Physics

Hippie daysHow a handful of countercultural scientists changed the course of physics in the 1970s and helped open up the frontier of quantum information.

New Endeavour for an MIT experimentSpace shuttle propels MIT-led Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station.

Spinning new materials in a threadNew technique could enable creation of a variety of fiber-based electronic and photonic devices.

A labor of loveWalter Lewin, acclaimed professor emeritus and Internet star, delivers one final lecture at MIT.

Toward faster transistorsMIT physicists discover a new physical phenomenon that could eventually lead to the first increases in computers’ clock speed since 2002.

Evolution, reversedPhysicists’ study of evolution in bacteria shows that adaptations can be undone, but rarely.

MIT senior wins prestigious Marshall ScholarshipNathaniel Thomas is Britain-bound on a two-year graduate scholarship.

3 Questions: Why Richard Feynman’s lectures still mesmerizeMIT Professor Robert Jaffe reflects on Feynman’s classic lectures five decades later, as the videos are released online.

The bouncing gasClouds of gases that bounce off each other could help physicists model the behavior of high-temperature superconductors and other unusual materials.

Mahajan SB ’11 named Gates Cambridge Scholar

A celebration of women in science and engineeringSymposium highlights the work and accomplishments of women at MIT and beyond.

A new spin on superconductivity?Scientists produce a crystal that could help unlock the mystery of high-temperature superconductors.

Explained: rad, rem, sieverts, becquerelsA guide to terminology about radiation exposure

MIT Professor Lewin named award recipient by the OCW ConsortiumRecognized with other leaders of the global OpenCourseWare movement.

EAPS, physics professor James Elliot dies at 67Led team that discovered the rings of Uranus in 1977.

Chris Boyce wins Gates scholarshipMIT senior co-founded company focused on creating stretchable, bendable electronics and solar panels.

Why do some countries’ economies grow faster?One of the Media Lab’s newest faculty members is adapting the mathematical tools of statistical physics to study development economics.

Explained: Transiting exoplanetsHow astronomers learn whether a planet is habitable by observing slight changes in light emanating from its parent star.

Hidden in plain sightA new approach to invisibility cloaking gets much closer to the science-fiction version, using simple and inexpensive materials.

Research update: How to tame hammering dropletsMIT research uncovers new process relating to the way drops of water spread after striking a surface.

How liquids behaveResearchers identify a fundamental property of how water and other liquids move at different temperatures.

And then there was lightAstronomers probe ancient radio waves for clues about the universe’s first light.

Frost-free planes: back to the drawing boardResearch from MIT and GE demonstrates that a proposed passive solution for preventing ice on wings won’t work — but suggests an alternative.

Learning from hot JupitersBy studying how massive planets may have formed, MIT astrophysicist sets the stage for studying smaller, more Earthlike planets.

Building a list of Earth candidatesMIT researchers increase their odds of detecting an Earthlike planet by working on a combination of satellite missions.

Five from MIT elected fellows of the American Physical Society

Undergrads bring energy education to GhanaGhanaian high school students share alternative energy ideas with rural village.