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April 2019 • Vol. 28, No. 4 aps.org/apsnews

A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY

JOURNALS APS MARCH MEETING At the Frontiers of Subatomic Physics Kavli Symposium 2019: From Unit BY BENJAMIN F. GIBSON AND CHRISTOPHER WESSELBORG Cell to Biological Cell

uclear physics was a BY LEAH POFFENBERGER growing and changing N field in 1970 when the ach year, the APS March original Physical Review jour- Meeting holds a special nal gave birth to four children: E symposium sponsored by Physical Review A–D. Out of that the Kavli Foundation that features split came Physical Review C, which outstanding physicists who have has since become the pre-eminent An important factor in the Other changes in the journal made important breakthroughs. journal of nuclear science. strength of the journal was its content reflect expanding research This year’s Kavli session was One only has to look at the past growing reputation under the interests and the evolution in organized around the theme nearly 50 years, in which Physical 30-year leadership of the first physicists’ approach to research. “From Unit Cell to Biological Cell.” Review C has featured myriad two long-term editors Heinz H. Owing to the trend toward larger Claudia Felser (Max Planck nuclear physics developments: Barschall (1972–1988) and Sam and more complex international Institute for Chemical Physics investigation of the structure M. Austin (1988–2002). They research collaborations the num- of Solids), showed the potential Claudia Felser of the proton; research that led placed primary emphasis upon ber of U.S.-submitted experimen- of a versatile class of materials to the Nobel prize for observing a knowledgeable review process, tal papers has fallen slightly; in called Heusler compounds. Her University) discussed self-assem- solar neutrino oscillations; the which attracted important research contrast, the number of non-U.S.- presentation was followed by bly of materials within biological evolution in measurement of the papers from around the world. That submitted papers has grown sub- Philip Kim’s (Harvard University) systems. neutron electric dipole moment; approach continues to this day. stantially. Moreover, the evolution talk on emerging physics of Heusler compounds, which characterization of the quark- Physical Review C has always in subject matter has followed stacked 2D materials. Mark D. Felser studies, have simple cubic gluon plasma; the role of the pro- been and continues to be an the trend in research activities. Ediger (University of Wisconsin, lattice structures and consist of ton-neutron interaction in shape international journal. While in Relativistic heavy-ion collision Madison) demonstrated a method only three elements, but the com- coexistence and fragility of magic 1982 approximately 40% of the physics and nuclear astrophysics of creating strong ultra-stable position can be manipulated to numbers; and the continuing papers published were submitted have exhibited the largest per- glass, relying on vapor deposi- create a myriad of materials for search for new isotopes, among by non-U.S.-based corresponding centage growth. The classic areas tion. Sharon Glotzer (University many different purposes. The first many others. During this time the authors, by last year this num- of nuclear structure and nuclear of Michigan) introduced the Heusler alloy, discovered 125 years journal has more than doubled the ber had increased to more than reactions have remained strong notion of what she calls the ago, combined manganese, copper number of published papers per 75%. Similarly, the referee base but show a shift in focus to nuclei entropic bond that allows certain year from initially about 500 to has become significantly more types of quasi-crystals to form. over 1000 last year. international. PRC CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 Clifford Brangwynne (Princeton KAVLI CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

APS MARCH MEETING APS UNIT PROFILE Physicists Learn to Rewire Biology The Division of Condensed Matter Physics BY SOPHIA CHEN BY ABIGAIL DOVE

