January 2013 • Vol. 22, No. 1

Diversity Corner A Publication of the American Physical Society see page 3 www.aps.org/publications/apsnews

April Meeting Features Latest Research and More At the Big Board The 2013 APS April Meet- Gravitation, Hadronic Physics, sity of California, Davis will talk ing will take place at the Shera- and Precision Measurements & about his work using data from ton Denver Downtown Hotel in Fundamental Constants. NASA’s Planck satellite to glean Denver, Colorado from April 13 insights into the standard cosmo- through 16. logical model. Florencia Canelli The annual meeting is expected from ETH Zurich will highlight to attract about 1,200 attendees the recent discovery of the Higgs and will feature 72 invited ses- boson at the Large Hadron Col- sions, more than 120 contributed lider at CERN. Sam Zeller from sessions, three plenary sessions, Fermilab will also focus on high poster sessions and an outreach energy physics, highlighting new event. experiments and developments in The meeting highlights the determining the value of the neu- latest research from the APS Di- trino mixing angle, and the search visions of Particles and Fields, Plenary sessions throughout the for charge parity violation. Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, meeting will highlight some of the A second plenary session will and Beam Physics, as well as the latest developments in research, be about “The quantum in 1913, Photo by Michael Lucibella Topical Group on Gravitation and as well as some recently revealed 2013, and the future.” John Heil- General Relativity. In addition, the history. bron from University of Califor- In early December, 170 physicists from all over the country descended on APS headquarters in College Park, MD, to perform the onerous but very Forums on Education, Graduate The Kavli Foundation Keynote nia, Berkeley will look back on important task of sorting the 8,303 contributed abstracts that were submit- Student Affairs, History of Phys- Plenary session is titled “Recent the personal life of Niels Bohr ted to the 2013 March Meeting. In the photo, Wolfgang Losert (University of ics, International Physics, and advances in physics at the CERN through recently uncovered letters Maryland), Pupa Gilbert (University of Wisconsin) and Eric Hudson (Penn Physics and Society will be par- Large Hadron Collider, neutrino and correspondence before and State University) line up their sessions at the meeting's legendary big board. ticipating, along with the Topical physics, and the study of the cos- while formulating his model of the The March Meeting will take place in Baltimore, March 18-22. Groups on Energy Research and mic microwave background.” atom. Deborah Jin at the Univer- Applications, Few-Body Systems, Lloyd Knox from the Univer- MEETING continued on page 7 Despite Challenges, New President Sees a Great Time for Physics Bringing Star Power to NIF Michael S. Turner, the Bruce V. sic research and for physics. Not & Diana M. Rauner Distinguished unrelated to that is the public ap- Service Professor, and Director preciation of science. Science is of the Kavli Institute for Cosmo- definitely center stage in this coun- logical Physics at the Univer- try and around the world. People sity of Chicago, assumed the APS see science as being the key to presidency on January 1st 2013. In innovation. But when you get on the following interview with APS center stage, sometimes they throw News, he discusses tomatoes. There are his priorities for the a number of issues, Society during his particularly in the Photo courtesy of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory presidential year. US where science On November 27, APS brought the star power of 125 APS Fellows to Livermore, for a tour of the National Ignition Facility Congratulations is not completely (NIF), followed by a reception at a nearby winery. Fellows from Livermore Lab (the site of NIF) were joined by busloads on taking office as appreciated for from both Berkeley and Stanford. At the reception, in addition to enjoying the food accompanied by some of the local APS President! what it is and what vintages, the Fellows heard from APS President Bob Byer of Stanford, Executive Officer Kate Kirby, Treasurer/Publisher It’s a great honor it isn’t. So I think Joe Serene, and Director of Public Affairs Michael Lubell, as well as some words of welcome from NIF Director Edward to serve as Presi- APS has to be a Moses. In the photo, a subset of the attendees is captured at the entrance to the Ignition Facility. APS President Byer is dent of APS. The voice for science. at far left in the 2nd row. American Physical Our nation has big Society is a fantas- problems, for ex- tic organization: it ample energy and Neutrino Experiment Passes Funding Hurdle publishes the best Michael S. Turner climate, and sci- journals, is a strong ence is the key to By Michael Lucibella ground. ing Laboratory, or DUSEL, run in advocate for physics, serves soci- solving these problems. APS has The Sanford Underground conjunction with the National Sci- ety by giving science advice, and played a role in providing the best The Department of Energy’s next generation neutrino experi- Research Facility, located at the ence Foundation. However in De- engages in education and outreach. scientific advice to the public and former Homestake gold mine in cember of 2010 the NSF backed What really makes APS a great or- to the government, and that’s even ment has passed its latest round of reviews and is moving towards Lead, South Dakota, will be home out of the project and the scope ganization is that it has the respect more important now. to the LBNE. Fermilab will shoot of experiments at the mine had to of its members–the members re- An important challenge to construction. The Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment, or LBNE, a beam of neutrinos through 1300 be reduced. The plan shrank from ally think very well of APS. And the Society itself has to do with kilometers of rock to the detectors dozens of underground multidisci- last but not least there are excel- publishing. For almost 120 years passed the department’s “Critical Decision 1” review on December at Homestake. Located on the sur- plinary scientific projects to three lent dedicated people working for we’ve published the Physical Re- face of the underground research physics experiments, a dark matter it. So my goal is not to screw it up, view, which I would call the lead- 10, which outlined the project’s budget and overall plan. facility, the detectors will look for detector, a search for neutrinoless and maybe even make it better. ing set of journals in physics, ac- the hierarchy of neutrino masses double-beta decay, and the LBNE. What do you see as the most counting for 30% of the citations The experiment will push lim- its of existing technology by de- and evidence of charge parity vio- The designers of the LBNE pressing issues facing the physics in physics. We’re at a time where lation in hopes of finding clues to proposed a budget of about $1.7 community right now? people are looking at new models ploying a new generation of detec- tors to attempt to unravel the mass why matter won out over antimat- billion, but the DOE demanded The most pressing issues have for publishing, in particular open ter in the early universe. more reductions. They dropped to do with science budgets. Im- access. The survival of the Physi- hierarchy of neutrinos. However, budget compromises mean that The planned experiments have the proposed near detector that portant decisions will be made in cal Review in this brave new age been significantly scaled back would have measured neutrinos at Washington that affect the way is very important, and we’re re- the project will have to take on a limited scientific scope unless from their original scope. When the beam’s Fermilab origin. After that science is funded in the US, ally going to have to stay on top of it was first conceived, the LBNE a review that included evaluat- and so APS needs to be a strong publishing. outside investment can be secured to move the detectors deep under- was to be a part of the Deep Un- ing other sites and other kinds of voice both for science and for ba- PRESIDENT continued on page 6 derground Science and Engineer- NEUTRINO continue on page 6 2 • January 2013

