Centennial Meeting A P S N E W S Alert NOVEMBER 1998 THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY VOLUME 7, NO. 10 II APS News [Try the enhanced APS News-online: [http://www.aps.org/apsnews] APS Centennial 44 March 20-26, 1999 Months to Go www.aps.org/centennial APS Establishes Travel Grants for Student Centennial Attendance he APS is sponsoring a matching travel made by APS staff physicists in early Janu- T grant program to encourage the ary. participation of physics undergraduate and Selected students will have their regis- first-year graduate students in the APS tration fee waved, and be able to attend Centennial Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, March the numerous special Centennial events. 20-26, 1999. Approximately 850 physics These include the Nobel Discoveries re- departments throughout the nation were ception and exhibit; special Centennial notified of the availability of the $250 symposia, including talks by more than 20 matching grants to support the travel and Nobel Laureates; plenary sessions devoted subsistence of students selected to attend to general interest lectures on a wide vari- the APS Centennial. Proposals to help support ety of topics; international round tables; a the student travel program from the special student luncheon; and the “Phys- Department of Energy and the National ics Festival,” featuring physics-related Science Foundation are under review. photography and art exhibits, as well as “The APS envisions a Centennial celebra- physics demonstrations. In addition, the tion that will seek out and include talented numerous college and university reunions students,” said APS Director of International being organized will provide an opportu- Scientific Affairs Irving Lerch about the ratio- nity for students to meet and speak with nale behind the program. “Our objective is members of the physics community of

to give the next generation of physicists an which they may one day be a part. At the Photo courtsey of Georgia World Congress Center appreciation of what has made the past cen- meeting’s conclusion, students will be en- Centennial Meeting to be held in the Georgia World Congress Center tury so vital to the intellectual and economic couraged to provide brief reports assessing “It will be an opportunity for career de- The deadline for receipt of nominations development of modern industrial society.” their experiences for presentation to their velopment, mentoring, and networking for the APS Centennial Matching Travel Grant Departments are encouraged to support as departments and for possible coverage of that they might not otherwise have at this Program is December 10, 1998. For more many students as possible. Even though there the event in APS News. stage in their education. And hopefully this information and nomination requirements, will be several hundred travel grants avail- “We hope this meeting will provide stu- program will encourage wide participation see the announcement on page 7, or con- able, the APS will only be able to support a dents with an occasion to explore their among physics departments nationwide tact Erika Ridgway, APS Headquarters, One limited percentage of the students expected chosen field of study in an environment who may wish to fully support more stu- Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740; to apply. Final selection of students will be beyond the usual classroom,” said Lerch. dents on their own.” 301-209-3269; [email protected].

Inside Topical Symposia Arranged for Centennial Meeting CENTENNIAL n addition to the invited plenary talks Historical Factal ...... 3 I to be featured at the APS Centennial The 150th anniversary of the birth of Henry Augustus Rowland, a principal founder and first Meeting in Atlanta, individual APS APS Ephemera Wanted! president of the American Physical Society in 1899. divisions, topical groups and forums To help tell the history of the APS at the upcoming Centennial, the exhibit A Century of Physics ...... 3 have organized a series of special planning group asks members to ply their memories, go through their files and 1965 - 1975: Closing the Circle scientific symposia intended for all look into the back of drawers for APS-related ephemera. We are particularly Prominent Physicists CD-ROM ...... 3 attendees and covering nearly every interested in graphic items or objects that would not be in the Society’s archives, The APS has developed a collection of portraits of subfield of physics. An alphabetical such as personal photographs, old banquet tickets, handouts from APS meetings 20th Century physicists, compiled on CD-ROM, to be available for purchase at the APS centenary. listing of the various symposia, along during the Vietnam war era, buttons (such as those urging relocation of the 1970 with a brief description of each and the annual meeting in Chicago), and the like. If you have treasures of this kind that you NEWS sponsoring unit, can be found below. would be willing to lend or donate, please contact Amy Halsted by mail, phone Leo Szilard Lectureship Award is For a preliminary list of scheduled (301) 209-3266 or email [email protected]. Funded ...... 2 The APS has received nearly $70,000 to endow invited speakers for each session, a Leo Szilard Lectureship Award, intended to check the special Centennial Meeting APS Centurions provide exposure for physicists who have program booklet mailed to all APS We would also like to identify and recognize the oldest living APS members, applied their science for the benefit of society. members in October, or access the APS those born in 1899 (Centennial centurions), and members belonging to the Physicists To Be Honored at November Meetings ...... 2 Centennial Meeting Web site at http:/ APS the longest. These members will be our guests at the black-tie optional Eight physicists will be honored for their work in /www.aps.org/centennnial. Fernbank Museum Gala at the Centennial Meeting. Let us know if you can fluid dynamics and plasma physics in November. Applications of Lasers and help identify these hardy members. In Brief ...... 5 New Physics (DLS) Lasers with pre- Ouellette wins writing award; two APS mem- cise frequency, directionality, high bers run for Congress; National Science Board Atomic Clocks in Science and The Atomic Nucleus: A 20th Cen- appointees. intensity or short-pulse duration have Technology (DAMOP, GPMFC) The tury Journey into the Microcosm of Physical Review Focus ...... 5 many technological and research development of the atomic clock has led Matter (DNP) This symposium de- A sampling of the new APS electronic journal. uses. Here are some far-reaching to important advances in a surprisingly scribes the exploration and the evolution Senior Membership ...... 5 new applications in science and wide range of fields in science and tech- of our understanding of the atomic Do you qualify? medicine. nology. Continued on page 6 APS Regional Sections Hold Fall Meetings ...... 6 Five APS geographical sections held their annual fall meetings throughout the nation during the month of October. CRITICAL CENTENNIAL MEETING DEADLINES OPINION ABSTRACTS Inside Beltway ...... 4 Under the Gun Usual March Program Topics 11/13/98 Early Registration Deadline 1/15/99 Letters ...... 4 (Including CCP ‘99) (To be eligible for the lowest registration fees) Fletcher, Felton, Lubell Usual April Program Topics 12/04/98 Housing Deadline 2/20/99 Zero Gravity ...... 5 Computer Adages (Including Sherwood) Announcements ...... 7 See Enclosed APS Meeting Announcements for complete Centennial Meeting The Back Page ...... 8 Abstract and Registration Information Congressman Vernon Ehlers talks about his new science policy report: Unlocking Our Future. APS News November 1998 Leo Szilard Lectureship Award is Endowed

