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The observation of macroscopic quantum coherent behaviour by a single polymer chain provides an important model system for studying the physics of reduced dimensionality, unperturbed by the disorder that can complicate the study of conventional inorganic systems.
The melting temperatures of the base-pair sequences in DNA are difficult to predict. But applying statistical physics to the problem has created an 'index' that well represents the molecule's thermal properties.
The ability to measure small or slow rotations relative to an inertial frame is valuable in navigation as well as in fundamental physics. A device that exploits techniques developed in atomic physics could lead to sensitive and compact rotation sensors.
