June 2002 NEWS Volume 11, No. 6 A Publication of The American Physical Society http://www.aps.org/apsnews

2002 April Meeting Features Mikulski, New SNO Data, CPU Study Walsh receive More than 1200 physicists and of creating cold anti-hydrogen atoms oms at CERN (and a member of the Public Service astronomers attended the 2002 that can be manipulated and studied. ATHENA collaboration), Michael APS Spring Meeting, held April 20- Gerald Gabrielse of Harvard Uni- Holzscheiter of Los Alamos, exam- Awards 23 in the beautiful southwest city versity reported on his group’s ined how antihydrogen can be

of Albuquerque. experiments at CERN that have com- tested to see how closely it mirrors Photo by David Sims The principal subject areas were bined antiprotons and positrons normal hydrogen, whether antimat- On April 10, the annual Public Service Awards sponsored by the APS together with particle, nuclear, and astrophysics, (antielectrons) in a trap. Obtaining ter falls downward due to gravity the American Astronomical Society and the American Mathematical Society, were including new data on neutrino os- definitive evidence for the existence and the implications for the most presented to Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) and Representative James T. cillations (see page 3) and extreme of antihydrogen atoms in the trap is fundamental properties of the uni- Walsh (R-NY) in a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Senator Mikulski is the Chair of the hydrogen physics (see page 5). How- difficult and Gabrielse (a member of verse. Appropriations subcommittee with responsibility for NASA and NSF, and Congress- man Walsh is Chair of the corresponding subcommittee in the House. Both are ever, many other topics were the ATRAP collaboration) discussed Gamma Rays: The Next Gen- champions of increased funding for these agencies and science in general. Shown covered as well, such as the final re- the status of the evidence for erationerationeration. here are Senator Mikulski (center) and Congressman Walsh (right) with their port of the NAS Committee on the antihydrogen. The orbiting Gamma Ray Large awards, being congratulated by APS President-elect Myriam Sarachik. Physics of the Universe (page 1), Another seeking to make anti-at- See APRIL MEETING on page 3 countering terrorism, women in physics, and the play “Copenhagen,” NSF Report Tracks Science about the wartime meeting between Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr. The meeting was sponsored Funding Patterns jointly by the APS and the high The physicalsciences have been Science Foundation and submit- energy astrophysics division gravely under-funded relative to ted by the NSB (which is the (HEAD) of the American Astro- the life sciences in recent years. governing board of the NSF) to the nomical Society (AAS). This was the conclusion, drawing President. In two thick volumes, it Next Linear Collider. on data contained in a report re- contains a compilation of data on

The panel of particle physicists Designed by Kim Quigley leased by the National Science a wide variety of science-related (HEPAP) that advises both the US Board (NSB) at the end of April, subjects from education to fund- Department of Energy and the Na- that was reached both by the vice- ing to the position of the US in the tional Science Foundation has chair of the NSB and by the chair global marketplace. called for the construction, in the of the NSB subcommittee that over- “On balance we’re investing US or elsewhere, of a giant accel- saw the preparation of the report. less in physical science and engi- erator where beams of electrons The report, entitled “Science neering and that gives me and positrons would mutually an- and Engineering Indicators 2002” concern,” said Anita K. Jones, nihilate in a burst of energy. This spring, APS mailed over 21,000 of these posters to high is the fifteenth in a biennial series Professor of Engineering and Ap- Moreover, an international school physics classrooms all around the US. As the public outreach that is prepared by the National See NSF STUDY on page 5 steering committee has been set web site of the APS, Physics Central (http://www.physicscentral.com) up to promote the project. What continues to grow in popularity among educators and the general Scientific Societies Foil Potential kind of machine is this “Next Lin- public alike. The site is consistently ranked as the most popular in ear Collider” and what are the both the Yahoo! and Google physics directory listings and recently Journal Scam physics goals? Speakers at a logged its millionth visit. Physics Central has also received accolades A Los Angeles-based journal Physics, and two other scientific Monday session looked at the from numerous newspapers and periodicals, including the New Sci- subscription service has settled out societies, alleging fraudulent busi- production of high energy beams entist, Science magazine, and the Chicago Tribune. of court to avoid a civil lawsuit by ness practices. Eastwood Books at such a machine. the APS, the American Institute of was alleged to have filed false so- Other sessions featured talks ciety membership applications in about the specific physics experi- order to obtain multiple subscrip- ments to be done, such as the CPU Study Issues Final Report tions of scientific journals at the detailed study of the Higgs boson, lower individual member rates. the elusive object thought to be The National Academy of Sci- nal report, presented at the APS April three possible sites, including an ex- The company also allegedly responsible for the mass of other par- ences’ Committee on the Physics of Meeting in Albuquerque. Entitled tension of the existing Sudbury filed overlapping false claims for ticles. the Universe has completed its two- “Connecting Quarks to the Cosmos,” Neutrino Observatory in Ontario, “missing” issues to assemble full The Quest for Anti-Atoms. year-long study of physics and the final report outlines seven spe- Canada, and construction of a new sets of journals, subsequently sell- Particle physicists are on the verge astronomy research and issued a fi- cific recommendations for research facility in the San Jacinto mountains See JOURNAL SCAM on page 4 and research coordination to ad- in Southern California. The dress 11 specific science questions Homestake mine in South Dakota The Primakoff Lecturer in Action at the interface of physics and as- is another possibility. tronomy [see box on page 7]. A second new initiative is the con- HHHHighlightsighlightsighlights Chief among the recommenda- struction of a wide-field telescope in tions are three new initiatives. space to determine the expansion his- Call for Nominations Potentially most controversial is the tory of the universe and fully probe The 2002 Apker Awards construction of a deep underground and characterize the nature of the dark 7 for Outstanding laboratory (at least 4000 meters of energy. The third new project calls for Undergraduate Student Research in Physics water equivalent) aimed at determin- the creation of a cosmic microwave Deadline: June 15, 2002 ing neutrino masses and mixings, polarization experiment, in the hope measuring the lifetime of the proton, that measuring the polarization of the and determining the constituents of cosmic microwave background will dark matter. “[These issues] are all help scientists detect the signature of predictions of theories that unify the inflation. forces of Nature,” said Michael In addition, the committee added Turner (University of Chicago), who its support to three projects previously chaired the study group. “Fully ad- recommended by the National Re- dressing all three requires a search Council’s 2001 survey report, laboratory that is well shielded from “Astronomy and Astrophysics in the Back Page: Photo by Jessica Clark the cosmic ray particles that con- New Millennium,” on the basis of their George Trilling reflects on Lincoln Wolfenstein of Carnegie Mellon University delivers the Primakoff Lec- stantly bombard the surface of the ability to address important problems 8 the American Physical ture at the APS April Meeting in Albuquerque, on the topic of CP violation and Society in 2002 neutrino mixing. Earth.” The committee identified See CPU STUDY on page 7 2 June 2002 NEWS