hris Voigt pulled up a slide embers of the APS of an old-fashioned calcu- Division of Condensed C lator display: a sequence M Matter Physics (DCMP) of segments programmed to are focused on the macro- and light up a desired digit. Except microscopic properties of matter that Voigt’s jointed figure eight, in all its complexity. As outgo- pieced together with seven seg- ing DCMP chair Paul Canfield of ments, had a twist. The segments Iowa State University put it, “if consisted not of LEDs, but of bac- you can hold it or pour it into a teria that lit up when fed a specific vessel, we try to discover it, make chemical input. it, learn about it, master it, and Voigt, a researcher at the even use it.” Massachusetts Institute of Incoming DCMP chair Daniel Researchers use DNA circuits to con- Technology, along with other Arovas of the University of trol fluorescence in E.coli in a simple interdisciplinary researchers in California San Diego adds that demo. IMAGE: GUILLAUME LAMBERT Paul Canfield synthetic biology, presented the the systems that most inter- Daniel Arovas IMAGE: UCSD IMAGE: IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY latest work in the field at this est condensed matter physicists Christophe Baret of the University year’s March Meeting. Broadly involve three basic components— and applied, through the ages. of Solid State Physics,” predated of Bordeaux in France. One rela- defined, synthetic biology involves electrons, ions, and photons— Noted Canfield, “Condensed only by the Division of Atomic, tively mature application, now “applying engineering principles which can interact in unique and matter physics is the field that Molecular, and Optical Physics offered commercially, is to use to biology,” says graduate stu- interesting ways to produce an tries to understand the birth of (DAMOP, established 1943) and genetically modified yeast cells dent David Specht of Cornell incredible variety of phases of magnetism and superconductiv- the Division of Polymer Physics to produce chemicals used in per- University, who approaches the matter—metals, insulators, fer- ity, the mechanisms of emergent (DPOLY, established 1944). DCMP fumes and biofuels. field from a physics background. romagnets, anti-ferromagnets, phenomena, and is discovering got its current name in 1978 in But researchers want to go Essentially, synthetic biologists superconductors, superfluids, the implications of electronic recognition that the discipline beyond their primitive control alter the internal “software” of ferroelectrics, semiconductors, topology. It is also the field that encompasses liquids, such as over yeast, since they actually biological cells—their DNA—to glasses, topological phases, spin brought the world the transistor, quantum fluids, as well as solids. can’t regulate the yeast’s pro- control their functions. liquids, and more. the read-head, the MRI unit.” Consistent with the sheer size cesses well. “The yeast will make In particular, synthetic biolo- Between the extremes of high With nearly 6,700 members, of DCMP, Arovas contends that so much chemical that it just gists want to exploit cells’ abili- energy particle physics, which DCMP has the highest membership condensed matter physics as a ties to process raw chemicals operates at the smallest-length of any APS division. In fact, DCMP discipline is “surely the most into other molecules, says Jean- BIOLOGY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 scales of fundamental particles, boasts almost twice the member- diverse” subfield within physics. and cosmology, which investigates ship base of the next-largest divi- This has a lot to do with the wide the universe at the largest-length sions—the Divisions of Particles variety of phases of matter that scales, condensed matter physics and Fields (DPF), Materials condensed matter physicists deal occupies the realm of intermediate Physics (DMP), Fluid Dynamics with as well as the broad array of scales, studying systems of size (DFD), and Computational Physics experimental techniques, which ranging from a few atoms up to (DCOMP)—which have between focus on characterizing these tens of centimeters. 3,200 and 3,500 members each. many phases of matter according And the broad range of the field In addition to being the largest to their measurable responses to is reflected in the wide-ranging APS division, DCMP is also one of an almost equally wide range of accomplishments of condensed the oldest. The division was first matter physicists, both basic formed in 1947 as the “Division DCMP CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 2 • April 2019

