¿Pero dónde pueden "divulgar" científicos expertos lo que ellos consideran interesante entre lo publicado en las Physical Review? Acaba de inaugurarse tal portal, Physics, una revista en la que profesionales de la ciencia (no periodistas) pueden escribir, enviar y publicar artículos cortos destacando ciertos avances científicos publicados en las Physical Review. Los llamados Viewpoints (artículos cortos sobre avances importantes puntuales) y Trends (artículos más largos de revisión de avances en todo un campo). Finalmente, el propio staff de la revista publicará las Synopses que cubrirán artículos seleccionados por los propios editores de las Physical Review. Habrá que estar al tanto de esta nueva revista.

En mi opinión, una gran iniciativa de la APS para favorecer la divulgación científica entre los investigadores. Enhorabuena.

A number of scientists believe that solar power could be the best choice for energy generation of the three renewable resources available (solar, wind or geothermal). This latest research outlining the discovery of "an absorbing metamaterial with near unity absorbance" could help ensure that we are able to break free of fossil fuel use for energy generation (oil, coal and natural gas), thereby reducing both our dependency on foreign imports of fossil fuels and our carbon emissions.

The nature of our problem is this: global consumption of energy is at present 15TW (One terawatt equals one billion kilowatts). The total available energy from the sun is about 86,000 TW, from wind about 870 TW and geothermal about 32 TW (figures from Wikipedia). It's readily apparent in viewing these numbers that each resource could singularly prove sufficient if one were able to capture the energy in an efficient and acceptable manner. Currently, solar panels can only convert approximately 15% of the sunlight in our atmosphere into electricity. That inefficiency, along with the current high entry price to develop and deploy panels, continues to make the use of solar energy infeasible to say the least. That is why this new discovery is so fascinating...

Solar power pulls firmly to the front if this new metamaterial proves to be viable. We could soon see the end of fossil fuel as a means for energy generation.

However, until the metamaterial discovery bears the weight of peer scrutiny, do your part won't you? Save energy wherever you can...you might even start here?

Here is the story:

Researchers have engineered a metamaterial that uses tiny geometric surface features to successfully capture the electric and magnetic properties of a microwave to the point of total absorption. [Image courtesy of Boston College] A team of scientists from Boston College and Duke University has developed a highly-engineered metamaterial capable of absorbing all of the light that strikes it – to a scientific standard of perfection – they report in Physical Review Letters.

The team designed and engineered a metamaterial that uses tiny geometric surface features to successfully capture the electric and magnetic properties of a microwave to the point of total absorption. Because its elements can separately absorb the electric and magnetic components of an electromagnetic wave, the “perfect metamaterial absorber” created by the researchers can be highly absorptive over a narrow frequency range. The metamaterial is the first to demonstrate perfect absorption and unlike conventional absorbers it is constructed solely out of metallic elements, giving the material greater flexibility for applications related to the collection and detection of light, such as imaging.

Metamaterial designs give them new properties beyond the limits of their actual physical components and allow them to produce “tailored” responses to radiation. Because their construction makes them geometrically scalable, metamaterials are able to operate across a significant portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

“Three things can happen to light when it hits a material,” says Boston College Physicist Willie J. Padilla. “It can be reflected, as in a mirror. It can be transmitted, as with window glass. Or it can be absorbed and turned into heat. This metamaterial has been engineered to ensure that all light is neither reflected nor transmitted, but is turned completely into heat and absorbed. It shows we can design a metamaterial so that at a specific frequency it can absorb all of the photons that fall onto its surface.”

In addition to Padilla, the team included BC researcher Nathan I. Landy, Duke University Professor David R. Smith and researchers Soji Sajuyigbe and Jack J. Mock.

The group used computer simulations based on prior research findings in the field to design resonators able to couple individually to electric and magnetic fields to successfully absorb all incident radiation, according to their findings.

A carpet that can fly? Oh yes it could, says Roger Highfield

A rippling magic carpet that can fly through the air is a theoretical possibility, according to a professor.

Although he has only succeeded in showing that flying is practical for a bank note sized carpet, Prof Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his co-workers believe that one capable of ferrying a person is far from being a pantomime fantasy.

His claims, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, come just in time for productions of Aladdin and arise from working out the aerodynamics of a flexible, rippling sheet moving through a fluid, such as air. The conclusion is that it should be possible to make one that will stay aloft.

Read all about it here. Who knows? Maybe you could order one online...that is if they have the right color in stock. :)

Milestone Letters have made long-lived contributions to physics, either by announcing significant discoveries, or by initiating new areas of research. Many of them report on work that was later recognized with a Nobel Prize for one or more of the authors. Milestones from 1958, the first year of PRL's existence, appeared in the week of January 2; the most recent posting is from 1970. Upcoming weeks will feature four successive years (1972-1975) with Letters resulting in one or more Nobel Prizes. The series will continue through the anniversary year, culminating with papers from 2000.