Members This Month in Physics History in the Media January 2, 1839: First Daguerrotype of the Moon aking high-resolution, col- He failed to find private in- copies was to use two separate “It was the influence of him and the observations to agree all at Torful pictures of the stars is vestors for his work, so Daguerre cameras side by side. Also, be- my mom teaching me to always be once. But it may not ever happen now a mainstay of astronomy approached the French Academy cause Daguerre had patented his curious about the next layer of the that way.” research, whether from ground- of Sciences on January 7, 1839 invention in England, photogra- universe that drove me into phys- Gary Zank, University of Ala- based telescopes or instruments about his invention. Initially, he phers needed a license to make ics in the first place. It has been a bama in Huntsville on whether like the Hubble Space Telescope, withheld the specific details of daguerrotypes there, opening a great treat to get to work with my Voyager I has exited the solar sys- but this wasn’t always the case. the process, revealing the secret door for competitors. An Eng- father at Sanford Lab while I was tem, The Los Angeles Times, De- Before the invention of photog- only to the academy’s secretary, lishman named William Henry completing my master’s degree cember 3, 2012. raphy, astronomers had to sketch François Arago, but all the mem- Fox Talbot invented a rival and working with LUX.” what they saw in their telescopes bers were enthusiastic about the technology, the calotype, which Mark Hanhardt, Black Hills “We’re moving into this head- by hand, often missing crucial potential. By August, Daguerre produced paper negatives of Pioneer, November 17, 2012. wind of WIMPs.” details. Astronomers made repro- had “gifted” the French govern- poorer quality than the daguer- Katherine Freese, University ductions by redrawing the origi- ment with permission to make rotypes, since the images tended “I think we’re looking in of Michigan, on the Earth’s move- nal illustrations, enabling errors his process freely available in to darken over time, but had the enough different ways that unless ment amongst theoretical dark to creep in. It was the invention exchange for a modest lifetime capability to produce an unlim- it’s something that we just haven’t matter particles coming from the of the daguerrotype that showed pension–except in England, ited number of positive prints. thought of at all yet, it seems to me constellation Cygnus, The Wash- them a far superior method was where Daguerre obtained a pat- His process relied on using toxic we’re very likely to find it within ington Post, December 3, 2012. possible. ent so that only licensed photog- chemicals, however, and he also the next decade.” In 1814, a Frenchman named raphers could use his process. patented his process, limiting its Dan Bauer, Fermilab, on the “They’re still not quite high Nicéphore Niépce began ex- commercial spread. search for dark matter, Space. enough for fusion… and I wish we perimenting with ways to record Photography studios began com, November 27, 2012. were going a little faster.” light, and managed to transfer springing up throughout Europe Edward Moses, Lawrence an image to paper two years in the 1840s. By the mid 1860s, “Wales needs more science Livermore National Lab, on the later via a camera obscura. By London’s Regent Street boast- graduates–and not necessar- temperatures achieved by the la- 1822, he had figured out how to ed 42 photography studios; in ily only graduates but technically- sers at the National Ignition Facil- make such an image permanent America, there were 77 in New orientated people. I think hi-tech ity, The San Francisco Chronicle, by capturing it on a flat sheet of York alone by 1850. It became industry is going to be essential December 4, 2012. polished tin coated with bitu- Daguerrotype of Louis Daguerre standard practice to include pho- to the prosperity of Wales in the men. One of the oldest surviving in 1844. tographs on one’s calling cards, future and to attract them we need “Not only do you hear the photographs dates back to 1825, the use of which was a common more scientists.” chirps–the alien birds as my wife when Niépce captured the black- rule of etiquette for the social Lyndon Evans, CERN, BBC- calls them–but you hear that sort and-white image of an engrav- elite. News.com, November 29, 2012. of cricket-like thing in the back- ing of a boy pulling a horse. But Appropriately, it was an as- ground… So this is really a fantas- this method required a full eight tronomer who coined the term “The Higgs particle arises from tic new measurement.” hours of exposure. photography in 1839, when Jo- a field pervading space, known as Craig Kletzing, University Six years later, French painter hann Heinrich von Madler com- the Higgs field… Everything in of Iowa, on the sounds made by and inventor Louis Daguerre– bined “photo” (from the Greek the known universe, as it travels Earths’ radiation belts as detected who had worked with Niépce word for “light”) and “graphy” through space, moves through the by NASA’s Van Allen Probes, The briefly before the latter’s death (“to write”). Astronomers quick- Higgs field; it’s always there lurk- Washington Post, December 4, in 1833–discovered how to re- ly embraced the use of photo- ing invisibly in the background.” 2012. duce exposure time to 20 to 30 graphic plates because of their Sean Carroll, Caltech, quoted minutes. Daguerre had been ap- good resolution and the ability to from his new book, “The Particle “If in the future they develop a prenticed in architecture, theater Earliest known surviving photograph make much larger images. of the Moon, a daguerreotype taken at the End of the Universe: How nuclear warhead small enough to design, and panoramic painting, Daguerre himself is believed in 1851 by John Adams Whipple the Hunt for the Higgs Boson put on a rocket, they are not going and later invented the diorama, to be the first person to take a Leads Us to the Edge of a New to want to put that on a missile that and his visual sensibility was These “daguerrotypes” were photograph of the moon, using World,” The Los Angeles Times, has a high probability of exploding fascinated by the potential of the earliest form of still photog- his daguerrotype process, on November 30, 2012. on the launch pad.” Niépce’s research. raphy and became hugely popu- January 2, 1839. Unfortunately, David Wright, the Union of Legend has it that he acciden- lar. Renowned figures as diverse in March of that same year, his “If we had looked at particle Concerned Scientists, on North tally broke a mercury thermom- as US President Abraham Lin- entire laboratory burnt to the data alone, we would have said, Korea’s nuclear ICBM capabili- eter, giving him the idea that a coln and poet Emily Dickinson ground, destroying all his writ- ‘We’re out! Goodbye, solar sys- ties, The Washington Post, De- shorter exposure time would pro- had their images captured for ten records and much of his early tem!’” cember 12, 2012. duce a very faint image, but this posterity in daguerrotypes, and experimental work–and that Stamatios Krimigis, Johns image could be further enhanced the process enabled the first pho- historical image of the moon. A Hopkins University, on whether “There turns out to be a slight via a chemical process involving tojournalists to document the year later, John William Draper, Voyager I has exited the solar sys- tension between the two masses… the vapor given off by mercury horrors of the American Civil an American doctor and chemist, tem, The Los Angeles Times, De- They are compatible, just not su- heated to 75° Celsius. Daguerre War. Samuel Morse, while a fan, took his own daguerrotype of the cember 3, 2012. per compatible.” then “fixed” the image, so it expressed astonishment when moon. Beate Heinemann, University wouldn’t be sensitive to further he realized daguerrotypes of Pa- In 1850 Draper collaborated “As ever, Voyager seems to of California, Berkeley, describing exposure to light, by rinsing it in risian street scenes showed no with astronomer William Cranch have a remarkable capacity for two apparent measurements of the a solution of common salt. The people or carriages, because the Bond to produce a daguerrotype providing observations that sug- mass of the Higgs boson coming surface was still prone to tarnish- still rather long exposure time of the star Vega. An attempt had gest ... we’re almost right… It out of the LHC, Wired, December ing, even by the slightest fric- meant that objects in motion been made in 1842 to photograph would be nice for the theory and 14, 2012. tion, so most daguerrotypes were weren’t captured. the sun, but the resolution was sealed under glass before being Daguerrotypes were expen- poor, so few details were vis- mounted in a small folding case. sive, and the only way to produce Daguerre continued on page 7

Series II, Vol. 22, No. 1 both the old and new addresses, and, if possible, include Past-President (Physics of Beams), Vincent Chan* (Plasma), TBA January 2013 a mailing label from a recent issue. Requests from sub- Robert L. Byer*, Stanford University (Polymer Physics), Nan Phiney (California Section) scribers for missing issues will be honored without charge © 2013 The American Physical Society only if received within 6 months of the issue’s actual date General Councillors ADVISORS of publication. Periodical Postage Paid at College Park, Haiyan Gao*, Marcelo Gleiser, Marta Dark McNeese, Representatives from other Societies Coden: ANWSEN ISSN: 1058-8132 MD and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send Pierre Meystre*, Warren Mori, Keivan G. Stassun Fred Dylla, AIP; Gay Stewart, AAPT Editor•...... Alan Chodos address changes to APS News, Membership Department, American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, College International Councillors International Advisor Staff Science Writer ...... Michael Lucibella Park, MD 20740-3844. Marcia Barbosa, Annick Suzor-Weiner Gabor Kunstatter, Canadian Association of Physicists Art Director and Special Publications Manager...... Kerry G. Johnson APS COUNCIL 2013 Chair, Nominating Committee Staff Representatives Design and Production...... Nancy Bennett-Karasik Sally Dawson Alan Chodos, Associate Executive Officer; Amy Flatten President Director of International Affairs; Terri Gaier, Director Proofreader...... Edward Lee Michael S. Turner*, University of Chicago Chair, Panel on Public Affairs of Meetings, Ted Hodapp, Director of Education and APS News (ISSN: 1058-8132) is published 11X yearly, Subscriptions: APS News is an on-membership publi- Rob Rosner Diversity; Trish Lettieri, Director of Membership, Dar- President-Elect monthly, except the August/September issue, by the cation delivered by Periodical Mail. Members residing lene Logan, Director of Development, Michael Lubell, Malcolm R. Beasley*, Stanford University American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, Col- abroad may receive airfreight delivery for a fee of $15. Division, Forum and Section Councilors Director, Public Affairs; Dan Kulp, Editorial Director; lege Park, MD 20740-3844, (301) 209-3200. It contains Nonmembers: Subscription rates are available at http:// Neil Cornish* (Astrophysics), Thomas Gallagher (Atom- Christine Giaccone, Director, Journal Operations; Mi- Vice President news of the Society and of its Divisions, Topical Groups, librarians.aps.org/institutional.html. ic, Molecular & Optical Physics), Jose Onuchic (Bio- chael Stephens, Controller and Assistant Treasurer Samuel Aronson*, Brookhaven National Laboratory Sections, and Forums; advance information on meetings logical), TBA (Chemical), Francis Hellman (Condensed (Retired) of the Society; and reports to the Society by its commit- Subscription orders, renewals and address changes Matter Physics), Steven Gottlieb (Computational), James Administrator for Governing Committees tees and task forces, as well as opinions. should be addressed as follows: For APS Members– Wallace (Fluid Dynamics), TBA (Forum on Education), Ken Cole Executive Officer Membership Department, American Physical Society, Eric Sorte, (Forum on Graduate Student Affairs), Mi- Kate P. Kirby*, Harvard Smithsonian (retired) Letters to the editor are welcomed from the member- One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844, chael Riordan (Forum on History of Physics), Gregory * Members of the APS Executive Board ship. Letters must be signed and should include an ad- [email protected]. Meisner (Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics), Treasurer/Publisher dress and daytime telephone number. The APS reserves Herman Winick* (Forum on International Physics), Joseph W. Serene*, Georgetown University (Emeritus) the right to select and to edit for length or clarity. All cor- For Nonmembers–Circulation and Fulfillment Division, Lowell Brown (Forum on Physics and Society), Anthony respondence regarding APS News should be directed to: American Institute of Physics, Suite 1NO1, 2 Huntington Johnson* (Laser Science), TBA (Materials), David Editor-in-Chief Editor, APS News, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, Quadrangle, Melville, NY 11747-4502. Allow at least 6 McIntyre (Northwest Section), Wick Haxton* (Nuclear), Gene D. Sprouse*, Stony Brook University (on leave) MD 20740-3844, Email: [email protected]. weeks advance notice. For address changes, please send Marjorie Corcoran* (Particles & Fields), John Galayda January 2013 • 3