he APS has received nearly $70,000 eligible, and nominations are active for three lent their insights to the discussion of such T for the purpose of endowing a Leo Szilard years. issues as the safety of nuclear power, the Lectureship Award, intended to provide ex- According to William Colglazier Jr., Chair antiballistic missile treaty and Star Wars,” said posure for physicists who have applied their of the APS Forum on Physics and Society, David Hafemeister, 1996 recipient of the science for the benefit of society. Starting the rationale for the lectureship is to increase Szilard Award and a former Chair of FPS. “But with the APS Centennial Meeting this March, the visibility of physicists working for the pub- physicists involved in public service seem to the recipient of this lic good and thereby to provide positive role be less visible today, so that younger physi- lectureship (formerly models. Public policy issues increasingly in- cists have fewer positive examples to follow.” the unfunded Leo volve a scientific or technical component: In At the same time, he added, young PhDs Szilard Award) will re- addition to questions of energy use and are under great pressure to get and keep a ceive a $1000 nuclear weapons, citizens are now asked to job, and they are often shown only traditional honorarium and evaluate the evidence for global warming, paths. “We would like to expose them to Leo Szilard Award ‘Dolphin’ Statue. The dolphin is a reference to Szilard’s novelette, travel money for lec- the possible health effects of power lines, new directions, introducing them to many The Voice of the Dolphins. tures at least two the claims for and against new medical tech- individuals who have done excellent phys- institutions whose au- nologies and even the risk of asteroid impacts. ics to solve or elucidate problem of and foundations, including the Packard Foun- diences include “In the dawn of the nuclear age, promi- importance to society.” dation, the Energy Foundation, and the young physicists. nent physicists led the debate over the control The endowment goal was reached MacArthur Foundation. Additional contribu- Photo courtsey of AIP Niels Bohr Library Leo Szilard Any living physicist is of nuclear weapons; subsequently physicists through the generosity of several individuals tions from the APS membership are welcome. Physicists To Be Honored at November Meetings ive physicists will be honored for their bilities in plasmas, and for international friends of the Division of Plasma Physics. This Wisconsin Tandem Van deGraaf Laboratory, Fwork in fluid dynamics and plasma phys- leadership in research and teaching of award recognizes a particular recent outstand- and IBM. Now an associate research physi- ics in November. The 1998 James Clerk plasma physics and controlled thermo- ing achievement in plasma physics research. cist at PPPL, Ernst continues work on the Maxwell Prize, Excellence in Plasma Physics nuclear fusion physics.” Robert C. Cauble effects of radial electric field shear on Award, and the Outstanding Doctoral Thesis A pioneering researcher of the world fu- Peter M. Celliers transitionless enhanced confinement, pursu- in Plasma Physics Award will be presented sion program, Kadomtsev graduated in Gilbert W. Collins ing collaborations on several tokamak during the annual fall meeting of the Divi- physics from Moscow University in 1951. He Luiz B. Da Silva experiments. sion of Plasma Physics in New Orleans. The worked at the Institute of Physics and Ener- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 1998 Fluid Dynamics Prize and Otto Laporte getics in Obninsk until 1956, when he joined Citation: “For an exquisite series of experi- Fluid Dynamics Prize Award will be presented during the annual the Kurchatov Institute. In 1970 he was ments using high intensity lasers to measure Established in 1979 and supported by the fall meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynam- named Academician of the USSR Academy the high pressure properties of hydrogen AIP journal Physics of Fluids, the Fluid Dy- ics in Philadelphia. of Sciences, and awarded the State Prize of across the molecular insulator to monatomic namics Prize recognizes and encourages the USSR. The following year he assumed a metal transition.” outstanding achievements in fluid dynamics James Clerk Maxwell Prize Chair of Plasma Physics at the Moscow Insti- Cauble received his PhD in nuclear engi- research. for Plasma Physics tute of Physics and Technology. He neering in 1980 from the University of Fazle Hussain Established in 1975 and supported by eventually was named director of the Insti- Michigan and then joined Berkeley Research University of Houston Maxwell Technologies, Inc., the James Clerk tute of Nuclear Fusion at the Kurchatov Associates working at the Naval Research Citation: “For his careful and skillful ex- Maxwell Prize recognizes outstanding con- Institute. Kadomstev passed away in August, Laboratory in Washington, DC. Since 1985 periments and interpretative concepts tributions to the field of plasma physics. shortly after the announcement that he had he has been at Lawrence Livermore National concerning important structures in turbu- Boris Kadomtsev been selected as the 1998 recipient of the Laboratory. lence and vortex dynamics, for his new Kurchatov Institute Maxwell Prize. Celliers received his PhD in physics from turbulence measurement techniques, and Moscow, Russia the University of British Columbia, Canada in for provoking his students and colleagues Citation: “For fundamental contributions Excellence in Plasma Physics 1987. After one year at the Max-Planck Insti- to think in fresh ways about turbulence.” to plasma turbulence theory, stability and Research Award tute for Quantum Optics in Garching, Hussain obtained his BS in mechanical Established in 1981 by donations from nonlinear theory of MHD and kinetic insta- Germany, he returned to UBC as a research engineering from the Bangladesh University associate. From 1992-1994 he worked in in- of Engineering & Technology in 1963 and dustrial developing spectrometers, and then worked there as a lecturer. He moved to joined Lawrence Livermore National Labora- Stanford University as a Fulbright Scholar and

APS COUNCIL 1998 tory. obtained his PhD there in 1969. He was a Collins received his PhD in physics in 1989 Visiting Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins President APS News Andrew M. Sessler*, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory from the Ohio State University, after which University before moving to the University President-Elect Coden: ANWSEN ISSN: 1058-8132 Jerome Friedman*, Massachusetts Institute of Technology he became a staff scientist at Lawrence of Houston in 1971, where he is now the Series II, Vol. 7, No. 10 November 1998 Vice-President Livermore National Laboratory. He is currently Cullen Distinguished Professor. Hussain’s re- © 1998 The American Physical Society James S. Langer*, University of California, Santa Barbara Executive Officer leader of the Cryogenics Group in the iner- search has been in the areas of transition and Judy R. Franz*, University of Alabama, Huntsville (on leave) Editor: Barrett H. Ripin Treasurer tial confinement fusion program. turbulence phenomena and their control in Newswriter: Jennifer Ouellette Thomas McIlrath*, University of Maryland (on leave) Da Silva received his PhD in physics in jets and shear layers. He has also served on Production: Elizabeth Buchan-Higgins Editor-in-Chief Martin Blume*, Brookhaven National Laboratory 1988 from the University of British Colum- the editorial board of Physics of Fluids and Alicia Y. Chang Past-President Coordinator: Amy Halsted D. Allan Bromley*, Yale University bia. In 1988 he joined the University of the Journal of Fluids Engineering. California, Berkeley and then in 1992 he be- APS News (ISSN: 1058-8132) is published 11X yearly, General Councillors monthly, except the August/September issue, by The Ameri- Daniel Auerbach, Beverly Berger, Virginia Brown*, Jennifer came a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore Otto LaPorte Award can Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, Cohen, Charles Duke*, S. James Gates, Donald Hamann*, Wil- National Laboratory on the development and The LaPorte Award was established in MD 20740-3844, (301) 209-3200. It contains news of the liam Happer*, Cynthia McIntyre, Roberto Peccei, Paul Peercy, Society and of its Divisions, Topical Groups, Sections and Helen Quinn, Susan Seestrom*, Virginia Trimble, Ronald application of x-ray lasers to probe high den- 1985 to recognize important advances in Forums; advance information on meetings of the Society; Walsworth, Sau Lan Wu and reports to the Society by its committees and task sity plasmas. fluid dynamics. Chair, Nominating Committee forces, as well as opinions. Wick C. Haxton David G. Crighton

Letters to the editor are welcomed from the membership. Chair, Panel on Public Affairs Outstanding Doctoral Thesis University of Cambridge Letters must be signed and should include an address and Ruth H. Howes daytime telephone number. The APS reserves the right to in Plasma Physics Award Citation: “For creative research of aerody- select and to edit for length or clarity. All correspondence Division and Forum Councillors Established in 1985 and endowed by namically generated sound, nonlinear regarding APS News should be directed to: Editor, APS News, Steven Holt (Astrophysics), Eric Heller, Gordon Dunn (Atomic, General Atomics in 1997, recognizes young One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20749-3844, E-mail: Molecular and Optical), Robert Callender (Biological), Stephen acoustics, flow-structure interaction and [email protected]. Leone (Chemical), Joe D. Thompson, David Aspnes*, Arthur scientists whose doctoral thesis work is of Hebard, Zachary Fisk (Condensed Matter), Warren Pickett (Com- hydrodynamic instability, and for indelible putational), Guenter Ahlers* (Fluid Dynamics), James Wynne Subscriptions: APS News is an on-membership publication outstanding quality and achievement in the (Forum on Education), Gloria Lubkin (Forum on History of Phys- contributions as a teacher and for service delivered by Periodical Mail. Members residing abroad may ics), Matt Richter (Forum on Industrial & Applied Physics), Myriam area of plasma physics. receive airfreight delivery for a fee of $20. Nonmembers: to the international fluid dynamics com- Sarachik (Forum on International Physics), Dietrich Schroeer Subscription rates are: domestic $160; Canada, Mexico, Cen- Darin Ernst (Forum on Physics and Society), Andrew Lovinger (High Poly- tral and South America, and Caribbean $180; Air Freight munity.” mer), Daniel Grischkowsky (Laser Science), Howard Birnbaum Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania $210. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Materials), John Schiffer, John D. Walecka (Nuclear), Henry Crighton received his BA in Mathematics Frisch, George Trilling* (Particles and Fields), Robert Siemann “For elucidating the role of radial from St. John’s College, University of Cam- Subscription orders, renewals and address changes (Physics of Beams), Roy Gould, William Kruer (Plasma) Citation: should be addressed as follows: For APS Members—Mem- *Members of APS Council Executive Board electric field shear in reducing local heat bridge in 1964 and his PhD in Applied bership Department, The American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844, ADVISORS transport in supershot tokamak plasmas.” Mathematics from Imperial College in Lon- [email protected]. For Nonmembers—Circulation and Fulfillment Division, American Institute of Physics, Sectional Representatives Ernst received his PhD in physics from don in 1969. Following stints at Woolwich 500 Sunnyside Blvd., Woodbury, NY 11797. Allow at least George Rawitscher, New England; William Standish, New York; MIT in 1997, spending summers at the Joint Polytechnic (now University of Greenwich) 6 weeks advance notice. For address changes, please send Perry P. Yaney, Ohio; Joseph Hamilton, Southeastern; Stephen both the old and new addresses, and, if possible, include a Baker, Texas European Torus and Institute for Fusion Stud- and Imperial College, London he became a mailing label from a recent issue. Requests from subscrib- ers for missing issues will be honored without charge only Representatives from Other Societies ies. In 1992, he moved to the Princeton professor of applied mathematics at the Uni- if received within 6 months of the issue’s actual date of Thomas O’Kuma, AAPT; Marc Brodsky, AIP University Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) versity of Leeds. In 1986 he joined the faculty publication. Staff Representatives to play an active role in three years of his- at the University of Cambridge where he cur- Barrett Ripin, Associate Executive Officer; Irving Lerch, Director Periodical Postage Paid at College Park, MD and at additional of International Affairs; Ramon Lopez, Director of Education and toric Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor rently heads the department of Applied mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to APS Outreach; Robert L. Park, Director, Public Information; Michael News, Membership Department, The American Physical So- Lubell, Director, Public Affairs; Stanley Brown, Administrative deuterium-tritium experiments, returning to Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. ciety, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Editor; Michael Stephens, Controller and Assistant Treasurer MIT in late 1995. As an undergraduate, he Crighton has conducted research in gained experience at the Trane Company, aeroacoustics, hydroacoustics, nonlinear Wisconsin Synchrotron Radiation Center, acoustics, and structural acoustics. 2 November 1998 APS News Historical Factal A Century of Physics

