April 2008 Volume 17, No. 4

www.aps.org/publications/apsnews APS NEWS Win Prizes!!! A Publication of the American Physical Society • www.aps.org/publications/apsnews APS News Caption Contest See page 5

April Meeting Features Fundamental Science and Societal Issues The latest research results in par- tive galaxies and from stars, stellar direct and indirect means. Stanford dark matter, including space-based ticle, nuclear, plasma, and astrophys- cores, shock waves and turbulence University’s Jodi Cooley will review satellites, ground-based gamma-ray ics will be featured at the 2008 APS in the universe, planetary interiors the evidence for weakly interacting telescopes, and neutrino telescopes. April Meeting, to be held April 12- (including those of extra-large sized massive particles (WIMPs) as can- Leslie Rosenberg of the University 15, 2008 in St. Louis, MO. In addi- “super-earths”), heavy ion beams, didates for dark matter, as well as of Washington will discuss the pos- tion, there will be a wide variety of laser-driven proton beams, wakefield current cryogenic techniques being sible role of axions as dark matter. sessions devoted to education, na- accelerators, quark-gluon plasmas, used to detect dark matter directly, (Sessions B5.3 and M2) tional security, energy research, and and laboratory-produced high energy including the latest results from the Space Junk. The space age has other social issues. densities at facilities such as Liv- Cryogenic Dark Matter Search in brought many benefits, but also new The meeting will be held in con- ermore’s National Ignition Facility the Soudan Mine in Minnesota. Tom problems, including the increasing junction with an international con- (scheduled for completion in March Shutt of Case University will de- amount of space debris: defunct sat- ference sponsored by High Energy 2009) and Sandia’s Z Machine. scribe new detectors based on liqui- ellites, discarded equipment, satellite Density Physics (HEDP) and High Detecting Dark Matter. Obser- fied noble elements and next-gener- fragments, and the remains of rocket Energy Density Laboratory Astro- vational evidence to date indicates ation experiments, such as the pro- stages. Even small pieces can dam- physics (HEDLA). HEDP/HEDLA that most of the matter in the universe posed DUSEL laboratory in South age or destroy operational satellites sessions begin on Friday, April 11 consists of non-baryonic particle dark Dakota. Elliott Bloom (SLAC/Stan- should they collide. There are cur- and cover such topics as supernovae, matter, and the race is on to detect ford) will review new experimental rently 860 active satellites in orbit but high-energy jets emerging from ac- this mysterious matter both through methods for the indirect detection of APRIL MEETING continued on page 7

Electron Beam Lithography Creates Michigan High-Schoolers Capture Nanobowl Trophy A group of high school stu- tions take place, resulting in neu- work of Tyler Johnson, Zach- World’s Tiniest Trophy dents from Rochester Hills, trinos and neutrons. Neutrons are ery McKinnon, and Christopher The “world’s smallest trophy” etched onto a silicon nitride film Michigan has won the grand prize declared the winner. “I’d like to Ding, students at Rochester Ad- is a silicon chip etched with a de- that had been deposited on a in the PhysicsCentral Nanobowl thank the neutrinos, for conserv- ams High School in Rochester sign consisting of nested football silicon wafer. The largest foot- video contest. Hills, Michigan. fields, with a helmet in the center ball field was created using stan- The contest challenged “We kind of wanted to of each field. The largest field, dard photolithography, in which participants to create short do something different. We about 12 mm long, is visible with a light beam wears away a coat- YouTube videos explain- like learning about particles the naked eye; within that lies a ing called photoresist in the pat- 120 micrometer long football field tern desired. The exposed areas ing some aspect of physics and stuff,” said Tyler, who that is visible with an ordinary op- are then etched out of the silicon and football. is taking a class in nuclear tical microscope; and within that chip, and the remaining photore- The winning video, physics at nearby Oakland is a 2 micrometer long football sist is washed away. The smaller called Nanobowl X-IX, University. He and his part- field that requires an electron mi- two football fields were patterned shows teams of particles, ners read books and looked croscope to view. In the smallest using electron beam lithography, atoms and molecules com- up information about parti- football field, the yard lines are which is similar to photolithogra- peting in a series of match- cles to make the video. They about 60 nanometers wide, 1000 phy, but uses a beam of tightly es. A first round match made the video entirely on times thinner than a human hair. focused electrons instead of light between hydrogen and their own, and they told The chip itself is about the size of to create the pattern. antihydrogen ends with their physics teacher they a penny. “The main challenge was work- no winner, as both teams had entered the contest only The trophy was designed and ing with the design and the elec- produced by Phil Waggoner, a tron beam lithography in order to are annihilated. A match after they were selected as between bosons and di- semifinalists. graduate student in Harold Craig- optimize the exposure dose given Nanobowl winners from left to right: Zachery McKinnon, head’s research group at Cornell to the electron-beam photoresist atomic oxygen results in a Christopher Ding and Tyler Johnson Many of their classmates University. The group is known for in defining the smallest field pat- win for the bosons when it and teachers have since producing the nanoguitar in 1997. terns,” said Waggoner. gets cold and they become a su- ing lepton number,” a cartoon watched the video. “We had all The football field design and While the photolithography perfluid. In the final match, when neutron says after winning the these random people interested,” the words “Physics Central Nano process is standard and has been a team of protons faces a team of championship. said Tyler. Particle and nuclear Bowl Champion 2008” were BEAM continued on page 6 electrons, electron capture reac- This creative video was the TROPHY continued on page 6 Workshop Will Demystify Running for Public Office Money Matters A workshop to be held in vice, possibly because their dis- The workshop is part of Washington on May 10 is de- cipline plays such a crucial role SEA's Campaign Education and signed to help other physicists in many policy questions or be- Training project. The participat- do what Mike Fortner has done: cause it is important to maintain ing societies have produced a run successfully for local office. and improve science education video to promote both the work- Fortner, who has a physics PhD standards. shop and the general idea of from Brandeis, does research at “Any scientist or engineer scientists and engineers running Fermilab and is on the faculty at who has ever thought about Northern Illinois University. He running for office should come for office. The video features now represents the 95th district to this workshop” says Les- interviews with Fortner, with in the Illinois General Assem- ley Stone, Executive Director physicist and US Representative bly, but he started as a Historical of Scientists and Engineers for Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), and with Preservation Commissioner, and America (SEA). “The workshop David Westerling, a civil engi- then served on his local school will demystify the political pro- neer who has served as Town board before being elected as al- cess so we can get more scien- Moderator of Harvard, Massa- derman and then mayor of West tists and engineers involved in chusetts. It can be viewed by Chicago, moving on from there positions that make a differ- visiting the SEA website. Photo by Ken Cole to the Illinois state legislature. ence–from school board to Con- The workshop will take place On February 23, about 80 officers of APS Divisions, Topical Groups, Forums and The day-long May workshop gress.” SEA is the lead organi- Sections gathered at APS headquarters in College Park for the annual Unit Con- will focus on the nuts and bolts zation promoting the workshop, on the campus of Georgetown vocation, to discuss important issues like grassroots lobbying by APS members, of running a local campaign, and is joined in this endeavor University. Further details and and encouraging diversity in physics. They also gained information from APS staff on the services that are available to help units with their activities. Here APS Di- and is designed for scientists by a number of science and en- registration information will be rector of Finance and Controller Michael Stephens (standing) goes over the finer and engineers who are moti- gineering societies, including found on the SEA website at points of unit finances with William Heidbrink of DPP (left) and Christopher Lee- vated by a desire for public ser- APS. www.elections.sea.org. mann of DPB. 2 • April 2008 APS NEWS