Diversity Corner A column on programs related to diversity

APS Bridge Program Accepting Member Institution New Directions or More of the Same Applications by Michael S. Lubell, APS Director of Public Affairs The APS Bridge Program is developing a coalition of academic institutions that share a commitment to increasing educational January 3 has often been an choice certain: to foster economic 332 to 206 margin in the Electoral opportunities for underrepresented minority physics students. eventful day. On that date in growth by investing in scientific College. And Democrats extend- Membership is free, and institutions that are actively working to 1825, Rensselaer College opened discovery and innovation or to ed their effective majority in the improve diversity in the physics community may join. This network its doors to the first engineering perpetuate an ideological stale- Senate to 55-45. But Republicans of member institutions will share innovative ideas, learn from class in the United States. Ninety- mate that peddles our nation’s fu- retained control of the House of leaders in the field, and promote awareness of the importance nine years later, Howard Carter, ture prospects for a fire sale price. Representatives with a 34-vote of diversity in physics. More information is available at www. a British explorer, discovered the Regardless of any deals Con- cushion (pending a special elec- APSBridgeProgram.org. sarcophagus of the Boy Pharaoh, gress and the White House strike tion in the 2nd district in Illinois Minority Scholarship Application Process Now Open King Tut, near Luxor, Egypt. And on taxes and entitlements (Medi- compelled by Jesse Jackson Jr.’s APS is once again pleased to announce the Scholarships for in 1973, CBS divested itself of care, Medicaid and Social Se- unexpected resignation). And the Minority Undergraduate Physics Majors. African American, the New York Yankees, selling curity), the nasty fight between GOP majority, its shrinking band Hispanic American, and Native American students who are the team to George Steinbrenner Democrats and Republicans over of moderates having shrunk even college freshmen or sophomore physics majors, and who are US and his associates for $10 million. reducing discretionary spending is further at the 2012 ballot box, tilts citizens or permanent residents are invited to apply. The online Today, Forbes Magazine pegs likely to continue for the next two more to the right in the new Con- application deadline is February 4, 2013. Awards are $2000 and the Yankees’ worth at $2 billion; years. The president may have the gress than it did in the last one. $3000 per academic year. More information can be found at http:// Tutankhamun exhibitions contin- public wind at his back on taxing During the last two years, with www.aps.org/programs/minorities/honors/scholarship/index.cfm ue to draw extraordinary crowds the rich and minimizing damage overt or threatened obstruction- around the world; and economists to the social safety net, but poll- ism, Tea Party ideologues se- APS Speakers Lists Featuring Women and Minorities attribute as much as 70 percent ing suggests that the public wants verely constrained House Speaker of America’s current economic to see deficit spending reined in John Boehner’s ability to negoti- Planning a colloquium series and want to include a minority or growth to the STEM fields–sci- and growth in the national debt ate with the White House and a female speaker? Check out the APS Speakers Lists! The lists ence, technology, engineering and significantly constrained. Democratically controlled Sen- contain names, contact information, and talk titles of physicists mathematics. And those public sentiments ate, especially on budgetary mat- who are willing to give talks on a variety of subjects. Check it out This year, January 3 marks the resonate well with conservatives ters. Their tactics nearly pushed here: http://www.aps.org/programs/women/speakers/index.cfm beginning of the 113th Congress. who want to slash the size and our nation into default, arguably And just how it will be eventful is scope of the federal government. leading to a rating downgrade of And don’t forget that travel grants are available for institutions still in doubt. During the next two President Obama won a second U.S. treasury bonds. And their inviting women and minority speakers. Find more information years, 535 elected members of term with a four percent majority opposition to compromise forced about the grants here: http://www.aps.org/programs/women/ the House and Senate will have a margin in the popular vote and a speakers/travel-grants.cfm DIRECTIONS continued on page 4

2012 Professional Skills Development Workshops for Women MEETING BRIEFS APS, with support from NSF, will host two Professional Skills Fall APS Section Meetings Development Workshops in 2013 for female physicists. Postdoctoral associates and early-career faculty and scientists The Ohio-Region Section held its meeting on October 5th and 6th at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. are invited to apply for the March 17, 2013 workshop in Baltimore, The theme for the meeting was “Frontiers of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology,” and featured Bhanu Jena of Wayne MD. Postdoctoral associates and senior-level faculty and State University speaking about her research into the molecular machinery of cells. Adrian Cho, writer for Science, scientists are invited to apply for the April 12, 2013 workshop in also spoke at the meeting, as did Wolfgang Bauer from Michigan State and Marc Hausmann from the national Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. Denver, CO. Senior graduate students are also welcome to apply. The Northwest Section held its 14th annual meeting at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia from Applicants affiliated with a US institution/facility are eligible for October 18th through the 20th. Reiner Kruecken kicked off the meeting with his public lecture about how elements are travel and lodging funding consideration. Those needing funding produced in the nuclear furnaces of stars. The meeting formally began on the morning of the 19th when Eric Donovan, assistance are encouraged to apply early. The deadlines for the University of Calgary, delivered the first plenary talk about using the aurora to investigate Earth’s magnetosphere. workshops and a link to the online application can be found at: Nate McCrady from the University of Montana spoke on Saturday about how the Minerva array of telescopes will help hunt for Earthlike planets outside our solar system. www.aps.org/programs/women/workshops/skills/ APS/IBM Research Internships for Undergraduate Women: The New York State Section held its annual fall meeting over October 19 though the 20th at Canisius College in Buffalo New York. The meeting’s theme was “The Physics of Water.” Robin Bell from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Deadline is February 1, 2013 Observatory at Columbia University delivered the keynote address about the changing ice sheets at the poles. James APS and IBM co-sponsor a research internship program for Brownridge from Binghamton University did his best to lay the “Mpemba effect” to rest, explaining the only way undergraduate women. The goal is to encourage women hot water would freeze before cold water was if ice nucleation points spurred freezing in hot water, and cold water simultaneously being supercooled, delaying its phase change. students to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering. The internships are salaried positions typically 10 weeks long at The Texas Section held its meeting in conjunction with the Texas Section of the American Association of Physics one of three IBM research locations (San Jose, CA, Austin, TX, or Teachers and zone 13 of the Society of Physics Students from October 25th through the 27th in Lubbock, Texas. Yorktown Heights, NY), and give the opportunity to work closely Stefan Estreicher, a professor of physics at Texas Tech University spoke about how he uses chemical archeology to with an IBM mentor. Learn more at research internship program show that wine making has been going on for more than 7,000 years. Ginger Kerrick shared her experiences starting as an intern at the Johnson Space Center, and rising to become for a flight director for NASA. for undergraduate women at: http://www.aps.org/programs/ women/scholarships/ibm/index.cfm The Four Corners Section held its meeting from October 26th through the 27th at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, New Mexico. Kerry Emanuel, professor at MIT, spoke about his research into understanding the science of hurricanes. Nominations for the CSWP Woman Physicist of the Month Kate Kirby, Executive Officer of APS, spoke about the Society’s outreach efforts, including traveling to Comic-Con The Committee on the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP) International to promote science. recognizes a female physicist each month who has had an impact The California-Nevada Section held its annual meeting at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, on others’ lives and careers. Do you know female physicists Calfiornia. Brian Hackney, a meteorologist at KCBS in San Francisco spoke about how after getting his bachelor’s in worthy of recognition? Nominate them! Find more info at: http:// physics he pursued a career in broadcast news and meteorology. Pete Schwartz from Cal Poly delivered a plenary www.aps.org/programs/women/scholarships/womanmonth/ talk about his work helping Guatemalans develop environmentally sustainable technology in their developing nation.

Women in Physics (WIPHYS) Email Group The Prairie Section held its annual meeting from November 8th through the 12th at the University of Kansas in The Committee on the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP) Lawrence, Kansas. At Friday’s banquet, David Hogg from New York University spoke about how datasets everywhere are growing, giving rise to the need for more powerful and subtle models to glean useful results. Albrecht Karle from welcomes you to join WIPHYS, its electronic mailing list. WIPHYS the University of Wisconsin brought an update on the performance of the IceCube neutrino detector at the South Pole, is sent weekly and includes funding, job, and professional and some of the first data coming out of it. development opportunities for women. WIPHYS was “officially” started in January 1993, and now has over 800 subscribers. Join The New England Section held its annual meeting in conjunction with the New England Section of AAPT from here: http://www.aps.org/programs/women/email-lists/wiphys. November 9th through the 10th at Williams College in Williamstown Massachusetts. The Banquet talk by Seth Lloyd of MIT, titled “Quantize This!” highlighted the weirdness of quantum mechanics, including quantum codes by living cfm systems and the quantum mechanics of time travel. Kyle Cranmer from New York University spoke about the Standard Network with other physicists on LinkedIn Model and the discovery of the Higgs Boson at CERN. Join the LinkedIn groups for Minorities in Physics (http://go.aps. The Southeastern Section held its 79th annual meeting from November 14th through the 17th in Tallahassee org/minoritiesinphysics) and Women in Physics (http://go.aps. Florida. Harrison Prosper from Florida State University delivered the first public lecture on why the discovery of the org/womeninphysics) and start networking today! Higgs Boson was the biggest event in particle physics in 40 years. James Gates from the University of Maryland spoke about how CERN is capable of going even farther, by investigating the theory of Supersymmetry and looking for hidden super-partners of particles in collisions at the LHC. 4 • January 2013