1965-1975: Closing the Circle by Hans Christian von Baeyer

ven as the Vietnam War was tearing at the fabric of America, theE Beatles conquered the world, and the first astronauts landed on the moon, two unrelated discoveries on opposite coasts of the country announced the opening of a new chapter in the history of physics. At the Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson (right) were annoyed by a persistent hissing noise in their sensitive microwave receiver. Unable to suppress it no matter what they tried, they tracked it back to its surprising source: the cosmic background of microwave radiation that has been gradually cooling off since Photo courtsey of AIP Niels Bohr Library the Big Bang to a temperature of about Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson three kelvins. This astonishing observation reinvigorated research on cosmology, with General Relativity as its firm theoretical backbone. Four years later Jerome Friedman, Henry Kendall, and Richard Taylor, working at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California, found the first experimental evidence for the existence of quarks, which had been proposed on theoretical grounds earlier in the decade. Protons and neutrons, it now appeared, are not elementary like photons and electrons, but composed of Photo courtsey of AIP Niels Bohr Library; T. Eakins’s painting at Eakins’s T. Photo courtsey of AIP Niels Bohr Library; Massachussetts Andover, Addison Gallery of Art, Phillips Academy, quarks. Here at last was reason for hope that a fundamental theory, as compelling as Quantum Electrodynamics, might one day be constructed for Henry Augustus Rowland: 1848 -1901 nuclear physics. On the face of it, the discoveries of the cosmic background and of quarks principal founder and first president of he established an authoritative figure for the seem to take place at opposite ends of the scale of distances. Indeed, the size of A the American Physical Society in 1899, absolute value of the ohm, and redetermined the observable universe is about forty-five powers of ten larger than that of a Henry Augustus Rowland earned the the mechanical equivalent of heat in the early quark. Nevertheless, the two realms turn out to be closely related. The cosmic recognition of his peers as “the highest 1880s, demonstrating that the specific heat background radiation provides evidence of the universe the way it was about known authority” in the U.S. on the subject of water varied with temperature. He also 1010 years ago, before it had expanded to its present size. A fraction of a of the laws and principles of electricity. He suggested and supervised the experiments second after the Big Bang, its particles were packed tighter than they are in an was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania in which led to the discovery of the Hall effect atom, so it was ruled by quantum mechanics. At one time, furthermore, the November 1848, the son of a Protestant by one of his graduate students. universe consisted not of atoms but of quarks. In this way cosmology brings the clergyman who was the latest in a long line However, Rowland is best known for his physics of the immensely large back to join the physics of the immeasurably of theologians. Henry’s great-grandfather had invention and ruling of the concave spectral small. used his pulpit to denounce foreign grating, instead of ruling his diffraction grat- The scope of modern physics may be symbolized by a circle that extends oppression with such zeal that he had to flee ings on the traditional flat surface. Since such from quarks, past atoms, molecules, and boulders, past planets, stars, and the city during the American Revolution, when gratings were self-focusing, lenses — which galaxies, out to the universe and, via the Big Bang, back to its elementary a British fleet invaded Providence. Young absorbed infrared and ultraviolet radiation — building blocks. Cosmology also relates how the universe has evolved in time. Henry was expected to follow suit, attending were no longer necessary. And the optical When this story is combined with stellar evolution and the geological history of Yale University and entering the ministry, but properties of a concave grating greatly sim- the planet, with biological and cultural evolution, and finally with recorded history, he rebelled against family expectations. He plified the observation of spectra. The a coherent narrative of truly epic proportions emerges. To be sure, the story is was an avid chemical and electrical invention reduced the work of several days riddled with gaps and puzzles — including the mystery of the origin of life — experimenter and wished to study to a few hours, and Rowland sold more than but its broad outlines are firmly in place. engineering. His family ultimately relented 100 of them at cost to physicists worldwide. In the 1960s physicists first began to draft the opening chapters of this story. and he enrolled at Rensselaer Polytechnic Rowland himself used the device to remap Future generations may well look back on this ambitious undertaking as the Institute in the fall of 1865. the solar spectrum, and his wavelength tables principal accomplishment of physics in the twentieth century. Rowland graduated with a degree in civil were ten times more accurate than their best engineering in 1870, and worked as a railroad predecessors, becoming the accepted stan- Editor’s Note: A CENTURY OF PHYSICS, a dramatic illustrated timeline wallchart surveyor and as a teacher at the College of dard for over a generation. of over a hundred entries on eleven large posters is intended for high schools and Wooster in Ohio before returning to Rowland received a gold medal and grand colleges. Each poster covers about a decade and is introduced by a thumbnail Rensselaer in 1872 as an instructor of prize for his gratings at the 1890 Paris Expo- essay to provide a glimpse of the historical and scientific context of the time. A physics. His first major research was an sition. He was a foreign member of the Royal Century of Physics will be on display at the Atlanta Centennial Meeting in March. investigation of the magnetic permeability Society of London and the French Academy of iron, steel and nickel, work which won of Sciences, and was elected to the Na- In the December issue, APS News will feature the ninth introductory essay: the praise of Maxwell and established his tional Academy of Sciences, which 1975-1985: Images. reputation as a promising young awarded him its Rumford and Draper experimental physicist in the U.S. medals for his research accomplishments. In 1875, Rowland accepted a chair in Other professional honors included ap- physics at the newly-established Johns pointment as a delegate of the U.S. Hopkins University, America’s first true government to various international con- Prominent Physicists of the Century CD-ROM research institution, and spent a year in gresses on the determination of electrical In 1997, the APS convened a Task Force to develop a collection of portraits of Europe inspecting various laboratories and units. Rowland was a lifelong avid propo- physicists to be available at the time of the APS centenary. Members of the Task Force purchasing experimental equipment. As nent of basic research, even disparaging were Andrew Sessler, Gerald Holton, Stephen Brush and Spencer Weart. a result of his efforts, by the late 1870s, technological invention in favor of “pure The collection was initiated both to provide a pictorial history of distinguished physi- the university’s facility obtained one of the science” in a celebrated 1883 address as cists throughout the last century and to help finest collections of research instruments vice president for the American Associa- to illustrate talks given by speakers included in the world at that time. tion for the Advancement of Science. Yet Prominent Physicists of the 20th Century The American Physical Society in the Centennial Speakers booklet. Inspired by his study of Faraday’s Electri- even he was ultimately forced to acknowl- cal Researches, in 1868 Rowland devised an edge the economic necessity of technological The approximately 200 portraits of physi- experiment to test whether the magnetic innovation. He married in 1890 and was di- cists selected for the collection have been effect produced by electric current was the agnosed with diabetes soon afterward. Eager compiled onto a CD-ROM. The collection is direct result of charge moving through space to assure the future financial security of his Celebrate indexed alphabetically and includes birth and or of some interaction between the current family, he worked on the development of a a death dates, in addition to a short description and the conducting body. While his results multiplex telegraph, which, while technically Century of the subject’s contribution to physics. did not prove or disprove either theory, the successful, did not succeed commercially of The collection will be mailed to all speak- experiment was the first to conclusively dem- before his death in 1901. His ashes were Physics ers in the Centennial Speakers booklet and onstrate that the motion of charged bodies interred in the wall of his basement labora- 1899-1999 will be available for purchase at the Centen- produced magnetic effects. In the late 1870s, tory in accordance with his wishes. nial Celebration and Meeting in Atlanta.