Members in the Media This Month in Physics History

April 1, 1948: The alpha beta gamma paper explains “It’s even possible that there which is associated with asthma.” the origin of the elements are extra dimensions where you Jun Ye, JILA, on a breathalyz- don’t live, I’m afraid.” er test for various diseases, ABC- n April 1, 1948 a paper was published in the dance of helium. Pleased with their result, Alpher and Lisa Randall, Harvard Univer- NEWS.com, February 19, 2008 OPhysical Review by Alpher, Bethe, and Gamow, Gamow submitted a brief communication to the Physi- sity, on extra dimensions, Colbert entitled “The Origin of Chemical Elements.” The au- cal Review, titled “The Origin of Chemical Elements.” Report, February 12, 2008 “The difference between milli thors’ names were a bit of a joke (Hans Bethe hadn’t They celebrated with a bottle of liqueur, which Gamow and nano was a Nobel prize.” really contributed to the work), but the paper contains relabeled “ylem.” “You’ve got to know how to Dennis Clougherty, Univer- a significant scientific discovery. Ralph Alpher and Gamow, who was known for his sense of humor, ask questions. You’ve got to be sity of Vermont, on the nanokelvin George Gamow explained how the extreme conditions saw that the paper they had submitted to Phys. Rev. open minded. You’ve got to know temperature needed to produce a shortly after the big bang could explain the observed was to appear on April 1, 1948. He added the name things. You should teach it to oth- Bose Einstein condensate, Burl- abundances of the most common elements in the uni- of his friend Hans Bethe, who was known for work ers.’ ington Free Press, February 16, verse. on nuclear reactions in stars, among other things, to Neil deGrasse Tyson, on what 2008 Physicist George Gamow was the paper, so the authors would be it takes to be an astrophysicist, born in Odessa (now in Ukraine), in Alpher, Bethe, and Gamow, a pun Colbert Report, February 13, “One of the reasons we look 1904. He grew dissatisfied with the on the first three letters of the Greek 2008 for planets is to find out if we’re Soviet Union, and after one failed alphabet. not alone in the universe.” attempt, he fled and immigrated to Alpher, as a PhD student strug- “Cloaking is just the tip of Kem Cook, Lawrence Liver- the United States in 1934. He took a gling to make a name for himself, the iceberg. With transformation more National Laboratory, on a position at George Washington Uni- objected to the addition, fearing optics you can do many other recently discovered pair of plan- versity in Washington, DC. that the name of the famous Bethe tricks.” ets, Contra Costa Times, Febru- In the early 1940s, Gamow was would overshadow his own, reduc- Vladimir Shalaev, Purdue ary 15, 2008 working on explaining the observed ing the credit he received for his University, Washington Post, Feb- abundances of elements. It had al- crucial contribution to an important ruary 19, 2008 “The beauty of this work is that ready been shown that in the cores of piece of research. But Gamow pub- if you have wind, or you have son- stars, hydrogen nuclei fuse to form lished it with Bethe’s name, despite “There are a lot of materials ic waves, or you have vibrations, helium. But this process happens too Photo courtesy of AIP Alpher’s objections. that are very absorbing of light so that works for you. You do not slowly to account for the observed Ralph Alpher The paper, still known as the that once the light gets in, very lit- need a very large force for that.” abundance of helium in the universe alpha-beta-gamma paper, not only tle is reflected. That is not the big Zhong Lin Wang, Georgia (about 1 atom of helium for every 10 atoms of hydro- explained the origin of the most abundant elements in issue. The big issue is persuading Tech, on a nanotech fabric that gen) and it didn’t account for the existence of elements the universe, but also provided the first support for the the light to go in there in the first generates power from motion, much heavier than helium. Gamow wondered if the big bang model since Hubble’s discovery in 1929 that place” Associated Press, February 14, conditions of the very early universe could have pro- distant galaxies are redshifted in proportion to their dis- John Pendry, Imperial Col- 2008 duced the observed helium and other elements. tance from us. lege London, on the new ultra- The research needed knowledge of nuclear physics, It later became clear that most elements actually black material, Washington Post, “The far side of the moon is the but most nuclear physicists in the US at the time had cannot be produced by the successive neutron cap- February 19, 2008 quietest place in the inner solar been recruited to the Manhattan project, so Gamow ture process Alpher and Gamow originally proposed system in terms of radio waves. was essentially alone in working on the problem of because there is no stable nucleus with 5 nucleons. “At first we obtained things If we could get a radio telescope nucleosynthesis. Another process was needed to bridge the gap to cre- that were like chewing gum. Not working there, the results could be He started making calculations, beginning by look- ate heavier elements. The Alpher-Bethe-Gamow the- quite what we wanted.” very dramatic.” ing at the density of matter in the universe and essen- ory does, however, correctly explain the abundances Ludwik Leibler, Ecole Su- Jack Burns, University of Col- tially running the expansion of the universe backwards of hydrogen and helium, which together account for perieure de Physique et Chimie orado at Boulder, on plans for a to get an estimate of what the early universe might more than 99 percent of the baryonic matter in the Industrielles, on developing a radio telescope on the far side of have looked like. He then began trying to figure out the universe. type of rubber that heals itself, the moon, Washington Post, Feb- probabilities of nuclear reactions in early universe. As Following the publication, Alpher still had to com- The New York Times, February ruary 24, 2008 the universe expands, conditions constantly change, plete his PhD. Scientists and the press heard about the 26, 2008 so the calculations were complicated. Not particularly Alpher-Bethe-Gamow result, and 300 people crowd- “It’s a really interesting ques- adept at mathematical calculations himself, Gamow ed in to hear Alpher’s thesis defense at George Wash- “We brought back some wines tion, Why do animals beat their recruited PhD student Ralph Alpher to help. ington University in the spring of 1948. The Washing- that we thought would be good, wings? One reason is, they don’t They started by imagining the early stage of the ton Post, hearing Alpher’s statement that the creation and we had a tasting.” have wheels. They don’t have universe as an extremely hot dense gas of neutrons, of hydrogen and helium in the hot big bang took just Dick Benjamin, on starting a parts that rotate.” (which they called “ylem,” after a medieval word for 300 seconds, boldly reported that the “World Began wine business after bringing home Geoff Spedding, University of matter). As the universe expanded, the hot compressed in Five Minutes.” wines from a shop in Washington Southern California, on how bats neutrons would decay into a mixture of protons and Alpher was awarded his PhD, but his 15 min- DC, where he was attending an fly, The New York Times, March electrons and neutrinos. Then the protons would cap- utes of fame soon ended. After finishing his PhD, APS meeting, The Augusta Chron- 4, 2008 ture some of the remaining neutrons to form deute- he and Robert Herman (who resisted Gamow’s ef- icle, January 21, 2008 rium. Further neutron capture would build up heavier forts to get him to change his name to Delter) con- “It doesn’t seem like girls are and heavier atomic nuclei. The process would continue tinued work on the early universe. That research “It’s very noninvasive. There’s losing interest in science and as the universe expanded until it was too cool for fur- led them to predict the cosmic microwave back- nothing to be scared of. No blood mathematics any more than they ther reactions to take place. ground, but their prediction was ignored, and they test, just a breath test. If you go to lose interest in other subjects.” Alpher’s calculations of nuclear processes used were not given credit when the CMB was discov- the medical literature you will see Jennifer Blue, Miami Univer- some of the first electronic digital computers, which ered in 1964. Alpher later became a researcher at tons of studies that correlate cer- sity, on a study of how girls’ inter- had been developed during World War II. He was also General Electric. Gamow went on to study other tain diseases with particular mol- est in various subjects changes able to use new data on nuclear reaction cross sections topics as well, dabbling in the chemistry of DNA. ecules found in the breath. One as they get older, LiveScience, that had become available after the war ended. Alpher died in 2007, shortly after receiving the Na- common example is nitrous oxide, March 7, 2008 The calculations agreed with the known abun- tional Medal of Science.

Series II, Vol. 17, No. 04 For Nonmembers–Circulation and Fulfillment Division, Editor-in-Chief Wolf (Ohio Section), Heather Galloway (Texas Section), April 2008 American Institute of Physics, Suite 1NO1, 2 Huntington Gene Sprouse*, Stony Brook University (on leave) Amber Stuver (Forum on Graduate Student Affairs) APS NEWS © 2008 The American Physical Society Quadrangle, Melville, NY 11747-4502. Allow at least Past-President 6 weeks advance notice. For address changes, please Leo P. Kadanoff*, University of Chicago ADVISORS send both the old and new addresses, and, if possible, General Councillors Representatives from Other Societies Coden: ANWSEN ISSN: 1058-8132 include a mailing label from a recent issue. Requests Robert Austin, Christina Back*, Marcela Carena, Eliza- Fred Dylla, AIP; Lila Adair, AAPT from subscribers for missing issues will be honored beth Beise, Katherine Freese, Wendell Hill*, Ann Orel*, Editor•...... Alan Chodos International Advisors Staff Writer...... Ernie Tretkoff without charge only if received within 6 months of the Richart Slusher*, issue’s actual date of publication. Periodical Postage Paid International Councillor Francisco Ramos Gómez, Mexican Physical Society Contributing Editor ...... Jennifer Ouellette Louis Marchildon, Canadian Association of Physicists Art Director and Special Publications Manager...... Kerry G. Johnson at College Park, MD and at additional mailing offices. Sabayasachi Bhattacharya Design and Production...... Nancy Bennett-Karasik Postmaster: Send address changes to APS News, Mem- Chair, Nominating Committee bership Department, American Physical Society, One Philip Phillips Staff Representatives Proofreader...... Edward Lee Alan Chodos, Associate Executive Officer; Amy Flatten Science Writing Intern ...... Calla Cofield Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Chair, Panel on Public Affairs Miles Klein Director of International Affairs; Ted Hodapp, Director of Education and Diversity; Michael Lubell, Director, APS News (ISSN: 1058-8132) is published 11X yearly, ed to: Editor, APS News, One Physics Ellipse, College APS COUNCIL 2008 Division, Forum and Section Councillors Public Affairs; Dan Kulp, Editorial Director; Christine monthly, except the August/September issue, by the Park, MD 20740-3844, E-mail: [email protected]. President Charles Dermer (Astrophysics), P. Julienne (Atomic, Mo- Giaccone, Director, Journal Operations; Michael American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, Col- Arthur Bienenstock*, Stanford University lecular & Optical Physics) Robert Eisenberg (Biologi- Stephens, Controller and Assistant Treasurer lege Park, MD 20740-3844, (301) 209-3200. It con- Subscriptions: APS News is an on-membership publi- President-Elect cal), Charles S. Parmenter (Chemical), Arthur Epstein tains news of the Society and of its Divisions,Topical cation delivered by Periodical Mail. Members residing Cherry Murray*, Lawrence Livermore National Labora- (Condensed Matter Physics), (Computational-TBA), Administrator for Governing Committees Groups, Sections and Forums; advance information on abroad may receive airfreight delivery for a fee of $15. tory James Brasseur (Fluid Dynamics), Peter Zimmerman* Ken Cole meetings of the Society; and reports to the Society by its Nonmembers: Subscription rates are available at http:// Vice-President (Forum on Education), Roger Stuewer (Forum on Histo- committees and task forces, as well as opinions. librarians.aps.org/institutional.html. Curtis G.Callan, Jr.*, Princeton University ry of Physics), Stefan Zollner (Forum on Industrial and Executive Officer Applied Physics), David Ernst* (Forum on International * Members of the APS Executive Board Letters to the editor are welcomed from the member- Subscription orders, renewals and address changes Judy R. Franz*, University of Alabama, Huntsville Physics), (Forum on Physics and Society-TBA), Steven ship. Letters must be signed and should include an ad- should be addressed as follows: For APS Members– (on leave) Rolston (Laser Science), Leonard Feldman* (Materials), dress and daytime telephone number. The APS reserves Membership Department, American Physical Society, Treasurer Akif Balantekin* (Nuclear), Janet Conrad (Particles the right to select and to edit for length or clarity. All One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844, Joseph W.Serene*, Georgetown University (emeritus) & Fields), Ronald Ruth (Physics of Beams), David correspondence regarding APS News should be direct- [email protected]. Hammer (Plasma), Scott Milner (Polymer Physics), Paul APS NEWS April 2008 • 3