This Month in Physics History June 1871: Maxwell and his Demon “It’s not toxic or messy. And it’s “The bottom line is, if you are cheap. Experimentally, I love the really watching the game and you stuff.” have a minimum of baseball expe- The notion of perpetual exorably from hot to cold. —Ken Libbrecht, Caltech, on grow- rience, there’s no way you should motion machines — i.e., some- To illustrate this point, in ing snow crystals in the lab, AP, be hit by a foul ball.” thing capable of operating 1871, Maxwell proposed an in- March 31, 2002 —Robert K. Adair, Yale University, forever on a fixed supply of en- triguing thought experiment ✶✶✶ on the danger to spectators at a base- ergy — has proven seductive. involving a clever microscopic “If you want to fracture a mate- ball game, Calgary Herald, April 10, The U.S. Patent Office is inun- creature, poised at a pinhole in a rial with the least energy, hexagons 2002 dated each year with baffle dividing an insulated box are the way to do it.” ✶✶✶ applications for such devices, into two equal chambers. The —Alberto G. Rojo, University of “A neutron star, because it is most of which it can reject out creature would try to wring regu- Michigan, on why lava flows form regu- so dense, may be the only natu- of hand thanks to the laws of larity out of the randomness of lar patterns, NY Times, April 2, 2002 ral place in the universe where thermodynamics. But one of the molecular motion by picking and ✶✶✶ quark matter exists.We may have trickiest, and most famous eva- choosing among the motions. “The coal industry alone is a discovered a way of learning if sions of the laws of Specifically, it would sort mol- $100 billion industry, and it could the existence of free quarks is thermodynamics was proposed ecules in such a way that the be replaced by charcoal. And the true.” by physicist James Clerk Max- hotter (faster) molecules would university could get in on it, if it —Norman Glendenning, Lawrence well, one of the pioneers of be directed into one chamber gling to drive signals through, re- wants to.” Berkeley National Laboratory, on the statistical mechanics, best while cooler (slower) molecules ducing voltages and heat —Michael Antal, University of Ha- possible discovery of quark stars, NY known for the equations of elec- would be directed into the other. dissipation. waii, on making charcoal from grass Times, April 11, 2002 tricity and magnetism that bear Dubbed “Maxwell’s Demon”, More recently, a 1999 experi- clippings, AP, April 1, 2002 ✶✶✶ his name. Born in Edinburgh, this imaginary sorter itself requires ment conducted at the University ✶✶✶ “In fact it wasn’t a stupid thing Scotland in June 1831, Maxwell energy to operate, and thus the of Essen in Germany yielded an “This is about trying to amass to do. There was no reason not to displayed a natural curiosity segregation of hot from cold can- initially surprising result: agi- all the matter of the universe in a introduce it.” about the physical world at an not really occur as described. tated sand in a two-chamber very small region. Good luck.” —Steven Weinberg, University of early age, wanting to know how Nevertheless, the experiment is vessel (with the two halves con- —Stanley Deser, Brandeis University, Texas, on why what Einstein called things worked even at the age an excellent demonstration of en- nected by a hole) did indeed on using principles of general relativ- his biggest blunder really wasn’t, of 3. He attended the Edinburgh tropy: Maxwell’s demon manages segregate, with the “hot” quickly ity to build a time machine, Boston Dallas Morning News, April 15, 2002 Academy, where he emerged as to decrease the entropy, increas- moving sand migrating to one Globe, April 5, 2002 ✶✶✶ a brilliant student, winning ing the amount of energy available side and the cool sand sponta- ✶✶✶ “On average, the journey from prizes for mathematics and En- by increasing its knowledge about neously condensing and “LIGO gives us information that one Web page to any other can glish verse. the motion of the molecules. But congregating on the other side. we don’t have access to any other way, be made in just 19 clicks.” At 14, he wrote his first pa- the laws of thermodynamics dic- However, Jens Eggers, who things like black holes, things we can —Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, University per describing oval curves, tate that one can only increase performed the experiment, says only infer from the light we see.” of Notre Dame, on how the worldwide which was presented to the entropy, or rather, one can only that the second law isn’t really —Beverley Berger, National Science web is constructed, New Scientist, Royal Society of Edinburgh. decrease it in one place if this is violated; although moving sand Foundation, AP, April 4, 2002 April 13, 2002 He then studied mathemat- balanced by at least an equal in- can be considered as a gas, indi- ✶✶✶ ✶✶✶ ics and natural philosophy crease somewhere else. vidual grains can absorb and “10 or 15 years down the road, “In the top 20km of the Earth’s (physics) at the University of Real-life versions of Maxwellian dissipate heat, unlike Maxwell’s you might be able to connect a crust, the conditions are right to Edinburgh, publishing papers on demons — with their entropy low- ideal gas, whose “temperature” state-of-the-art electronic device produce a nearly inexhaustible the theory of rolling curves and ering effects balanced by an is a measure of molecular mo- to the human sensory system.” supply of hydrogen.” the equilibrium of elastic solids, increase of entropy elsewhere — tion. Thus, when sand grains —Peter Grutter, McGill University, —Friedemann Freund, NASA, on before moving to Trinity College do occur in living systems, such as start to congregate in one cham- Montreal Gazette, April 4, 2002 the possibility of using Hydrogen to at Cambridge University, earn- the ion pumps that make our ner- ber, more and more grains will ✶✶✶ solve the world’s energy problems, ing a degree in mathematics in vous systems work. And such partake of a growing ordered “The worst-case scenario is, re- The Sunday Telegraph, April 14, 1854. molecular-sized mechanisms are state consisting of grains falling ally, to have a bunch of dummies in 2002 Maxwell held various teach- also being explored in the new field to the bottom of the container, charge of the nuclear weapons. We ✶✶✶ ing positions before settling into of nanotechnology as scientists while the unaffiliated grains will want to make sure that the people “Even one war in space will [en- the chair of natural philosophy seek to put random molecular tend to be on the other side, still who need to maintain those weap- case] the entire planet in a shell of at King’s College in London, a motions to good use. in “gaseous” form. ons are technically at the forefront whizzing debris that will thereaf- six-year tenure where he did his In 1997 researchers at Boston So even in today’s cutting edge of the science and engineering ter make space near the Earth most important experimental College synthesized the first mo- research, which continually that’s involved.” highly hazardous for peaceful as work on electromagnetism and lecular ratchet, and have since pushes the boundaries of scien- —Raymond Jeanloz, University of Cali- well as military purposes.” studied the kinetic theory of been working to turn the rotor into tific knowledge, the Maxwellian fornia, Berkeley, National Public Radio’s —Joel Primack, University of Cali- gases. a motor. Nanoforklifts are also en- Demon is an impossible beast. All Things Considered, April 7, 2002 fornia at Santa Cruz, CNN, May 3, In the latter, he demonstrated visioned, in which a particle would Unfortunately for those who ✶✶✶ 2002 that molecules at high tempera- wriggle forward, encounter a de- chase after the pipe dream of “Physics is such a wonderfully ✶✶✶ ture have only a high probability sired molecule, and latch onto it. perpetual motion, the laws of logical framework that learning it “There’s either a big rock at the of moving towards regions of And as early as 1980, Charles thermodynamics remain intact. benefits the other sciences.” center of Jupiter or there’s not.” low temperature, a more statis- Bennet of IBM argued that Brown- Reference:Reference:Reference: —Richard Olenick, University of Dal- —Robert Cauble, Lawrence tical approach than the concept ian motion could be the basis for a J. Eggers, Physical Review Let- las, on the advantages of teaching Livermore National Laboratory, on that viewed heat as flowing in- computer, which would use jig- ters 8383,8383 5322 (1999). physics before biology or chemistry in unraveling the mystery of Jupiter’s high school, Dallas Morning News, hydrogen process, Dallas Morning April 8, 2002 News, May 6, 2002. ✶✶✶ ✶✶✶

Series II, Vol. 11, No. 6 One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844, Past-President Bunny C. Clark (Nuclear), Sally Dawson, Peter Meyers April 2002 [email protected]. George H. Trilling*, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Particles & Fields), Stephen Holmes (Physics of NEWS ©2002 The American Physical Society For Nonmembers—Circulation and Fulfillment Beams), Richard Hazeltine (Plasma), Kannan Division, American Institute of Physics, Suite 1NO1, 2 General Councillors Jagannathan, (New England), Joe Hamilton (Southeast Huntington Quadrangle, Melville, NY 11747-4502. Jonathan A. Bagger, Philip Bucksbaum*, L. Craig Davis, Stuart Section) Coden: ANWSEN ISSN: 1058-8132 Allow at least 6 weeks advance notice. For address Freedman*, Frances Houle, Leon Lederman*, Gerald Mahan, changes, please send both the old and new addresses, Margaret Murnane*, Cherry Ann Murray, Philip Phillips*, ADVISORS Editor ...... Alan Chodos and, if possible, include a mailing label from a recent Jin-Joo Song, James Trefil Representatives from Other Societies Associate Editor ...... Jennifer Ouellette issue. Requests from subscribers for missing issues will Special Publications Manager ...... Elizabeth Buchan-Higgins be honored without charge only if received within 6 International Councillor Christopher J. Chiaverina, AAPT; Marc Brodsky, AIP months of the issue’s actual date of publication. Periodical T. Maurice Rice Design and Production ...... Stephanie Jankowski International Advisors Proofreaders ...... Ken Cole, Edward Lee and Sue Otwell Postage Paid at College Park, MD and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to APS News, Chair, Nominating Committee B. Joas, Canadian Association of Physicists, Gerardo C. Membership Department, American Physical Society, Susan Nan Coppersmith Puente, Mexican Physical Society APS News (ISSN: 1058-8132) is published 11X News should be directed to: Editor, APS News, One One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844. yearly, monthly, except the August/September issue, Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20749-3844, E-mail: Chair, Panel on Public Affairs Staff Representatives by the American Physical Society, One Physics [email protected]. APS COUNCIL 2002 James C. H. Tsang Alan Chodos, Associate Executive Officer; Irving Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844, (301) 209- President Lerch, Director of International Affairs; Fredrick 3200. It contains news of the Society and of its Subscriptions: APS News is an on-membership William F. Brinkman*, Bell Labs-Lucent Technologies (retired) Division, Forum and Section Councillors Stein, Director of Education and Outreach; Robert Divisions, Topical Groups, Sections and Forums; publication delivered by Periodical Mail. Members President-Elect Harold Metcalf (Atomic, Molecular & Optical), Robert L. Park, Director, Public Information; Michael Lubell, advance information on meetings of the Society; residing abroad may receive airfreight delivery for a fee Myriam P. Sarachik*, City College of New York - CUNY Eisenberg (Biological), Sylvia Ceyer (Chemical), E. Dan Director, Public Affairs; Stanley Brown, Editorial and reports to the Society by its committees and of $15. Nonmembers: Subscription rates are: domestic Vice-President Dahlberg*, Allen Goldman* (Condensed Matter Physics), Director; Charles Muller, Director, Journal task forces, as well as opinions. $105; Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and Helen Quinn*, Stanford University (SLAC) Steven White (Computational), Jerry Gollub* (Fluid Operations; Robert Kelly, Director of Journal Caribbean $105; Air Freight Europe, Asia, Africa and Executive Officer Dynamics), Peter Zimmerman (Forum on Education), Gloria Information Systems; Michael Stephens, Controller Letters to the editor are welcomed from the Oceania $120. Judy R. Franz*, University of Alabama, Huntsville (on leave) Lubkin (Forum on History of Physics), Stuart Wolf (Forum and Assistant Treasurer membership. Letters must be signed and should Treasurer on Industrial and Applied Physics), James Vary (Forum on Administrator for Governing Committees include an address and daytime telephone number. Subscription orders, renewals and address changes Thomas McIlrath*, University of Maryland (emeritus) International Physics), Ed Gerjuoy (Forum on Physics and Ken Cole The APS reserves the right to select and to edit for should be addressed as follows: For APS Members— Editor-in-Chief Society), Timothy P. Lodge, (Polymer Physics), W. Carl length or clarity. All correspondence regarding APS Membership Department, American Physical Society, Martin Blume*, Brookhaven National Laboratory (on leave) Lineberger (Laser Science), G. Slade Cargill, III (Materials), * Members of the APS Executive Board NEWS June 2002 3

