Particle, Atomic & Molecular Physics

A New Option for Neutral-Atom Quantum Computing

Physics: Two independent teams show that neutral ytterbium-171 atoms can be trapped and used for quantum information processing, bringing quantum computers based on this platform a step closer to reality. According to Jeff Thompson, a physicist at Princeton University, now…

Hitoshi Murayama brings people together

Symmetry Magazine: When deciding between becoming a physicist or a musician, Hitoshi Murayama thought musician was the easy choice. With years of experience rocking out with a band playing Pink Floyd- and Genesis-inspired ballads in high school and playing the double…

Pumpkin-shaped nucleus breaks proton emission records

Physics World: Physicists in Finland have created a pumpkin-shaped nucleus that has the shortest directly measured half-life of any ground-state proton emitter. The lutetium-149 nucleus is also the most oblate deformed proton emitter observed to date. The measurement improves physicists’ understanding…

Are Telescopes the Only Way to Find Dark Matter?

Scientific American: How do you think the dark matter problem is solved?” Vera C. Rubin urgently asked me, within minutes of being introduced at a 2009 Women in Astronomy conference. To this day, I can’t remember what I said in response….