Free E-Journal Access For Minority-Serving Institutions The Night is Young In a project initiated by the Na- of all physics bachelors degrees of the institutions that currently sub- tional Society of Black Physicists awarded to African American stu- scribe to some AIP or APS journals (NSBP), the National Society of dents, even though they comprise will need to maintain those subscrip- Hispanic Physicists (NSHP), and the only 4.5% of all universities that tions, but with the trial they will gain Southeastern Universities Research award this degree.” In addition, three online access to the entire collection Association (SURA), APS and the of the six US universities that have of both publishers. These institutions American Institute of Physics (AIP) awarded the largest number of PhDs can then acquire this entire collection have offered minority-serving aca- to African Americans are historically of physics journals at very low prices demic institutions a free trial through- black universities. in 2009. out 2008 to all their online publica- AIP, publisher of journals such “The journals initiative with AIP tions. The two publishers have agreed as Journal of Applied Physics and and APS has planted a seed that we to a formula that would permit these Journal of Chemical Physics, and hope to grow–there is certainly a institutions to then acquire this entire APS, publisher of the Physical Re- need by researchers at these institu- collection of top physics journals at view series, are among the top pub- tions for the journals,” said David very low prices in 2009. lishers of physics journals and be- Ernst, professor of physics at Van- “Historically black colleges and tween them account for eight of the derbilt University, executive officer universities (HBCUs) and other mi- ten most-cited journals in the field, of NSHP, and SURA Fellow.

nority-serving institutions often lack according to Thomson Scientific. AIP and APS are accepting ap- Photo courtesy of Art Lilley the financial resources to obtain the Cooperating with NSBP, NSHP, plications for the 2008 free trial In mid-February, APS, together with the Institute of Physics (UK), and Ghana's research journals so important to stu- and SURA, the two publishers are from HBCU institutions and from Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment (KITE), hosted west African dents in physics and related fields,” offering free trial access in 2008 to a select set of Hispanic- and Na- scientists, industrialists, and policy makers at a workshop in Accra, Ghana, to notes Quinton Williams, chair of their entire online journal collections tive American-serving institu- develop strategies for biomass energy projects in rural west Africa. Enjoying an the physics department at Jackson to HBCUs and other select minority- tions. “We work with librarians evening break in the conference are (l to r): Art Lilley (Chairman, Community Power Corporation of Littleton, CO); APS Director of International Affairs Amy State University and past president serving institutions with a physics throughout the developing world Flatten; Director of KITE Harriette Amissah-Arthur; and KITE Senior Projects of NSBP. “This initiative with AIP department. Some of these institu- to provide low-cost access to Manager Ishmael Edjekumhene. More information on the workshop can be and APS is an attempt to solve that tions subscribe to a fairly large num- our journals,” states Joe Serene, found online at/www.aps.org/programs/international/conferences/, and more problem.” ber of AIP and APS journals (and APS publisher and treasurer. “We information on KITE is at http://kiteonline.net. Roman Czujko, director of AIP’s some get none), but none of the in- should do no less for underserved Conference Connects Physics Teacher Educators Statistical Research Center, points stitutions currently receives the entire and underfinanced institutions in out that “HBCUs account for 60% collection of both publishers. Some our own country.” By Gabriel Popkin the country through grants from the The fourth annual Physics Teach- National Math and Science Initiative Workshop Emphasizes Systems Approach to Sustainable Energy er Education Coalition (PTEC) Con- (NMSI). ference took place Austin, Texas, on Along with workshops and ple- Adopting a systems‑based de- accomplished in part through im- David Hafemeister (Cal Poly), one of February 29th and March 1st. This nary sessions, the conference pro- sign strategy to eke out every last proved utility efficiencies, and high- the conference organizers, has given conference provides a once-a-year vided an opportunity for members bit of energy efficiency in buildings, er building and appliance standards. the issue of heat transfer in his home opportunity for physics teacher edu- of the physics education community industrial complexes, vehicles, and In 2007, the state passed legislation a great deal of thought. He has made cators to connect with a community to build bridges with colleagues in municipal lighting could yield sig- to cut down on energy consumed detailed calculations of his home's of people who share a commitment other disciplines and with univer- nificant savings, according to speak- by so‑called “vampire appliances”: heating needs, taking into account to improving physics and physical sity administrators. Representatives ers at a workshop on the “Physics of chargers for cell phones, PDAs, and such variables as square footage, ceil- science teacher education. PTEC is from the National Association of Sustainable Energy: Using Energy other devices that consume energy ing height, inevitable thermal losses, a project of APS, AIP, and AAPT State Universities and Land-Grant Efficiently and Producing It Renew- even when the devices aren’t being local climate, double‑paned win- to organize a coalition of universi- Colleges, the American Chemical ably.” Held March 1‑2 in Berkeley, charged. California is also beginning dows, air ducts, furnace efficiency, ties, colleges, and national labs that Society, and Math for America at- California, the workshop, which at- to phase out commercial use of incan- and body heat given off by inhabit- support physics department engage- tended the conference and organized tracted more than 200 attendees, was descent lamps. “We can’t just look at ants. He also considered a “free tem- ment in teacher education. Over 100 several conversations and planning sponsored by the APS Forum on developing renewable energy sourc- perature” effect, in which it is 3 de- institutions have joined PTEC. sessions for future multi-disciplinary Physics and Society. es,” said Rosenfeld. “Those must be grees F warmer inside the house than For the second straight year, initiatives in science and math teach- Art Rosenfeld, commissioner of combined with continuing efforts to it is outside. Based on Hafemeister's the conference attracted a capacity er education. the California Energy Commission, improve energy efficiencies.” calculations, this means that no fur- crowd of around 120 physics and Conference attendees were over- described that state’s recent success- Contemporary physicists rarely nace heating is needed to maintain an education faculty, administrators, whelmingly positive about the pro- es in reducing electricity use com- spend a great deal of time consider- indoor temp of 68 F until the outside teachers, and students, who soaked gram, commenting that the meet- pared to the US as a whole. This was ing the basic physics of buildings, but temperature hits 65 F. up two packed days of one-and-a- ing’s compact size and intense focus All those factors combine to de- half-hour workshops led by national created a particularly rich environ- termine a home’s total energy usage. experts on master teachers, assess- ment for teaching, learning, and net- Because of this, small incremental ment and evaluation, curriculum and working. Valerie Otero, a University improvements in energy efficiency teaching methods, and institutional of Colorado Education Professor, re- in a building “system” can add up partnerships. Among the best-at- marked on the collegial atmosphere. significantly over time, according to tended sessions were the workshop “There were no ‘knowers’, only Daniel Harvey of the University of on interactive pedagogy, “Are you learners. The problem of preparing Toronto, who spent years developing really teaching if no one is learn- qualified physics teachers is so hard climate change models before turn- ing?”, conducted by Ed Prather of that everyone is looking for someone ing his attention to building efficien- the University of Arizona, and the who knows the answer,” she said. cies. In developed countries, build- workshop on “Student Centered The 2009 PTEC Conference, ings account for as much as one‑third Activities for Large Enrollment with the theme “Institutional of energy‑related greenhouse gas Undergraduate Program (SCALE- Change,” will take place in Pitts- emissions. UP),” led by Bob Beichner of North burgh on March 13th and 14th, Much progress has been made Carolina State. Also popular was a preceding the APS March Meeting. on maximizing the efficiency of in- full-day workshop at the University Another topical workshop simi- dividual devices commonly found of Texas at Austin on UTeach, one lar to last fall’s Learning Assistant Photo by Richard Cohen in structures: pumps, motors, fans, of the best-known and most suc- workshop (reported in the February Alex Farrell of the Energy Resources Group at UC Berkeley gives a presentation heaters, chillers, lighting, air ducts, cessful science teacher preparation APS News) is also being planned, on “The Race for 21st Century Fuels”, while the audience (inset) listens attentively major appliances, and so forth. But programs, which is now being repli- and the project will to continue to and waits to ask questions. WORKSHOP continued on page 7 cated at thirteen universities around CONFERENCE continued on page 7 APS Joins Call for Science Debate in 2008 Will they or won’t they? As APS plays in spurring economic growth “This debate is important for two these public policy issues.” as have business people and legisla- News goes to press, the three major and competitiveness, we call for a reasons,” says astrophysicist Law- Krauss stresses that the debate tors. remaining candidates for US Presi- public debate in which the US presi- rence Krauss of Case Western Re- will not be a science quiz, but will The debate is strategically posi- dent are weighing an invitation to dential candidates share their views serve University, a member of the explore important policy issues and tioned to occur only four days before participate in a “Science Debate”, on the issues of The Environment, steering committee that is organizing allow voters a better chance to make the Pennsylvania primary, which has slated for April 18 at the Franklin Health and Medicine, and Science the event. “First, issues of science and an informed decision about the candi- emerged as the next crucial test be- dates. “The interest in this debate has Institute in Philadelphia. The debate and Technology Policy.” Hundreds technology will be at the heart of al- tween Hillary Clinton and Barack will take place if at least one of them of organizations have signed on to most every important challenge that exploded in the period since I wrote Obama. Krauss is cautiously opti- accepts. this call, as have tens of thousands of the next president will face, from the about it in the Wall Street Journal in mistic, saying “I now give the likeli- The invitation reads “Given the individuals, including a large number environment, to energy, national se- December,” Krauss maintains. Over many urgent scientific and techno- of Nobel Prize winners, university curity, health, and economic compet- 100 major organizations, from the hood of such a debate in Philadelphia logical challenges facing America presidents, and leaders of the scien- itiveness. Second, these issues have National Academy of Sciences, to a fighting chance.” and the rest of the world, the increas- tific community. APS joined the call not really been the focus of much dis- the AAAS, the APS, and the Council More information about the de- ing need for accurate scientific infor- when the Executive Board voted to cussion between the candidates or on on Competitiveness have signed on. bate, and a complete list of the sign- mation in political decision making, endorse the debate at its February the media, and the public has a right Presidents of universities from Har- ers, can be found on the debate web- and the vital role scientific innovation meeting. to know the candidates’ thoughts on vard to Stanford have joined the call, site, www.sciencedebate2008.com. 4 • April 2008 APS NEWS