BIOLOGY CONTINUED FROMPAGE 1 THIS MONTH IN drowns in its own waste,” says developed a platform known as Specht. By developing methods CELLO, similar to computer-aided to control hundreds—or even design programs used in electri- thousands—of genes, synthetic cal circuit designs. The software Physics History biologists are pursuing more con- compiles their code into a diagram trol over a variety of cell types. made of individual gates and cre- Eventually, they want to design ates the DNA sequence associated April 14, 1932: Cockcroft and Walton and produce biological cells at a with the function. Researchers scale comparable to electronic can send this design to an outside Split the Atom circuits. company, which will synthesize They aim to achieve this, in the DNA circuit. “ nside the horror of Nagasaki and Hiroshima part, by designing DNA seg- In addition, researchers are also Ilies the beauty of Einstein’s E=mc2,” nov- ments to mimic the logic opera- engineering the chemical reactions elist Jeanette Winterson observed in her 1997 tions of electrical engineering. that power the metabolism of the novel, Gut Symmetries. That equation is indeed Cells respond to inputs accord- cell. By controlling these reactions, the underlying principle behind thermonuclear ing to their DNA instructions to they can adjust the protein pro- weapons and nuclear energy. It was two British grow, produce proteins, or divide. duction rate of a cell, for example. physicists, John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton, By introducing engineered DNA Such cells could be used in indus- who first split the atom to confirm Einstein’s sequences like extra lines of code, trial processes but could also be theory. researchers can control what the useful for fundamental research as Cockcroft was born in 1897 and served on the cell does. well: such systems could be used Western front during World War I. Afterward, To this end, Specht has to test hypotheses about the origin he studied electrical engineering before winning designed DNA segments that func- of life, says Baret. a scholarship to Cambridge University, even- tion as “NOT” logic gates inside an Baret’s group studied a meta- tually becoming a research student in Ernest E. coli cell. A NOT gate in a conven- bolic process inside tiny water Rutherford’s Cavendish Laboratory. He earned tional computer switches a 1 to a 0 droplets encased in oil—simplistic his PhD in 1925. Walton was born in 1903 into and vice versa. In a cell, when the models of living cells—on a chip. the family of a Methodist clergyman in Ireland, NOT gate senses a specific molecu- They inserted glucose, along with and won a scholarship to Trinity College, Dublin, lar input, it halts the production of two biological compounds known to study math and science. After finishing his a protein. If the molecule is not as NAD+ and NADH, into the drop- studies, he also went to work at the Cavendish present, the gate initiates protein lets, to engineer reactions in which lab, completing his PhD in 1931. He stayed on as production. glucose helps convert NAD+ to a researcher for another three years, teaming up Other groups have demon- NADH. They chose to study this with Cockcroft to experimentally study atomic strated similar NOT gates in the process because in a function- structure. Rutherford had successfully disintegrated past. However, when multiple NOT ing cell, the conversion of NAD+ gates are used within a cell, they nitrogen atoms with alpha particles in 1919, into NADH is “like a motor, in often unintentionally interfere gleaning vital hints as to the structure of atomic the sense it converts the chemical with each other—“crosstalk,” as nuclei. But a more powerful stream of projectiles energy of glucose into work that Specht calls it. This type of inter- would be needed to gather any further insight. the cell can use,” says Baret. With ference is common in synthetic Along with Mark Oliphant, Rutherford assigned laser monitoring of concentra- biology because cell components Cockcroft and Walton to design the experimental tions, they showed that the ratio are often unexpectedly coupled. equivalent of “a million volts in a soapbox.” They between NAD+ and NADH main- Cockcroft–Walton generator IMAGE: NATIONAL Specht has developed a technique built the generator out of spare parts, wood and SCIENCE MUSEUM, LONDON tains a steady state, as occurs in to efficiently test whether two NOT nails, and the machine was capable of 600,000 living cells. In future studies, Baret ticles to produce radioactive isotopes. For their gates will interfere, which he has volts when they finished it. Not quite a mil- wants to place the glucose outside efforts, they received the 1951 Nobel Prize in tested on combinations of 128 dif- lion volts, but Cockcroft read a seminal paper by of the droplet and engineer the cell Physics. The citation praised their work as open- ferent NOT gates. George Gamow and realized quantum tunneling to consume the glucose on its own ing up “a new and fruitful field of research” that Specht’s labmate, gradu- would let them achieve the same effect with a to drive the chemical conversion. had “profoundly influenced the whole subse- ate student Yasu Xu of Cornell lower voltage. They began bombarding lithium However, biological circuits quent course of nuclear physics [and] stands University, is designing a toggle and beryllium targets with high-energy protons offer some distinctive technical out as a landmark in the history of science.” The switch for E. coli. It’s a segment in March 1932. challenges: Cells expend a certain release of energy was too gradual to be of much of DNA that can either be “on” or On April 14, 1932, Walton noticed the telltale amount of their energy to keep practical use. It was Hungarian physicist Leo “off.” Depending on its setting, it signature of alpha particles after bombarding a themselves alive, and it’s unclear Szilard who proposed that bombarding atomic can turn on or off the production of lithium target: the lithium broke into two helium whether these processes could nuclei with extra neutrons would make the atoms a protein depending on the pres- nuclei (two protons and four neutrons each). be turned off to produce desired unstable and trigger a chain reaction to release ence of chemicals in the cell. Xu is Cockcroft and Rutherford confirmed this was the chemicals more efficiently. Cells energy much more quickly. tweaking the switch to respond to case. The three men penned a letter to Nature that must also function in a constantly Despite their success, the accelerator Cockcroft specific concentrations of chemi- same night announcing the first artificial disin- fluctuating environment. In addi- and Walton built was not as good a design as the cals, which means the bacterium tegration of an atomic nucleus—the splitting of tion, genes are often coupled in cyclotron developed by Ernest O. Lawrence in the can serve as a sensor, she says. an atom—and the first nuclear transmutation unexpected ways. Researchers have US. Cockcroft convinced Rutherford to invest in This switch could potentially also of one element (lithium) into another (helium). to be careful that the modifications a 36-inch cyclotron based on Lawrence’s design serve as information storage inside As a bonus, when they measured the total for the Cavendish Lab. It was soon up and run- they introduce into the cell do not the cell as a bit: one setting of the kinetic energy of the new helium nuclei, it was ning, and a second, larger cyclotron was under play havoc with some other impor- switch could correspond to 1, and greater than the original hydrogen and lithium construction when World War II broke out and tant function. So while research- the other 0. nuclei, with a corresponding loss in the total delayed its completion. ers are achieving some promising About a decade ago, in the mass. As a result, they had also confirmed During the war, Cockcroft did research into results, their ultimate vision of field’s infancy, researchers Einstein’s equation for the equivalence of mass radar, especially for shooting down enemy air- versatile, mass-produced synthetic 2 designed these so-called genetic and energy (E=mc ). craft, and helped get an early warning radar sys- cells is still many years away. circuits from scratch in a long, The team subsequently accomplished the tem operational. He was also appointed to the painstaking process. To speed up same feat with carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen the design process and build more The author is a freelance science atoms, using protons, deuterons, and alpha par- SPLITTING THE ATOM CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 complex circuits, Voigt’s group has writer based in Tucson, Arizona.