3 APS News November 1998 OPINION

INSIDE THE BELTWAY LETTERS Non-PhD APS Members Need to Speak Up For the past three years, the APS Committees on Membership and on Career and Professional Development have sent me a Junior Member survey. I have diligently Under the Gun filled it out and returned it, and yet every single year, I am frustrated with the survey by Michael S. Lubell, APS Director of Public Affairs report for the same reason: not enough (other) non-PhD degree replies to be “sta- tistically significant” and so the data isn’t even reported. Regardless of the reason, s the 106th Congress wrapped up its legislative business this fall, it found itself this only serves to isolate some APS members from their professional society. A riding giant swells that made the waves in the Dow Jones average seem like Does it matter? Perhaps there are so few non-PhD members of APS that it is not gentle ripples on a summer pond. In July, even before Special Prosecutor Kenneth worth changing the PhD-academia mentality of the APS (and thereby the Physics Starr had launched his Lewinsky missile, forecasters were predicting a stormy fall community in general). To me, the actual breakdown of current membership doesn’t season. The warning flags went up more than half a year ago, when Congress and matter. We already know from countless pipeline surveys that there are alot more the President set sail on separate courses that promised a collision over budgets and Bachelors and Masters level physicists in the world than PhD physicists. Undoubt- taxes. edly, we all don’t “do physics”, at least not in the PhD-academic sense of the word. With a surplus in federal revenues virtually assured for the first time in But doesn’t the APS need to know what we are doing? decades, the White House fenced off the anticipated black ink by declaring First step, report all the survey results with the appropriate statistical caveats. that it should be dedicated to the Social Security System, which will begin People are more likely to fill out a survey if they think it is going to be used and not to run deficits in about twenty years as the baby boomers retire. discarded. After all, how many of us have worked on experiments and drawn con- It was a savvy political move calculated to blunt the GOP’s inevitable clusions from only a few data points! call for cuts in federal taxes, a core Republican issue that resonates espe- Secondly, let’s talk more with the non-PhDs to find out what is really going on. cially well in an election year. But, arguably, the White House declaration Who are we as a group? What are we doing with our educations? We didn’t we was also fiscally sound, because without the current surplus in Social Secu- continue on for a PhD? Talking to people who have gone through the Physics PhD rity revenues, the federal budget would still be more than $30 billion in the pipeline isn’t nearly as informative as those of us who “seeped out” if you want to red this year. fix the pipeline problem. Also, as physicists and potential physics majors question The President found a willing ally in Senate Budget Committee Chairman their career options, showing them a larger variety than getting a PhD and teaching/ Pete V. Domenici (R-NM), who had been pounding out the same message researching in academia is certainly more enticing. long before the White House had discovered it. When the House of Repre- Thirdly, let’s involve industry and research laboratories. If non_PhDs are doing sentatives finally passed a Budget Resolution that called for more than $80 scientific work, this is probably where we are. Let’s find out how the academic billion in tax cuts, Domenici excoriated his Republican colleagues in the institutions can modify their curriculum to more match employers’ wants and needs. other chamber for acting irresponsibly. Finally, those of us with non-PhD level degrees must be at the forefront of this Just as tax cuts are the GOP’s bread and butter in an election year, social activity. Perhaps getting a list of people with various degrees who are willing to talk programs are the Democrat’s sustenance. To pay for them this time around, to students and academics about career options is crucial. For many years, I have President Clinton included in his budget request last February a call for a done outreach activities to encourage girls to consider science as a career option. I tobacco tax, which health experts said would help reduce teen smoking think those of us with Master’s/Bachelor’s should also be willing to let people what dramatically. we (and they) can do. We also need to be more involved with the APS itself. Have But the tobacco industry launched a $50 million ad campaign, slamming we ever had an APS officer who didn’t have a PhD? Even the industry nominations the White House plan as nothing more than a ruse for more federal spend- always have a PhD. ing, at the expense of poor and middle class smokers. It was an I am told that there is a real concern in the APS about this issue and that actions overstatement. Yet the kernel of truth it contained was sufficient for the are being taken. I have read several discussions on this topic throughout the years, Senate to kill the tax plan before Congress broke for the July 4th recess. and yet in practice, the situation hasn’t changed. As a group, those of us with termi- With the tobacco revenue stream choked off and with the balanced bud- nal Bachelors/Master’s degrees (which sounds like a rather frightening disease) really get caps still in place, Republicans began to strip away the President’s need to speak up about what we do and how we promote science. In reality, once featured programs — education, child care, housing and the environment. a person has “real world” experience, the actual degree matters less than one’s About the only White House initiative that survived was increased funding accomplishments. And isn’t that what is *really* important? Some of us were much for science. better in a lab than we were in a classroom and we have valuable skills to offer both So different were the House and Senate budget plans, however, that by the the physics and world communities. time the August vacation came, not one appropriations bill had made it through But the real day of inclusion will be when I never have to hear the phrase “just a conference for final vote. There was an added complication: President Clinton Master’s degree” or “only a Master’s degree”. Even if said in a way clearly meant to had threatened to veto seven of the thirteen bills, if Republicans hewed to their be a compliment, the connotation is rather insulting. If those of us non-PhDs start fiscal plans. The stage was being set for a September showdown. being more vocal, maybe others who have remained silent will join in and feel more The outcome was uncertain: a mammoth catch-all appropriations bill, a included (both in the APS and in the physics community). I think if we can show government shutdown or a continuing resolution that would fund federal what a physics education (regardless of degree level) can do and be used for, the agencies at last year’s level or the lower of the current House and Senate PhD-centric community, over time, can and will change its opinion. After all, we are appropriations bills. While smart money was on a mammoth appropriations all involved in APS to promote science and physics. We just have different ways of bill, the only sure bet was that members of Congress would leave town on going about it. October 9, as scheduled, to return home for a final month of campaigning Sandy Fletcher prior to the November elections. Masters of Science in Physics But when the Lewinsky missile landed on the Hill, all bets were off. Partisanship took over, as Republicans seized the opportunity to extend BELTWAY Becoming Too Partisan? their Senate margin to a filibuster-proof majority and deny the Democrats Michael Lubell’s commentary (“Inside the Beltway”, August/September) is taking any chance of reclaiming control of the House. Their strategy, according to on an objectionably partisan tone. “Conservatives” have their “ideology” and “ad- high-ranking GOP leaders, was to humiliate the President so badly that here to their populist credo”; they are “anti-Washington ideologists.” Republican Democrats would not show up at the polls in November. leader John Kasich’s (R-OH) ideas are “contentious.” Nary a pejorative word is ap- The legislative calendar stalled, and suddenly a continuing resolution loomed plied to any liberal. large. About all the Democrats could do was denounce the Republicans for Lubell is farthest afield, and out of his expertise, in his gratuitous comment on running a do-nothing Congress. But the charge fell on deaf ears — until the Social Security. He speaks of “the Social Security ‘crisis’,” and says, “Whether there is House put the salacious Starr language on the Web and released the secret a crisis, of course, is still a matter of debate.” Economists know that the Social Secu- grand jury tapes to the media. Those acts provoked a major public backlash, rity system is actuarially unsound and is technically insolvent now. If we were to according to polls conducted by both parties. Abruptly, congressional Republi- offer it for sale to a private insurer, no one would bid. We’d have to pay some cans were under the gun to complete the calendar, or risk that the “do-nothing” company a vast sum (the unfunded liability) to take it. People who are denying this label would stick. are pandering politicians, not scholars. During the final two weeks of the session, appropriations bills began to move Our President is in disgrace, and congressional leaders, as Lubell says, are dis- swiftly through conference. With Democrats stung by the President’s transgres- posed favorably toward science. Shouldn’t we restrain our natural tendency to bite sions and Republicans reeling from their X-rated releases, both parties sought the Republican hand that might feed us? Shouldn’t Lubell’s columns be placed on an common ground. Science provided them with one glorious opportunity. inside page and labelled clearly “opinion”? As Democratic House Deputy Whip Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said, when she James E. Felten promised to endorse the Ehler’s (R-MI) science policy report, “Thank God we Greenbelt, Maryland can agree on something!” In the final days of the session, research programs in DOD (6.1 and 6.2), DOE, NSF and NASA all received their major increases, with strong bipartisan support. And the Frist-Rockefeller bill continued to pile up co- Michael Lubell Responds: sponsors from both sides of the aisle. I certainly didn’t intend a partisan tone in my last “Inside the Beltway” column. I About the only clouds on the horizon were concerns that the science com- simply stuck to the facts. munity might now become complacent or cease speaking with a unified First, on populism, there is no doubt that the Republicans have taken away the populist voice. Time will tell. issue from the Democrats, who held it for most of the last century. That is not a criticism of Continued on page 5 4 November 1998 APS News