Physics Major Finds Fame as Cartoonist Letters The Profile in Versatility in the have seen our names and caricatures words of wisdom about James Clerk February APS News on Michael appear in FoxTrot. If you choose Maxwell, he may have been making Long’s career in the Funny Business to go looking through back files of sketches of the professor, sketches What Would a Physicist Do? (and in Speechwriting) prompts me to FoxTrot to find me, for instance, a that he saved for later use. He tells Rep. Ehlers (February APS News, model that does not price in war, sub- call attention to another college phys- clue is that when Amend was an un- me now that whenever he puts an Back Page) has shared his thoughts sidies, world wide ecological dam- ics major who has had great success dergraduate, I had a great deal more equation about projectile motion or a on having a physicist (or other sci- age, public health, and failed/failing in a related somewhat surprising ca- hair on my face than I have gener- sequence of prime numbers into his entist) as president of the country. states, and other externalities into the reer, albeit in the Funny Papers rather ally worn since that time–and about strip (his editors urge him to go easy While I certainly would not argue cost of fossil fuels? than as a standup comedian. Faithful the same (small) amount on the top on the math and physics), he does so with his points on education, innova- What would a physicist do about readers of the comic strip FoxTrot of my head. Some of the wording somewhat nervously, knowing that tion and analytical thinking, I other- the new Golden Age of income dis- have no doubt long ago deduced that from lab notes I wrote nearly three his former professors will be watch- wise find his discussion narrow and parity that threatens our middle class, its creator, Bill Amend, has more of decades ago appeared almost verba- ing, ready to email him in case of an parochial. and hence our democracy? Or about a scientific background than do most tim in one of his sequences. (No, I error. As a physicist who has a son in universal health care? Or about our of his colleagues. Amend was an never received any royalties–pride of In 2000, Amherst College pre- his FOURTH tour of duty in Iraq, I aging infrastructure? Amherst College physics major in authorship was more than adequate sented Amend with an honorary de- would want to know: Given that physicists have played, the class of 1983, probably our most payment.) I never would have dared gree for his creation of FoxTrot. What would a physicist do about and continue to play, such a key role famous physics alumnus. (This is to peek at Bill’s notes that he took the Iraq War? We know Rep. Ehlers in development and maintenance of not a secret; you can read it on his during my classes; I fear that instead Robert H. Romer, voted for it, that’s not a good start for our nuclear arsenal: What would a website.) Many of us on the faculty of recording my equations and my Amherst, MA recommending physicists as political physicist do about our stockpile of leaders. some 8000 warheads? About counter Rowland Spinning in his Grave What would a physicist do about proliferation? the US military/industrial/univer- There is much, much more for a On the Back Page of the Janu- cent of this sum to save our chil- lishment. Perhaps this is an omi- sity complex that costs the taxpayers physicist, or anyone, to do. ary APS News the editor reprints dren and descendents from misery nous sign that the human species $750B to $1T per year, more than the the presidential address of Henry and death.” Today, one hundred is firmly on the road to its own rest of the world combined spends on Gerard Bricks A. Rowland, the first president of and eight years later, it is apparent self-annihilation. Henry Rowland its military establishments? Kennett Square, PA the American Physical Society. In that nothing has changed. It is par- is surely not resting in peace. Have What would a physicist do about the closing paragraphs of his ad- ticularly ironic that the institution we, as physicists, failed APS’s first the American Empire maintained by Not Dumb Enough to Run dress Rowland laments “the sins that Rowland was addressing, the president and humanity in the big- its military strength exerted through of the past” “because our ancestors American Physical Society, now ger picture? dissipated their wealth on armies has a large, and growing, number 11 carrier battle groups and more I read February’s Back Page with and navies” “designated to kill” of its members employed directly Karo Michaelian than 700 military installations in over interest and agreement with the au- instead of spending only “one per- or indirectly in the military estab- Mexico City, Mexico 70 countries world wide, and by its thor, but Dr. Ehlers forgets one thing: economic strength exerted through no physicist is stupid enough to run the World Bank, the IMF and the for President. Heisenberg Article Found Appalling WTO? I was appalled by the portion leader in the German fission pro- Powers, published in 1993, is not What would a physicist do about Stephen C. Bennett of the article about Heisenberg gram, which failed in its effort to that forgiving. global warming? About an economic Boulder, CO (APS News, February 2008) that build an atomic bomb.” The com- Physicist Not the Best Choice for President read: “...he was a patriotic Ger- prehensive and well-known book Louis Costrell man citizen, and he became a “Heisenberg's War” by Thomas Rockville, MD Regarding Congressman Vernon all related human efforts to control J. Ehler’s Back Page (APS News, the predicted devastation such as al- February 2008): I cannot recall a ternate sources of energy are issues more stimulating call from the Oval and challenges that America, as be- Office for more intense study of sci- fore, can accept and solve. Can a ence and technology at American candidate for election or a President schools and colleges and advanced in office make the call and should he Physicists Lead the Establishment of a Novel Research research and related development or she be a physicist? My answer to in schools and industry alike than the first part of the question is YES Institution in Cyprus for the Middle East the one made by President Kennedy and to the latter part, NO. by Constantia Alexandrou with the challenge to place a man on A person willing to respectfully the moon and bring him back safely Cyprus appears on most global or even a world-class, institution case of Finland and Ireland, a de- listen to divergent suggestions and within a decade. The overwhelming maps, if at all, as a small dot off is problematic for a number of cade ago. response to the call and the eco- capable of developing a feasible the cost of Lebanon. Can Cyprus reasons, ranging from governance The proposal that articulated nomic boost has lasted almost forty solution to the problem from the nevertheless offer a fertile envi- structures that do not reward ex- the vision for the Cyprus Institute years. We all know that President inputs should be the right choice ronment for the development of cellence to the lack of innovation was developed by a five-member Kennedy was not a physicist. rather than a specialist who knows a word-class educational and re- culture in the surrounding society. committee that included three It is my considered belief that a more and more about less and less. search institution serving the en- These are features common in this physicists: E. J. Moniz of MIT, Sputnik-like era has dawned on us tire Eastern Mediterranean region, geographical area of the world that C. N. Papanicolas of the Univer- again now calling for a similar spark P. Mahadevan one that would educate future re- hinder the emergence of world- sity of Athens and H. Schopper from America. Global warming and Fullerton, CA gional leaders to more eagerly use class institutions. According to the of CERN. The other two were F. science, technology and manage- Times magazine list (November Rhodes and G. Ourisson former Needed: Young Physicist to Run for Senate ment instead of the threat of war 5, 2004 issue) of the top 200 uni- Presidents of Cornell and Louis to respond to scarcity, tap diver- versities worldwide none are from Pasteur Universities respectively. While I agree with the suggestion man and Congressman Ron Paul. sity, and resolve conflict? This as- this area, with two from Israel be- The proposal was debated and of Congressman Ehlers (Back Page, With virtually no effort beyond cre- piration is being put to test, largely ing the only exceptions. enthusiastically endorsed in 2002 February APS News) that a physicist ating a web site (www.lawrencecran- through the involvement of the in- When Cyprus entered the Eu- by a convocation of international might make a great President, I think berg.org), and at age 84, I gained only ternational scientific community, ropean Union (EU) in 2004, it scholars that included many prom- it is more practical and feasible that 3 percent of the voters in Texas, but via the recent establishment of the held the embarrassingly last posi- inent academics, among them sci- physicists try for the US Senate. I did I strongly encourage others younger Cyprus Institute (www.cyi.ac.cy). tion in funds spent on research per entists of the stature of the late try, perhaps for the first time in our than I to make the effort. The initial spark came in 1992 capita. The government reacted H. Curien, H. Varmus, P. Crutzen history, in the Republican Primary in with the establishment in of the with increasing spending on re- Texas in 2002, with strong endorse- Lawrence Cranberg and J. Sachs. These scholars came University of Cyprus (www.ucy. search thereby becoming the fast- ments of the late Prof. Milton Fried- Austin, TX with the belief that Cyprus, at the ac.cy). The academics that came est growing in the EU for the last cross-roads of Western and East- to work there had pursued ca- four years. The impact is becom- ern civilizations, in an area of Better to Build Schools Than To Run for President reers mostly in the US or West- ing visible: two additional public long political strife, and with good The “Physicist for President” idea Representative Ehlers could submit ern Europe, with the Physics universities and three private ones relations with both Israel and the discussed by Representative Vernon a bill for the Federal Government Department, established in 1999, have been established and funding Arab world, holds the promise to Ehlers in his Back Page article (APS to fund and build 435 special public being no exception. Difficulties for research is rising steadily. Cy- become Europe’s gateway to the News, February 2008) would not High Schools of Science, 63 per year, were associated with the lack of prus is doing very well in claim- East, playing a catalytic role for succeed politically. locally controlled, (like my own very academic and research tradition, ing competitive research funds new understanding and reconcili- As the Republican candidate for successful Stuyvesant H. S.), one in and with the inhomogeneity of from EU and, in the recent highly ation among the nations of the re- Congress in the 8th district of Mas- each Congressional district, to which the faculty coming from differ- competitive European Research gion. They endorsed the creation sachusetts in 1962, I found that my any Congressperson could point with ent backgrounds. Nevertheless, Council call, Cyprus emerged as of a novel, technologically ori- slogan “Put a Scientist in Congress” pride. We can afford this investment fifteen years after the admittance a champion. Education, research, ented world-class Institute based flopped! Of course I lost for many in financially poor, but really bright of its first students, the University and innovation have become top in Cyprus but serving the entire other reasons, like running against American children. of Cyprus has established itself priorities for all political parties. region. The Cyprus Institute, a a skilled ten-year incumbent Demo- as the highest center for learning This is fortunate since political private non-profit organization, is crat. To help science in America and Howard D. Greyber serving local educational needs. and social unity on such issues to be structured ab initio to facili- spur our economic competitiveness, San Jose, CA Whether it can become a regional, can drive R&D, as was seen in the VIEWPOINT continued on page 5 APS NEWS April 2008 • 5

