News & Views |
Featured
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Correspondence |
Develop instruments to monitor volcanic ash fallout
- Freysteinn Sigmundsson
- & Ármann Höskuldsson
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Books & Arts |
Moving in elevated circles
Antonio Santucci's great armillary sphere reveals how patrons sought immortality through science, explains Martin Kemp.
- Martin Kemp
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Research Highlights |
Biophysics: Molecular carnival ride
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News & Views |
50 & 100 years ago
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Research Highlights |
Nanomanufacturing: Petite pottery
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News & Views |
Frustrated trio mimicked
Quantum simulation is a promising tool for navigating the complex world of many-body physics. The technique has now been employed to simulate a frustrated network of three quantum magnets by using trapped ions.
- Hartmut Häffner
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News |
Hasty switch for space magnet
Longer-lasting part could make cosmic-ray detector less sensitive.
- Edwin Cartlidge
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Letter |
Atom-chip-based generation of entanglement for quantum metrology
Atom chips provide a versatile quantum laboratory for experiments with ultracold atomic gases, but techniques to control atomic interactions and to generate entanglement have been unavailable so far. Here, the experimental generation of multi-particle entanglement on an atom chip is described. The technique is used to produce spin-squeezed states of a two-component Bose–Einstein condensate, which should be useful for quantum metrology.
- Max F. Riedel
- , Pascal Böhi
- & Philipp Treutlein
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Letter |
Nonlinear atom interferometer surpasses classical precision limit
The precision of interferometers — used in metrology and in the state-of-the-art time standard — is generally limited by classical statistics. Here it is shown that the classical precision limit can be beaten by using nonlinear atom interferometry with Bose–Einstein condensates.
- C. Gross
- , T. Zibold
- & M. K. Oberthaler
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Letter |
Atom-by-atom structural and chemical analysis by annular dark-field electron microscopy
An imaging technique that could identify all the individual atoms, including defects, in a material would be a useful tool. Here an electron-microscopy approach to the problem, based on annular dark-field imaging, is described. A monolayer of boron nitride was studied, and three types of atomic substitution were identified. Careful analysis of the data enabled the construction of a detailed map of the atomic structure.
- Ondrej L. Krivanek
- , Matthew F. Chisholm
- & Stephen J. Pennycook
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Letter |
Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering is a powerful spectroscopy technique that can be used to study substances down to the level of single molecules. But the practical applications have been limited by the need for metal substrates with roughened surfaces or in the form of nanoparticles. Here a new approach — shell-insulated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy — is described, and its versatility demonstrated with numerous test substances.
- Jian Feng Li
- , Yi Fan Huang
- & Zhong Qun Tian
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News & Views |
Expanding versatility
Gold nanoparticles coated with a thin layer of an oxide allow molecules adsorbed on surfaces as diverse as those of platinum, yeast cells or citrus fruits to be characterized routinely in the laboratory.
- Martin Moskovits
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News |
Scientists supersize quantum mechanics
Largest ever object put into quantum state.
- Geoff Brumfiel
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Research Highlights |
Physics: Photon storage for telecoms
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Research Highlights |
Wildlife biology: Lizard back burden
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Books & Arts |
How lateral thinking saved lives
Martin Kemp is struck by the surreal quality of a home-made iron lung.
- Martin Kemp
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News |
Did design flaws doom the LHC?
Catastrophic failure that caused accelerator shutdown was not a freak accident, says project physicist.
- Geoff Brumfiel
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News & Views |
A light touch
A technique used primarily to study fundamental issues in quantum mechanics has now been shown to have promise as a powerful practical tool for making ultra-precise measurements.
- Aephraim M. Steinberg
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Letter |
High-water-content mouldable hydrogels by mixing clay and a dendritic molecular binder
In the search to reduce our dependency on fossil-fuel energy, new plastic materials that are less dependent on petroleum are being developed, with water-based gels — hydrogels — representing one possible solution. Here, a mixture of water, 3% clay and a tiny amount of a special organic binder is shown to form a transparent hydrogel that can be moulded into shape-persistent, free-standing objects and that rapidly and completely self-heals when damaged.
- Qigang Wang
- , Justin L. Mynar
- & Takuzo Aida
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News |
Pulsar watchers race for gravity waves
Radio telescopes vie with laser detectors to hunt for signs of massive cosmic collisions.
- Eric Hand