Physical Review Focus Did you know... PR Focus is a FREE APS electronic journal featuring highlights of selected Physical ...that Senior members pay one half the Regular dues rate? APS recognizes the value of members who have supported the Society for many years and may, due to reduced Review Letters accessible to all physicists. The editor is David Ehrenstein [see page 1, income, be unable to afford full membership dues. Seniors paid only $45, the Regular April 1998 APS News]. PR Focus is available at the web address: http://publish.aps.org/ member rate of $90. In addition, Senior members for whom the $45 dues causes a hardship FOCUS/. APS News will print samplings from PR Focus over the next few issues to may request in writing a complete waiver of dues. introduce the membership to this new journal. To receive one-paragraph introductions to Focus stories each week by e-mail, send the following message to [email protected]: Senior members retain all membership privileges and continue to receive Physics To- day, APS News, and other Society mailings. In addition, senior members qualify for reduced subscribe focus [Leave the subject line blank]. registration fees at APS meetings. For example, a Senior member will pay only $60 to attend the 1999 Centennial Meeting in Atlanta, which is $165 (early registration) less than regular A Molecule of Light member registration. micrometer-sized piece of semiconductor can trap photons inside it in such a way that they act like To qualify, an APS member must have at least 10 consecutive years of APS member- A ship. In addition, the member must meet one of the following criteria: electrons in an atom. Now the 21 September PRL describes a way to link two of these “photonic atoms” together. The • Reached the age of 70. result of such a close relationship is a “photonic electronic • Retired from gainful employment. states of a diatomic molecule like hydrogen. Photonic • Retired due to permanent disability. systems can be controlled and manipulated in ways that Light in a box. If you quality for Senior membership and want to change from Regular or Fellow to Photons confined within the are not possible with regular atoms and molecules, so they Senior or Senior Fellow, please contact the membership department at (301) 209-3280 or photonic molecule are re- have a wide range of applications—from probing the basic [email protected] physics of molecular bonding, to building more efficient stricted to a set of discrete semiconductor lasers. energies, like electrons in a real molecule. For many years physicists have probed confined elec- trons in nanometer-sized semiconductor regions called “quantum dots.” In contrast, the first photonic atom was fabricated just last year [Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 378 (1997)] by a IN BRIEF collaboration led by Alfred Forchel, of the University of Würzburg in Germany, and Thomas Reinecke, of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. But photonic microcavity structures might soon become as important as their electronic counterparts Jennifer Ouellette, APS Newswriter wins Writing Award because they are easier to understand and easier to manipulate. The theoretical de- In August, the Acoustical Society of America awarded its 1997 Science Writers scription of connected photonic atoms is not confounded by many-particle effects, Award to Jennifer Ouellette, newswriter for APS News, also a contributing editor such as the complicated electron-electron interactions in coupled quantum dots. for The Industrial Physicist (TIP) magazine. The award was bestowed for an To make a photonic molecule, the group constructed two blocks of gallium ars- article entitled, Science and Art Converge in Concert Hall Acoustics, published enide, approximately 3 × 3 × 1 µm in size, to act as light-confining resonators. The in the September 1997 issue of TIP. Ouellette joined the APS staff in the fall of blocks were linked together with a narrow bridge that allowed them to interact. A tiny 1989 and began writing news stories for the APS in 1991. She is easily spotted at quantum well in the center of each block produced light in response to laser pulses. APS general meetings, thanks to her trademark black leather jacket. While not a The size and shape of the whole structure tended to enhance specific frequencies physicist by education or training, she now generally knows the answers to (optical modes) of this light as it reflected within the structure—essentially the same physics-related questions on the popular cable TV game show, “Win Ben Stein’s effect that causes electrons confined in atoms and molecules to assume a set of dis- Money”. crete energy levels. A fraction of the light escaped, which allowed the team to measure the intensity of the photonic molecule’s light over a range of wavelengths. They ob- Two APS Members Running for Congress served peaks in the spectrum that corresponded to the optical modes. Rush Holt is running as a democrat for the US House of As they made the bridge between the two photonic atoms shorter, the lowest Representatives in the 12th Congressional District in New frequency mode split into two. Reinecke and his colleagues suspected that the split- Jersey and Vernon Ehlers is running for re-election as a re- ting was due to the photonic atom states transforming into photonic molecule states, publican in the 3rd Congressional District in Michigan. Before just as the energy levels of two hydrogen atoms split when they bind to become a running for Congress, Holt was the Assistant Director of the molecule. In a hydrogen molecule, the two energy states are called “bonding” and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, an arms control ex- “antibonding” orbitals, and they have distinct shapes. To test the analogy, the team pert at the State Department, an APS Congressional Fellow carried out numerical calculations of the electric field distribution inside the photonic and a professor at Swarthmore College. Holt was a recent molecule and found patterns that were similar to the bonding and antibonding orbitals chair of the APS Forum on Education. Vern Ehlers was a Rush Holt in a hydrogen molecule. The numerical calculations also agreed with their experimen- NATO post-doc and did nuclear physics research at LBL for tal determination of the electric field patterns in the cavity. These patterns could be several years before becoming a professor at Calvin College prior to coming to deduced by measuring the intensity of light emitted at different angles. Congress. Ehlers is currently the vice-chair of the House Science Committee This simple photonic molecule is just the first step toward fabricating even more (see Back Page, this issue for a photo and more information). complicated structures, atom by atom, in a way that is impossible to do with electronic building blocks, according to Manfred Bayer, a member of the Würzburg group. It APS Fellow Named to National Science Board might even be possible to weave together photonic molecules to form crystals with President Clinton nominated Anita K. Jones, Pamela A. Ferguson and 1996 “photonic band gaps,” that disallow access to photons of certain frequencies, he says. Nobel Laureate (and APS Fellow) Robert C. Richardson to serve as members of Eli Yablonovitch, of the University of California at Los Angeles is equally optimistic: “We the National Science Board. The National Science Board establishes the policies are embarking on an era in which electromagnetic modes will be engineered to control of the National Science Foundation. Board members serve six year terms. things like the spontaneous emission of light and lasing.” Richardson, of Ithaca, New York, is currently a Professor of Physics at Cornell University. In 1996, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with col- This PR Focus article was written by Meher Antia, a freelance science writer. PR leagues David Lee and Douglas Osheroff. Jones, of Charlottesville, Virginia, is Focus vol. 2, story 14, posted September 28, 1998. Primary material: Optical Modes currently a University Professor of Computer Science in the School of Engineer- in Photonic Molecules, M. Bayer, et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 2582 (21 September ing and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. Ferguson, of Grinnell, Iowa, 1998). is currently a Professor of Mathematics and formerly the President of Grinnell College in Iowa.

Letters, continued from page 4 zero Republicans. Indeed, populism served the Democrats extremely well, from the time gravity of Andrew Jackson. Many Democrats, including House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, have chastised Bill Clinton for abandoning it in favor of a pro-big-business agenda, as evidenced by the administration’s China, NAFTA, and banking policies. Computer Adages As regards John Kasich’s budget plan, it was as contentious as any I have seen in 1. Home is where you hang your @. 14. Don’t byte off more than you can years. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici slammed it, as did House 2. The E-mail of the species is more view. Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston, both prominent Republicans. deadly than the mail. 15. Fax is stranger than fiction. House Speaker Newt Gingrich tried to bring all sides together, but had little success. 3. A journey of a thousand sites begins 16. What boots up must come down. As of September’s end, the Senate and House were still unable to agree on a Budget with a single click. 17. Windows will never cease. Resolution, which was due on April 15. 4. You can’t teach a new mouse old 18. In Gates we trust. Finally, we come to the Social Security issue. Whether there is a crisis depends clicks. 19. Virtual reality is its own reward. upon your frame of reference. Most economists predict that current formulas will 5. Great groups from little icons grow. 20. Modulation in all things. put the system in the red as the baby boomers retire, about twenty or twenty-five 6. Speak softly and carry a cellular phone. years from now. That’s a serious problem, but twenty years gives us some time to 21. A user and his leisure time are soon 7. C:\ is the root of all directories. deal with it. Therefore, most analysts argue that the situation is not yet of crisis parted. proportions, provided we make the necessary changes — privatization, means test- 8. Don’t put all your hypes in one 22. There’s no place like http:// ing, or later age start. Ironically, if you want to read any partisanship into the column, home page. www.home.com. you might possibly conclude that I was really knocking the Democrats, not the 9. Pentium wise; pen and paper foolish. 23. Know what to expect before you con- Republicans, for making the Social Security issue into a crisis to achieve a political 10. The modem is the message. nect. and electoral end — although that, too, was not my intent. 11. Too many clicks spoil the browse. 24. Oh, what a tangled website we weave From my vantage point, the column was well balanced. I am sorry that it wasn’t 12. The geek shall inherit the earth. when first we practice. from yours 13. A chat has nine lives. 25. Speed thrills.