Preprints Are Not The Problem Letters I was disappointed to find that essence of the questions we are whether or not to put our papers Readers interested in submitting a letter to APS News should while nearly a page of the Novem- trying to answer. But that is what on arXiv, but how to sort through email [email protected] ber APS News was devoted to a the pressures of trying to claim and digest the avalanche of papers story about a scientist rushing to precedence and to publish as many published by the world-wide sci- publish a result in order to claim papers as possible in as high profile entific community on almost any Need to Communicate Science precedence, the article made no journals as possible drives us to. topic of interest. That is, after all, According to the October Back lem of alcohol. However, society mention of the greater underlying When, as indicated in the arti- what the scientific publications are Page, “Science can’t answer mor- seems to prefer hiding some truth, issue this story is indicative of. In cle, the topic of a paper published supposed to be for: to communi- al questions such as whether we to keep the usual way or pleasure today’s PR and instant communi- in PRL, one of the premier physics cate the essence of one’s results should allow gay marriage...”. of life. This raises the need to cation driven rush for fame, recog- journals, is not considered serious and ideas to the rest of the research At least science can provide data nition, and ever more scarce grant enough to be discussed at confer- community. Instead, too often the have a more science-minded soci- whether a gay sexual relation- funding, we sometimes forget that ences, something must be wrong goal seems to be to pad one’s ré- ety, hence the need of communi- ship is healthy or natural or may as scientists our first and foremost with our publication system. sumé with yet another publication. provide more health risk to soci- cating science. goal should be to find, describe, When I hear my colleagues state I don’t know how to relieve ety, to judge whether such activ- and understand the underlying that they think they understand a some of the competitive pressures ity should be legally allowed. The Pramudita Anggraita truths about the physical world certain physical phenomenon but we feel in our academic and re- same can be said about the prob- Yogyakarta, Indonesia around us. will not share their ideas until search workplace, but that is what Submitting a new paper every they are published, I know there I would like to read a page-long few weeks because we may have is something wrong with our aca- APS News article about. Peer Review Can Perpetuate Dogma found another tiny bit of what we demic environment. The November Back Page, in many ways to that of Lysenko know is a much bigger puzzle can- One of the biggest challenges Vyacheslav Lukin “APS and the Challenge of Open in the Soviet Union. If the peers not be the right path to get to the we as researchers face today is not Washington, DC Access,” emphasized the impor- doing the peer reviewing are all tance of peer review journals and adamantly of the attitude of the Einstein and the Presidency of Israel articles. Ordinarily, I would agree. East Anglia and similarly minded But in light of the East Anglia scientists, it will be hard to get any In his letter in the November stein a message from Prime Minis- appearing in his 11/18/1952 letter email scandal and the campaign science published which doesn’t APS News, Walter Schimmerling ter David Ben Gurion, offering to (Einstein Archive 28-943) would to paint as know-nothings all who meet their dogma. writes that “[w]hen Einstein was Einstein to nominate him as a can- help Schimmerling make his case: disagree that “global warming” is asked to become the first president didate for president. I am unaware Einstein argued that since he had established science, there is a dan- Arthur Cohn of Israel, the people who asked him that either Eban or Ben Gurion devoted his life to objective mat- ger of promoting a regime similar Portola Valley, CA had to worry about a worst-case were worried that Einstein might ters, he lacked “both the natural scenario: that he might accept.” accept. Had Einstein accepted and aptitude and the experience to deal The first president of Israel was been elected by the Knesset, he properly with people and to exer- Chaim Weizmann, the renowned would have been Israel’s second cise official functions.” The Problem of Collateral Damage chemist. After Weizmann’s death president, not the first. Interest- With reference to the letter by invoked it during the Quit India in 1952, Abba Eban, then Israel’s ingly, the reasons that Einstein Lior Burko Michael Gerver in the October agitation. UN ambassador, delivered to Ein- gave for declining Eban’s offer, as Normal, Alabama APS News, we know that war al- Is there a scientific, compas- ways involves more civilian ca- sionate way of determining the Scientific Method Counsels Humility sualties than military losses, as proportion of acceptable collat- shown in World Wars I and II, eral casualties which, to quote In reference to the assertion, in ward the end of Chapter 5, dealing if they performed the experiment and subsequent conflicts over the Gerver's letter, “are in propor- my letter in the June APS News, with cold fusion, more relevant. she had suggested, they wouldn’t years. In addition, the rights of tion to the military goals to be that Fermi (and others) did not Goodstein says, “...the cold fu- find any elements lower down on an occupying power have been achieved ?” follow the scientific method, Glen sion saga offers a classic case of the periodic table, indicating that discussed in UN documents, and Herrmannsfeldt recommended, in how scientists, bent as they are Fermi had fractured the nucleus, invoking “self-defense” is an Radhakrishna the August-September issue, that on deepening and enlarging their so why bother to do the experi- ironic notion. The British always Bangalore, India one should read the first chapter of understanding of nature, may con- ment? The scientifc method cau- David Goodstein’s book, Of Fact vince themselves that they are in tions us to be humble, and to do it and Fraud, to gain an impres- possesion of knowledge that does anyway, if it is at all possible, and sion of how the scientific method not in fact exist.” In the case of one can fund it. actually works. I found the first nuclear fission, nuclear scientists, DIRECTIONS continued from page 3 chapter of value, but for the case apart from Ida Noddack and her Frank R. Tangherlini repeated stalemates over spending a possible impasse over the debt in question I found a statement to- husband, felt that they knew that San Diego, CA with determined Democrats in the ceiling, which Congress will have Senate. to raise to avoid yet another threat In an attempt to contain the of default. obstructionism, the House Re- With few arrows left in their publican leadership announced political quiver, Republicans have last month that it was booting threatened to hold the nation’s three far-right ideologues off credit worthiness hostage unless prime committees. After Speaker the White House agrees to reduc- By Michael Lucibella Boehner pulled rank, rank-and- tions in discretionary spending, file public reaction remained mut- which they say are needed to as- ed. But inside sources warned that sure the nation’s solvency in the the rebellious rabble is not likely long term. It is far too soon to pre- to refrain from its rousing rhetoric dict how the budgetary wrangling once serious budget negotiations will play out, but science, along get under way. with all non-defense discretionary Most Capitol Hill observers spending, may be in for a period believe Mr. Boehner will continue of austerity. to have trouble corralling enough Just over two years ago, the votes from his Republican min- bipartisan Simpson-Bowles Com- ions for any compromises with mission on fiscal responsibility, the White House, and he will have which President Obama had es- to reach across the aisle to attract tablished by executive order in support from Democrats to seal early 2010, provided a 10-year any deal. But to achieve success, blueprint for deficit reduction. he will have to deliver a perfor- The commission’s plan, which mance worthy of an Olympic gold failed on the altar of partisan- medalist on the balance beam. ship, called for one dollar of new For most of the lame duck ses- revenue for every three dollars sion that ended last month, Wash- of spending cuts. But, recogniz- ington was consumed by dire ing the significance of science in predictions of what would hap- spurring economic growth, it de- pen to the American economy if clared that research and education the Bush era tax cuts expired on should be exempt from the discre- December 31 and sequestrations tionary budget scalpel. mandated by the Budget Control By all accounts, the White Act took effect on January 1. Left House has accepted that proposi- almost unsaid throughout the es- tion. It is time for Congress to do calating angst was the fallout of the same. © Michael Lucibella, 2013 January 2013 • 5

Washington Welcomes Newest Nobelists APS Committee on International Freedom of Scientists