New SNO Data Resolves Solar April Meeting Prize and Awards Recipients Neutrino Problem The solar neutrino problem has Measurements dating back to the It is designed to scrutinize a par- been settled and the ability of neu- 1960’s of this neutrino flux were ticular reaction in the sun: the decay trinos to change from one type, or puzzling: only a fraction of the ex- of boron-8 into beryllium-8 plus a “flavor,” to another established di- pected number arrived at detectors positron and an e-nu. The experi- rectly for the first time by the efforts on Earth. mental goals are threefold: to prove of the Sudbury Neutrino Observa- Suspicion naturally fell on the neutrinos change their flavor; to tory (SNO) collaboration. experiments and on the standard measure the number of neutrinos This finding gives physicists new solar model (SSM) used to calculate coming from the Sun; and to deter- confidence that they understand the flux. Soon, however, the neutri- mine the relative masses of neutrinos. how energy is produced in the sun’s nos themselves were implicated. SNO’s gigantic apparatus consists core and that neutrinos are just as If on their journey to Earth some of 1000 tons of heavy water held in quirky as we thought. of the neutrinos had changed into an acrylic vessel surrounded by a

The benevolent sunlight we re- muon-or tau-neutrinos, then terres- galaxy of phototubes, the whole re- Photo by Karen Crandall ceive on Earth has its origin in the trial detectors designed only to spot siding 2 km beneath the Earth’s Front, left to right: Boris Podobedov, D. Allan Bromley, Robert Naeye, Henry Kelly, sun’s central fusion furnace, electron neutrinos (e-nu’s) would be surface in an Ontario mine, the bet- John Schwarz, Gordon Baym, Bruce Knuteson. Rear, left to right: Jiunn-Wei Chen, Keith Baker, J. David Bowman, James Cederberg, Adrian Melott, Alberto Sirlin, whence the light must fight its way cheated of their rightful numbers. ter to filter out distracting William J. Marciano, Alexander N. Skrinsky. outwards in a series of scatterings SNO is a unique neutrino tele- background. that takes, on average, hundreds scope, the size of a ten-story building, Last year SNO reported first results of thousands of years. two kilometers underground in based on reactions in which a solar two protons, a reaction referred to as with ES data from the Super Solar neutrinos, setting out from INCO’s Creighton Mine near neutrino enters the detector and either a “charged current” (CC) interaction Kamiokande experiment in Japan, pro- the same place, flee unhindered, thus Sudbury, Ontario, operated by a (1) glances off an electron in one of the since it is propagated by the charged vided preliminary evidence a year ago providing the most unadulterated 100-member team of scientists from water molecules, or (2) combines with W boson. for the neutrino-oscillation solution for indication of activity at the core. Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. a deuteron to create an electron and The SNO data, when supplemented See SNO DATA on page 6 OPA Fellows Learn the APRIL MEETING, from page 1 Area Space Telescope (GLAST), discussed the history and develop- of the University of Utah have in- Ropes on the Hill scheduled for launch in 2006, is to ment of the EPR paradox and vestigated the downward spiral of Two young physicists are spend- studying rocks similar to those on be the successor to the highly suc- quantum entanglement. two black holes orbiting one an- ing this year as policy fellows in the the surface of Venus, and while she cessful Compton Gamma Ray In 1982, landmark experiments other, finding that a higher APS Office of Public Affairs in enjoyed the research — “I Observatory. GLAST will study the by Alain Aspect of the Institut dimensional analogue of the black Washington, DC, as part of a new squeezed rocks for a living, how cosmos by looking at objects that d’Optique, France, tested the con- hole is the black string. Past re- effort to provide further opportu- much more fun can you have?” — emit high energy photons. For in- sequences of the EPR concepts search has indicated that black nities for scientists to gain valuable she decided her particular blend stance, one onboard detector, the and how it changed our notion of strings can split in two. science policy expertise. Large Area Telescope (LAT), will look quantum reality. Aspect discussed Matthew Choptuik of the Univer- Steve Pierson and Susan for gammas with energies as high as that work and more recent devel- sity of British Columbia reexamines Ginsberg arrived in Wash- 300 GeV. opments that take advantage of this issue in light of some contradic- ington in January and found The results of a balloon test flight progress in quantum optics. tory predictions and presents the themselves plunged head- from August 2001 of some GLAST com- Anton Zeilinger of the University results of numerical simulations. But long into the world of ponents were reported at a Saturday of Vienna closed the session with a when is a black hole not a black hole? science and government. session of the April meeting. The scien- demonstration of how the originally When it’s a gravastar (a gravitational A native of North Dakota, tific targets for GLAST include some of problematic paradox is now driving condensate star), according to LANL’s Pierson attended Concordia the most violent events in the cos- new schemes for transmitting and pro- Emil Mottola. College as an undergraduate mos—gamma-ray bursters, active cessing information through quantum Science Goes Underground. before attending graduate galactic nuclei—as well as the effort to communication, quantum cryptogra- The U.S. is considering the pros- school in physics at the Uni- map dark energy and to search for phy, quantum teleportation and pect of building a major new science Photo by Alan Chodos supersymmetric particles. (See http:// quantum computation. laboratory in South Dakota, specifically versity of Minnesota in Steve Pierson and Susan Ginsberg Minneapolis, earning his PhD www-glast.stanford.edu/) Hunting for New Physics. at the site of the Homestake Gold Mine in condensed matter theory in 1993. of skills would prove useful in gov- New Data on Proton and Neu- Even as Michael Green (Cam- in Lead, South Dakota. He took a postdoctoral position at ernment. While writing her thesis tron Structure. bridge) and John Schwarz (Caltech) The Homestake Mine was the site the Naval Research Laboratory and she volunteered in the Minnesota Last year, physicists working at received the 2002 Dannie Heineman where neutrino measurements were taught basic physics for a semester at State Legislature working on air Jefferson Lab in Virginia reported ex- Prize for their early work on the made for many years and it remains Georgetown University before join- toxicity legislation, the first piece perimental evidence that the proton’s theory of superstrings, one of the a highly desirable underground lo- ing the faculty of Worcester of which passed last year. The ex- electric charge was spread out, or dis- pillars of modern particle physics, cation, shielded from the effects of Polytechnic Institute, 50 miles out- perience further whetted her tributed, in a different way than its other scientists look for cracks in cosmic rays and other environmen- side of Boston, Massachusetts. appetite for public service. magnetization current density. the standard model. Examples pre- tal disturbances that can otherwise Pierson earned tenure at WPI Ginsberg came to Washington, At the April Meeting, Vina sented at the April meeting included upset sensitive measurements. last year and wanted “to do some- DC in 2000 as a congressional sci- Punjabi of Norfolk State University new results from the measurement Wick Haxton of the University thing different” for his upcoming ence fellow with the Materials in Virginia discussed new Jefferson of the magnetic moment of the of Washington discussed the pros- sabbatical year, preferably related Research Society and the Optical So- lab data on the proton electric muon at Brookhaven, the measure- pect of a National Underground to the societal aspects of physics. ciety of America, working in the office charge and magnetization current ment at Fermilab’s NuTeV experiment Science Laboratory at the He heard about the new OPA fel- of Congressman Howard Berman [D- density distributions. of the parameter that sets the mix- Homestake site. According to lowships through APS associate CA] on such issues as intellectual Andrei Semenov of Kent State ing of the weak nuclear force and Haxton, “This site provides great director of public affairs Francis property, Internet policy, telecom, and reported similar measurements on electromagnetic force, the study of depth (to 8000 ft.) and valuable in- Slakey, also an adjunct professor the PATRIOT Act. Her work at the the structure of the neutron, while CP violation (antimatter not behav- frastructure, including massive of physics at Georgetown, and OPA has spanned such issues as sci- John Ralston of the University of ing quite like matter) at SLAC’s B shafts, hoists, ventilation, air con- signed on as a fellow. He has prima- ence education, the Government Kansas presented a theoretical ex- factory, the first physics from ditioning, and communications rily worked on budget issues, Performance and Results Act (legis- planation of the proton’s differing Brookhaven’s Relativistic Heavy Ion systems and the presence of a organizing Congressional visits for lation aimed at getting agencies to use magnetization current density and Collider, and the mysterious spec- skilled staff of engineers, geolo- APS members who come to Wash- metrics for basic science research), electric charge distributions. trum of the highest-energy cosmic gists, and miners.” He believes that ington, spearheading letter-writing and the controversial proposal to Finally, Gerald Miller of the Uni- rays. the science possibilities at NUSL- campaigns, and (with Ginsberg) construct an underground labora- versity of Washington presented The Secret Life of Black Holes. Homestake are rich, spanning operating the “Contact Congress” tory at the Homestake gold mine in an alternative explanation for the Black holes not only drive the important topics in neutrino phys- booths at the 2002 March and South Dakota. different distributions. latest science fiction stories but ics, dark matter, nucleon stability, April meetings, each of which gen- As for the future, Pierson plans to Spooky Action at a Distance. also the research programs of nuclear astrophysics, supernova erated more than 1500 letters to return to WPI and resume teaching, In 1935, Albert Einstein pub- physicists exploring the fundamen- physics, earth science, materials Congressional representatives. (See although he would love to spend an lished a paper with graduate students tal structures of the universe. science, and geomicrobiology. picture on page 4.) additional year on the Hill. “As with a Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen in Chris Fragile of Lawrence Haxton provided an up-to-date Ginsberg is also a native Mid- postdoc, you spend the first year lean- which they described a paradox Livermore National Laboratory de- report on the political and scien- westerner, growing up in Iowa and ing the new material,” he says. “In the (dubbed the EPR paradox after the scribed simulations of black holes tific progress in realizing the earning an undergraduate degree second year you’re able to take ad- authors) that Einstein called “spooky “eating” nearby matter, stars and gas National Underground Science in geology from Amherst College vantage of what you’ve learned.” action at a distance” whereby one clouds and the dynamics of those Laboratory. before earning a master’s in geo- Ginsberg is undecided about what particle seems to affect instanta- accretion flows. When two black Philip F. Schewe, Ben Stein, and physics and a PhD in materials she’ll be doing next, although she en- neously another particle a large holes try to swallow each other, the James Riordon of the American Insti- science engineering from the Uni- joys the atmosphere in Washington distance away. Arthur Fine of the fabric of space-time undergoes ex- tute of Physics, and David Harris of versity of Minnesota in and would someday — “in the distant University of Washington and Mar- treme stresses. the APS contributed to the technical Minneapolis. Her thesis focused on future” — like to run for public office. tin Jones of Oberlin College each Richard Price and Robert Owen coverage in this issue. 4 June 2002 NEWS