5 APS News November 1998

Centennial Topical Symposia, continued from page 1 nucleus, center of the atom and all visible ing and communication satellites, major Physics Education Research: How Science with Accelerators, Storage matter. national programs, national security policy to be a Better Teacher (FEd) The cur- Rings, and Light Sources (DPB) This Breakthroughs of Women in Phys- and arms control, from those involved. rent widespread activity in Physics symposium will include some history, some ics (CSWP) The stories of women physicists The Impact of Computing on Phys- Education Research will be described by high-energy physics, application of synchro- whose success has advanced both the ics (DCOMP) Presentations will highlight how leaders in the physics education commu- tron radiation to high-T s, and future uses for progress of science and the demolition of advances in computing have enabled ad- nity. spallation neutrons and advanced light barriers that hinder the full participation of vances in physics on the national scale, in Physics in the 20th Century: The sources. women in physics. materials, fluids, and biology. Revolution - Quantum Mechanics The Search for the Ultimate Struc- Dynamics Since Poincaré (GSNP) The Impact of Immigration on U.S. and Relativity (FHP) This symposium ture of Matter (DPF) This symposium Chaos in dynamics, and its ubiquitous mani- Physics (FIP) There is no question that U.S. deals with the history of some of the fun- highlights the quest to understand the ulti- festation in physical systems, has been science has profited immensely from the damental developments in 20th-century mate structure of matter, from the discovery thought to be one of the greatest discover- immigration of physicists to our country. The physics. of the Rutherford atom to the opportunities ies of this century. symposium will explore the impact of im- Physics in the 20th Century: World of the 21st century. Einstein’s Legacy: Probing Nature’s migration during the past century on physics War II, Accelerators, and the Rise of Spontaneous Pattern Formation in Experiments in Gravitational Physics in the U.S. High-energy Physics (FHP) This sympo- Fluids (DFD, GSNP) Nature abounds with (GGR) Nature has constructed astronomical The Impact of the Laser on Con- sium emphasizes the growth of high-energy intriguing patterns formed as a consequence experiments which exhibit the full range of temporary Physics (DAMOP, DLS) This physics, including accelerators and detectors of spontaneous instabilities. Here, we trace gravitational phenomena. symposium will review some of the forty along with the role of physicists in World War the legacy of those giants who gave struc- Electronic Structure and Semicon- year history of the laser and describe some II and developments in theoretical physics ture to our early insight into nonlinear process ductors (DCMP) The central theme of this of its applications for physics and technol- since that war. and assess progress to date. symposium is the physics of semiconduc- ogy. Plasma Physics in the 20th Cen- Statistical and Multi-disciplinary tors, demonstrating the synergy between Industrial Research: Past, Present, tury: From Fundamental Physics to Physics (DCMP, DMP, GSNP) This sym- theoretical developments and technological and Future (FIAP) We will learn about the Applications (DPP) The talks focus on posium highlights the recent flourishing of applications. historical and future goals of the Research the key physics issues, which have surfaced statistical physics and some of the many ways Energy Landscapes in Physics, Divisions of Ford, GE, IBM, and Lucent from in the exploration of plasma dynamics in the in which condensed-matter physics and Chemistry, and Biology (DBP) The con- their leaders. natural universe, in basic laboratory experi- materials physics reach out to other areas in cept of the energy landscape is proving to Milestones in Polymer Physics ments, and in applications. the sciences. be a useful way of thinking about the dy- (DHPP) Distinguished speakers will re- Precision Measurements in Atomic The Three-Body Problem in namics of a wide variety of systems, notably view breakthroughs in the development Physics: A Window into Fundamental Atomic, Molecular, and Nuclear glasses and proteins. of polymer physics, from its inception to Interactions (DAMOP, GPMFC) The pre- Physics (GFB) The talks will focus on the Environmental and Medical Appli- the present. cision and tools available in atomic physics contributions made by researchers toward cations of Chemical Physics (DCP) This The Natural Standards (GIMS, permit the study of low energy fundamen- unraveling the complexities of three in- symposium will focus on the applications of GPMFC) “Natural Standards” anchors the tal interactions at very low energies that test teracting particles, using the insights and chemical physics to issues of direct concern ensemble of the International System of the foundations of physics. tools of classical, semiclassical, and quan- to society. Units (SI) base units to the unvarying con- Quantum Many-Body Phenomena tum mechanics. The History of Chemical Physics stants of nature. (DCMP, DMP) A central issue in condensed- 20th Century Developments in In- (DCP) The history of theoretical and experi- Neutrinos (DPF, DNP, DAP) Empiri- matter physics is the emergent behavior from strumentation and Measurements mental chemical physics, spanning processes cal knowledge about the properties and interactions among electrons. Manifestations (GIMS, FHP) From pre-20th century instru- in gas and condensed phases, will be re- interactions of neutrinos has been increasing of these interactions have led to the discov- ments, there is a natural progression involving viewed. rapidly, crucially affecting our understanding ery of families of materials displaying these the era of electronics, the role of standardiza- The History of Magnetism (DMP, of nuclear processes, high-energy physics, phenomena. tion filled by the National Bureau of Standards, GMAG) The rich diversity of magnetic phe- and the universe. Science Policy for the New Millen- and the impact of computers in laboratories. nomena and magnetic materials provides a From Particles to Atoms and Gal- nium (FPS) Subjects open for discussion Unsolved Problems in Astrophys- fascinating history of fundamental physics axies: Physics in All Sizes and by All include the size of the federal investment, ics (DAP) Advances in astrophysical research studies and the basis for a stream of techno- Peoples (COM) Members of the minority program accountability, priority setting, in the last few decades have solved many logical applications. physics community will discuss their roles enduring rationales for public investment fundamental problems. They have also pro- History of Physics in the National and contributions to atomic, high energy, astro- in research, linkages between educational vided a number of new and perplexing Defense (FIAP, FPS) We will hear the and condensed matter physics, as well as in institutions and industry, and the balance questions, four of which we will explore in story of radar and nuclear weapons, imag- public service. in the R&D portfolio. this symposium.

APS Regional Sections Hold Fall Meetings ive APS geographical sections held their of CEBAF/Jefferson Laboratory; Miguel A New Window on the Universe” following magnetotactic bacteria and on microscopy F annual fall meetings throughout the na- Yacaman, director of Mexico’s Instituto Friday evening’s banquet. and spectroscopy beyond the diffraction limit. tion during the month of October, including Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ); Saturday morning began with a presenta- New England Section The APS New the second meeting of the fledgling Four John Anderson of the Jet Propulsion Labora- tion of student papers, followed by a physics England Section concluded the month’s re- Corners Section. A brief description of high- tory; and Michael Martin Nieto of Los Alamos, demonstration and the awarding of prizes gional section activities with its fall meeting, lights from each is below. who gave a banquet address on “The Dis- for outstanding student papers, with a spe- held 23-24 October at the University of New New York State Section The APS New covery of Sqeezed States — in 1997.” To cific awards category for Native American or Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire. York State Section held its 79th annual topi- encourage student participation, prizes were Hispanic students. The conference closed Focusing on advances in condensed matter cal symposium 2-3 October at the Rensselaer awarded for outstanding contributed papers with a public session featuring other distin- and nuclear physics, as well as issues in un- Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. The presented by undergraduate and graduate guished lectures from the region, speaking dergraduate education, the conference was theme of the meeting was advances and students. on the Hubble Space Telescope and the held jointly with the appropriate regional applications in magnetism, featuring lectures In addition, two special sessions were or- physics of nebulae; recent experiments in chapter of the Society of Physics Students aimed at the general public by experts from ganized. One focused on physics in Mexico Bose-Einstein condensation; and, in keeping and the Seacoast Physics Teachers. Friday academic and industrial institutions, as well and featured talks by prominent Mexican with the theme of two recent summer movie afternoon’s opening session focused on con- as non-profit laboratories. Friday morning fea- physicists on such topics as pulsed laser depo- blockbusters, reducing the asteroid and comet densed matter physics, with talks on tured talks on magnetic memory, surface sition and in situ characterization of thin films; hazard. nanostructures and ultrafast dynamics of metal magnetism and cluster magnetism, followed the application of nulear techniques of analysis Ohio Section The APS Ohio Section held quantum dots. It was followed by a panel that afternoon by lectures on magnetism and using ININ’s Tandem Accelerator; and trans- its annual fall meeting that same weekend discussion on undergraduate education. high-temperature superconductors, SQUIDs, formations and structural aspects of at the University of Akron in Ohio. Organized Daniel Kleppner, the Lester Wolfe Pro- extreme microscopy, and magnetic reso- quasicrystalline phases of alloys. The second around the theme, “Scanning Probe Mi- fessor of Physics and Associate Director of nance imaging. Friday evening’s banquet was featured talks by minority Texas-based re- croscopies: Recent Advances and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Re- followed by a public lecture by Ivar Giaever, searchers at the leading edge, sponsored by Applications,” the meeting was held in con- search Laboratory of Electronics, was the recipient of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics, the APS Committee on Minorities. junction with the Ohio Chapter of the featured speaker at Friday evening’s banquet, entitled, “How To Win a Nobel Prize.” The Four Corners Section The APS Four American Vacuum Society and the Ohio discussing Bose-Einstein condensation. The final session on Saturday morning featured Corners Section held its first fall meeting 16- Materials Network. Friday afternoon’s plenary meeting closed with a Saturday morning ses- talks on optically based magnetic field sen- 17 October at Brigham Young University in session featured talks on the dynamics of two- sion focusing on topics in nuclear physics, sors, animal magnetism, and permanent Provo, Utah. The conference opened Friday dimensional reshaping on a metal surface, including measurements of fundamental magnets. afternoon with a session on “Physics in Utah,” and on properties of nanoscale interfaces physics with polarized neutrons; the use of Texas Section The APS Texas Section featuring talks on nanometer scale electronic using scanning probe microscopy. They spin to study strong interaction; parity viola- held a joint fall meeting with the Texas Sec- measurements using scanning probe micros- were followed by a poster session of stu- tion and nucleon structure; and parity violation tion of the AAPT and Zone 13 of the Society copy, and on EUV multilater mirrors for the dent papers, after which three prizes were and fundamental electroweak physics. of Physics Students, 15-17 October, at the IMAGE mission. Kip Thorne of CalTech, au- awarded for the best papers in separate cat- Editor’s Note: Coverage of the annual fall University of Texas in El Paso. Invited ple- thor of several books on astrophysics and egories for undergraduate and graduate meeting of the APS Southeastern Section, nary speakers included such noteworthy cosmology — including Black Holes and students. The conference closed with a Sat- to be held 12-14 November at Florida Inter- figures as Murray Gell Mann; Howard Georgi Time Warps: Einstein’s Legacy — gave a urday morning session featuring lectures on national University in Miami, will appear of Harvard University; Nathan Isgur, director public lecture entitled “Gravitational Waves: the use of SQUID microscopy for studying in the December 1998 issue of APS News. 6 November 1998 APS News Announcements