Series II, Vol. 28, No. 4 April 2019 APS COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES 2019 General Councilors Materials Physics), Baha Balantekin* (Division of © 2019 American Physical Society Bonnie Fleming, Andrea J. Liu*, Nuclear Physics), Elizabeth Simmons (Division of President Vivian F. Incera*, Robin L. B. Selinger Particles and Fields), Stuart Henderson (Division David J. Gross*, Kavli Institute for Theoretical of Physics of Beams), Amitava Bhattacharjee (Di- Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara International Councilors vision of Plasma Physics), Murugappan Muthu- Editor...... David Voss Johanna Stachel, Marta Losada*, kumar (Division of Polymer Physics), Charles H. Staff Science Writer...... Leah Poffenberger President-Elect Ahmadou Wagué*, Enge Wang Bennett (Division of Quantum Information), Noah Philip H. Bucksbaum*, Stanford University and Finkelstein (Forum on Education), Julia Gon- Contributing Correspondent ...... Alaina G. Levine SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Chair, Nominating Committee ski (Forum on Graduate Student Affairs), Virginia Design and Production...... Nancy Bennett-Karasik Larry D. Gladney, Yale University Trimble (Forum on the History of Physics), John Vice President Rumble, Jr.*(Forum on Industrial and Applied Sylvester J. Gates*, Brown Theoretical Physics Chair, Panel on Public Affairs Physics), Emanuela Barzi (Forum on International APS News (ISSN: 1058-8132) is published APS News, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD Center, Brown University James D. Wells, University of Michigan Physics), Pushpa Bhat* (Forum on Physics and So- monthly, except for a combined August-Sep- 20740-3844, Email: [email protected]. ciety), Philip R. Johnson (Mid-Atlantic Section), tember issue, 11 times per year, by the Ameri- Past President Editor in Chief Nora Berrah (New England Section) can Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, Col- Subscriptions: APS News is an on-membership Roger W. Falcone*, University of California, Michael Thoennessen, Michigan State University lege Park, MD 20740-3844, (301) 209-3200. It publication delivered by Periodical Mail Postage Berkeley (on leave) Senior Management Team contains news of the Society and of its Divisions, Paid at College Park, MD and at additional mail- Margaret Bandera, Chief Financial Officer; Mark Topical Groups, Sections, and Forums; advance ing offices. Chief Executive Officer Division, Forum, and Section Councilors Doyle, Chief Information Officer; Kate P. Kirby, information on meetings of the Society; and re- Kate P. Kirby, Harvard Smithsonian (retired) Michael Coleman Miller Division of Astrophys- Chief Executive Officer;Matthew M. Salter, ports to the Society by its committees and task For address changes, please send both the old ( ics), David Schultz (Division of Atomic, Molecular, Publisher; Francis Slakey, Chief Government forces, as well as opinions. and new addresses, and, if possible, include a Speaker of the Council and Optical Physics), William Bialek (Division of Affairs Officer; James W. Taylor, Deputy mailing label from a recent issue. Changes can be John Rumble, Jr.*, R&R Data Services Biological Physics), Robert Continetti (Division of Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer; Letters to the editor are welcomed from the emailed to [email protected]. Postmaster: Chemical Physics), John Bradley Marston* (Di- Michael Thoennessen, Editor in Chief membership. Letters must be signed and should Send address changes to APS News, Membership Treasurer vision of Condensed Matter Physics), Giulia Galli include an address and daytime telephone num- Department, American Physical Society, One James Hollenhorst* Agilent Technologies (Division of Computational Physics), Howard Stone * Voting Members of the APS Board of Directors ber. APS reserves the right to select and to edit Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844. , (Division of Fluid Dynamics), Beverly Berger* (Di- for length and clarity. All correspondence re- Corporate Secretary vision of Gravitational Physics), John Fourkas (Di- garding APS News should be directed to: Editor, Coden: ANWSEN ISSN: 1058-8132 Jeanette Russo, American Physical Society vision of Laser Science), Samuel Bader (Division of April 2019 • 3