• Un estudio estadounidense cuestiona la Teoría de la Relatividad

DANIEL MEDIAVILLA, Público, 18/05/2008

Según la teoría de la relatividad de Einstein, cualquier cosa que caiga en un agujero negro dejaría de existir. Allí la gravedad sería infinita -el lugar se conoce como una singularidad- y nada podría escapar a su atracción. Sin embargo, esta afirmación choca con uno de los principios básicos de la mecánica cuántica, que afirma que la información no puede ser destruida. Ahora, científicos de la Universidad de Pensilvania (EEUU) publican en Physical Review Letters un artículo en el que, apoyándose en los conceptos de la gravedad cuántica, afirman que aunque el centro de un agujero negro fuera extremadamente denso no podría serlo tanto como para atrapar para siempre la información.

La idea da un empujón a la mecánica cuántica, pero cuestiona la relatividad. Sin singularidades, el continuo espacio-tiempo descrito por Einstein sólo sería una aproximación. La física podría, por fin, ir más allá del físico alemán.

Foto: Ilustración de cómo podría ser un agujero negro. NASA

.....

Dario riferisce di uno studio in cui due ricercatori parigini hanno spiegato con un elegante modello matematico perché gli spaghetti sottoposti a una flessione assai spesso si spezzano in tre o più pezzi.

Basile Audoly e Sebastien Neukirch dell’università parigina Pierre e Marie Curie, in un recente articolo pubblicato sul Physical Review Letters, sostengono di aver risolto il problema, costruendo un modello matematico della dinamica di uno spaghetto.

I due ricercatori hanno scoperto che, quando la curvatura dello spaghetto raggiunge un valore critico, questo si rompe, proprio come ci si aspetterebbe, in due pezzi.

A questo punto si potrebbe immaginare che i due frammenti si “raddrizzino”. Invece sorprendentemente, questa prima rottura genera un’onda che si diffonde lungo i due frammenti. Invece di smorzarsi rapidamente, l’onda aumenta la curvatura dei due frammenti generando ulteriori fratture, che a loro volta possono generare delle altre onde e produrre altri frammenti.

I molti commenti fioccati, in cui parecchi lettori hanno fatto pubblico "coming out" ammettendo di aver passato lunghe ore a spezzare spaghetti per diletto, con un atteggiamento tra lo scientifico e il mistico, mi hanno fatto pensare a un misconosciuto culto che ha molti adoratori in tutto il mondo: la Chiesa del Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Un'ennesima contrapposizione tra scienza e religione?

Una volta tanto no, o meglio non è nuova: è una simpatica parodia creata qualche anno fa per sottolineare l'infondatezza scientifica del cosiddetto "Disegno Intelligente", la teoria pseudo-scientifica creata negli Stati Uniti per cercare di imporre l'insegnamento del creazionismo nelle scuole, accanto alla teoria dell'evoluzione di Darwin.

Un aspetto religioso, però, lo si può ancora trovare nell'eresia evidentemente commessa da Barilla per soddisfare i gusti dei consumatori francesi (che in maggioranza sono abituati alla pasta di grano tenero, e in molti casi amano stracuocere quella di grano duro): l'esperimento è stato fatto non solo con spaghetti n° 7, ma anche n° 5 e addirittura n° 1 (che forse noi chiameremmo "capelli d'angelo", e ricaschiamo nel culto...).

Per uno come me che a Milano soffre perché non si trovano gli assai più consistenti vermicelli (n° 8), l'idea che si chiamino spaghetti dei fili di pasta così impalpabili è una vera bestemmia...

Two recent studies submitted to the American Physical Society's Physical Review Letters have come up against this very issue. The authors of these pieces requested the right to place their information and imagery on Wikipedia be included in their transfer of copyright to the publisher. As a result of this, the two papers were declined.

Generally, I think that any attempt to make scholarly work available to the public should be rewarded, and should be part of what scholars are expected to do. Apparently, a group of thirty-eight physicists agrees, and is pressuring for change at the APS. The University of British Columbia in Vancouver's Bill Unruh states "It is unreasonable and completely at odds with the practice in the field. Scientists want as broad an audience for their papers as possible." This movement may have some effect, since the APS has stated that its copyright rules will be under review in May, though it is not indicated if this is a result of any specific controversy.

I would really like to see the scholars involved do something "radical", and publish their entire articles online free, and perhaps include reviews through others upset over the APS's ruling. However, I doubt this will occur, as there are still other journals to shop around to, and the potential change of the APS's position.

I also think that it is time that scholars discuss, in a broad cross-discipline venue, the fact that journals are robbing them of their property. They are willing to give up their rights to their writing and media for all the positives of scholarly publication. I certainly won't debate the fact that these positives exist, recognition, moderated review, publication, and other points. While some of these are available through the internet, such publication still lacks the recognition and official review process. Until these issues are taken care of and offered through a medium other than the limited scholarly journals, scholars will be forced to give up their property for free.

From NewScientist.