Matching Fund Grants for Students Call for 1999 Awards and Nominations

to Attend APS Centennial Award for Outstanding Excellence in Plasma Doctoral Thesis Research Physics Research Award Eligibility: All undergraduate and January, 1999. All nominations must be first-year graduate students enrolled in mailed to: in Plasma Physics Established in 1981 with support from physics courses at any university or col- Executive Office Friends of the Division of Plasma Physics Established in 1985 and endowed by Gen- lege in the U.S. The American Physical Society To recognize a particular recent eral Atomic. Purpose: Nominating Letter: Physics depart- ATTN: Matching Grants for Physics outstanding achievement in plasma physics re- To provide recognition to ex- ments should forward to the APS a brief Purpose: search. Students ceptional young scientists who have performed statement of no more than 250 words The award consists of $5,000 to One Physics Ellipse original doctoral thesis work of outstanding Nature: be divided equally in the case of multiple win- concerning the rationale for selecting College Park, MD 20740-3844 scientific quality and achievement in the area ners, and includes a certificate citing the the student(s) it wishes to nominate. of plasma physics. contributions made by the recipient or recipi- Nominating letters must include certifi- Since the APS has The annual award consists of Special Note: Nature: ents, to be presented at an award ceremony at cation that at least $250 of matching limited funds to support the attendance $2,000, a certificate citing the accomplishments the Division of Plasma Physics Annual Meeting of the recipient, and an allowance of up to support will be provided by the depart- of physics students at the APS Centen- Banquet. $500 for travel to attend the annual meeting of ment to supplement the APS award, and nial Celebration, departments may elect Nominations are the Division of Plasma Physics at which the Rules and Eligibility: a completed information sheet. Any to support the attendance of more stu- open to scientists of all nationalities regardless award will be presented. questions or requests for information dents on their own, even if no travel of the geographical site at which the work was Nominations will be Rules and Eligibility: done. It may be a given to a set of individuals should be directed to Erika Ridgway, grant from the APS is awarded. The accepted for any doctoral student (present or as well as to individual scientists, as appropri- 301-209-3269; [email protected]. APS asks that if a department does past) of a college or university in the United ate, to honor those who make essential All letters must be re- choose to fully support more students, States or for a United States’ student abroad. Deadline: contributions to the cited research achievement. ceived at the APS by December 15, that the APS be notified so that all stu- The work to be considered must have been Nominations are active for three years. performed as part of the requirements for a 1998. Selected students and their de- dents attending can be informed of the Send name of proposed candidate and sup- doctoral degree. Also, the nominee must not partments will be notified in early activities and events designed for them. porting information by 1 April, 1999 to: have passed his or her final doctoral examina- Charles F F Karney tion or started regular employment more than Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory 18 months before the nomination deadline for Princeton University the selection cycle in which the nomination is PO Box 451 to be considered. Each nominee will be con- APS/AIP 1999-2000 Princeton NJ 08543-0451 sidered in not more than two consecutive Phone (609) 243-2607 CONGRESSIONAL SCIENCE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM cycles. Fax (609) 243-3438 Send name of proposed candidate and sup- Email [email protected] THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY AND THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS are currently accepting porting information before 1 April 1999 to: applications for their 1999-2000 Congressional Science Fellowship Programs. Fellows Amitava Bhattacharjee serve one year on the staff of a senator, representative or congressional committee. Dept of Phys & Astron They are afforded an opportunity to learn the legislative process and explore science Univ of Iowa James Clerk Maxwell Prize policy issues from the lawmaker’s perspective. In turn, Fellows may lend scientific and Iowa City IA 52242 for Plasma Physics technical expertise to public policy issues. Phone (319) 335-1686 Fax (319) 335-1753 Established in 1975 and funded by Max- QUALIFICATIONS include a PhD or equivalent in physics or a closely related field, a strong Email [email protected] well Technologies, Inc. interest in science and technology policy, and, ideally, some experience in applying To recognize outstanding contri- scientific knowledge toward the solution of societal problems. Fellows are required to Purpose: butions to the field of plasma physics. be U.S. citizens and, for the AIP Fellowship, members of one or more of the AIP The prize consists of $5,000 and a Member Societies at time of application. Nature: certificate citing the contributions made by the Term of Appointment for both fellowships is one year, beginning in September of 1999, Nicholson Medal for recipient. with participation in a two-week orientation in Washington, organized by the American Humanitarian Service The prize shall be Association for the Advancement of Science. Choice of congressional assignment is Rules and Eligibility: for outstanding contributions to the advance- reserved to Fellows. Established in 1994 by the Division of Plasma ment and diffusion of the knowledge of A STIPEND of up to $46,000 is offered, in addition to allowances for relocation, in-service Physics and the Forum on Physics and Society properties of highly ionized gases of natural or travel, and health insurance premiums. by the friends of Dwight Nicholson. laboratory origin. The prize shall ordinarily Purpose: To recognize the humanitarian be awarded to one person but a prize may be APPLICATIONS should consist of a letter of intent, a 2-page resume, and three letters of aspect of physics and physicists. shared when all the recipients have contrib- reference, accompanied by a cover sheet indicating: name, address, phone, email, Nature: The honor consists of the Nicholson uted to the same accomplishments. Nominations references, US citizenship, PHD status, society membership , and where you Medal and a certificate that includes the cita- are active for three years. learned about the programs. All submissions should be on standard 8.5”x11” tion for which the recipient has been Send name of proposed candidate and sup- paper, single-sided and unstapled, and should be sent directly to the ad- recognized. porting information by 1 April, 1999 to: dress below. Candidates should state in the letter why they are applying Send name of proposed candidate and sup- Philip J Morrison and briefly describe their public service experience. Letters of refer- porting information before 1 April 1999 to: The University of Texas ence should discuss not just the candidate’s competence as a physicist, Barbara G Levi Department of Physics but also the education, experience, and attributes which would par- 1616 La Vista del Oceano RLM 11.314, Mail Stop C1500 ticularly qualify the candidate to serve as a Fellow. Unless otherwise Santa Barbara CA 93109 Austin, TX 78712 specified in the letter, the applicant will be considered for both APS Phone (805) 965-3483 Phone (512) 471-1527 and AIP fellowships. Fax (805) 963-2574 Fax (512) 471-6715 Email [email protected] Email [email protected] ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY JANUARY 15, 1999. Call for Awards and Nomination Deadline: April 1, 1999 APS/AIP Congressional Science Fellowship Programs 529 14th Street NW, Suite 1050 Washington, DC 20045 APS and AIP HomePages: www.aps.org and www.aip.org Please note that other physics-related Congressional Science APS Mass Media Fellowship Program Fellowship opportunities are sponsored by AIP Member So- cieties. For information on the American Geophysical Applications are now being accepted should possess outstanding written Union program, contact Daryl Tat/202-939-3222. For programs sponsored by the Optical Society of America, for the 1999 APS Mass Media and oral communication skills and a contact Liz Baldwin/202-416-1418. Fellowships. In affiliation with the strong interest in learning about the popular AAAS program, the APS is media. sponsoring two ten-week fellowships Term and Stipend: Following an CAUGHT IN THE WEB for physics students to work full-time intensive three-day orientation in early over the summer as reporters, June 1999 at the AAAS in Washing- Notable additions to the APS Web Server. researchers, and production assistants ton, DC, winning candidates will work The APS Web Server can be found at http://www.aps.org in mass media organizations full-time through mid-August. Remu- nationwide. neration is $4,000, plus a travel Centennial Units Purpose: The program is intended allowance of approximately $1,000. • Centennial Events updated- • DAMOP, DFD, DPB pages updated to improve public understanding and Mail application materials, which reunion information added • New York Section —election infor- appreciation of science and technol- must be received by January 15, • Virtual Pressroom added mation ogy, and to sharpen the ability of the 1999, to: General • Texas Section pages updated fellows to communicate complex APS Washington Office • Books for Sale—APS in • Topical Group on Magnetism pages technical issues to non-specialists. ATTN: Mass Media Fellowship association with Amazon.com updated Eligibility: Priority will be given Program • Physics Internet Resources— Meetings to graduate students in physics, or a 529 14th Street NW, Suite 1050 String Theory Web Site added • Centennial Meeting Announcment closely related field, although appli- Washington, DC 20045 • GEC sessions available in PDF cations will also be considered from Information on application require- • Personal Schedule Builder now avail- outstanding undergraduates and post- ments can be found at http:// Centennial Webpage able for GEC and DNP Programs doctoral researchers. Applicants www.aps.org/public_affairs/Media.html www.aps.org/centennial • Online Registration for DPP and Cen- tennial Meetings 7 APS News November 1998 THE BACK PAGE New Responsibilities in a New Era of Science Policy by Vernon J. Ehlers, Member of Congress ontext always shapes history. revolution began has been driven by above, the report lays out recommenda- C Scientific and technological continual technological innovation tions for keeping the enterprise sound