APS MEMBER BENEFITS APS MARCH MEETING What Exactly is APSIT? Fixing Wikipedia’s Diversity Problem BY TRISH LETTIERI BY JESSICA THOMAS

very year, APS mem- The APSIT offers six insurance aren Daniels, a physicist bers receive an email or products: term life, 10 year level at North Carolina State E letter regarding APSIT, term life, disability income, per- K University, woke up a few the American Physical Society sonal accident, hospital indem- weeks ago to a new kind of fame. Insurance Trust, offering a range nity, and long term care. Of course, She had a Wikipedia page. of insurance products. But what is the particular products offered by Daniels was one of about 30 it, and what does it offer? APSIT may not meet your own per- female and minority physicists APS established the Trust sonal needs, but their products are whose Wiki biographies were cre- back in 1969 and it is offered to at least worth a look. The premi- ated in an “edit-a-thon” at the all member societies under the ums are usually very affordable APS March Meeting in Boston. The American Institute of Physics (AIP) and the coverage provided is quite event attracted roughly 50 attend- umbrella. In fact, APS members competitive with other providers. ees, who—in the latest tally—have who belong to more than one AIP Additionally, because the mem- written 26 new bios and updated member society likely receive mul- bers of AIP member societies, as a 39 existing ones. APS staff, with tiple communications about APSIT. group, typically have a higher edu- the support of the APS Committees To help APS members understand cation, live conservative lifestyles on the Status of Women in Physics more about this benefit of mem- and so on, the group rate provided (CSWP), on Minorities in Physics March Meeting attendees participated in a Wikipedia edit-a-thon. IMAGE: bership, I want to explain a bit can be far better than other group (COM), and on Informing the about ASPIT and its insurance plans. Public (CIP), partnered with Wiki JAMES ROCHE products. An additional benefit of APSIT Education to organize and run the APSIT was created to provide is that the member societies them- event. Wikipedia monoculture. At the ners of the Nobel Prize in Physics, members with a convenient source selves sit on the governing board “Wikipedia is the first place event, novice Wikimedians learned couldn’t be found on Wikipedia for high-quality insurance cov- and make decisions about the types many people look to learn about a the dos and don’ts of editing in until the day she won.) erage at an affordable cost. The of plans provided as well as other topic, including physics. However, the company of colleagues (and In a crash-course, attendees trust has offered Group Term matters. In fact, I serve alongside many prominent, deserving refreshments.) And they had access learned how to draft a biography Life insurance to APSIT member a number of member representa- women scientists lack biography to a list of deserving female and in their Wikipedia “sandbox” and society members since February tives to ensure that this member pages,” said Katherine Wright, an minority physicists on a shared to back up their statements with of 1970. Since then, they have benefit is the best it can be for APS. editor for Physics who proposed the dashboard. (Wikipedia ties an verifiable sources, such as articles expanded their product range and event and helped organize it. “[The The APSIT Board has updated the academic’s Wiki-worthiness— in trusted newspapers or a peer- the number of member societies event was] a step towards chang- tagline—“Insurance for Science or, “notability”—to such things reviewed journal. Representatives participating. The insurance plans ing that status quo,” she said. Professionals”—to better explain as prestigious awards, impact on from Wiki Education reviewed the are underwritten by the New York Although Wikipedia is open a field, or running an academic drafts, providing tips for improv- the products and also expanded Life Insurance Company, estab- to anyone, women make up just journal.) APS staff and CSWP, CIP, ing the sourcing or punching up promotion to include frequent lished in 1845, and still a market 10-15% of its editors—or “wiki- and COM members helped con- the writing before making the ads in Physics Today, so hopefully leader today. New York Life reg- medians.” The source of the dis- tribute roughly 100 names, many pages go live. you’ve seen those. And if you ever ularly earns the highest ratings crepancy is hard to pin down. It of whom were APS Fellows or had Daniels admitted to feeling a receive a request to serve on the for its financial strength from could come from women hav- been awarded APS prizes. “little weird” about having her APSIT Board, I hope you will con- leading rating services and even ing too little free time or being Jess Wade, a physicist at own Wiki page. But she loves see- sider serving. through the recent economic crisis turned off by Wikipedia’s occa- Imperial College London and activ- ing the new bios for women pop So, if you get a letter or infor- remained in excellent fiscal health. sionally aggressive editor culture, ist for female physicists, stirred the up. “School kids draw inspiration mational pamphlet from the APSIT, The plan is now administered said Jami Mathewson, Director of crowd with a talk about improved [from them]—and there [are now] you now know where it came from by a contracted company, Pearl Partnerships for Wiki Education diversity in science. She expressed a lot more there,” she said. and why you received it. It remains Insurance, based in Illinois. They (wikiedu.org). The dearth of frustration at seeing so few Wiki A brochure (PDF) from Wiki your decision as to whether any of maintain a website about APSIT female editors may also explain pages for brilliant women when Education that provides tips about the insurance products provided at apsitinsurance.com. The great why fewer than 20% of English- ample words had been spilled editing Wikipedia pages is available suit your own financial needs. To staff at Pearl has worked to re- language biographies are about about “obscure football teams in at go.aps.org/2HQc0me. learn more about other benefits of evaluate all the products offered women. the north of England.” (Donna membership, please see our ben- and improve the customer service Edit-a-thons like the one Strickland of the University of The author is Editor of Physics (phys- efits of membership page: go.aps. provided to participants in the in Boston aim to address the Waterloo, one of last year’s win- ics.aps.org). Trust. All AIP member societies are org/2Uri5ew, which is updated as APSIT participating organizations new benefits are added. and any member of an AIP member society may purchase the insur- The author is APS Director of APS MARCH MEETING ance products provided by APSIT. Membership. A Journey through Quantum Space and Time BY AMANDA BABCOCK

