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January 2011

Volume 64, Issue 1

Cover: A portion of Mercury's surface as seen by MESSENGER following the spacecraft's first flyby of the planet in January 2008. The colors are not what the human eye would see, but are enhanced to convey information about different rock types. The Caloris basin, visible as a large, bright yellow-orange circular area due to its ancient infill by volcanic lavas, dominates the northern region. To learn more about Mercury, turn to the article by Sean Solomon on page 50. (Photo courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington.)

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Articles

Select this Article		Infrared radiation and planetary temperature Raymond T. Pierrehumbert


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	+ -	Show Topic Infrared radiative transfer theory, one of the most productive physical theories of the past century, has unlocked myriad secrets of the universe including that of planetary temperature and the connection between global warming and greenhouse gases.

Select this Article		Spin-polarized supercurrents for spintronics Matthias Eschrig


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	+ -	Show Topic A marriage between superconductivity and ferromagnetism is opening the door for new spin-based applications.

Select this Article FREE		A new look at the planet Mercury Sean C. Solomon


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	+ -	Show Topic *MESSENGER* spacecraft goes into orbit around Mercury in March 2011, but its three flybys have already offered a fresh perspective on the planet’s history, composition, and magnetic field.

Letters

Demolishing quantum nondemolition

Select this Article FREE		Demolishing quantum nondemolition Christopher Monroe


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A building moves with the music

Select this Article FREE		A building moves with the music Norman R. Dotti


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New life for old naval reactors

Select this Article FREE		New life for old naval reactors Dave Dooling


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Sea turtles then and now

Select this Article FREE		Sea turtles then and now Sung P. Lin


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Blackett adopted earlier rotation idea

Select this Article FREE		Blackett adopted earlier rotation idea Thomas Ruedas


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Fine points on heat-conduction experiment

Select this Article FREE		Fine points on heat-conduction experiment Howard C. Howland


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Correction

Select this Article FREE		Correction

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Search and Discovery

Select this Article		The largest neutron-star mass yet recorded has broad implications Bertram M. Schwarzschild


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	+ -	Show Topic If neutron stars can be twice as massive as the Sun, most conjectures about exotic states of matter at maximum compression are ruled out.

Select this Article		Optical measurements probe the pressure and density of water under tension Johanna L. Miller


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	+ -	Show Topic Little is known about the thermodynamics of the familiar liquid’s metastable phases.

Select this Article		Gamma rays made on Earth have unexpectedly high energies Johanna L. Miller


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	+ -	Show Topic The as-yet-unexplained observation represents a crossover between astrophysical and atmospheric research.

Select this Article		Exploring the extremes of turbulence Ashley G. Smart


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	+ -	Show Topic Two experiments yield similar data but tell different stories about momentum transport at high Reynolds numbers.

Physics Update

Select this Article		Cell growth, gene expression, and their interdependence Charles Day


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Select this Article		The highs and lows of graphene’s strength Jermey N. A. Matthews


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Select this Article		Trapping antihydrogen R. Mark Wilson


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Select this Article		The evolving structure of global trade Steven K. Blau


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Issues and Events

Select this Article		China is latest country to pursue astronomy in Antarctica Toni Feder


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	+ -	Show Topic At some wavelengths, the advantages of doing astronomy from Antarctica outweigh the challenges.

Select this Article		Shortage of plutonium-238 jeopardizes NASA’s planetary science missions David Kramer


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	+ -	Show Topic Scientific societies and advisers urge Congress to approve funding to restart production of the radioisotope, which provides the only alternative to solar power for spacecraft.

Select this Article FREE		National initiatives recruit and retrain science teachers Jermey N. A. Matthews


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	+ -	Show Topic Businesses, nonprofit organizations, and the White House are betting on K–12 STEM teachers to forestall the “gathering storm” forecasted by the National Academies.

Select this Article		Raising the scientific level and networking in Africa Toni Feder


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	+ -	Show Topic Bringing top scientists to Africa has a greater impact than sending individual African scientists abroad.

Select this Article		Hill fellowships offer scientists policy career path Jermey N. A. Matthews


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News notes

Select this Article		UN surveys global R&D Charles Day


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Books

Select this Article		Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Climate Change and Energy in the 21st Century; Sustainable Energy—Without the Hot Air; Challenged by Carbon: The Oil Industry and Climate Change David Keith

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Select this Article		Astrophysics for Physicists George Smoot

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Select this Article		The Grand Design Angela V. Olinto

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Select this Article		Turbulence in the Atmosphere Joseph H. LaCasce

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Select this Article FREE		New books

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New products

Select this Article FREE		Focus on photonics and biomedical optics Andreas Mandelis


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	+ -	Show Topic The descriptions of the new products listed in this section are based on information supplied to us by the manufacturers. PHYSICS TODAY can assume no responsibility for their accuracy. For more information about a particular product, visit the website at the end of the product description.

Obituaries

Select this Article		David Halliday Edward Gerjuoy and Robert Resnick


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Select this Article		Stephen Henry Schneider Michael Oppenheimer


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Quick Study

Select this Article		The discrete charm of rain Massimiliano Ignaccolo and Carlo De Michele


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	+ -	Show Topic Weather reports and many scientific models treat rainfall as a continuous process, but to truly understand rain and its effects, one must consider its fundamentally discrete nature.