CIFS Briefs: Highlighting the Connection Between Human Rights and Science for the Physics Community Since its creation in 1980, the put from the scientific community. The Alaei brothers had previ- APS Committee on International To ensure that the voices of the sci- ously been imprisoned for two to Freedom of Scientists (CIFS) entists are brought to this process, three years from 2008-2011 on has advocated for and defended the American Association for the charges quite similar to the con- the rights of scientists around the Advancement of Science (AAAS) spiracy charges of which Koka- globe. In this column, CIFS de- is leading an initiative to involve bee has been declared guilty. The scribes some of the issues that the the scientific community. brothers stated that there was ab- Committee is monitoring as well Part of this initiative includes solutely no cause for these charges as the Society’s other human rights the organization of focus groups in either Kokabee’s or their cases. Photo by Jodi Lieberman activities. with members of scientific soci- Arash Alaei’s imprisonment at No, that's not the King of Sweden standing beside 2012 Nobel Laureate Dave Russian Physicist Valentin eties that participate in the AAAS the Evin prison coincided with the Wineland (right) of NIST, Boulder. Wineland did receive his Nobel Prize from the King in Stockholm on December 10, but, as shown in the photo, on No- Danilov released from prison Science and Human Rights Coali- beginning of Kokabee’s imprison- vember 29 he was one of the guests of honor at a reception for American Valentin Danilov, the former tion, of which APS is a member. ment, where they interacted closely Nobel Laureates held at Blair House, across the street from the White House, head of the Thermo-Physics Cen- On 12 November 2012, seven with each other. The Alaei brothers sponsored by the Department of State Office of Protocol. Standing next to tre at Krasnoyarsk State Techni- APS members from the Washing- had successfully organized prison- Wineland is NIST Director Patrick Gallagher. cal University, was released from ton, D.C. area took part in a fo- ers to spend time teaching each prison on parole in November cus group session at AAAS. The other their personal skills and or- UNC Physics Professor is Convicted 2012. In February 2001, Danilov attendees were guided through a ganizing hygienic practices among was arrested for passing classified series of questions to obtain their the prison workers when the broth- of Drug Smuggling in Argentina information to a Chinese company. perspectives on the contributions ers were told they needed to work After months of languishing in messages Frampton sent to whom Danilov and scientists with whom of physics to society, how to en- in the prison kitchen. Kokabee has a prison in Argentina, on Novem- he thought was Milani saying that he had collaborated had noted that sure that members of the physics been continuing this instruction ber 19 Paul Frampton, a University he was “worried about the sniffer he was working under a legal con- community can undertake their tradition by teaching physics and of North Carolina physics profes- dogs,” and “looking after your spe- tract between his university and research freely, and identify areas foreign languages to fellow pris- sor, was convicted in Buenos Aires cial little suitcase.” the company and that this collabo- of physics research that may have oners. of drug trafficking. Williams said that there was lit- ration would be considered routine human rights implications. Their Unfortunately, Kokabee’s Last January, he had been found tle context presented for the mes- scientific cooperation. In fact, the discussions will feed into a report health is now a factor as he has with two kilograms of cocaine hid- sages. In emails Frampton wrote to information Danilov was accused that the Coalition will present to recently been suffering from kid- den in his checked luggage. He another friend in Canada, he made of passing had been available in the United Nations in 2013. ney stones and has lost significant claimed he was duped by drug similar comments about the dogs. the open scientific literature for Omid Kokabee weight. There is concern that he traffickers into carrying the case However he claimed he was joking years. Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar is not being given proper medical for a swimsuit model, Denise Mi- in both instances. While Danilov was acquitted Alaei, two Iranian HIV/AIDS re- treatment. In addition, his ten year lani, whom he thought he had met “Only one side of the story has of spying by a jury in December searchers spoke, on the campus of prison term has been extended an over the internet. Despite his insis- come out,” Williams said. “These 2003, the Russian Supreme Court the University of Texas at Austin, additional 91 days for alleged ille- tences that the drugs did not belong reports are almost entirely from the overturned this acquittal in June on the evening of 14 November gal earnings from his instruction of to him, the Argentinean court sen- point of view of the prosecutor… 2004 and ordered a retrial. A sec- 2012 on the general subject of fellow prisoners. tenced him to four years and eight so far we’ve really only heard one ond (non-jury) trial began the fol- freedom of scientists in Iran and The brothers suggest that months in prison. side of the story.” lowing September, and Danilov specifically on the case of APS the best way to advocate for Koka- At the same time, Frampton has While the appeals process slow- was convicted of espionage and member Omid Kokabee. As APS bee is to maintain international also been fighting against the UNC ly moves forward in Argentina, embezzling funds–charges that he News readers may know, Kokabee pressure on the Iranian govern- administration over the suspension Frampton and his supporters have has always denied. He was sen- was a graduate student in optics at ment, especially as Iran has re- of his salary since March. also been fighting to get the uni- tenced to 14 years in jail. UT Austin at the time of his arrest sponded to pressure in the past, as Mark Williams, a mathemat- versity to reinstate his salary after CIFS is pleased to see that in February 2011 in Iran. Koka- attested to the freedom the Alaei ics professor at UNC, has been it was cut off in March. spearheading the efforts in the US The provost of the university Danilov is finally free after spend- bee was sentenced to 10 years in brothers finally achieved. They to raise awareness about Framp- suspended Frampton’s salary be- ing more than a decade in prison. prison in May 2012 for conspiring are now working with representa- ton and secure funds for his de- cause he would be unable to teach Science and Human Rights with foreign governments against tives of Amnesty International to fense. As reported in the August/ his class during the spring semes- Coalition Iran. The event at UT Austin was promote this advocacy. They are September APS News, Williams ter; however, Frampton contends In 2007, the United Nations held under the joint sponsorship featured speakers for Amnesty helped launch the website Help- that the class was canceled before began a process to define Article of the APS Committee on Interna- International’s Global Write-A- PaulFrampton.org, which attracted he went to Argentina. He and his 15 of the International Covenant tional Freedom of Scientists, the Thon that took place at AAAS the support of many UNC faculty supporters maintain that the uni- on Economic, Social and Cultural UTA organization Austin for Iran- on 7 December 2012 Washington members, academics in the United versity superseded its own regula- Rights (ICESCR), which states Student Chapter, Amnesty Interna- D.C. This event was a public pro- States and Europe and a Nobel lau- tions when it suspended his salary that everyone has the right to “en- tional, and the Working Group for test demanding justice for Koka- reate. without holding a hearing before- joy the benefits of scientific prog- the Welfare of Scientists of AAAS bee and other scientists unjustly “We were really surprised. hand. ress and its applications.” This Science and Human Rights Coali- imprisoned by the Iranian govern- We thought he had a really good Frampton filed a complaint process was launched without in- tion. ment. chance of being acquitted,” Wil- with the school’s grievance com- liams said. “We were shocked and mittee who in turn filed a report disappointed.” supportive of Frampton to the Williams spoke to Frampton provost in late September. The briefly after the verdict was handed provost decided against reinstat- down. He said they planned to ap- ing the salary. That decision was peal the decision but it is unclear then appealed to the chancellor of Leading the Search to Find ET is No Gamble to this Physicist how long the process would take. the university, who also decided By Alaina G. Levine “On the surface he was taking it against Frampton. The decision very well. He didn’t break down or was appealed again to the school’s Gerry Harp hates the film “The about the science behind SETI,” anything like that,” Williams said. board of trustees, the highest level Day the Earth Stood Still.” The Harp acknowledges. “SETI has “Maybe it takes a while for it to of appeals, who will likely render a physicist, who took over the reins a hard enough time getting re- sink in.” decision by the end of January. of the SETI Institute in July 2012 spect in the public,” let alone the Frampton was held at Argen- “This whole issue is completely from its longtime leader Jill Tarter, scientific community. “There’s a tina’s Villa Devoto prison for nine independent of whether Paul was thinks the movie about aliens at- reputation aspect. It’s undeniably months before being transferred convicted,” Williams said, ex- tacking Earth doesn’t do much true.” to house arrest for health reasons. plaining that the university acted to enhance the reputation of the Part of the challenge, he notes, The judge has allowed his sentence before he was found guilty. beings he is hoping his team will is that SETI, whose mission is “to to be served under house arrest as There is also a lawsuit pending find. But he views part of his role, explore, understand and explain well. against the university, on hold until as Director of the Center for SETI the origin, nature and prevalence Frampton’s defense was that after the decision from the board Research, as playing PR Rep for of life in the universe,” is too often he had been tricked by drug traf- of trustees. The university is also Gerry Harp both the Institute and its potential considered to be a research and ca- fickers into carrying the suitcase considering whether it should fire in the affirmative,” he explains. extraterrestrial collaborators. reer gamble. for them, and had no idea what Frampton; however, it will likely But towards the end of college, if “We haven’t done a good “Ask undergraduates if they was hidden in its lining. The pros- not take any action until after his enough job of getting the word out want to join SETI and they answer SETI continued on page 7 ecutors at the trial emphasized text appeal goes through in Argentina. 6 • January 2013