Number of Physicists in Congress Jumps by Fifty Percent Make Your Voice Heard Former Fermilab physicist Bill Dozens of scientists, includ- tions for energy independence,” Foster has been elected Represen- ing 28 Nobel laureates, endorsed said Dupuy. tative for the Illinois 14th Con- Foster. “The scientific community Foster received a bachelor’s gressional District. Foster is now was very excited by the prospect degree in physics from the Uni- the third physicist, and third APS of having another scientist in Con- versity of Wisconsin-Madison in Fellow, in Congress, joining Ver- gress, because there’s been a lack 1975 and a PhD in physics from non Ehlers (R-MI 3rd) and Rush of understanding of and respect Harvard University in 1984. Dur- Holt (D-NJ 12th). for science in the public policy ing his 22 years at Fermilab, Fos- Foster defeated Republican realm,” said Foster’s press secre- ter played a leading role in the dairy magnate Jim Oberweis in tary Andrew Dupuy. design and building of several the special election held March 8 Voters also saw value in Fos- particle physics experiments. As a to replace retired Representative ter’s background as a physicist, member of the CDF collaboration and former Republican House according to Dupuy. “People want he designed much of the original Speaker, Dennis Hastert. Foster change, and sending a scientist to electronics and participated in the will now serve the rest of Hastert’s Congress certainly represents a discovery of the top quark. He was Photo by Ken Cole term, and will then face Oberweis change.” also was a co-inventor of Fermi- APS Press Secretary Tawanda Johnson (standing) explains to a March Meeting attendee the importance of letting Congress hear from the scientific community. again in the regular election in No- “Most of the challenges facing lab’s Antiproton Recycler Ring. The APS Contact Congress effort allowed physicists at the meeting to use spe- vember. this country are economic or tech- In addition to being a physicist, cially designed software to send letters to their Senators and Representatives. The Illinois 14th congressio- nological, and as a businessman Foster is a successful business- During the meeting, a new record of 1745 attendees used the system to weigh in nal district includes the western and a scientist, Congressman Fos- man. When he was 19, Foster and on the importance of science funding. suburbs of Chicago, including the ter has the background and experi- his brother started a theater light- area where Fermilab is located. ence to address those issues. En- ing company, Electronic Theatre Foster, a Democrat, captured 52 ergy policy would be an obvious Controls, which now provides percent of the vote in the usually example–Foster’s understanding over 70% of the theater lighting in Republican-leaning district. of science is vital to finding solu- the US. Physicists Feel the Pain, Too by Michael S. Lubell, APS Director of Public Affairs Get me some Ambien or Lunesta! mortgage implosion, climate change, I’m exhausted, but the racket won’t energy security, the national debt, The Lighter Side of Science stop. No, I don’t mean my upstairs sagging innovation, lagging com- neighbor, who is a considerate, hard- petitiveness, Medicare shortfalls, a APS News Physics Caption Contest working member of Congress–def- Social Security Trust Fund that has initely not the partying type. It’s the no balance, soaring health care costs, On its back page, the New York- endless presidential campaign, which and an education system that doesn’t er magazine runs a weekly caption on the Democratic side promises to deliver. contest. Ever on the lookout for continue in primary mode until the Won’t somebody please address good ideas, and not ashamed to September convention, as I suggest- them beyond serving up the usual copy them slavishly, APS News ed almost a year ago. banalities? I don’t expect the candi- proudly announces its own cap- For the 24-7 cable channels, the dates to have foolproof solutions, but tion contest, the major difference endless campaign provides them wouldn’t it be nice if they treated us being that we want the cartoon + with a raison d’être. For weary me, like adults once in a while and pro- caption not only to be funny, but it’s becoming a mind-numbing din. vided some thoughtful ideas? also to have something to do with True, Barack Obama has inspired The paucity of policy content in physics. APS News cartoonist Paul tens of thousands of young people to the presidential campaigns was the Dlugokencky has drawn the car- take voting seriously. And the idea of subject of discussion at a dinner at a toon at right, and has deliberately having a new occupant of the White friend’s Capitol Hill house the other omitted the caption. For all we House who is a woman, a black–at night. There were twenty members know, he may have no idea what least on his father’s side–or a septua- of the House of Representatives the caption should be. But it looks genarian is certainly going to repre- present along with Emory University like there's a physics joke in there sent a substantial change from the neuro-psychologist Drew Westen, somewhere. status quo. author of The Political Brain. One Readers of APS News are in- But what have we really learned member asked Westen whether this vited to submit suggested captions about the potential new occupant year’s presidential campaign engines by email to [email protected]. The over the last year, other than their were simply running on emotional deadline for submission is May 31. individual claims to be agents of gas–my turn of phrase, not hers. The three best captions, as decided APS News web site, www.aps.org/ well as a copy of the book “Phys- change? Hillary Clinton wants to Every successful campaign in re- by APS News editors, will appear publications/apsnews. The winner ics in the 20th Century” and an provide healthcare for the 45 or so cent memory has, Westen replied. In in the July issue of APS News, will be announced in the October APS tee shirt. The full contest million Americans who currently go fact, he said, one of Hillary Clinton’s and APS members will be able to issue, and will receive a print of rules appear online on the APS without, and she wants to give our problems is that she doesn’t have vote for their favorite online at the the cartoon signed by the artist, as News web site. veterans their just due when they the extraordinary ability to appeal come home. John McCain wants to to people’s hearts and guts the way VIEWPOINT continued from page 4 clean up the swamp of corruption, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and tate learning across disciplinary périeure and ex-President of the and SESAME, noting the common eliminate torture and keep American John Kennedy did in their success- boundaries, to transcend national French Academy of Sciences. The aspirations that drive the develop- troops in Iraq for a century. And Ba- ful runs for the White House. Duds borders, applying the best of sci- project also finds strong support ment of both institutions. rack Obama wants to do away with who didn’t have the emotional mojo? partisanship, bring our troops home, Think John Kerry, Michael Dukakis, ence, technology, and manage- from local academics, including This is just the beginning of a ment to deal with some of the the majority of the physics com- and fill us with hope. or Al Gore before his Hollywood long and difficult path. Continu- world’s most refractory problems. munity because of a convergence If you go to the campaign web- makeover. The first indications regarding the of mutual aspirations: to transform ous support from the international sites, you find a lot more, but since As I’ve written before, I think development of the Institute seem Cyprus into a research-oriented community is crucial. Working to- the candidates rarely talk about the Westen and his Republican counter- excellent: The first Research Cen- society and help establish world- gether with countries in the region issues, we’re pretty much left with part, Frank Luntz, pretty much have ter of the Institute, on Energy, En- class research in this part of the to build research infrastructure of the roar of emotion generators. And the political magic correct. And ap- vironment and Water Resources, world. the highest caliber, establishing for good reason: political campaigns parently the current crop of candi- developed with public funding in There are positive develop- international norms and openness are all about arousing feelings, as I dates thinks so, too. partnership with MIT, was inau- ments in neighboring countries. noted a few months ago. So when the science community will be a key element. It is indeed gurated on the 10th of December Perhaps the most notable example Still, I’m getting tired of hav- clamors for a “Science Debate,” don’t a challenge for Cyprus and the 2007 by the President of the Re- is SESAME (www.sesame.org.jo), ing my passions juiced. I’m tired of hold your breath waiting. If there’s public. The second Research Cen- an international synchrotron light other countries in the region to es- watching Obama play cheerleader to anything further away from emotion ter on Technology in Archeology source facility being built in Jordan tablish a research environment that the chant of “Yes, we can!” I’m tired than science, I haven’t run into it. is being developed in partnership under the auspices of UNESCO. resembles that of countries where of watching Clinton clap her hands Nonetheless, with significant with the Louvre and the third on Cyprus, like many other countries world-class institutions can flour- in time to “Yes, we will!” And when parts of the research enterprise reel- Computation-based Science and in the region, regards SESAME as ish with all the positive aspects John McCain starts every sentence ing from the effects of the Fiscal Year Technology with the University a great opportunity to accomplish that this will bring to their people. with “My friends,” I’m wondering 2008 budget, it would be comforting of Illinois. The involvement of the in the Middle East what CERN did why he doesn’t think some people to the science community–especially Constantia Alexandrou is Pro- international community in the re- in postwar Europe. The last Coun- out there might be his enemies. to the recently unemployed or fur- alization of the Institute remains cil meeting of SESAME, held in fessor of Physics at the University There are plenty of problems fac- loughed–to hear at least one of the strong, as exemplified by the Chair Cyprus in December 2007, ex- of Cyprus, and Ex-Vice Chair of ing our country that demand atten- candidates say, “I feel your pain.” of its Board of Trustees, physicist plored and endorsed close cooper- the Interim Governing Board of tion: the crumbling infrastructure, the Science may be devoid of emotional E. Brézin of École Normale Su- ation between the Cyprus Institute the Cyprus Institute. sinking dollar, the liquidity crisis, the substance, but scientists aren’t. 6 • April 2008 APS NEWS

