http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- Achieving an important new capability in ultracold atomic gases, researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute, a collaboration of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland, have created "synthetic" magnetic fields for ultracold gas atoms, in effect "tricking" neutral atoms into acting as if they are electrically charged particles subjected to a real magnetic field. The demonstration, described in the latest issue of the journal Nature, not only paves the way for exploring the complex natural phenomena involving charged particles in magnetic fields, but may also contribute to an exotic new form of quantum computing. http://www.physorg.com/news178983240.html Physics Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:34:45 EST news178983240 (PhysOrg.com) -- First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire. http://www.physorg.com/news177689867.html Nanotechnology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:22:12 EST news177689867 (PhysOrg.com) -- In two separate studies, Princeton-led teams of scientists have found a new type of `light-like` electron and visualized for the first time another type that doesn`t bounce back when material imperfections are encountered on the surface of special insulators. The discoveries advance the fundamental understanding of condensed matter physics and may have implications for the development of computing devices millions of times faster than today`s most powerful computers. http://www.physorg.com/news169129727.html Physics Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:38:16 EST news169129727 (PhysOrg.com) -- When water transforms into steam, or magnetized iron changes to demagnetized iron, Katsushi Hashimoto explains to PhysOrg.com, a phase transition is taking place: `Classical phase transitions…often share many fundamental characteristics near the critical point. Quantum phase transitions also show universal critical behaviors, which are affected not only by temperature but also by quantum mechanics.` http://www.physorg.com/news150988279.html Physics Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:11:19 EST news150988279