NEUTRINO continued from page 1 detectors, the LBNE commission But because the detectors won’t The additional cost to locate search and facility operations,” “I do not think we have compe- recommended building the next- be shielded by nearly a mile of the detectors underground in the Siegrist said. “Our operations tition for quite some time,” Diwan generation liquid argon detectors solid rock, they will be susceptible mine is estimated to be between costs aren’t spiraling out of con- said. “Compared to other regions at the surface of the Homestake to cosmic rays and other back- $130 and $140 million, which trol while we’re building these we are quite far ahead. That is be- mine to keep the project under its ground radiation. This shouldn’t would have to be raised in about other projects, so that’s a good cause we have a team in place. That $850 million budget. be enough to affect the hunt for two years. thing.” is very important. We have a design “The issue is that the cost is the mass hierarchy of neutrinos, “Things are arranged so that Scientists working on LBNE for a project that is generally ac- higher if you build things deep un- but will likely eliminate the ability there is time for foreign contribu- fought hard to keep funding for cepted as a sound design by every- derground than if you build them to find rarer particle events. tions to come in,” Siegrist said. the underground detectors in the one and we have a site selection.” on the surface,” said Jim Siegrist, “The chance to look for astro- “We’re some years away from project’s budget. At the August Associate Director for High En- physical supernovae or the decays construction… it has sort of a long High Energy Physics Advisory Japan right now is the leader ergy Physics in the Department of protons is precluded,” Siegrist lead time so we can get these is- Panel meeting, scientists strongly in neutrino detectors, but would of Energy’s Office of Science. said. Proton decays, if they take sues figured out.” urged the Department of Energy to still need to upgrade. In addition, “Surface construction is so much place at all, are extremely rare and He added that they had already spring for the underground detec- CERN has the particle beams, sev- cheaper.” their signature would be totally lost been in talks with several foreign tors. Many voiced the concern that eral potential sites and has com- The review essentially changed amongst the background of cosmic partners in hopes of bringing them the US might miss out on impor- missioned studies to look into the the experiment into a multi-staged ray interference. Scientists had also on board. He said that the CD-1 tant discoveries by not locating the possibility of hunting for proton project. The first phase would be hoped to look for neutrino spikes approval shows the DOE’s com- detectors underground. decays. built above ground, and future that corresponded with supernovae. mitment to the project, and would The shielded underground de- “They certainly could do this,” phases would be built below, us- The project’s administrators re- help encourage investment from tectors offered scientists the best Diwan said, “It’s a question of pri- ing the first phase’s infrastructure. main hopeful that there might still abroad. hope of detecting decaying pro- orities and funds.” However building the detec- be a way to move the detectors “There’s some interest from tons for the first time. If the United The next step in the process tors on the surface puts limitations down into the mine below. Asia and we’re trying to get our States doesn’t build underground is for Fermilab to reconfigure its on the science. Project managers “One of the reasons to choose European colleagues interested,” detectors until a later phase of the beamlines, which should start were able to save the project’s ex- the Homestake site is to keep the Siegrist said. project, some years from now, an- around 2015. LBNE is expected perimental next-generation liquid possibility open for putting the de- He noted that the DOE’s flat other country could in the interim argon detectors, though they were tector underground,” said Milind budget over the last three years make the discovery. to pass CD-2, its next round of ap- reduced from 34,000 gallons to Diwan, a physicist at Brookhaven has forced the agency to make However Diwan said that be- proval, the following year which 10,000. The DOE wanted to keep and spokesperson for LBNE. “It tough choices about priorities. cause proton decay was part of will settle on a final cost estimate argon, with its potential to be more is certainly our desire to have the “If we’re going to raise the the original design of the detec- and construction schedule. If all sensitive than established water first-phase detector put under- amount we're putting into con- tors, the United States is far ahead goes according to plan, the experi- Cherenkov detectors, to push the ground. But that desire requires struction, then we have to lower of any other nation that might be ment should start taking data in boundaries of current technology. additional funds.” the amount we're putting into re- hunting for the elusive process. 2023. PRESIDENT continued from page 1 Next on the list is international number one, are on a financially doze off–improving the organiza- physical societies, such as public education. Then, as I went to col- engagement. When you look at strong footing and, as our objective tional excellence of APS. In 2019, policy, meetings, and publishing, lege, at Caltech, one of my men- the journals, you see that US au- states, are advancing and diffusing APS will celebrate its 120th birth- in service to physics and science. tors was Barry Barish, who just thors account for only one third of the knowledge of physics. day, and all organizations have to In recent years, APS has been recently served as APS President, the papers. There’s nothing wrong How well do you think the change with time. I think that it’s increasing its focus on education and another was Richard Feynman. with that–science is a global activ- Society is serving its members? incumbent on those who serve as and outreach. What do you think It was really teachers and mentors ity. But APS has to make sure that Are there any areas where you President to ask how the organiza- of these efforts and how will you who got me into it. Of course, it is engaged globally and interna- think APS programs could be en- tion can improve so that it serves guide them? what keeps you in physics is the tionally, and to figure out what its hanced? everyone better. I think APS really plays an im- big exciting problems that phys- role is. I don’t think its role is to I think so. One of the things What do you see as the Soci- portant role in physics education. ics addresses. The ones that are be the World Physics Organiza- that strikes me is the good will ety’s role in public policy? Let me just take one example, of the most interest to me involve tion. We are the American Physical that our members have towards It’s really two-fold. First is look- PhysTEC, where we’re acting as a cosmology, but if you look across Society, but we have to be globally our Society. There are other societ- ing out for physics and looking out coordinator and a convener to help the board in physics, the problems engaged. ies where their members grumble for basic research. Second is giv- solve a national problem, which that physicists are addressing, the Last but not least on this list is about the society, or don’t like ing advice to the government. You is the lack of well-trained physics physics of living systems, energy, diversity, and that’s been a really what their society is doing, and our couldn’t pick a better example than teachers. APS can’t solve this prob- new materials and particle physics, stubborn one for physics. When members feel really really good energy. I think physicists invented lem alone, APS is not going to train among others, it’s even more excit- I was a graduate student, if you about the APS and what it does. the idea of energy, so we know a lot teachers, but we have the power ing today. Ultimately that is what looked at law, medicine and busi- My two predecessors, Barry Bar- about it. What is this country going to convene and bring the physics gets people really hooked on phys- ness, those careers were dominated ish and Bob Byer, helped develop to do to satisfy its energy needs? community together, and PhysTEC ics–the kind of questions that we by white males and law, medicine a strategic plan for the Society to For example, one issue that I think is really starting to make a dent are able to address. and business have largely transi- look forward, to make it better and our Panel on Public Affairs will on this important problem. There Why did you choose to run for tioned to being much more diverse to better serve the members. The be considering is the lifetime of are other areas in terms of physics the APS Presidential Line? occupations, and physics has not. running joke in APS is “Our mem- nuclear power plants. This country curriculum and physics education, It has to do with the last ques- Physics flourishes on a diversity of bers love us, and the reason they has more than 100 nuclear power and we have a role in doing this be- tion–getting into physics and real- ideas, and I think our survival de- love us is Physics Today” and of plants and some of them are reach- cause the physics community needs izing that it involved people and pends on physics becoming more course Physics Today is published ing their original planned age. Can to shape its own future and make mentors. This is a way to give back diverse. APS has to be an agent for by the AIP. But the good news is they be extended, or can they not be sure it’s a bright one, and we need and to make sure that physics is as change. that our members love us, and we extended? That is an area where we to do this for the nation. exciting for the next generation as What will be your main focus need to better serve them. I’ll just can provide advice to the govern- How will you guide APS it was for me. I feel that the only during your presidential year? give one example of where I think ment. I believe we want a country through the current difficult eco- way I can pay back my high school What approach will you take to- we can better serve them. We hold whose decisions are fact-based and nomic times? teachers and the physicists who wards achieving these goals? big meetings where we bring phys- science-based and that is where First of all, in mid-December mentored me and everyone else is My overarching goal is making icists together, and everybody I APS can play a role. [then APS President] Bob Byer to make sure that a career in phys- sure that physics is as rewarding know who attends the March Meet- What do you see as the Soci- sent out an action alert asking our ics or in science is as exciting and and exciting for young physicists ing feels that it is a must-attend ety’s role on international issues? membership to contact Congress rewarding as it was for me. as it was for myself and others. meeting. The attendance is grow- Increasingly science has be- and urge them not to go over the fis- It’s easy to look at the problems And I think if that’s our north star, ing, and probably this year we’ll come a global activity. Thomas cal cliff and to find a solution. APS that we face, the budgets and some watching out that physics is still break 10,000. However, I think at Friedman is famous for saying is a respected voice in Washington people having negative attitudes that exciting adventure for our the moment people would not view “the world is flat,” and I think sci- and we have to recognize that the towards science and all of that, but younger scientists, we’ll be fine. the April Meeting as a must-attend ence is pretty much there. There nation does have fiscal problems. this is really a great time for phys- Specifically, this next year is meeting. So one way that we can is roughly equal scientific activity We can’t continue with deficits at ics. There are opportunities for going to be important for advocat- better serve our members is to im- in the three geographic regions of the level we have now, but if we’re discovery and contributing to solv- ing for basic research, science and prove our meetings, starting with Asia, the Americas and Europe. going to move forward and have a ing the nation’s and the world’s physics, and making sure that the the April Meeting. The second bul- The era of American dominance bright future we have to keep in- problems, the number of physics public understands the value of let of the strategic plan is better that we have all been familiar with vesting in science. I believe that our majors is growing, the number of science. Science makes so many serving physics, and the meetings for the last 50 years is gone, but Washington office is the best public PhDs is growing, new scientific things happen; people don’t even come into play there. The third bul- not the era of American leader- affairs office of any of the societies, facilities are being built, this really recognize the invisible hand of let is better serving society, giving ship. So an important aspect fac- so we’re going to be playing an im- is a great time for physics. That’s science. Making the public realize advice to the government. I men- ing APS is how we operate in this portant role in a rapidly changing the number one thing I don’t think that science really matters, whether tioned that the problems facing our more global science world. I don’t and difficult environment. we should forget when we look at it’s medicine or electronic devices, nation and the world require solu- see us becoming the world’s phys- How did you become interested all the challenges ahead. It’s easy or jobs–science makes a big differ- tions that are scientific, and many ics society, but I see us becoming in physics? to get bogged down in the weeds ence. I think this year, a continu- of them involve physics. The last an American Physical Society that The number one thing had to when you see that funding may go ing focus is to make sure that we bullet is one that everyone will is globally engaged. There will be do with teachers, teachers in high down a little bit and not everybody transition to this digital publishing benefit from in the end, but in the lots of areas where we can work school. I went to public school, appreciates what science is doing, age where our journals are still short term may cause people to more closely together with other so I’m a big advocate for public but this is a great time for physics. January 2013 • 7