New Ultrasonic Medical Applications Based on Acoustically-Induced Microbubbles

Researchers continue to develop by the bubbles. bubbles,” he said. “We can look at of the brain rather quickly after sur- to rub the brain” using ultrasonic innovative new medical techniques Xu’s team has succeeded in focus- the interaction of bubbles, ultrasound, gery. Sure, it's only a few millimeters waves. and applications for sound waves: ing acoustical beams into a cluster and cells under a microscope in real to a centimeter, but it's just enough to Better Thyroid Imaging. Thyroid specifically, those in the ultrasonic re- of “miniscalpels” roughly the size time to get a better idea of what’s go- elude the drugs. “In two weeks you cancer is becoming an increasingly gion. First introduced in 1942 by the of a single cell. They can control the ing on.” have tumors reappearing, and in two common diagnosis, because doctors Austrian scientist Karl Theo Dussik, beams electronically using a com- The research is still in the early months, the patient is dead,” Lewis are much better at using ultrasonic ultrasonic imaging remains one of the puter mouse or a joystick. Also, the stages, but Everbach believes the says. That’s why brain cancers like imaging to detect small thyroid nod- most reliable, safe, and simple imag- surgery can be pre- technique could be neuroblastomas and neurofibroma- ules, an indication of possible thyroid ing techniques in medicine. Yet today, cisely targeted and applied in personal- tosis are still the leading cause of cancer. Yet according to Azra Alizad ultrasound is being used for so much monitored in real ized water steriliza- cancer-related death in people under of the Mayo Clinic College of Medi- more than basic medical imaging. time because the mi- tion systems, and the age of 35. cine, 95% of such nodules turn out At greater intensities, focused ul- crobubbles are easily to fight hospital- Lewis is investigating the use of to be benign, which can only be de- trasonic pulses are now used to break tracked with conven- acquired infections acoustic pulses to help brain tissue termined by fine needle aspiration or up and liquefy body tissue: disinte- tional ultrasound or more effectively, absorb chemotherapy drugs faster– biopsy. This happens in part because grating gall bladder stones, or break- MRI technologies. particularly by cur- before the cancer cells have a chance thyroid tumors are often much harder ing down tumors in the brain and Microbubbles can tailing the buildup of to migrate very far–and also increase than normal tissue, and thus it is more pancreas, for example. And in the last also help break up biofilms on implant- the range of diffusion. He and his col- difficult to distinguish between be- 20 years, therapeutic ultrasound has biofilms, the protec- Photo by George Lewis Jr. ed medical devices. laborators at Yale and Princeton use nign and cancerous nodules. been explored for targeted drug de- tive slicks formed by A therapeutic ultrasound trans- “We’re interested in focused ultrasound to agitate the tis- Alizad and his colleagues have de- livery, to cauterize wounds, and even single-celled organ- ducer exerting a force on the understanding the fun- sue matrices, enhancing permeability veloped a novel non-invasive imaging surface of water. disrupting bacterial biofilms. isms when they clump damental mechanisms and making it easier for the drug to technique called vibro-acoustography One of the key mechanisms for together on a solid surface, commu- of interaction, not jumping right to get into the brain tissue. Basically, (VA) that is especially sensitive to tis- many of these useful effects appears nicate with each other, and secrete a some industrial scrubbing process.” they’re massaging the brain tissue to sue stiffness, and also produces high to be microbubbles, induced by mucus-like substance. Such films can “Rubbing the Brain.” Neuro- open up the pores, since the brain is resolution and high contrast images. acoustic cavitation. “Recent studies form inside pipes and pollute water surgeons can usually successfully kind of similar to a sponge. The technique employs ultrasound to are showing that microbubbles can supplies, or create a slippery slime on remove as much as 99.5% of a brain Initial results from experiments vibrate thyroid tissue at low frequen- help us address a variety of current creek rocks. Bacterial films likeStaph tumor when they operate, but they with a horse brain indicate that with cies, and the resulting vibrations are clinical needs,” Vesna Zderic (George aureus can form on medical devices can't be as aggressive about removal such a technique, the drugs do indeed detected by a highly sensitive micro- Washington University) reported at in the human body, causing severe in- as they might be in other, less sensi- spread further and faster into the tis- phone. According to Alizad, harder last fall’s meeting of the Acoustical fection, and even death. These mucus tive areas of the body. A few scattered sue than they would by natural diffu- tissue produces a significantly differ- Society of America (ASA). secretions protect the bacteria in bio- cancer cells are usually left over, sion alone–a hundredfold further, in ent acoustic field than softer tissue, Microbubbles can be introduced films from being easily killed. which are treated with powerful anti- fact, which makes it very promising so it is easier to detect the difference either by injecting ultrasound con- E. Carr Everbach and his col- cancer drugs. for future treatment of brain cancers. between them. trast agents–bubbles for this purpose leagues at Swarthmore College re- Recent progress in this area in- They’re now carrying out a full study Most recently, Alizad has tested can be purchased for $700 per fluid cently demonstrated that acoustical cludes the development of “gliodel using live animals to see if they still the technique on excised human thy- ounce–or by using high-intensity waves can disrupt biofilms and de- wafers”: disc-shaped implants infused get enhanced diffusion effects, and roids from autopsy, and found that ultrasonic ultrasound fields that pro- stroy bacteria. They grew biofilms of with cancer-fighting drugs that are also to make sure a living creature can VA images showed calcifications, an- duce bubbles in the tissue. According a strain of fluorescing E. coli on mi- placed at the site where a tumor used withstand the treatment. atomic details, tissue structures, and to Zderic, microbubbles can become croscope slides sandwiched between to be just before the neurosurgeon It is still not entirely clear what nodules when present. He has yet to active by resonating to the tone of the two piezoelectric bars. They placed closes everything up after removing mechanism is actually at work in the test the technique in clinical trials, but ultrasound (stable cavitation), or by ultrasound transducers directly onto a brain tumor. This means the drugs technique. Some of Lewis’s collabo- VA is currently being clinically evalu- violent implosion (inertial cavitation). the microscope slide to avoid shifting can dissolve and diffuse slowly into rators suspect that acoustic cavitation ated for the detection of breast cancer In the former, they serve to enhance the placement of the samples during the surrounding brain tissue to kill from microbubbles works to bloat the lesions in human trials. imaging; in the latter they deliver the laser zapping process. any lingering cancer cells. However, pores and open them up sufficiently Medical acoustics has come a mechanical energy punching holes in All these things enabled them pharmaceutical agents don’t appear so the drugs can diffuse through the long way since doctors first used cell membranes to improve transport to view the biofilm under a confo- stethoscopes to listen to the human of drugs to specific sites, destroying cal microscope before, during, and heart at the dawn of the 19th century. tumors, and promoting clotting in after charging the piezoelectric bars, No doubt scientists will develop even cases of internal bleeding. thereby setting up standing acoustical more advanced applications of fo- Miniscalpels and Biofilms. It waves on the biofilms. They observed cused acoustical energy for the medi- may one day be possible to exploit changes in the biofilm structure that cal field in the future. acoustic cavitation to make surgi- showed a mechanical destruction of cal incisions inside the body with no the film and bacteria. Specifically, the George Lewis, Jr. got the need to open or puncture the skin in dead bacteria didn’t fluoresce. Once a idea of using ultrasound for tar- any way, according to Zhen Xu of the chunk of biofilm has broken off, it is geted anticancer drug delivery University of Michigan. He and his easier to kill the bacteria with antibi- colleagues are investigating the ef- otics. Photo by Azra Alizad from an Indian study on using fects of applying high-intensity ultra- Microbubbles, they found, were a) X-ray and (b) vibro-acoustography (VA) images of an excised sono-poration for transdermal sound pulses focused into tiny acous- key. “If you do this without the pres- human thyroid. The VA image shows a calcified lesion on the right drug delivery. This is an older side and a cyst on the left side of the thyroid. tic “scalpels,” to test whether they can ence of any bubbles, not much hap- technique in which the drug is deliver acoustic power without heat- pens,” said Everbach. “What causes to penetrate brain tissue uniformly– tissue more effectively. Lewis thinks applied to the skin, and then ing to tissues deep within the body. the disruption of the bacteria isn’t the something that puzzles researchers. it might be primarily a mechanical ultrasound is applied which The high-intensity ultrasound ultrasound directly, but microscopic Brain cancers are especially chal- effect related to the acoustic waves: breaks down the skin surface causes microbubbles to form at the fo- bubbles that we introduce into the lenging, according to George Lewis “They go through the tissue as a com- so the drug can better perme- cal point. These bubbles expand and system, which are directed by the Jr., a researcher at Cornell’s depart- pression wave, which oscillates the ate through. The Indian leather collapse with great force–cavitation– ultrasound into acoustic cavitation.” ment of biomedical engineering. tissue and massages it to allow the industry uses a similar tech- and this activity can mechanically Bubbles can also form naturally as Some of the newer drugs can eas- drug more readily to diffuse through nique to help dyes diffuse into fragment tissues. Xu believes this part of the biological metabolism of ily kill any straggling cancer cells– it.” He likens it to how dentists will the leather, resulting in a more may occur because cell membranes bacteria. “We’re trying to understand provided the drug can reach them. often massage a patient’s gum when cannot withstand the pressure caused how much we even need external Cancer cells migrate to other areas injecting Novacaine. “We’re trying uniform color.

TROPHY continued on page 6 physics aren’t part of the high The award for “Most heart- dents at Greendale High School sor Toni Sauncy said in an email BEAM continued from page 1 school curriculum, Chris pointed warming” went to “Physics: An in Greendale, WI. that the video contest inspired in use for some time, “Electron out, so he thinks their video might Underdog Story” by UCLA Soci- A People’s Choice Award went physics students and got the foot- beam lithography is a newer have gotten some people interest- ety of Physics Students. to “Theoretical Football” by The ball team involved. “I thought the technique and can produce ex- ed in these topics, he said. The award for “Most inspi- College of Wooster Society of biggest and most significant part tremely small feature sizes, much smaller than the wavelength The three students each re- rational” went to “Angelo State Physics Students. was getting my physics students of light used in standard pho- ceived a copy of “the World’s Physics and Football” by the These winners each received working with my football play- tolithography,” said Waggoner. Smallest Trophy.” Angelo State SPS and the Rams a nanotrophy and a certificate ers, but it grew well beyond my Electron beam lithography can -IX The Nanobowl X producers Football Team. of recognition. The videos can initial expectations. So, I consid- be used for other things besides also received $1000 dollars cash. The award for “Most Cre- be viewed at http://www.phys- er the project an overwhelming nanobowl trophies. “Common ap- In addition to the grand prize, ative” went to “The Fysics of icscentral.com/nanobowl/index. success. It brought together the plications include NEMS, nanofluid- several other prizes were award- Phootball” by a group of ad- html community of learners on many ics, and many other applications in ed: vanced placement physics stu- Angelo State physics profes- levels.” nanotechnology,” he said. APS NEWS April 2008 • 7