Dear Congress. . . DPF Chair-Elect Jonathan Bagger of Johns Hopkins University watches as an April meeting attendee writes to her representative. With the help of a con- veniently-located bank of computers, more than 1500 letters to Congress in Variations on a Theme by Dirac support of the agencies that fund physi- cal science were written at the April The following poem was composed meeting. by Braulio Gutierrez-Medina, a gradu- Photo by Jessica Clark ate student at the University of Texas. It is compiled from works by two other authors: the non-italic script is from the book “The Physicist’s Conception of LETTERS Nature” by Jagdish Mehra; the italic script is by Dirac himself, and comes from his Nobel lecture and from his book Demystifying the Schroedinger Cat “Principles of Quantum Mechanics”. It is time to stop all the nonsense state of the nucleus is no longer My first meeting with Paul Dirac about the Schroedinger cat [APS described by a wave function, but took place in Cambridge in 1955. NEWS, March 2002). If the experi- by a density matrix in which all the The new theories, if one looks apart ment is carried out and one waits a degrees of freedom of the cyanide from their mathematical setting, are built long time before the cage is opened box have been averaged out and up from physical concepts which cannot and finds a dead cat, one also finds all relative phases between the ini- be explained in terms of things previ- all the information to determine tial and final states of the nucleus ously known to the students, which exactly when the cat died. Al- have been randomized. cannot even be explained adequately in though we cannot predict In this context the Schroedinger words at all. beforehand exactly when the cat cat experiment is not really differ- I had just returned to England died, the cat is never in a coherent ent from a classical chaos after a couple of years with quantum state with an amplitude experiment in which a ball is mov- Heisenberg in Göttingen. for being alive, an amplitude for ing chaotically in a box and has a The amount of theoretical ground being dead and a definite relative certain probability of finding a hole one has to cover before being able to phase between the two amplitudes. where it can get out and break the solve problems of real practical value There is no definite relative phase box of cyanide. is rather large, but this circumstance [W/c — ααα ppp — ααα mc] ΨΨΨ = 0 Dirac, “It is very windy Professor.” between the state of the live cat The essential feature of quan- χχχ χχχ 000 is an inevitable consequence of the fun- Thus in allowing negative-energy and the state of the dead cat and tum mechanics is not that a damental part played by I went with him, and true to his states, the theory gives something which no interference can be observed particle can be in two states and transformation theory and is likely to word, he showed me that Professor appears not to correspond to anything between the two states. we don’t know which. Ignorance is become more pronounced in the theo- Dirac was sitting there. known experimentally, but which we In precise quantum-mechanical not quantum mechanics. The cru- retical physics of the future. These quantum equations are such cannot simply reject by a new assump- language, one can say that the state cial difference between a classical A historian friend of mine in that, when interpreted according to the tion. of an isolated radioactive nucleus description with ignorance and a Cambridge, knowing of my great general scheme of quantum, dynamics, He said nothing at all, and a few is described by a wave function quantum description is the exist- hero worship for Professor Dirac, they allow as the possible results of a mea- seconds later he got up and left. with a definite phase between the ence of probability amplitudes and offered to take me with him to St. surement of W either something greater We must find some meaning for initial nuclear state and the final observable relative phases. There John’s College, which was also his than mc2 or something less than -mc2. these states. state where an alpha particle has are no observable relative phases college, and to dine at the High We sat down. I was mortified, as I thought that been emitted. But as soon as there in the Schroedinger cat experi- Table. We thus see that our equations al- I had somehow offended him. is any interaction, like having the ment. The fact that the observer Let us see how the basic ideas of low for two kinds of motion for an Any unoccupied negative-energy emitted alpha particle break a box who hasn’t looked does not know quantum theory can be adapted to the electron, only one of which corre- state, being a departure from uniformity, of cyanide, the quantum mechani- whether the cat is alive or dead at relativistic point of view that the four sponds to what we are familiar with. is observable and is just a positron cal description of the system must a given time is simple ignorance, dimensions of space-time should be The weather outside was very He went to the door, opened it, also include the box of cyanide and not quantum mechanics. treated on the same footing. bad, and since in England it is always looked out, came back, sat down, the interactions involved in its Harry J. Lipkin He thought we might see Dirac quite respectable to start a conver- and said breaking by the alpha particle. The Rehovot, Israel there. sation with the weather, I said to “Yes.” g-2 Experiment is Rock Solid I was surprised to read in the for about 20 years by that master JOURNAL SCAM, from page 1 letter by Burton Richter (“Crotch- of precision experiments, Vernon ing them to institutions overseas ety but Saintly”, April 4, 2002) that Hughes, remained rock solid. Fur- at rates as high as 10 times that of he considered the g-2 experiment ther data will come out this year. the individual membership rates. at BNL an example of a misplaced Perhaps Richter’s argument was AIP, like APS, sells scientific jour- big claim. This experiment received that everybody should have waited nals at higher institutional a lot of attention when it indicated until the experiment reached its subscription rates to companies, li- a 2.6 sigma deviation from the Stan- lowest error. braries and universities, while dard Model. Alas, DOE plans eliminate any offering lower rates to individual However, when the theorists further running for this experiment scientists and researcher with so- looked at their prediction more after this year. So what are the ex- ciety membership. closely they discovered a sign er- perimenters to do: Should they act About 40 scientific societies were ror in their computer program, and crotchety or saintly? informed by a blanket email of the net result was a 1.6 sigma de- Peter Paul Eastwood’s resale of individual jour- viation. It should be noted that the Brookhaven nal subscriptions to institutions, but experimental results, spearheaded National Laboratory it was AIP Executive Director Marc Polygraph Should be Judged Objectively Brodsky who first took it seriously and approached the APS and other I read Don Prosnitz’ back page self. True, but if the trade-off is sub- affected scientific societies about article [APS NEWS, April 2002] ex- stantial enhancement of national taking possible action. The APS, AIP, pecting imminently to come across security, perhaps we can no longer American Chemical Society and the his ideas for improving a key ele- afford to be too choosy. IEEE approached Eastwood, even- ment in crime detection— In any case we should approach tually settling out of court for credibility assessment—but was the polygraph honestly and judge $250,000, which was received last disappointed not to find it. Perhaps its worth objectively. A decade ago December and divided among the that is because the present best in- physicists questioned “The Scien- four societies and other AIP mem- strument, the polygraph, is in such tific Validity of the Polygraph”—a ber societies which had provided bution practices, which the societ- APS nor AIP has actively searched disfavor in the liberal community disingenuous question, like asking helpful subscription data. ies hope will help them identify and for patterns of abuse of its journal despite its durability in police and when did you stop beating your Under the terms of the settle- bill Eastwood’s overseas customers. subscription practices in the past, security investigations. If that is the wife. Obviously, the proper ques- ment, Eastwood Books, which did According to APS treasurer Tom preferring to focus on serving its case, then we should be giving high tion is what is the best method of not admit any wrongdoing, has McIlrath, the APS eventually identi- members rather than chasing down priority to re-examining some of Credibility Assessment, and let the agreed not to place further sub- fied nearly a dozen individuals who potential abusers. However, it is be- our value judgements. chips fall where they may. It is time scription orders except at defrauded the society by passing lieved that the conversion to One pertinent judgment is that we did just that. institutional rates, and has agreed their journal copies to Eastwood, electronic publishing will eventually the polygraph invades privacy and Lawrence Cranberg to give the societies information and ordering replacement copies to allow greater control over journal has a witness testify against him- Austin, Texas about its subscription and distri- assemble completed sets. Neither the See JOURNAL SCAM on page 5 NEWS June 2002 5