or the past several years, Brian Schwartz, City F University of New York, and Smitha Vishveshwara, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have collaborated to bring something unexpected to the APS March Meeting in Boston: physics-themed theater perfor- mances. This year’s evening of culture stands out among the rest in that it gave the audience two original works back-to-back. The evening started with Quantum Voyages, an original play writ- ten by Vishveshwara and Latrelle Bright. Following the play was a live performance of “A History of Physics in 13 Songs” written and Actors and physicists take the audience on a journey through the quantum performed by Oakland University world. IMAGE: AMANDA BABCOCK physics professor Alberto Rojo. Premiered at UIUC, Quantum Akash on a journey of curiosity led UIUC—would appear to share Voyages was produced and directed by Sapienza, the spirit of wisdom, their wisdom and explain some by Vishveshwara and Bright. The through the wonder and perils of quantum phenomenon to the pair original cast—a mixture of under- quantum landscapes. A “quantum and, on one comical occasion, give graduate theater majors and grad- ensemble” provided the backdrop, an exasperated Sapienza a glass uate physics students—made the acting out a living electromagnetic of wine. trip to Boston to perform for the spectrum, a crystal structure in One highlight of the perfor- March Meeting crowd. The cast which electrons moved, a super- mance was a charming repre- members’ passion for the physics conducting surface, and many sentation of Schrödinger by Lily Read online in the play helped communicate other quantum phenomena. Newton, a former physics major aps.org/apsnews the complex topics at hand and Throughout the performance, kept the audience enthralled. “quantum sages”—physics pro- The play follows Terra and fessors local to Boston or from JOURNEY CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 4 • April 2019

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS LETTERS Climate Change Tops Science Policy Issues Among Members may submit letters to [email protected]. APS reserves the APS Members at March Meeting right to select letters and edit for length and clarity. BY TAWANDA W. JOHNSON