APRIL MEETING continued from page 1 ANNOUNCEMENTS more than half a million pieces of or- full report is due out in the early sum- Now Appearing in RMP: biting debris larger than one centime- mer of this year. (G1.1) M. Hildred Blewett Scholarship Recently Posted Reviews and ter in size. David Wright of the Union Pioneer Anomaly Update. Colloquia of Concerned Scientists will discuss NASA recently revealed that the un- for Women Physicists You will find the following in the online edition of what we can do to stem the growth explained deviations in the paths of This scholarship has been established to enable women to return to Reviews of Modern Physics at of space debris and reduce the threat the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft may physics research careers after having had to interrupt those careers http://rmp.aps.org to orbiting satellites. Caroline Reilly occur with several other space probes for family reasons. The scholarship consists of an award of up to Colloquium: Chaotic of RAND Corporation will demon- as well. The cause, and even the exis- $45,000. The applicant must currently be a legal resident of the US or quantum dots with strongly correlated electrons strate why space-based warfare is tence, of the trajectory anomalies has Canada. She must be currently in Canada or the US and must have an affiliation with a research-active educational institution or national R. Shankar a bad idea within this context. And long been the source of heated scien- Collections of large quantum dots– lab. She must have completed work toward a PhD. MIT’s Geoffrey Forden will focus tific debate. Slava Turyshev (Jet Pro- basically large artificial atomsfixed on China’s January 2007 test of an pulsion Laboratory and California Applications are due June 2, 2008. Announcement of the award is on a substrate–have aggregate anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) and the Institute of Technology) will update expected to be made by August 1, 2008. properties that are besttreated with statistical approaches. This impact it and similar weapons could the status of the Pioneer Anomaly Details and on-line application can be found at http://www.aps. org/programs/women/scholarships/blewett/index.cfm Colloquium describes important have on the amount of orbiting space investigation now that more trajec- theoretical tools for this purpose, debris. (Session X6) tory data is available. Turyshev will particularly the renormalization Contact: Sue Otwell in the APS office at [email protected] Physicists Going Underground. also address research into one pos- group and random matrix theory. Three sessions at this year’s meeting sible cause of the anomalies–the tiny ERRATUM focus on the advantages of setting up forces arising from the uneven emis- experiments in the depths of Earth. sion of heat from the spacecraft (aka In the March APS News Prizes and Awards Insert, the institutional affiliation of one of the recipients of the John Wilkerson (Center for Experi- thermal recoil). (H7.1) Dissertation Award in Nuclear Physics was incorrectly given. The correct affiliation of DeepshikhaC houdhury mental Nuclear Physics and Astro- Exoplanets. More than 200 ex- is Ohio University. physics, University of Washington) trasolar planets have been discovered begins the first session by describing to date, mostly gas giants composed CONFERENCE continued from page 3 some of the things we can learn from primarily of dense fluid hydrogen reach out to the physics community underground experiments, including and helium at pressures millions of through booths at future APS and discovering the nature of neutrinos; times greater than our atmosphere AAPT meetings, as well as a schol- detecting dark matter; determining and at very high temperatures. Bur- arly book on teacher preparation, to the origins of the elements; explain- khard Militzer of UC Berkeley will be published in 2009. Project leader ing why the universe is mostly made discuss the challenges of characteriz- and APS Director of Education Ted of matter rather than antimatter; and ing such extreme systems, and some Hodapp says, “At a time when policy much more. Other talks in the ses- recent success with shock wave ex- makers are requiring more students sion identify the challenges of go- periments. Diana Valencia of Har- to take physics in our nation’s already ing underground, the technologies vard University will discuss ongo- understaffed classrooms, it is critical necessary to make the experiments ing investigations into the composi- that we turn the excitement and mo- work, and the sorts of data that ex- tion and structure of Super-Earths. mentum from the PTEC Conference periments placed far underground LLNL’s Jon Eggert will talk about into action, and results.” Photo by Ted Hodapp might provide. (Sessions B13, D13, reproducing planetary cores in the For full proceedings of the con- Former APS President Helen Quinn (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center), Stamatis Vokos (Seattle Pacific University), and Valerie and E13) laboratory. (11HE) ference, please go to www.ptec.org/ conferences/2008. Otero (University of Colorado at Boulder) have an animated discus- Return of the Bubble Cham- The Most Extreme Environ- sion between PTEC conference sessions. ber. A venerable, but nearly forgot- ments in the Universe. The universe ten, particle detector known as the looks very different when viewed rays ever seen. At the April Meeting, Gravity is perhaps the most familiar universe. (Session T6) bubble chamber is making a come- in gamma rays, with remarkable he will describe the Milagro results force, but it’s also one of the weakest, Movies of the Universe in Three back as it breaks new ground in the features and large variations on all along with observations from the which makes it difficult to test. Ses- Billion Pixels. High atop Cerro Pa- search for dark matter. A small bub- timescales. Generally, gamma rays HESS telescope, a powerful gamma sion T10 features a number of talks chon, a remote mountain in Chile, ble chamber was at the heart of the are emitted from the most extreme ray detector in the southern African focusing on new ways to test the lim- in the next decade the large synop- Chicagoland Observatory for Under- environments, such as supermassive country of Namibia. Together these its of gravity. Quentin Bailey (Emb- tic survey telescope (LSST) should ground Particle Physics (COUPP) black hole systems and neutron stars. observatories mapped and measured ry-Riddle Aeronautical University) come online and begin continuously that recently contradicted claims that In the next few months, the Gamma- this significant source, which as yet looks at the ways that measurements imaging more of the universe than dark matter had been detected in an ray Large Area Space Telescope has not been identified. (M5.3) of the Earth-moon distance could be Italian experiment. Andrew Son- (GLAST) will be launched into or- all the telescopes in history com- High Energy Physics. Dozens used to check gravity at long ranges, nenschein (Fermilab) will describe bit, where it will survey the sky from bined. The LSST will image the of sessions report on the latest news in view of recent proposals of modi- the goals and capabilities of a new outside Earth’s atmosphere, which entire visible sky, taking fast, high- from accelerator labs for experiments fications of the Standard Model of version of the COUPP experiment, absorbs gamma rays. With its large resolution snapshots of large patches happening right now. Prominent physics. Josh Long (Indiana Univer- which will be scaled up from the leap in all key capabilities, the novel in 15-second exposures and map- coverage is also being given to the sity) describes tests at the other end initial 2 kilogram chamber to a 60 telescope will allow astrophysicists ping out the entire sky every three testing of the Large Hadron Collider of the size scale with flat, vibrating kilogram version. By expanding the to observe this almost completely days. LSST will do this continuously (LHC) and planning of the Interna- surfaces that check on gravity at a size of the experiment, the research- unexplored part of the electromag- for ten years and will generate the tional Linear Collider (ILC)(sessions range of 50 millionths of a meter. ers increase their chances of finding netic spectrum over the entire sky ev- largest astronomical data set ever WS2, S2, R2, and others). Nicolas Yunes (Penn State) discuss- a dark matter particle or, if they fail ery few hours. At the April Meeting, assembled–about 30 terabytes a day, Gender Equity in Physics. In es the possibility that gravitational to find one, narrow down the range Steven Ritz (NASA GSFC and U. the equivalent of 100 million CDs session R4, Nora Berrah of West- probes could be used to check string of the forms dark matter might take Maryland) will discuss the GLAST over ten years. Ian Shipsey (Purdue) ern Michigan University will report theory and quantum gravity, which is on. In either case, COUPP will offer mission and its scheduled May 16 will discuss aspects of the telescope on the Committee on the Status of important because researchers have insight into the elusive material that launch. (M5.2) design and mission, including how makes up the bulk of the matter in Highest Energy Gamma Rays Women in Physics (CSWP) May yet to find another feasible way to 2007 workshop titled “Gender Eq- test the theories. (Session T10) it will examine the visible universe our universe. (E13.9) Ever Detected. In the mountains and address fundamental questions APS Energy Efficiency Study. just above Los Alamos, NM lies the uity: Strengthening the Physics En- Mergers and Acquisitions. terprise in Universities and National Physicists believe that mergers be- about the nature of dark matter, dark Nobel laureate Burton Richter (Stan- Milagro Gamma-Ray Observatory, energy and the expansion of the uni- ford Linear Accelerator Center) will a large manmade pond filled with Laboratories.” Other speakers in the tween two black holes could be a verse. (W7.3) preview the APS Energy Efficiency water and lined with photodetectors. session will discuss recommenda- key source of gravitational waves International Year of Astron- Study that is currently underway. The Whenever gamma rays hit Earth’s tions on how to make physics more strong enough to be detected by both omy 2009 2009. marks 400 years study focuses on energy efficiency in atmosphere, they create showers attractive to women, and how to re- ground-based (LIGO) and space- buildings and transportation, which of cosmic rays that hit the pool and tain female physicists. In session D6, based (LISA) detectors, depending since Galileo turned his telescopes together consume 70% of the energy produce a detectable blue light. As a panel discussion on international on their masses. Michael Coleman skyward, and the United Nations is in the US. The study will identify Earth rotates on its axis, the obser- gender issues in physics focuses on Miller of the University of Maryland celebrating with the World Year of immediate actions that could reduce vatory continually turns and maps policies of the European Union, and and Scott Hughes of MIT will dis- Astronomy. Kala Perkins will share energy use, the possibility of new out high-energy sources in northern why there are so few female physi- cuss how detection and characteriza- some of the new ideas for how to energy-conserving devices emerging sky. Jordan Goodman (University cists in Latin America. Session W16 tion of such systems can yield unique communicate astrophysics concepts in the next five years, and revolution- of Maryland) will describe how the focuses on data from a survey of high information about stellar evolution, to students and the public, and how ary advances that could lead to long- observatory recently identified a school students in New Mexico. dynamics at many scales, and even to engage them in a cross-cultural term reductions in energy waste. The source of the highest-energy gamma Putting Gravity to the Test. help map the large structure of the event. (Session J16)

