanical effects.

Rapid-fire pulse brings Sandia Z method closer to goal of high-yield fusion reactor

Source: Sandia Posted: 4/29/07

An electrical circuit that should carry enough power to produce the long-sought goal of controlled high-yield nuclear fusion and, equally important, do it every 10 seconds, has undergone extensive preliminary experiments and computer simulations at Sandia National Laboratories’ Z machine facility.

Next Solar Storm Cycle Will Likely Start March 2008

Source: NOAA Posted: 4/29/07

The next 11-year cycle of solar storms will most likely start next March and peak in late 2011 or mid-2012—up to a year later than expected—according to a forecast issued by the NOAA Space Environment Center.

Astronomers Map Out Planetary Danger Zone

Source: NASA/JPL Posted: 4/19/07

Astronomers have laid down the cosmic equivalent of yellow 'caution' tape around super hot stars, marking the zones where cooler stars are in danger of having their developing planets blasted away.

Nano-Manhattan: Improved 3D Solar Cells

Source: GATech Posted: 4/19/07

The new 3D solar cells capture photons from sunlight using an array of miniature 'tower' structures that resemble high-rise buildings in a city street grid.

Electrons Caught in the Act of Tunnelling

Source: MaxPlank Society Posted: 4/19/07

An international team of researchers has observed the quantum mechanical tunnelling effect for the first time.

Experiment confirms famous physics model

Source: MIT Posted: 4/19/07

Physicists can rest easy--the Standard Model of Particle Physics is still in effect. New experiment confirms the model's prediction that there are only three types of neutrinos.

Laser-cooling brings large object near absolute zero

Source: MIT Posted: 4/7/07

Using a laser-cooling technique that could one day allow scientists to observe quantum behavior in large objects, MIT researchers have cooled a coin-sized object to within one degree of absolute zero.

High-resolution images herald new era in Earth sciences

Source: MIT Posted: 4/7/07

High-resolution images that reveal unexpected details of the Earth's internal structure are among the results reported by MIT and Purdue scientists.

Nanometer-Scale Generator Demonstrated

Source: GaTech Posted: 4/7/07

Nanometer-scale generator that produces continuous direct-current electricity by harvesting mechanical energy from such environmental sources as ultrasonic waves, mechanical vibration or blood flow was demonstrated.