ANNOUNCEMENTS Reviews of Modern Physics THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY is currently accepting applications for the Congressional Science Fellowship Program. Fellows serve one year on the Tests of the standard electroweak model at the energy frontier staff of a senator, representative or congressional committee. They are afforded John D. Hobbs, Mark S. Neubauer, and Scott Willenbrock an opportunity to learn the legislative process and explore science policy issues Experiments at the Fermilab Tevatron pp̅ collider have greatly en- from the lawmakers’ perspective. In turn, Fellows have the opportunity to lend hanced our understanding of the electroweak sector of the standard scientific and technical expertise to public policy issues. model and explored signatures for spontaneous symmetry breaking at the highest energies in the past decades prior to the ones now QUALIFICATIONS include a PhD or equivalent in physics or a closely related field, available at the LHC. Properties and couplings of the gauge bosons a strong interest in science and technology policy and, ideally, some experience in (including diboson production) and the top quark and searches for applying scientific knowledge toward the solution of societal problems. Fellows the Higgs boson are the focus of this review. Many of the experi- are required to be members of the APS. mental methods have become the basis of new measurements at TERM OF APPOINTMENT is one year, beginning in September of 2013 with the LHC where the energy scale is being extended to the multi-TeV participation in a two week orientation sponsored by AAAS. Fellows have range. considerable choice in congressional assignments. http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/RevModPhys.84.1477 A STIPEND is offered in addition to allowances for relocation, in-service travel, and health insurance premiums. http://rmp.aps.org

APPLICATION should consist of a letter of intent of no more than two pages, a two page resume, with one additional page for publications, and three letters Graduate Education of reference. in Physics All application materials must be submitted online by January 15, 2013, Conference 5:00 pm. EST. January 31-February 2, 2013 http://www.aps.org/policy/fellowships/congressional.cfm

Biruni Award Nominations

The Iranian American Physicists Network has put out a call for nominations for its “Biruni Award” for gradu- TM ate student research. The organization is looking for senior level graduate students of Iranian descent in either a masters or PhD program in the United States. The organizers hope to highlight research excel- lence amongst students of Iranian descent. More information, including nominating information can be found at www.irapnetwork.org.

MEETING continued from page 1 Register by January 4 at: sity of Colorado and JILA will dis- ics and organization of these kinds share their experiences and answer www.aps.org/programs/education/graduate/conf2013/ cuss her work on ultracold atoms of systems. questions about graduate school. and Bose-Einstein condensates. Lisa Randall, Harvard physi- The Society for Physics Stu- Daguerre continued from page 2 John Preskill of Caltech will high- cist and author of several popular dents will be holding a series of ible. Then physicists Jean Bernard developed a dry plate process that light the promises and challenges physics books, will give a public special sessions at the meeting Leon Foucault and Armand Fizeau could produce photographs much of building a workable quantum talk at a session organized by the for undergraduate research pre- improved the process sufficiently more quickly. computer. American Institute of Physics. She sentations. Students will share to photograph the Sun in sufficient Eventually, all these innova- Geoffrey West from the Santa will be speaking about her career their research through posters and detail that sun spots could be seen tions caught the attention of Amer- Fe Institute will speak at an eve- and the future of science. lectures. Following the sessions, for the first time. ican inventor George Eastman, ning symposium titled, “Universal The recipients of many of awards will be given out to the top Several inventors experi- who founded his own company Scaling Laws from Cells to Cities; APS’s prestigious prizes and presenters in each category. mented with glass as a basis for based on a machine he invented to A Physicist’s Search for Quanti- awards will be honored at a spe- Exhibitors from a range of pub- negatives, but the silver solution coat photographic plates with an tative, Unified Theories of Bio- cial ceremonial session on Sunday lishers and other vendors will have wouldn’t stick to the shiny sur- emulsion, automating the process logical and Social Structure and evening. booths set up around the hotel to face. By 1848, Abel Niépce de so photographs could be made Dynamics.” His talk will focus on Students attending the meeting display their products. Saint-Victor (a cousin of Nicé- much more quickly, in greater how complex biological, sociolog- have a variety of events just for Meeting attendees will have the phore Niépce) came up with the numbers. In the early 1900s, the ical and economic systems seem them. On Friday, APS will host a chance to stop by the APS Contact idea of coating a glass plate with Eastman-Kodak Company collab- to follow similar, almost univer- career panel focused on non-aca- Congress booth to send letters to egg white mixed with potassium orated with several astronomical sal scaling laws. West’s work in- demic careers students can pursue. their elected officials about the im- iodide, and then washing it with observatories, using that input to dicates that physics can offer new Also during the meeting will be a portance of continued Congressio- an acid solution of silver nitrate. improve their emulsion technol- insights into the structure, dynam- panel where graduate students will nal support for scientific research. The result was fine detail and vast- ogy to make a process that was ly higher quality, but–yet again–it even more sensitive to light. SETI continued from page 5 required prolonged exposure. The photographic plate domi- you inquire again, they’ll say no, Twitter. “SETI is a very interesting graphic plate,” he explains. “In Three years later Frederick he says, because they view SETI topic for the US public at large,” radio astronomy, this direction of Scott Archer introduced the wet nated astronomical imaging for science as potentially “high risk,” he says. “We have an overwhelm- arrival information (encoded as collodion process, coating glass much of the 20th century, boosted and they think “if we don’t find ingly large number of people who the signal’s phase) can be directly plates with a viscous liquid, which by the use of color filters, until the the signal in my career, my career think this research should be pur- digitized from the radio antenna.” reduced exposure time to a few advent of digital photography and will go nowhere.” sued.” His research led to a technological seconds. However, there were CCD cameras made such labor- But “this endeavor is not as Harp didn’t begin his career breakthrough in which the Allen tradeoffs: It was still a “wet” pro- intensive processing obsolete. long a shot as people think,” he with extraterrestrial aspirations. As Telescope Array (ATA), the prin- cess, requiring that all the equip- Daguerre died of a heart attack on says. “The technology is growing a physics graduate student at the ciple SETI observatory, could de- July 10, 1851, just outside of Par- exponentially, especially signal University of Wisconsin-Milwau- tect noise coming from Earth and ment be on-site at the time the is, but he undeniably left his mark processing, as computers are get- kee, he specialized in quantum me- use something like holography picture was taken. In 1871, Rich- not just on astronomy, but the ting faster. Every six years our chanics, and in particular electron to determine the direction from ard Maddox found a way of using search speed is increased by a fac- holography. He invented a new which a signal arrives and rule out gelatin instead of glass as the ba- world at large. His name is among tor of 10. It’s not like we’re look- type of photoelectron microscope potential signals that are not com- sis for the photographic plate, and 72 inscribed on the Eiffel Tower. ing at star after star after star at and composed new computational ing from space. the same rate.” As the telescopes methods able to provide 3D imag- Now, as Director, he plans to have improved, so has their abil- es of atoms. After he graduated in implement new techniques that ments, this is a great time to step to the rest of the universe.” ity to find new worlds which may 1991, he soon found a tenure-track will “greatly enhance the number up recruitment, he indicates. He Yet he is optimistic. “If I had to be candidates for inhabitability of position at Ohio University where of different signal types we can be is furthermore encouraging more bet, intellectual extraterrestrial life some form of life. Currently, many he stayed for six years. sensitive to, including convention- publications relating to SETI re- is in this galaxy. It’s way too big hundreds of exoplanets have been It wasn’t until 2000 that Harp al carrier waves (think, AM radio) search. “SETI scientists should be for it not to be.” Moreover, “they confirmed. And yet, “even though joined SETI, initially as a Senior as well as various wide-bandwidth writing more papers and getting won’t look like humans. [But] we’re experiencing all this expo- Software Scientist, and later as a signals like those used for satel- the kind of attribution they de- their radio technology will be sim- nential improvement, we’re look- Senior Astrophysicist. He realized lite communication on Earth,” serve,” he says. ilar to ours because the physics is ing at billions of star frequencies that the work he had done as a he says. “We shall test for liter- This PR push is vitally impor- the same.” at one time,” he notes. “There are doctoral student could be applied ally billions of signal types never tant given their uphill battle. “We Alaina G. Levine is a science so many stars in the galaxy, that in astronomy to look for alien sig- probed before.” . once thought there was a possi- writer and President of Quan- that is a drop in the bucket, equiv- nals in new ways. “The difference Harp hopes to attract more tal- bility of civilization around every tum Success Solutions, a science alent to one cup of water from the between a hologram and a regu- ented scholars to SETI. “We find star,” notes the physicist. “Now we career and professional develop- ocean.” lar photograph is that holography the best people to bring in are mid- can say no–life is rare, even bac- ment consulting enterprise. She SETI does have its fans among preserves information about the career scientists who have already teria…As we gain more and more can be contacted through www. the lay community. Over 240,000 particles’ (electrons’ or photons’) established themselves,” he says. knowledge about ourselves, we re- alainalevine.com.© 2012, Alaina of them follow the Institute on direction of arrival at the photo- Given all the technical enhance- alize how special we are compared G. Levine 8 • January 2013 The Back Page