FASTER, FASTER INSIDE THE BELTWAY: A Washington Analysis

Bringing Home the Bacon By Michael S. Lubell, APS Director of Public Affairs

When Mitch Daniels, the Direc- peer reviewed and approved, that And if it materializes, the DOE, tor of the Office of Management Representative Walsh and Senator which has the misfortune to draw and Budget, summons you to a Mikulski and their VA-HUD Appro- its financial life from the same sub- meeting on three days notice, you priations brethren included in the committee that funds the water know that something is on his National Science Foundation’s Ma- projects, could see its bottom line Photo by Ed Lee mind. When he asks you to attend jor Research Equipment account shrink substantially. a meeting on the second day of when they increased the NSF’s Congress is focusing on water At the APS Teachers’ Day at the April meeting, workshop participants took to the halls to simulate the motion of beam packets in a particle accelerator. Rosh Hashanah, and he is aware budget?” projects to prove another point. In Andrea Palounek, of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, led the workshop. that you are an observant Jew, you “Those, too, are pork,” he said, early spring, Mike Parker, once a know that something is really trou- “for the budget was too fat. We Republican member of the House bling him. So you compromise shall remove them within the year.” of Representatives, testified before your principles and go. And that the White House did. his former colleagues, this time as And go I did last fall. Amazingly, Read the presidential budget care- the Assistant Secretary of the Army Taking Hydrogen to the Daniels wanted to talk about pork, fully and you will find that almost for Civil Works. His mandate was to a Jew, no less, on a High Holy every program in last year’s spend- – you guessed it – the Army Corps Extreme Day. Depending upon your per- ing bills not requested by the of Engineers, the guardians of the Hydrogen at extremely high Sandia researchers. At a million spective, that’s either irony or President has been skillfully ex- water projects. pressures, upwards of a million atmospheres, for example, chutzpah. cised from the FY 2003 budget Parker was frank in his testimony: times that on the Earth’s surface, Livermore finds the D2 to be Mitch Daniels, like every other request. the Corps budget was too lean for can now be produced in physics compressed by a factor of 6 while Budget Director before him, wanted As you might imagine, Congress the list of projects it had pending, laboratories. Understanding Sandia sees a compression of a pork proscribed, just as it is writ in finds this kind of presidentially en- lean to the extent of some 25 per- hydrogen’s behavior under such factor of 4. the Torah. But unlike any of his pre- forced budgetary diet most cent. The committee seemed extreme conditions answers If the Livermore results are decessors, he was enlisting a select disagreeable. And members are receptive, and Parker returned to his questions about the interior of correct, then there is more me- Jupiter, provides coveted infor- tallic hydrogen in Jupiter’s inte- group of scientists, about ten in num- already expressing their displea- office in the Pentagon certain that mation on designing optimal fuel rior than previously thought and ber – just enough for a minyan – to sure. Appropriators are busily he had scored a victory. Later that pellets for fusion energy, and it is easier than expected to trig- carry the message to Congress: planning to restore the excised day he was fired. Parker’s former yields information on aging ger self-sustaining nuclear fu- “Cease, or a veto shall be visited upon programs, while authorizers are House colleagues are still seething nuclear weapons without having sion in deuterium fuel pellets, all your works.” drafting legislation that will require over his treatment. to test them. Reporting at the since they would be more com- “It’s not just any pork, of which agency heads to provide Congress The science community faces Albuquerque meeting, two na- pressible. If the Sandia results I want you to tell them to rid them- with prioritized lists of peer re- two challenges, first to communi- tional labs are producing seem- are right, then more traditional selves,” he declared, “it’s scientific viewed projects. cate to Congress that the DOE ingly contradictory high-pres- assumptions hold. But it’s also pork, the pork of bricks and mor- If the voices of the science com- Office of Science should not be sac- sure data on the universe’s most possible, Cauble says, that both tar and special research projects munity are not heard, the rificed in an internecine struggle abundant element. results are right (each group’s that have had no peer review. It’s Department of Energy, as has hap- over constitutional prerogatives Using Sandia’s Z machine, compression occurs in slightly which consumes tremendous different time scales). As a final the kind of pork that last year rose pened so many times in the past, and second, to communicate to amounts of electric current to possibility, Cauble and Knudson to almost $70 million in the Bio- could find itself penalized by the the Office of Management and generate very high magnetic admit, both results could be logical and Environmental squabble between Congress and Budget, as well as Congress, that fields, laboratory researchers wrong (they are both relatively Research account of the Depart- the White House over appropria- peer review and process transpar- launch a metal plate that travels new techniques). ment of Energy.” tions earmarking. ency provide our nation with the at high speeds (up to 28 km/s, These possibilities are being “And if we refuse to carry out Here’s how it might happen. The strongest scientific enterprise. The making it the fastest gun in the carefully explored in conjunction your bidding,” I ventured, “what Energy and Water Development stakes are too high for research world) towards a target contain- with computer simulations of will become of us?” Appropriations bill always prove a and education to suffer as a result ing low-temperature deuterium high-pressure hydrogen, which “All science shall suffer, and it tempting target for pork, particu- of a power struggle between the molecules (D2). According to require the fastest available will be known that you brought it larly in an election year, such as executive and legislative branches Marcus Knudson, who heads the computers in the world. The upon your peoples,” he warned. this. Half a billion dollars is the of government. Scientists must group, the impact of the plate question is likely to be settled launches a shock wave that with further experimental re- “But what of projects, already earmark number being floated. weigh in now. compresses D2 to up to search, including more data from megabars of pressure. Deute- Sandia and future laser experi- NSF STUDY, from page 1 rium, a neutron-containing iso- ments, possibly occurring at tope of hydrogen, is used be- Rochester’s Omega facility. The cause its higher density enables ultimate goal of these experi- advances in one. They’re strongly inter- it to be compressed to much ments is to determine hydrogen’s twined.” The relative funding levels of the higher pressures than ordinary equation of state, the interrela- various disciplines are shown in the graph, hydrogen. tionship between such proper- which is taken from the NSB report. The Livermore experiments, ties as its pressure and tempera- Richard A. Tapia, Professor of Computa- on the other hand, used the high- ture, at these high-pressure tional and Applied Mathematics at Rice power (and recently decommis- conditions. Such information can University and the Chair of the NSB Subcom- sioned) Nova laser to shock provide information on such compress liquid D2. According things as the intriguing possibil- mittee on Science and Engineering Indicators, to Livermore’s Robert Cauble, ity that gas-giant Jupiter has a said the government was being “very myopic his group finds D2 to be much solid-rock core. regarding how much we’ve cut back on the more compressible than do the —Benjamin P. Stein physical sciences.” He noted that other coun- tries are now spending significantly more proportionally on the physical sciences, and JOURNAL SCAM, from page 4 predicted “we won’t continue to be the best distribution and help to prevent fur- involving Eastwood Books is still in a lot of these areas.” ther incidents of fraud. ongoing, according to Detective In illustrating how disciplines are inter- “We hope this settlement has put a Michael Yang of the Los Angeles twined, Jones pointed out that life expectancy stop to activities that ultimately would Police Department, which con- has risen from 46 years to 76 years in the US deprive our legitimate individual ducted a warrant search of over the last century. One might think that re- members, our library customers who Eastwood’s premises in Los Angeles. flects mostly advances in medicine, but 2/3 of pay full and fair rates, and the entire Detective Yang said he has no evi- this increase is due to improved sanitation, in scientific community of the full benefit dence that this investigation will particular improved sewage and water purifi- of the exchange of scientific ideas pre- uncover a larger organized effort to cation systems. “That’s engineering,” she said. sented in our journals,” Brodsky said illegally sell scientific journals to un- Tapia, who is also an adjunct faculty mem- when the lawsuit settlement was derdeveloped regions, but can’t ber at the Baylor College of Medicine, said that announced in early April. “We also completely rule out the possibility. many of his colleagues there are desperate to hope that this will discourage others However, “not everyone reads these get help from computational scientists to inter- from considering similar tactics, which journals,” he cautioned. “You’ve got plied Science at the University of pret their data. But because of under-funding there is a shortage of such we now will keep watch for and vigor- a select group of people and a se- Virginia and the Vice Chair of the scientists, and the MD’s often end up crying out in vain. ously pursue.” lected market for it. So for somebody NSB. “Disciplines are interdepen- The complete Science and Engineering Indicators 2002 is available While the civil suit has been to defraud this type of organization, dent—you can’t just make from NSF at http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/seind02/ . avoided, a criminal investigation it’s not something we see every day.” 6 June 2002 NEWS