limate change is a top con- Cosmic Rays, Pyramids, and the Void cern among APS members C who voted on the impor- he article “This Month in that the builders employed reliev- tance of six key issues highlighted Physics History” in the ing chambers elsewhere in the pyr- by the Office of Government Affairs T February 2019 issue of APS amid, and the new void is directly (OGA) during this year’s March News states that “archaeologists above the main gallery, of similar Meeting in Boston. confirmed their discovery of a hid- dimensions to the main gallery. For the past several years, OGA den burial chamber in an Egyptian The Great Pyramid was a has featured an “issues board” pyramid in 2017...” This refers to a remarkable feat of ancient engi- during the meeting, providing result published in Nature (nature. neering but was the result of a APS members an opportunity to com/articles/nature24647), how- century of trial and error. The inform the staff of their science ever the authors of that paper Egyptians learned from past mis- policy concerns. This year, the never claimed detection of a burial takes, such as when they had to main issues were: laboratory and chamber, only a void of unknown change the angle of the Bent facility upgrades, visas and immi- purpose. It is possibly a relieving Pyramid during construction, and gration, research funding, climate chamber to reduce the weight of may have taken a lesson from the change, combating sexual harass- the stone above the grand gallery possible partial collapse of the ment, and nuclear weapons and similar to series of smaller reliev- Meidum Pyramid. non-proliferation. A seventh cat- ing chambers above the king's egory—“other issues”—enabled chamber. This is the most likely Jeffery Winkler members to select matters not explanation since it is a known fact Hanford, California included among the main six. APS APS members were asked to rank issues of most concern. members could identify them- selves as industry, government, post-doc, faculty, or student. Kristopher Barr, a UCLA graduate student, said she was concerned JOURNALS Climate change was the top student. “There’s a lot of misin- about the effect of plastic pollution Reviews of Modern Physics 90th overall vote-getter with 215 formation about climate change, on the environment and stressed votes, followed by research fund- and we must be diligent about cor- that more research is needed to Anniversary Symposium ing (207), and visas and immi- recting these misunderstandings.” address the issue. gration (130). APS members also Barr added that diversity within “Plastic is in the deepest depths his year’s APS March had an opportunity to send letters the STEM field is also a concern. of our ocean, and that’s impacting Meeting featured a special REVIEWS OF to Congress during the meeting “We’ve got to frame science wildlife and human health,” she symposium in honor of the about those issues. A total of 534 in such a way that it is inviting said. Valverde Mendez said that Tth 90 anniversary of the founding MODERN letters were sent to 60 Senate and to individuals who believe that robust, sustainable research fund- of Reviews of Modern Physics (RMP). 90 House offices. science is too hard to grasp, and ing would go a long way in helping Please also join the editors PHYSICS APS members offered a variety to individuals who believe their to create better materials, alleviat- of RMP on Tuesday, April 16, in of reasons about why they were socioeconomic backgrounds will ing the need for plastic. Denver at the APS April Meeting for concerned about the issues. keep them from pursuing science,” Xiangyu Song, a graduate stu- a special plenary session with three “I feel that it’s our job as sci- he added. distinguished speakers marking entists to communicate the impor- Diana Valverde Mendez, a the 90th anniversary of the jour- tance of climate change,” said Princeton University graduate CLIMATE CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 nal. Wim Leemans (Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) will discuss YEARS laser-based particle accelerators, (University of California Los Elena Aprile (Columbia University) Angeles) will talk about physics Signal Boost is a monthly email video newsletter alerting APS members to policy issues and identifying opportunities to get will give an update on the search at the center of the Milky Way. For involved. Past issues are available at go.aps.org/2nr298D. Join more see go.aps.org/2I4IBDW. for dark matter, and Andrea Ghez Our Mailing List: visit the sign-up page at go.aps.org/2nqGtJP.