Editor's Note: Last summer, the Federation of Francis Slakey American Scientists (FAS) hosted a debate on Over the last 15 its website (www.fas.org) between Mark Raizen, The Benefits and Risks years I’ve criss-crossed Professor of Physics at the University of Texas, the globe and witnessed Austin, and Francis Slakey, Associate Director of of Laser Isotope Separation its full range of stories. Public Affairs at APS. The subject of the debate And when you see dust was “The Benefits and Risks of Laser Isotope kick up from the bare Separation.” The text of their debate, reprinted with permis- A Primer on the Technical Issues feet of a tribeswoman walking sion from FAS, follows below. Uranium enrichment is a step in the process to convert 5 miles to get water, you realize Mark Raizen uranium ore into either fuel for nuclear reactors or material that we face enormous global Our planet contains vast natu- for nuclear weapons. Mined uranium ore is made up challenges, including climate 238 235 ral resources, still largely un- of roughly 99.2% U and 0.72% U . Only the latter change, pandemics and access isotope is fissionable, and so in order to make reactor tapped. These resources hold the to clean water, to name just a few. Regardless of our indi- fuel or weapons material, the U235 concentration must be promise of detecting and treating increased. vidual views on any of those issues, I’m sure that we can all cancer, saving energy, making agree on one thing: let’s not add more challenges to the list. new materials, and advancing ba- Over the last 60 years, enrichment technologies have We have enough to deal with. sic science. What are these valu- shown exponential improvements in efficiency, which could So, when the research that we carry out has the possi- able resources? Where can they benefit the world by providing somewhat cheaper nuclear bility of creating significant risks, then we should pause, be found? How can we make energy, although fuel cost has never been the primary reflect, and make sure that we don’t add yet another burden them available? driver of the cost of nuclear power. Those improvements to an already challenged world. can also come with increased security risks. The answer to the first ques- Biologists did just that–pause and reflect–in exemplary tion is that the resources are rare isotopes of the elements. The proliferation risks of an enrichment technology can fashion a few months ago when they confronted the H5N1 The answer to the second question is easy: these isotopes are increase as the technology becomes more efficient. In issue. Concerned about potential security risks associated literally in our midst, within the elements that make up our general, if the enrichment facility occupies a very small with publishing particular work on airborne transmission of planet. The third question is the crux of the matter; isolat- space, its construction may no longer be observable avian flu, the relevant community of biologists put a self- ing rare isotopes of elements has been extremely difficult through satellite surveillance. And, if it operates on very low imposed pause on research to consider the implications and because they have nearly the same physical and chemical power, it may no longer require an observable dedicated challenges. It was thoughtfully done, with only modest re- properties as other, more common, isotopes of the same ele- power source or have a detectable heat signature. An luctance from some scientists, and with benefit to all. extremely efficient enrichment facility could be below the ment. This is the reason that many rare isotopes are the most We are now at a moment when it would be fruitful for detection limit thereby creating substantial global security expensive commodity on Earth,whose prohibitive cost se- risks. the relevant members of the physics and engineering com- verely limits the exploration of new applications and thera- munities to carry out a similar examination of the risks and pies. APS has petitioned the Nuclear Regulatory Commission benefits of some areas of isotope separation research. Here are just two examples of rare isotopes that could be to require applicants for an enrichment or reprocessing So far, we’ve gotten lucky in uncovering when countries widely used if only they were less expensive : Nickel-64, a license to provide an assessment of the potential are developing nuclear weapons programs. However, new stable isotope with a natural abundance of only 1 percent. proliferation risks that construction and operation of the isotope separation technologies are emerging that are small- It can be converted in a medical accelerator to Copper-64, facility might pose. er, more efficient and harder, if not impossible, to detect. which is a short-lived radio-isotope with great promise for The technologies are in various phases of development, We live in exciting times, as we learn to control the PET scans and cancer therapy. Calcium-48 is a stable iso- from basic research to commercialization. Consider this: physical world on the atomic and molecular scale. These tope with a natural abundance of 0.2 percent. It is used as Global Laser Enrichment, a joint venture of General are powerful developments that can bring many benefits to a diagnostic for osteoporosis in women, bone development Electric-Hitachi, is constructing and evaluating a laser- mankind, but can also be intimidating to some. In particular, in children, and for a basic physics experiment that may based method of uranium enrichment (SILEX) that is sub- the topic of efficient isotope separation can evoke a fear of determine the mass of the neutrino. stantially more efficient and could leave little prospect for nuclear proliferation, but is that really true? The only general method for separating such isotopes detection if stolen and acquired by a rogue group. In fact, our methods will actually be used to reduce the dates back more than eighty years. This method, known as Mark Raizen has developed a method of single-photon risk of proliferation. How can that be? Consider Techne- the Calutron, is today only operating in Russia, with an ob- isotope separation using a magnetic trap and low-power la- cium-99m (Tc-99m). This short-lived radio-isotope is used solete technology that is facing imminent shutdown. With- ser excitation for a more efficient method to develop much- for medical imaging and is a major tool in nuclear medicine. out an alternative approach, most rare isotopes will not be needed medical isotopes. His technique isn’t intended to available in the future at any price. The looming shortage of Today, all Tc-99m is produced using weapon-grade ura- enrich uranium, although the potential may well be there. crucial isotopes is a national priority. As discussed in a 2009 nium as a target in a nuclear reactor. The need to use such These developments raise the same issue: the on-going report of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee to the weapon-grade uranium poses a serious risk of proliferation, push for greater efficiency in isotope separation carries as- Department of Energy, “Isotopes for the Nation’s Future,” and the US has led a worldwide effort to halt this mode of sociated proliferation risks. one alternative is laser isotope separation. Although iso- production by 2016. An alternative is to enrich a stable iso- These risks of more efficient isotope separation are well topes are almost identical in every manner, the wavelengths tope, Molybdenum-100, which can be converted to Tc-99m known to the US government. For example, the SILEX of the atomic transitions of different isotopes are slightly by a clean nuclear process. You can read more about this technology under development in North Carolina was the shifted from one another. topic in an excellent article by Tom Ruth (published in the subject of a multi-agency proliferation-assessment report, This “isotope shift” makes it possible to excite only one October, 2009 issue of the newsletter of the APS Forum on which conceded that “Laser-based enrichment processes isotope with a narrow-band laser, leaving the others unaf- Physics and Society and available online–Ed.). Our method have always been of concern from the perspective of nucle- fected. The common wisdom until now has been that one of laser isotope separation can be used to produce enriched ar proliferation…a laser enrichment facility might be easier must use lasers to selectively ionize the desired atoms. Molybdenum-100, and will therefore be an important tool However, it turns out that in order to have a large probabil- in stopping nuclear proliferation. to build without detection and could be a more efficient ity for ionization, very high laser power at multiple colors Could our method be used for enrichment of uranium? producer of high enriched uranium for a nuclear weapons is required. The scale is so large that it required a govern- That is a valid concern, and we should certainly pause and program.” ment effort, with one dedicated goal: laser isotope separa- reflect, as suggested by Francis Slakey. My best guess is The report ominously stated that it seemed likely that the tion of uranium. This effort was ultimately terminated in that the application of our method to uranium is unlikely to technology would “renew interest in laser enrichment by 1999, mainly due to the high cost and complexity of the la- be competitive with existing methods. nations with benign intent as well as by proliferants with an sers, and to the best of my knowledge is not being pursued. The basis for our approach is laser activation of the mag- interest in finding an easier route to acquiring fissile mate- Laser separation of a molecular compound of uranium is netic state of an atom, requiring a relatively simple atomic rial for nuclear weapons.” still being pursued commercially by GE-Hitachi. I have fol- structure. Uranium has a very complex structure, which may So the risks of enrichment technology are well docu- lowed this work from a distance, and always felt there must not be amenable to this new process. It is perhaps tempting mented, and the consequences of the proliferation of the be a solution which would be simple and cost-effective for to say that a method for enriching one isotope could also technology are clear and present, most immediately in Iran. the many smaller-scale isotopes that are needed. It came be applied to another. However, each element is unique in Of course, the easiest path for our research community from an unexpected direction. its physical and chemical properties. For example, the start- would be to claim that these risks are someone else’s re- Over the past few years, my research has focused on ing point for most atomic laser separation projects is to heat sponsibility–we are scientists after all, not police. Yet, the developing general methods for controlling the motion the solid material and vaporize it, forming an atomic beam. biologists didn’t take that easy path. They broadened their of atoms in gas phase. The successful realization of these According to unclassified documents on the laser uranium sense of responsibility outside of the lab. They paused, con- methods uses single photons to control the magnetic state of separation project, it took years to find materials that do not sidered, deliberated. And there is a practical reason for do- each atom, followed by magnetic manipulation. This work react chemically with hot uranium metal. In contrast, many ing this. If scientists don’t consider the risks, we leave it to is reviewed in an article that I wrote for Scientific American, elements, such as calcium or ytterbium, are routinely used in others to decide. And we may not like what they conclude. published in the March 2011 issue. I realized that these very atomic beams in research laboratories and do not have those What would we conclude from pausing and carrying out same methods can also be used for efficient isotope separa- problems. Similarly, the atomic structure and required lasers our own “stress test”? I can’t predict the outcome. In the tion with low-power solid-state lasers, a paradigm shift from are unique to every atom. case of the biologists, they strengthened their system with a ionization. We are pursuing this avenue with a proof-of-prin- With so many evident benefits we should not fear the centerpiece called the National Science Advisory Board for ciple experiment, soon to be completed. This will then be ap- future. We should look instead to the past and be inspired by Biosecurity that monitors “dual-use research of concern” plied commercially towards production of important medical the words of the great Marie Curie who said: “I am one of and it has received enthusiastic endorsements from scien- isotopes, where the need is most urgent. In fact, this could those who think like Nobel, that humanity will draw more tists. The biologists came out of the process stronger. So save your life! good than evil from new discoveries.” can we. APS News welcomes and encourages letters and submissions from its members responding to these and other issues. Responses may be sent to: [email protected]