breakthroughs or other events that affect through the pursuit of scientific under- and strengthening it further. The report the scientific and engineering enterprise standing and application of engineering contains no singular, sweeping plan for are no different. The Manhattan Project, solutions. America has been particularly doing so. Instead, keeping the enterprise for example, coming at the end of a long, successful in capturing the benefits of healthy will require numerous actions bloody war and on the verge of a the scientific and engineering enterprise, and multiple steps, and so we advocate potentially equally bloody and but it will take continued substantial in- in the report not a major overhaul of the protracted battle, was viewed at the time vestment in this enterprise if we hope enterprise but rather a fine-tuning and as a clear triumph of good over evil, of to stay ahead of our economic competi- rejuvenation. It is also not something the intellect over sheer force. tors in the rest of the world. Many of Congress or even the federal government The course of further events modi- those challengers have learned well the can do on its own; making these mid- fied society’s recollections, or at least lessons of our employment of the re- course corrections will require the shaped the impressions of succeeding search and technology enterprise for involvement of citizens and organiza- generations differently. In particular, the economic gain. tions—including the American Physical realization of the existence of long-term A truly great nation requires more than Society—from across the nation. health effects from radiation exposure simply economic power and the pos- Our recommendations focus on im- and the arms race that followed the war session of military might, however. In a proving three major areas. First, influenced the public’s feelings about the truly great nation, freedom triumphs. Di- science—including understanding-driven appropriateness of the bombs’ use and versity is not just tolerated, but research, targeted basic research, and even the Manhattan Project’s existence. celebrated. The arts flourish alongside mission-directed research—must be Vernon J. Ehlers Vannevar Bush’s 1945 report to Presi- the sciences. And strength is used not given the opportunity to thrive, as it is The response of this community to our dent Truman, Science: The Endless to conquer, but to assist. Economic sta- the precursor to new and better under- report will be critical in determining Frontier, delivered just a few months bility brings more than a high standard standing, products and processes. The the extent to which its recommenda- before the bomb was dropped, had a of living in the purely material sense. It federal investment in science has yielded tions can be implemented. less profound immediate impact on the also promotes quality of life in the broad- stunning payoffs. We have made major While the report strongly advocates nation. But its legacy, too, was shaped est sense. discoveries across all the scientific disci- federal funding for understanding-driven by the decades that followed. Imple- Science, driven by the pursuit of plines, and stand at the threshold of research, for example, support from the mentation of Bush’s call for public knowledge, and technology, the out- making new and equally exciting ones. scientific community that focuses exclu- funding of research, for instance, re- growth of ingenuity, will fuel our Research sponsored by the federal gov- sively on this one recommendation will ceived a tremendous boost during the economy, foster advances in medical ernment has spawned not only new not be enough to accomplish it. Instead, post-war period due to the pressures of research, and ensure our ability to de- products, but even entire industries. To scientists must become more thoroughly the arms and space races. fend ourselves against ever more build upon the strength of the research engaged in resolving some of the other, Political miscalculations made shortly technologically-advanced foes. Science enterprise we must make federal research often more difficult, policy issues before after the release of the report, however, also offers us an additional benefit. It can funding stable and substantial, maintain the nation and the scientific enterprise. delayed implementation of a central te- provide every citizen—not only the sci- diversity in the federal research portfo- For example, the issue of research pri- net of it—the establishment of a single entists who are engaged in it—with lio, and promote creative, orities within and among various granting and policy body for science— information necessary to make informed groundbreaking research. disciplines must be addressed, ways to so that by the time the National Science decisions as voters, consumers and The role of the private sector is just measure research performance must be Foundation was established it had been policymakers. For the scientific enter- as important in maintaining the overall identified, and hands-on reform of the preceded by formation of the National prise to endure, however, stronger ties scientific and engineering enterprise. The educational system must be undertaken. Institutes of Health and the Atomic En- between this enterprise and the Ameri- federal government’s role in the appli- Our report lays the groundwork for mak- ergy Commission (later the Department can people must be forged. And our cation of research is naturally limited by ing some of these decisions and of Energy). For better or worse, the position as the world’s most powerful the need to allow market forces to oper- improvements, but it is only the first step. nation’s management of science and its nation brings opportunities as well as ate, but it is important that we ensure The scientific community as a whole funding had been fragmented within the responsibilities that science and its pur- that the context in which technology- must become more involved in promot- federal government. suit can, and should, address. based industries operate is as conducive ing change if the scientific enterprise is Many of the nation’s policies with re- As a nation, we have much to be as possible to the advancement of sci- to have the profound impact it is capable spect to science were issued and shaped proud of. But we ought always to be ence, technology, and economic growth. of exerting, and thus bring about im- in the post-World War II era. But the Cold seeking to improve. Science and tech- Third, our system of science and provements in the lives, health and War context of urgency—of the need to nology can play important roles in mathematics education, from kinder- freedoms of all peoples. maintain the scientific enterprise for the driving this improvement. These be- garten to research universities, must be This involvement can take place on nation’s very survival—has all but van- liefs—that we can do better and that strengthened. Our effectiveness in re- the national level, through interactions ished today. Additionally, the increasing improvement can come, at least in part, alizing the vision we have identified with federal policymakers, for ex- costs of scientific research in the face of through a strong science and technol- will be largely determined by the in- ample, or at the local level, through declining federal funds, due to the ogy program—are reflected in the vision tellectual capital of the nation. participation in city, county or state growth of entitlements and interest on that guided the Committee on Science Education is critical to developing this government. Speeches to local civic the national debt, have created a fiscally during the national science policy study: resource. Not only must we ensure that groups can help bridge the communi- constrained atmosphere for science The United States of America must we continue to produce world-class cation gaps that often exist between funding. Largely for these reasons, the maintain and improve its pre-eminent scientists and engineers, we must also scientists and the rest of society. Invi- Speaker of the House of Representa- position in science and technology in provide every citizen with an adequate tations to students at nearby schools tives, Newt Gingrich, asked the order to advance human understanding grounding in science and math if we to tour or work in one’s laboratory, or Chairman of the House Committee on of the universe and all it contains, and to are to give them an opportunity to talks given to students in the classroom Science, F. James Sensenbrenner, to improve the lives, health, and freedom succeed in the technology-based world are ways to become more actively in- charge me with developing a new na- of all peoples. of tomorrow—a lifelong learning volved in education. I encourage each tional science policy that fits today’s After a year of gathering input for the proposition. and every one of you to take at least needs and circumstances. project, including speeches to, and dis- As with past events, whether the one such step. In doing so, you will Today, while we must remain ever cussions with, thousands of scientists and atomic bomb or Vannevar Bush’s 1945 not only be helping to strengthen the vigilant and militarily strong, the need other interested citizens, two roundtable report, our recent report, Unlocking scientific enterprise, but also the na- to maintain economic strength has taken discussions, seven hearings, and over 300 Our Future: Toward a New National tion. on primary importance. We now recog- email submissions, we issued our report, Science Policy, will be judged based Vern Ehlers, a Fellow of the APS, was nize more clearly than ever that entitled Unlocking Our Future: Toward on not only future events we cannot first elected to Congress in December economic strength facilitates not only a a New National Science Policy (the re- predict, but also on actions taken in 1993 after a distinguished career of strong defense, but promotes other so- port is available on the Web at: http:// the immediate future, actions which, teaching, scientific research, and com- cietal needs, such as social and political www.house.gov/science/ in contrast, we can and must effect. munity service. He is the first PhD stability, good health, and the preserva- science_policy_report.htm). The scientific community has been research physicist to serve in the US Con- tion of freedom. Because the continued health of the given a rare opportunity to make an gress, and currently serves as Vice The growth of economies through- scientific enterprise is a central compo- impact on national policy in a way not Chairman of the House Science Com- out the world since the industrial nent in reaching the vision outlined seen since the end of World War II. mittee.

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