Physics Topics
North by Northwest to Catch A Neutrino in the Act
1999 — April 6, 2011
A century-old radiation detection tool may be pressed into service to see if neutrinos change flavor. The answer may change our models of subatomic particles and the universe.
French Nobel Laureate turns back clock
1999 — Sept. 20, 2011
At any given spot along its path, the Aug. 11, 1999, total eclipse offered up to 2-1/2 spectacular minutes of total lunar coverage of the sun. But for two NASA researchers, the show's not over. They're just getting started probing a 50-year-old mystery.
Decrypting the Eclipse
1999 — April 6, 2011
On August 11, scientists around the world will attempt to solve a 45 year mystery: Does a solar eclipse somehow affect the Foucault pendulum?
Scientist finds 2-in-1 burster; Pulsar goes off twice each orbit
1998 — April 6, 2011
The discovery of a unique, twice-an-orbit bursting, pulsating star yields insight on strange energetic objects in the galaxy.
High wire act may be best way to explore Europa
1998 — April 6, 2011
Using a tether to grab power from Europa's magnetic field may allow future spacecraft to explore that intriguing moon "faster, better, and cheaper."
Exotic-looking microbes turn up in ancient Antartic ice
1998 — April 6, 2011
Exploring a microworld locked in ancient ice.
The Day the World Didn't End
2008 — April 6, 2011
Last month when scientists switched on the Large Hadron Collider, the world did not come to an end. In today's story, a particle physicist explains why not--and why Earth is safe from Black Holeswhen the collider is reactivated in the months ahead.
Bizarre Boiling
2001 — April 6, 2011
Watching liquids boil in low gravity is an out-of-this-world experience. The strangely turbulent liquids have plenty of entertainment value, and they're teaching scientists some important Physicslessons, too.
The Equivalence Principle
2007 — April 6, 2011
In the folklore of physics, no story is better known than the tale of Galileo dropping balls from the Leaning Tower of Pisa and proving that gravity accelerates all objects equally regardless of their masses or composition. This is called the "equivalence principle," and it is a cornerstone of modern physics. But was Galileo correct?
Shear Mystery
2002 — Sept. 20, 2011
Some fluids have a mysterious property: one moment they're thick, the next they're thin. Physicists aim to find out why with the aid of an experiment in space.