Council Passes Statement And the on Defense Funding At its April meeting, the APS Council approved a statement on re- The social hour spon- Winners Are.... sored by the Forum on search and development funding in the Department of Defense. This Graduate Student Af- statement, which had previously been approved by the Governing Board fairs at the APS April of the American Institute of Physics, deals not only with the overall meeting featured the levels of such funding, but also with the way that these funds are allo- “FGSA Physics Quiz” in cated among basic research, applied research, and development. which teams of contes- The text of the statement follows: tants vied for prizes such as a magnetically Department of Defense For several decades, during levitating “anti-gravity” top, and a “neutron” investments in research and a time when the American bounce ball. The first- and second-place finish- development have paid very military has increasingly ers are pictured here. At right is the first place high dividends over the last come to rely on its techno- team from SLAC: Nicolas Berger (left) and Joerg fifty years. In the last de- logical superiority, these Selzer (right); at left is the second-place team cade alone, the United accounts have remained es- from UNC Chapel Hill and TUNL, consisting of States has used its high- sentially flat in constant dol- (l to r): Ryan Fitzgerald, Carrie Rowland, Doug tech capability with great lars. This funding pattern Leonard, and Brian Fisher. success in three conflicts: places such reliance at ex- the Persian Gulf, the treme future risk. Balkans and Afghanistan. In Numbers are only one each instance, US military part of the story. For some SNO DATA, from page 3 objectives were accom- time, defense policies have the solar neutrino problem. viations, compared to the less robust of the earth is between the sun and plished with little loss of had the effect of reclassify- Now the definitive result has been 3.3 of a year ago. The measured e- the detector (night viewing), the American life and relatively ing projects from one R&D tendered by SNO scientists at the nu flux (in units of one million per oscillation process, which depends few direct civilian casual- category to another: devel- Albuquerque meeting. The new find- sq. cm per second) is 1.7 while that on a density of matter through ties. However, current de- opment (6.3) relabeled as fense research funding applied research (6.2) and ings update last year’s CC and ES data for the mu-nu and tau-nu combined which the nu proceeds, should be trends do not bode well for applied research relabeled and introduce, for the first time, evi- is 3.4. (When one includes neutri- speeded up. This type of measure- conflicts in the decades to as basic research (6.1). dence deriving from a reaction in nos of all energies, the flux from the ment also contributes to the study come. This reclassification has se- which the incoming neutrino retains sun is billions/sq. cm/sec.) of neutrino masses and mixings. Today’s array of military verely compromised the its identity but the deuteron (D) is “It was a dramatic and exciting An experiment like SNO can technologies — laser long-term basic research sundered into a proton and neutron; moment for us when we first saw measure not mass but the square guided weapons, global po- programs that provide the this is why SNO went to such trouble the neutrons being produced by of the mass difference between nu sitioning systems, stealth seed corn for future defense and expense of using the D2O for the this type of neutrino interaction and species. Even if the nu mass is quite materials and night-vision technologies. In the inter- weakly-bound neutron inside each D. realized there were three times as small (much lighter than the previ- systems, among them — ests of future national se- This interaction, called a neutral-cur- many as you would get if only elec- ously lightest known particle, the were the result of a long-term curity this trend must be re- rent (NC) reaction because the weak tron neutrinos were coming from electron) it might still have played DOD commitment to basic versed. and applied research, car- Tomorrow’s military capa- interaction is carried by a neutral Z the Sun,” said Hamish Robertson of a large role in cosmology, where it ried out under the “6.1” and bilities depend heavily on boson, is fully egalitarian when it the University of Washington, one might have been instrumental in “6.2” programs. These pro- the R&D choices the public comes to neutrino scattering; unlike of the collaboration scientists. shepherding galaxies; in superno- grams, which draw heavily makes today. Investments last year’s ES data, the NC reaction “There’s absolutely no question the vas, neutrinos might carry away as on the talents of the univer- in the 6.1 and 6.2 programs allows e-nu’s, mu-nu’s, and tau-nu’s to neutrino type changes, and now we much as 99% of an exploding star’s sity community, presently must be increased, and the scatter on an equal footing. know quite precisely the mass dif- energy. total about $5 billion in an- long-term basic research The upshot: all the nu’s from the ferences between these particles.” Editor’Editor’Editor’s NoteNotes : The SNO team has nual spending, with roughly programs must not be sac- sun are directly accounted for. The The issue of how the neutrino submitted its results to Physical Re- one third allocated to basic rificed for short-term expe- missing nu-e flux shows up as an changes from one flavor to an- view Letters; preprints are available (6.1) research and two thirds diency. Future military observable mu-nu and tau-nu flux. other can even be addressed by at the online preprint server: nucl- to applied (6.2) research. strength requires it. This conclusion is established with a viewing the day-night asymmetry ex/0204008 and 0204009; see also statistical surety of 5.3 standard de- of neutrino flux. When the whole www.sno.phy.queensu.ca.

Achieving Mathematical Physics for All High School Students by Stewart Brekke Around 1983, I was assigned e.g. from a cousin in engineering ematics community for years. incomplete data was taken. With than theory. to teach physics and math to ev- or physics in college. There are some drawbacks to assistance given to them in the I believe that the physics de- ery student, except slow learners, However, I found that most teaching average and at-risk stu- early stages to save time, the stu- partments in higher education at Paul Robeson High School in students, from the average to the dents. Their lack of facility with dents were able to get a better must use the principles of edu- Chicago. most intelligent, from the most decimals, fractions, long division idea of what the lab work was all cational psychology to enhance The school was so completely motivated to the most at risk, can and algebra must be offset with a about. learning in high school physics isolated in the black neighbor- do physics problem solving if ready supply of cheap arithmetic By making the mathematical as well as at the university, and hood of Englewood, the students they are given individual help at calculators and/or scientific cal- high school physics course “user not simply require more phys- could not be effectively bused to least at first in the course, gradu- culators such as the TI-30. As the friendly,” yet substantive, with ics competence of candidate white neighborhoods in accor- ally being provided with less course progresses, the students good quality problem solving teachers. And high school phys- dance with integration practices. assistance as the school year become more proficient with and labs, I passed more stu- ics teachers must be prepared Therefore, the school was re- progresses. They learn to solve their algebra and remember how dents that other teachers at the to put in a good deal of time quired as a compromise to offer physics problems because the to use exponents, solve for dif- high school, some of whom and sometimes money to en- four years of mathematics and teacher shows them how to do ferent variables, use square roots failed as many as 90% of their hance the user friendliness of science to every student. Being the first problem and then lets and trigonometric functions. This students. Many teachers had their physics courses to reach assigned to this school was a very the students solve a few more of also helps prepare them for real given up on these students, gave average and at-risk students. fortunate experience for me, be- the same type. science in higher education. them a watered-down qualitative There is solid physics poten- cause I found that, contrary to In my experience, it takes al- In addition, labs in the inner course which virtually wasted tial in the inner cities, but we have common assumptions, all stu- most an entire semester for most city and high level magnet schools their time, and did not enhance to go out of our way to reach dents, average and above, could students to get the hang of how were of the “string and sticky- their potential for well-paid, sat- these students. Almost every do the standard mathematical to use a formula and scientific tape” variety. The students always isfying careers in science or night for the entire school year I physics course normally reserved notation successfully to solve a took data, often graphed the data, science-related fields. put in between two to four hours for only the upper 25% or so of problem on their own. But even and modeled it if we had time. To However, I found that adoles- of lesson preparation, and many each American high school. at-risk students can do more complete a physics lab in the al- cent girls with two children, professors do the same. But I can The mistakes many texts make complicated problems involving lotted 50-minute time frame is gang-member boys and girls, ath- say I walked out of the inner city in high school and college is that the solving for two or more vari- difficult, so often I would help the letes, hair dressers and carpentry high schools of Chicago with my there are usually three or four dif- ables in different steps, if an students set up the apparatus af- majors, to name a few, could do head held high because I did not ferent types of problems, each one example is shown on an indi- ter they copied down a skeleton the same mathematical course “sell out” my students with a wa- uniquely solved with no examples vidual basis and the student is format from the board, and given to the top students, if di- tered-down qualitative course. provided. This format was disas- then required to solve three more helped them start taking data. For rect instruction were given with Stewart Brekke is a former teacher trous for the ordinary student with similar problems. It’s a method years, students were stymied on drills and practices, and an em- of physics and chemistry with the Chi- little capacity to get outside help, that has been used by the math- setting up apparatus and often phasis on developing skills rather cago Public Schools, now retired. NEWS June 2002 7 ANNOUNCEMENTS

June 15, 2002 is the deadline for the Contributions PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE APS BYLAWS Acknowledged Online 2002 APKER Awards Regarding the Establishment of a Prize and Award APS recently initiated a spe- Advisory Committee For Outstanding Undergraduate Student Research in Physics cial web page to acknowledge In 2001, the APS President appointed a Task Force to review the APS Prize and Endowed by Jean Dickey Apker, in memory of LeRoy Apker the generous contributions from Award Program. One of the recommendations made by this task force called for the the Society’s individual donors. establishment of a standing prize and award advisory committee. The committee

