Your Guide to Physics

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Physics: Thinking Back and Forward

"Physicists Contemplate Their Impact over the Last 75 Years as Their Science Expands into Diverse Frontiers

May 3, 2006--As the American Institute of Physics (AIP) celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, physicists think about how much their science has evolved and how far it has expanded into new territory. Several busy physicists have taken the time to step back from their work to reflect upon events that have transpired since that occasion in 1931 when AIP first set up shop in New York City."

In the past 75 years, breakthroughs in physics have led to life-saving medical imaging, ubiquitous computers, inexpensive worldwide telecommunications, and an ever-deepening knowledge of matter, the Earth and the universe," says Marc H. Brodsky, AIP's Executive Director and CEO.

What have been the most important events in physics during this relatively short period of time? AIP senior historian and physicist Spencer Weart suggests two discoveries which took place in the early 20th century that have had tremendous influence on how we not only see and understand our world, but also how we live in it.Quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general theory of relativity, he says, have laid down the "new physics" of our age. "

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Scientific breakthrough a step toward quantum computing

"Light is the solution. It's also the problem. That's the paradox HP Labs' Quantum Information Processing Group is beginning to unravel with its research into optical quantum computing. The group has been investigating ways to use photons, or light particles, for information processing, rather than the electrons used in digital electronic computers today. Their work holds promise for someday developing faster, more powerful and more secure computer networks."

The HP Team includes Bill Munroe and Kae Nemoto - who were both working at UQ when I was a student there. It's always great to see people I know in the news.

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Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Code for ‘Unbreakable’ Quantum Encryption Generated at Record Speed over Fiber

Gaithersburg, Md.—Raw code for “unbreakable” encryption, based on the principles of quantum physics, has been generated at record speed over optical fiber at the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The work, reported today at the SPIE Defense & Security Symposium in Orlando, Fla., is a step toward using conventional high-speed networks such as broadband Internet and local-area networks to transmit ultra-secure video for applications such as surveillance.

The NIST quantum key distribution (QKD) system uses single photons, the smallest particles of light, in different orientations to produce a continuous binary code, or "key," for encrypting information. The rules of quantum mechanics ensure that anyone intercepting the key is detected, thus providing highly secure key exchange. The laboratory system produced this “raw” key at a rate of more than 4 million bits per second (4 million bps) over 1 kilometer (km) of optical fiber, twice the speed of NIST’s previous record, reported just last month. The system also worked successfully, although more slowly, over 4 km of fiber.

Catalyst: Light Pipes - ABC TV Science

Light Pipes

6 April 2006 Funnelling daylight deep inside offices, factories and even homes is a challenge; dark corners are often too far away from the outside world for sunlight to penetrate. Now two resourceful groups in Brisbane and Sydney have devised ingenious methods for piping sunlight almost anywhere in a building, replacing the need for electrical lighting. These revolutionary inventions could save energy and reduce CO2 emissions, all courtesy of the sun

Physics could be a secret weapon in tennis. 25/04/2006. ABC News Online

A US researcher says the number of stupid mistakes made playing on the tennis court can be reduced by applying the laws of physics.

Professor Howard Brody of the University of Pennsylvania shows knowledge of the laws of matter and motion can lift a player's game in one of three main ways.

It can cut errors of latitude (hitting the ball wide), depth (hitting the net) and force (hitting the ball too hard), Professor Brody says in the current issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Australian Associate Professor of Physics Rod Cross of the University of Sydney has written a book on the science of tennis with Professor Brody.

He says physics can more accurately describe what happens when a player hits a ball than the player is aware of.

"The idea is that a physicist can tell a coach what the player's supposed to be doing and why, and the coach can translate that to a player," Professor Cross said.

"I tried it myself. I phoned up [professional tennis player] Jelena Dokic and told her she wasn't serving properly - she didn't hang up straight away."

www.iop.org News - The Showgirl, the Comic Strip and the Physicists

The Showgirl, the Comic Strip and the Physicists

Monday 24 April 2006

Cross-dressing singers and The Beano are not the sorts of topics you'd expect to hear discussed at a physics conference. But that's exactly what will happen at the Institute of Physics in London on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 April when the latest methods of conserving and digitising photographs and artworks will be described.

The two-day meeting on “Preservation and Conservation Issues Related to Digital Printing and Digital Photography” will bring together physicists, conservators and chemists from museums, universities and photographic companies. Participants will hear about the latest research into the longevity of digital prints and storage methods, which we are all increasingly using to document the important events in our lives, as well as the rise of digital reproductions of fine art, and what should be considered “an original”.