WORKSHOP continued from page 3 Harvey maintains that putting them technology is designed to transfer could significantly reduce the elec- we can expect to see this technology same broad spectrum as con- all together in the most optimal way warm air to cooler air. There are tricity needed. Harvey advocates an employed more broadly than in the ventional incandescent bulbs. could result in systems‑level savings some fundamental physical limits integrated design process for future niche applications it currently occu- Currently, researchers are many times higher than what can be to how efficient the heat pump can urban planning, complete with com- pies, according to Steve DenBaars achieving 152 lumens per watt achieved if we simply continue to be, as French physicist Sadi Carnot putational fluid dynamics modeling. of the University of California, Santa with efficiencies between 65% address just the individual compo- proved in the 18th century. But Har- Lighting also consumes a sig- Barbara. Years of research have im- and 85%; by 2012, they should nents. vey found that by cutting the flow nificant amount of energy. As solid proved efficiencies and made it pos- reach 280 lumens per watt with For example, standard heat pump rate through ducts or pipes in half, he state lighting continues to improve, sible to build white LEDs with the 90% efficiencies. 8 • April 2008 APS NEWS The Back Page

uclear forensics is the technical means by which them electronically under suitable precautions to Nnuclear materials, whether intercepted intact protect state and commercially sensitive informa- or retrieved from post-explosion debris, are charac- tion in normal times. The wider the participation terized (as to composition, physical condition, age, Nuclear Forensics in this effort, the more confident the processes and other characteristics) and interpreted (as to prov- By Michael May of nuclear forensics will be. The present Global enance, industrial history and implications for Initiative, co-chaired by the United States and nuclear device design). Russia, could be a vehicle for undertaking this Nuclear forensics has a long history. During the effort. The effort will involve the IAEA, which first fifty years of the nuclear era, nuclear forensics has much relevant data and capabilities. How- techniques were developed and used to determine ever desirable, the effort nonetheless will en- the characteristics (such as yield, materials used, counter a number of obstacles stemming from design details) of nuclear explosions carried out differing classification rules in different coun- by the US and by other countries. That application tries, commercial concerns over competitive can still come into play if a nuclear explosion is advantage, and reluctance of some countries detonated and debris are recovered. But the princi- to release potentially compromising infor- pal emphasis today is on the application of nuclear mation. None of those obstacles in the view forensics techniques to help attribute either inter- of most working group members constitute cepted materials or an actual explosion to its origi- showstoppers, but the program must of neces- nators. This different emphasis places different sity be considered a long-term one. and new requirements on the technical analysis. Exercises: Two types of exercises can be In particular, it makes the availability of databases carried out: technical exercises, which test and sample archives from various countries much operational capabilities, coordination, com- more important than was the case when the princi- munication and policies that would be needed pal application was diagnosing an explosion from at all levels of the organizations concerned in a known source. the event of a nuclear detonation anywhere in According to International Atomic Energy the world, and war-game types of exercises, Agency (IAEA) data, there have been 1340 re- structured to involve senior decision-makers ported incidents of lost or stolen radioactive mate- in some approximation of what the real situa- rial intercepted between 1993 and 2007. Most of pation from the leaders that will have to make relevant attribution tion would be. To date, mainly technical exer- those have not been recovered. Among the material intercepted, decisions. cises have been carried out. While no exercise can fully simulate a significant number involved highly enriched uranium (HEU) or Last year, a Working Group of the American Physical Society’s the possibly chaotic situation that could prevail in the wake of a plutonium, in amounts ranging from grams to hundreds of grams (APS) Panel on Public Affairs (POPA), in conjunction with the nuclear detonation in a city, nevertheless much can be done to as shown in the picture above, also from IAEA data. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) make sure top-level leadership is prepared to promulgate real- If intact material is recovered, the shape, surface finish, impu- Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy, was charged istic decisions in the areas of public health, foreign policy, and rities, chemical and isotopic compositions, and other features can to produce an unclassified report describing the state of the art military action. Exercises should be structured so as to illustrate lead to identification of some of the industrial history of the ma- of nuclear forensics, assessing its potential for preventing and the strengths and limitations of nuclear forensics as well as to test terial and identify its age since it was last chemically separated. identifying unattributed nuclear material intercepts and nuclear capability and coordination in light of both the time-urgent needs While most plutonium-producing reactors and uranium enrich- attacks, and identifying the policies, resources and human talent of the situation and also the ability to communicate to the public ment facilities fall into a few generic types, individual facilities to fulfill this potential. The APS/AAAS Working Group report and manage expectations. and processes used for uranium-rich materials differ in a number was released on February 16 of this year at the annual meeting of Review and Evaluation Groups: Neither the ongoing pro- of potentially telltale details. Whole fuel elements have been re- the AAAS in Boston. It is available at http://cstsp.aaas.org/con- gram to deal with nuclear material intercepts, nor the ongoing covered and identified and a number of other such identifications tent.html?contentid=1546 and includes the charter of the work- exercises are made full use of from the standpoint of incorporat- have been made.1 ing group and the biographies of its members. ing their lessons into the culture of the relevant organizations. In If a nuclear detonation of unknown origin takes place, analy- On the basis of the facts summarized above, the Working addition, to the working group’s knowledge, there is no expert sis of the radioactive debris can again establish the age and point Group came to five recommendations. panel to advise top level leadership of the meaning of develop- to the processes used to make the plutonium or HEU. In time, R&D to Develop Advanced Lab and Field Equipment ing events in case of an emergency. The US government should possible nuclear device designs can be inferred by using reverse and Numerical Modeling: There is considerable room for im- establish two groups: one to systematically review, evaluate and engineering computer codes. The procedure used, obstacles and proving the equipment that would have to be used following a keep records of both the results of intercepts and the exercises time pressure will of course be entirely different from the cases nuclear detonation. Much of it dates to the Cold War. More up- recommended above; the other to advise the US government in of interceptions of small quantities of material. The overall situa- to-date equipment would allow for more substantial early field real time on the results of nuclear forensics and what they mean tion after a detonation and the location of the detonation, whether measurements and more rapid and accurate laboratory analysis. in the event of an emergency. The second group would provide in the US or abroad, will determine a great deal of what can be A program should be undertaken to develop and manufacture ad- independent assessment of developing forensic and other tech- done and on what time scale. Ash Carter, Bill Perry and the pres- vanced, automated, field-deployable equipment that would allow nical information in case of a nuclear emergency. Its function ent author have delved into what would happen and what should the necessary measurements to be made rapidly and accurately at would be somewhat similar to that of the Cold War Bethe Panel, happen the “Day After” a nuclear explosion in a city, in a report which advised the US government as to the physical results of 2 a number of sites. Such field equipment is not now readily avail- available on the web and in print. able. Advances in numerical simulations that provide design in- foreign nuclear tests and the implication of those results. Both The two relatively most accessible places to collect debris formation are also needed. groups should have international participation, as appropriate. No one knows if a terrorist group is likely to set off a nuclear from a nuclear explosion are from the fallout downwind from Workforce Development: There are approximately 35-50 explosion. We know that there is a black market in nuclear weap- the detonation point and the radioactive cloud drifting with the scientists working on nuclear forensics at the national labs, not prevailing winds. Sample collection from the crater will be very ons materials. We know that there are huge quantities of these enough to deal with an emergency. A number of them would be difficult for some period of time because high radioactivity will materials stored in the United States, Russia, Pakistan and other double-booked in case of a nuclear emergency. In addition, as inhibit access to the crater. But even collection from the fallout countries, and we know that the security in many cases is not things stand, the present numbers will not be maintained: some area (which will need to take place at a number of sites since the as good as it could be. We know that a small crew that includes will move to other responsibilities and many will reach retirement materials of interest will not condense and fall uniformly) will some specialists and has some time in a protected location could age. Unless a new program is funded, some will not be replaced: require special precautions both for safety of personnel involved assemble a primitive nuclear weapon from stolen or otherwise the pipeline is nearly empty. A program to develop trained per- and to preserve evidence. Time in the high fallout area must be acquired materials, and we know that the weapon could be trans- sonnel should be undertaken that should include funding research tracked and limited. Rapid transport suitable for transporting ra- ported in a small truck. A terrorist group would encounter many at universities, graduate scholarships and fellowships, internships dioactive evidence must be available. All this will require coor- obstacles–guards, border crossings, intelligence operations from at the labs, and incentives that stimulate industrial support of fac- dination with the FBI, which would be in charge overall in the several countries, technical countermeasures, but a nuclear deto- ulty positions. The program should be sized to produce at least US, and with the federal and local agencies in charge of response nation is possible. We believe the recommendations made above and recovery. Collection of airborne debris requires specially 3-4 new PhDs per year in the relevant disciplines for the first ten would improve US ability to deal with it. A strong international equipped aircraft. Much of what would need to be done can be years, and to maintain skilled personnel level thereafter. Scien- program aimed at strengthening forensics capabilities may also speeded up and improved. tists with such training could also go into (and be drawn from) the help dissuade a state from cooperation with terrorist groups and Nuclear forensics is part and parcel of the overall attribution related fields of geochemistry, nuclear physics, nuclear engineer- encourage it to improve the security of the nuclear material it process; it may be more or less helpful, depending on circum- ing, materials science, and analytical chemistry. owns. stances. One of the main features of attribution, including foren- International Cooperation and Sample-Matching Data- Michael May was the Chair of the APS/AAAS working group sics, is that results are only available over time. This is not of base Development: Doing nuclear forensics on either intercept- on nuclear forensics. He is Professor Emeritus (Research) in the great importance in cases of material intercepts, unless an entire ed or detonated material is inherently an international enterprise: School of Engineering, and a Senior Fellow with the Center for weapon or material in amount sufficient for a weapon is inter- the material (so far) has all come from abroad, key facilities, da- International Security and Cooperation of the Freeman-Spogli cepted, which has not happened. In the case of a nuclear detona- tabases and sample archives are located abroad, the cooperation Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He is Di- tion, this time delay and the uncertainties of the initial interpreta- of other governments and government institutions is essential, rector Emeritus of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. tions assume major political importance and there would be great and, in the event of a nuclear explosion, the radioactive cloud and 1 In a historically curious incident, a 5x5x5 cm cube of pure natural fallout will go all over the world, so that many institutions abroad uranium was recovered in 2007 from a forested area in Germany and traced pressure to obtain firm results to guide policy decisions as soon with near certainty to the 1940s, perhaps falling from Werner Heisenberg’s as possible. It is essential that mechanisms be in place to avoid will analyze and interpret it. The US government should extend pocket as he bicycled away from an allied detachment nearing his labora- its ongoing initiatives to counter WMD terrorism to include pro- tory. I am indebted to Dr. Klaus Luetzenkirchen of the Institute for Tran- wrong decisions. The only way to assure partially that those suranium Elements in Karlsruhe, Germany, for this example. mechanisms will be in place is for the organizations and policy visions for prompt technical and operational cooperation in the 2 For a more detailed overview of “The Day After,” see links at makers that would be involved to carry out realistic exercises that event of a nuclear detonation anywhere in the world. Such coop- http://cisac.stanford.edu/publications/day_after_the_action_in_the_24_ hours_following_a_nuclear_blast/ or http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/ test coordination, operational readiness and that involve partici- eration should most importantly include enlarging and providing publication/2140/day_after.html?breadcrumb=%2Ftopic%2F7%2Fdir for prompt access to international and other databases and linking ty_bombs

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