QUALIFICATIONS would be charged with two main duties; • Students who have been enrolled as undergraduates at colleges and During 2001, an impressive 1.) To review proposals for new prizes and awards in light of current guidelines universities in the United States at least one quarter/semester during the number of APS members pro- and make recommendations concerning these proposals to the Executive Board and year preceding the JUNE 15, 2002 deadline. vided an annual gift in conjunc- Council; and • Students who have an excellent academic record and have demon- tion with their membership re- 2.) To conduct an in-depth review of each prize and award at least once every 5 strated exceptional potential for scientific research through an original newal, including more than 800 years to insure all prizes and awards are properly funded and that subject areas of contribution to physics. donors who gave $100 or more. each prize or award remains relevant. • Only one candidate may be nominated per department. The APS Council voted in November 2001 to move ahead with this recommen- dation and charged the Constitution and Bylaws committee with drafting a Bylaws APPLICATION PROCEDURE Many individuals also sup- amendment creating a Prize and Award Advisory Committee (PAAC). The pro- The complete nomination package is due on or before JUNE 15, 2002 and ported APS prizes and awards posed amendment was approved in its first vote by the Council on April 19, 2002: should include: fundraising efforts. By making a 1. A letter of nomination from the head of the student’s academic depart- contribution, APS members help ARTICLE III – Standing Committee ment. further the Society’s education A. Operating Committees 2. An official copy of the student’s academic transcript. and outreach initiatives, interna- 10. Prize and Award Advisory Committee. The membership of the Prize and Award 3. A description of the original contribution, written by the student such as tional affairs programs, public in- Advisory Committee shall consist of six Councillors, appointed by the President-Elect to a manuscript or reprint of a research publication or senior thesis (unbound). formation efforts and recognition staggered three-year terms, which may include one year of service beyond their term as 4. A 1000-word summary, written by the student, describing his or her of scientific accomplishments Councillor. The President-Elect shall appoint the Chairperson from among these six research. through prizes and awards. We members. The Committee shall review all proposals for new prizes and awards and make 5. Two letters of recommendation from physicists who know the candidate’s very much appreciate all of these recommendations to the Executive Board and Council. It shall review all existing Society individual contribution to the work submitted. gifts. prizes and awards at least once every five years to insure they are properly funded and that 6. The nominee’s address and telephone number during the summer. the subject area of each prize and award remains relevant. The Committee shall also DEADLINE The listing can be viewed by ensure that prize and award selection committee members represent the broadest pos- sible context of the prize or award subject area and consider any other administrative APS members on the Develop- Send name of proposed candidate and supporting information by JUNE issues related to prizes and awards. 15, 2002 to: Dr. Alan Chodos, Administrator, Apker Award Selection Com- ment Department’s webpage at mittee; The American Physical Society; One Physics Ellipse, College Park, http://www.aps.org/develop- MD 20740-3844; Telephone: (301) 209-3268, Fax: (301) 209-3652, email: ment. Michelson Postdoctoral Prize [email protected]. Call for Nominations The Michelson Postdoctoral Prize is given annually by the Physics Department Now Appearing in RMP...... at Case Western Reserve University to an outstanding postdoctoral researcher in any subfield of physics, based on an international solicitation for nominations from The articles in the July 2002 issue of Brnhwiler, O. Karis, and N. Msrtensson Tilmann Kuhn Reviews of Modern Physics are listed Superfluid 3He Josephson weak links — J. C. Origins of galactic and extragalactic magnetic senior physicists. below. For brief descriptions of each Davis and R. E. Packard fields — L. M. Widrow The Prize for 2002 has been awarded to astrophysicist article, consult the RMP web site at http:/ Technical approaches for high-average-power Colloquium: The future of double-beta- Re’em Sari of Caltech for contributions to the theory of gamma ray bursts. /www.phys.washington.edu/~rmp/ free-electron lasers — George R. Neil decay research — Yuri Zdesenko Nobel Lecture: Bose-Einstein condensation in a Previous winners include Thomas Walter (Texas A&M, 1998), Christopher Fuchs current.html. George Bertsch, Editor. Reviews of Modern Physics University of dilute gas: the first 70 years and some recent Washington; Physics/Astronomy B428; (Caltech, 1999), Joe Mohr (Univ Chicago, 1999), Keith Schwab (Caltech, 2000) experiments — E. A. Cornell and C. E. Box 351560; Seattle WA 98195; The holographic principle — Raphael Bousso Wieman and Jonathan Feng (MIT, 2001). Charge-transfer dynamics studied using Theory of ultrafast phenomena in photoexcited [email protected] • phone: +1 More information on making nominations for the 2003 Michelson Postdoctoral resonant core spectroscopies — P. A. semiconductors — Fausto Rossi and (206) 685-2391 Prize Lectureship is available at http://erebus/events/mppl.php

CPU STUDY, from page 1 in astronomy. The CPU group deter- approach currently in place and rec- the different scientific communi- infancy, and to fulfill its potential, Editor’Editor’Editor’s NoteNotes : Copies of the full CPU mined they would also address science ommending that the U.S. ensure the ties that can foster the rapidly it must draw on expertise from as- report, “Connecting Quarks to the Cos- at the interface of physics and as- timely completion and operation of developing field of extreme astro- trophysics, laser physics, magnetic mos,” can be obtained by contacting Joel tronomy. They are the Large Synoptic the Southern Auger array in Argen- physical environments through the confinement and particle beam re- Parriott at the NAS, 202-334-3520, Survey Telescope (LSST), intended to tina, which the committee deems laboratory study of high-energy- search, numerical simulation and [email protected], or Dick Rowberg, probe the dark energy by weak gravita- “crucial for solving the mystery of the density physics. “The field is in its atomic physics,” said Turner 202-334-3226, [email protected]. tional lensing; the Laser Interferometer highest energy cosmic rays.” Space Antenna (LISA), designed to test The committee recommended GR by detecting gravity waves from col- the establishment of an Inter- Scientists Observe Evidence for Possible Quark star liding massive black holes; and the agency Initiative on the Physics of Constellation X {CON-X) Observatory’s the Universe, with the participation An excellent example of ex- exist as strange quarks rather with the existence of a quark star. mission, aimed at probing the event of the DOE, NASA and NSF, in- citing research at the interface than the lighter up and down One day after the press confer- horizon of black holes. tended to provide structures for of physics and astronomy is the quarks, hence the name “strange ence at which the initial results Finally, the report calls for deter- the joint planning and mechanisms recent announcement of evi- stars.” were announced, a new preprint mining the origin of the highest energy for joint implementation of cross- dence for quark stars, which The two stars in question were appeared which suggests that the gamma rays, neutrinos and cosmic agency topics. The agencies should comes in the form of observa- examined in unprecedented detail distance to RXJ1856 is actually rays, adding its support for the broad also cooperate in bringing together tions of a pair of collapsed neu- by the two separate teams of re- further away than the earlier esti- tron stars that may be composed searchers. One of the observed ob- mate, and that the object need not of an entirely new form of mat- jects, RXJ1856, is too small — judg- be a quark star at all. The CPU study group identified 11 questions that they be- ter. The stars were viewed at x- ing by its wealth of x-ray and dearth Astronomer Frederick Walter lieve encapsulate most of the topics at the physics and astro- ray wavelengths by the of visible emissions — to be a con- (State University of New York, physics interface that we have a good chance of answering in Chandra x-ray telescope and in ventional neutron star made prima- Stony Brook) believes that our ig- the next few decades. Taken as a whole, the questions below the visible region by the Hubble rily of neutrons. The other object, norance of the star’s temperature address an emerging model of the universe that connects phys- Space Telescope. 3C58, seems to have cooled too and chemical composition make ics at the most microscopic scales to the properties of the Quark stars are what you might quickly — judging by its present mea- its diameter uncertain. “These re- universe and its contents on the largest physical scales. get if a collapsing star were to sured warmth and known lifetime, sults are not definitive,” said proceed beyond the neutron-star drawing upon medieval Chinese Michael Turner, as astrophysicist 1. 1. What is the dark matter? regime in which the star is com- records of the object’s birth as a su- at the University of Chicago, add- 2.2.2. What is the nature of the dark energy? prised chiefly of neutrons to a pernova in 1181 CE — to be an or- ing that studies of other bodies 3.3.3. How did the universe begin? condition in which the neutron dinary neutron star. In both cases, are needed to confirm whether “bags” would be dissolved, allow- the observations tally better with a quark stars really exist. But 4.4. 4. Did Einstein have the last word on gravity? ing the quarks to run together. star comprised of quarks in one big Chandra’s observations do show 5.5.5. What are the masses of the neutrinos, and how have they shaped Brookhaven’s RHIC collider at- nucleus, or a mix of quark and neu- how the extreme regions of space the evolution of the universe? tempts to do something like this tron layers. can be used to test physical theo- on a much smaller scale when it If confirmed, the stars would ries, essentially turning the uni- 6.6.6. How do cosmic accelerators work and what are they accelerating? smashes together two gold at- provide unexpected insights into verse into a “heavenly laboratory.” 7. 7. Are protons unstable? oms. In the case of a quark star, it how the universe is put together References: 8.8.8. Are there new states of matter at exceedingly high density and is immutable self-gravity rather at the most fundamental level, and Astrophysical Journal: 3C48 preprint, Slane et al., temperature? than man-made accelerator gra- how it evolved in the fractions of a dients that provide the needed second after the big-bang birth of astro-ph/0204151 9.9.9. Are there additional spacetime dimensions? crushing power. Under these the cosmos. Nevertheless, some RXJ1856 preprint, Drake et 10.10.10. How were the elements from iron to uranium made? conditions, it might be energeti- doubt remains as to whether the al., astro-ph/0204159 11.11.11. Is a new theory of matter and light needed at the highest energies? cally feasible for many quarks to observations are truly consistent See also: astro-ph/0204199 8 June 2002 NEWS THE BACK PAGE Reflections on the American Physical Society in 2002 By George Trilling Near the end of last year, I wrote responsibility for archiving in a tional labs and their sophisticated from the Japanese Physical So- letters to some of my physicist col- world of rapidly evolving technol- user facilities have helped produce ciety in Maui in October 2001. leagues, not presently APS ogy, and iv) the overall impacts of world-class science. To help address The Summer saw a DPF/DPB members, urging them, as convinc- new technologies. this situation, APS Physics Policy Workshop on future directions ingly as I could, to join our Society. Moving to public affairs, The Committee Chair Richardson and in Particle Physics, held in I tried to explain the reasons, aside Society has a natural role, given the APS President Langer convened, in Snowmass and attended by par- from receiving Physics Today, as to fact that many current public the fall of 2000, a distinguished ticle and accelerator physicists why our organization was worth policy issues require sound scien- panel to consider organizational from across the globe. Their their support, even at the cost of a tific and technical input (as well as ways of giving the DOE Office of recommendation of a Linear $100 membership fee. I did so by as political, economic and other Science more visibility and better Electron-Positron Collider as describing many of the important inputs). Examples of such issues recognition of its leadership role in the next major particle accel- APS activities and issues, with spe- include energy production, the the nation’s scientific enterprise. erator facility is only cial emphasis on the last year environment, missile defense, visa One of its proposals was to create conceivable as a large interna-

