Atomic, molecular & optical physics

Latest articles

Casimir effect goes negative Jan 8, 2009

Bizarre vacuum force is repulsive, as well as attractive

Reasons to be cheerful Jan 5, 2009 1 comment

The economy may be in a nosedive but there is plenty to look forward to in science this year

'Uncontrollable' nuclei sharpen up MRI Dec 15, 2008

The solution to a theoretical puzzle could provide the basis for improved MRI techniques.

Nobel laureate goes to Washington? Dec 11, 2008 6 comments

Steven Chu tipped to head US Department of Energy

Lamb shift spotted in solid qubit Dec 5, 2008 1 comment

Discovery could help physicists design more robust quantum computers

European synchrotron secures €177m upgrade Nov 26, 2008

New beamlines will allow nanometre-scale experiments at Grenoble lab

Light moves tiny devices Nov 26, 2008 2 comments

Researchers combine nanophotonics and nanomechanics

A simpler route to invisibility Nov 25, 2008 2 comments

Geometry of curved space could be used to make broadband cloak, say physicists

First 'bona fide' direct images of exoplanets Nov 13, 2008 1 comment

Hubble, Gemini and Keck spot four new planets outside our solar system

Phoenix unlocks the icy history of Mars Nov 13, 2008

Jacqueline Hewett speaks to Peter Smith, the principal investigator on NASA's Phoenix mission to Mars

Measuring ultrashort pulses needs precision Nov 13, 2008

Marie Freebody speaks to Rick Trebino about the intricacies of measuring ultrashort pulses and how the devices that characterize such pulses can be commercialized

Optical tweezers: where physics meets biology Nov 13, 2008

Joost van Mameren explains how quantitative force measurements by optical tweezers can unravel the mechanical properties of biological molecules

Invisibility extends out of its shell Nov 11, 2008

This invisibility cloak can make a nearby object vanish, say researchers

Menlo takes frequency combs to the masses Nov 7, 2008

Nadya Anscombe discovers how Nobel prize winning research has been turned into a practical product

Plasmonics propagates into new optical fields Nov 7, 2008

Marie Freebody speaks to Niek van Hulst about the potential wealth of applications for plasmonics