Physics and Astronomy News Archive: April 2007

Image: NASA Spacecraft Make First 3-D Images of Sun
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.
Image: Quantum Secrets of Photosynthesis Revealed
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.
Image: Rapid-fire pulse brings Sandia Z method closer to goal of high-yield fusion reactor
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.
Image: Next Solar Storm Cycle Will Likely Start March 2008
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.
Image: Astronomers Map Out Planetary Danger Zone
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.
Image: Nano-Manhattan: Improved 3D Solar Cells
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.
Image: Electrons Caught in the Act of Tunnelling
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.
Image: Experiment confirms famous physics model
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.
Image: Laser-cooling brings large object near absolute zero
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.
Image: High-resolution images herald new era in Earth sciences
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.
Image: Nanometer-Scale Generator Demonstrated
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.
Image: Air & Light-Driven Robotic Device More Precise Than Human Hand
Air & Light-Driven Robotic Device More Precise Than Human Hand
Source: Johns Hopkins   Posted: 4/7/07
Johns Hopkins Medicine engineers announce plastic, air- and light-driven device more precise than human hand.