(2001). I share some of these here policy, homeland security etc. within DOE a new high-level posi- tional collaborative effort. Photo by Martin Blume/APS George Trilling with a wider group. I mention two examples of im- tion of “Under Secretary for Science A variety of security concerns Perhaps first and foremost, the portant APS activities related to and Energy Research and Science have, in recent times, led to in- quantum phenomena etc. It under- APS is in the business of publish- public policy, started or completed Advisor to the Secretary”. This idea creased difficulties and delays in lies many of the technological ing world-class scientific journals. in the last year. Both originated with has already received some support the granting of U.S. visas, for both developments crucial to the health A recent comment from the Publi- the APS Panel on Public Affairs on the Hill, and has a chance of be- short-term attendees of scientific of our economy and to our security, cation Oversight Committee (POPA). The first is a report entitled ing implemented in the not too conferences and long-term visi- and provides tools that help advance describes well the APS effort: “The “Nuclear Energy: Present Technol- distant future. I believe that it could tors coming to collaborate in U.S. other scientific enterprises including electronic revolution means that ogy, Safety, and Future Research be an important step forward. research programs. Foreign visi- biology and medicine. The health of we are traveling into uncharted Directions: a Status Report” from a Science is of course universal, tors working in the U.S. and that research enterprise depends on waters, and we struggle with how distinguished group of experts. It is and the advancement and dis- traveling to meetings abroad have increased federal funding support, best to steer the APS Publishing posted on the POPA web site, and I semination of the knowledge of found themselves stranded, with especially for the DOE Office of Sci- Ship. Thanks to superior foresight invite you to study it. The second is physics are vigorously pursued all their returns to the U.S. long de- ence and for the NSF, and also and management, the APS journals the “APS Study of Boost-Phase Mis- over the world. As physics facili- layed. The APS Office of depends on continuing improvement are doing fantastically well, but we sile Defense “ under way since early ties, such as particle accelerators International Affairs has been ac- of science education at all levels from always want to improve and do 2001 under the joint leadership of and detectors, neutron sources, tive both in assisting with kindergarten through university. things better.” Dan Kleppner (MIT) and Fred space vehicles etc. become in- individual visa problems, and in With the strong leadership of its op- The year 2001 saw major Lamb (U. of Illinois). The Study creasingly costly, international interacting with the State Depart- erating and elected officers, the progress in the APS publications Group of twelve outstanding engi- collaboration can make them ment to promote the possible efforts of its dedicated staff, and the enterprise: Physical Review On-Line neers and physicists, who are more affordable. The APS is play- formulation of new visa rules that active participation of a large mem- Archive (PROLA) completed all the volunteering a great deal of time and ing an active role in promoting do not inhibit long-term visits. bership, the American Physical way back to the PR beginnings in effort, will, in the next few months, and facilitating international ef- There are numerous other ar- Society will continue to play a major 1893; establishment of a PROLA submit a report based on fundamen- forts. In 2001, it helped organize eas of activity, but I am running role in promoting all these directions. mirror site at Cornell University; tal science and engineering, and on the Inter-American Workshop on out of space. I conclude by noting George Trilling, Professor Emeritus at beautiful color images for PRL cov- unclassified information. This re- the Use of Synchrotron Radiation with enthusiasm that physics re- the University of California, Berkeley, ers; the continuing success of port, devoted solely to relevant for Research and Symposium on search continues to yield exciting and Faculty Physicist at the Lawrence Physical Review Focus; the organi- scientific/technical issues, should Nanosecond Technologies in Bra- surprises...dark energy and dark Berkeley National Laboratory, was Presi- zation, in collaboration with the have considerable impact. zil. There was a Joint Meeting of matter, neutrino mass and oscilla- dent of the APS in 2001. This article is American Institute of Physics (AIP), Another aspect of the APS pub- the APS Division of Nuclear Phys- tions, new superconducting adapted from his retiring Presidential Ad- of two new virtual journals on “Ap- lic affairs activity is motivated by ics and the nuclear physicists materials, new manifestations of dress, delivered at the APS April meeting. plications of Superconductivity” the inadequacy of the federal fund- and “Quantum Information”; and ing levels for both physics research progress toward the institution of a and the improvement of K-12 sci- April Meeting Attendees fully electronic editorial office. ence education. There is continuing Unfortunately the cost per sub- concern about balance in research Visit Ground Zero scription of our journals grows support: of the total federal basic On the last day of the APS April meeting in Albu- faster than inflation, for two rea- and applied research funding pro- querque, four busloads of physicists, together with sons: each year, submissions posed for FY2003, the NIH gets accompanying persons and some members of the increase by a few %, and nonmem- about 50%, whereas DOE receives science press, headed for the Trinity Site, a little ber (library) subscriptions drop a 10% and NSF 7%. Over the last few over a hundred miles away, where the first atomic few %. The increase in yearly sub- years, while the NIH budget has bomb had been exploded in the early morning of missions is almost entirely doubled, NSF support has in- July 16, 1945. Because the site is within the White associated with growing inputs from creased only modestly, and DOE, Sands Missile Range, it is normally closed to the outside the U.S. which now amount the largest federal supporter of public, and special permission had to be ob- to 70% of total submissions, physical science, has stagnated. tained for the group to make its visit. equally distributed between West- The APS Office of Public Affairs The explosion vaporized the 100-ft. tower ern Europe and the rest of the (OPA) is working hard to encour- from which the bomb was suspended, and world. The development of creative age improved federal support of caused the top layer of sand for hundreds of charging models that keep this pub- research in physical science and yards around to fuse into a greenish glassy sub- lishing enterprise financially sound, science education. At recent stance now known as “trinitite”. Because it was on terms both fair and affordable March and April meetings, an im- radioactive, most of it has been removed, but to libraries, is a continuing major pressive computerized system has some is still protected by a low-lying shed about challenge. Fortunately our Editor- been deployed to make it easier for 100 yards from Ground Zero. In the top photo, in-Chief and our Treasurer, backed attendees to communicate with White Sands public affairs officer Jim Eccles up by an extraordinarily dedicated their members of Congress. OPA gestures at the trinitite while members of the staff, have proven to be true pio- has also worked with congres- tour look on. The photo at left shows what re- neers in this new world. They are sional staff to help craft legislative mains of a water tower at the McDonald ranch hoping to achieve yet further language, and has organized effec- about 2 miles from Ground Zero—the blast de- economies by shifting to a fully elec- tive congressional visits programs. stroyed the windmill on top of the tower but tronic office environment while It was my privilege to testify twice spared the rest of it because of the lay of the maintaining the daily routine of in 2001 before congressional com- land. At far left is pictured the obelisk at Ground about 100 new submissions. mittees, and others in the APS Zero itself. The person in the foreground is bent For the future, our publishing leadership also testified last year, over in characteristic trinitite-hunting mode. enterprise will face continuing chal- and will do so again this year. At bottom, a member of the tour takes a picture lenges, raising questions over such As mentioned above, funding for of one of the historical photographs that are stored issues as: i) the time scale on which the DOE Office of Science pro- in the McDonald ranch house, where the pluto- print journals disappear, ii) the fu- grams has at best remained flat for nium for the bomb was assembled before being ture of peer review, iii) future many years, even though the na- transported to Ground Zero for the test. Photos by Jessica Clark

APS News welcomes and encourages letters and submissions from its members responding to these and other issues. Responses may be sent to: [email protected].