FYI: SCIENCE POLICY NEWS FROM AIP

Trump Again Seeks Sweeping Budget Cuts to Science BY MITCH AMBROSE

s part of a broader push Congress has always reached an to constrain nonde- agreement to raise the caps for two A fense spending, President years at a time. Trump’s proposed budget for fis- The budget prioritizes research cal year 2020 would sharply pare tied to “industries of the future,” back science programs across the a phrase Trump used in his latest federal government. State of the Union Address. The The administration’s cuts White House has identified four resemble those it proposed in its corresponding priority areas: ment instead together decreasing Three speakers at the Symposium covered the unique aspects of Reviews of previous two budget requests, artificial intelligence, quantum 12 percent to $14 billion, near their Modern Physics and the articles published over its 90 year history. L-R: Frances which Congress largely rejected. information science, advanced fiscal year 2017 total. Hellman Frances Hellman, (University of California, Berkeley) spoke about inter- Many of the steepest cuts again communication networks, and The cuts to DOE would fall faces and magnetism ; Antonio Castro Neto (National University of Singapore) target programs that fund envi- advanced manufacturing. In sup- heaviest on its applied energy R&D talked about the science of 2D materials ; and Nigel Goldenfeld (University of ronmental research and later- port of the recently launched Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) discussed the role of RMP in the field of statisti- programs. For the third year in a stage energy R&D. Others would National Quantum Initiative, the cal physics. IMAGE: ROBERT CASTAGNA row, the administration proposes essentially roll back large increases budget states it includes approxi- to eliminate the Advanced Research that Congress provided over the mately $430 million for quantum Projects Agency–Energy and slash PROTECTION FOR EVERY STAGE OF LIFE past two budget cycles. information science across the funding for renewable, fossil, and These recent increases were Department of Defense (DOD), nuclear energy R&D. Meanwhile, After a tragic event, the last thing you should have to worry enabled by a budget agreement Department of Energy (DOE), the DOE Office of Science budget about is financial security. Because you belong to a society that that raised statutory caps on National Science Foundation participates in the APSIT Group Insurance Program, you can would be rolled back by about $1 leverage APSIT’s buying power to help protect your family’s defense and non-defense spend- (NSF), and National Institute of billion, or 16 percent, bringing it finances against disabilities, accidents, and even death itself. ing for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Standards and Technology (NIST). just above its level in fiscal year Don’t wait until it’s too late—learn more today. Congress is now preparing to DOD’s Research, Development, 2017. While most of the office’s 1 in 3 negotiate an agreement to raise Test, and Evaluation accounts divisions would see cuts ranging households will the spending caps for the following would collectively rise almost 10 from about 10 to 30 percent, the face immediate two years. percent above already historically advanced computing division bud- financial hardship Under the current caps for fis- high levels to just over $100 billion get would remain at a historically 800.272.1637 | APSITinsurance.com/Protect after a primary cal year 2020, which begins on under the proposal. Earlier-stage high level to support an exascale *Durham, Ashley. “2016 Insurance Barometer Study.” LIMRA. N.p., 2016. Web. 11 October 2016. wage earner’s Certain state and age eligibility restrictions may apply, depending on the plan. The complete description of the APSIT Group Insurance Plans are October 1, 2019, overall spend- R&D programs would not benefit contained in the Certificate of Insurance, including features, costs, eligibility, renewability, limitations, and exclusions. Benefit option amounts are not computing initiative. guaranteed and are subject to change by agreement between New York Life Insurance Company and APSIT. The plans are underwritten by New York Life * Insurance Company, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10010, under policy forms G-29069-1/FACE, G-29068-0/FACE, G-29068-2/FACE, G-29134-0/FACE. passing. ing on defense and non-defense from this surge, with accounts for Group Disability Income and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance are not available to New Mexico residents. Cuts to NSF are spread across Program Administrator’s programs would drop about 10 basic research, applied research, California Insurance License #0F76076, AR#1322 182084-APSIT-AP-HALF percent. However, since 2013, and advanced technology develop- BUDGET CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 April 2019 • 5

APS MARCH MEETING APS MARCH MEETING APS News takes on LabEscape Q&A: Bruce Wielicki Thinks The World Needs A BY LEAH POFFENBERGER Climate Observatory

n the last day of the APS latest research proposal to DARPA BY SOPHIA CHEN March Meeting, a rag- before the deadline since she was reflected solar radiation in a range tag team of science writ- stuck on a plane. The only prob- “ s this uncomfortable for O you?” I ask NASA scientist of different wavelengths, and you ers, graduate students, scientists, lem? A dropped call before she end up with this mess where it’s and future physicists entered the could share her password, setting IBruce Wielicki in the crowded hard to compare data collected by lab of the famous (if fictional) off our quest to discover what it Boston Convention center hall- different satellites. Professor Schrödenberg and were might be, guided by the many clues way. The benches nearby are all So I’m proposing this: what if issued a challenge: Solve a slew of scattered throughout her lab. occupied, so to do our interview, the countries of the world agreed science-based clues to unlock the It’s a slightly lower-stakes sce- we have plopped down on the floor by the windows. to design, build, and maintain a Professor’s computer and submit nario than Kwiat’s first version “I’m fine,” he assures me. dedicated climate observatory her research proposal to DARPA— of LabEscape, in which Professor Over the next 75 minutes, Wielicki system? We did this with weather in 45 minutes or less. S and four government agents proceeds to patiently describe his forecasting back in the 50’s and The challenge came courtesy have gone missing, endangering life’s work in climate science from 60’s. For example, the UN estab- of a real physics professor, Paul national security—a nod to an the carpet. lished the World Meteorological Kwiat, and the University of Illinois important potential application He’s endured more tortur- Organization, which coordinates Bruce Wielicki Urbana-Champaign, who brought of quantum computing. Kwiat has IMAGE: NASA LANGLEY ous circumstances. In 2017, the international infrastructure to LabEscape, a physics-based escape also created a sequel for LabEscape Trump Administration tried to produce and disseminate weather room, to life for the first time in enthusiasts, and now he’s looking the case for this idea for the U.S. kill the space-based climate mis- forecasts. 2016. LabEscape’s original itera- to expand LabEscape to new loca- Global Change Research Program, sion Wielicki is leading, called tion and a sequel can be found at tions, like science museums. Where do things stand now? which is the head group of all the the Climate Absolute Radiance Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana, As the clock began ticking, with The CLARREO Pathfinder mis- scientific agencies. We’ve also and Refractivity Observatory Illinois but Kwait and his own the professor’s research—and sion that I’m leading is a small step published several academic papers (CLARREO) Pathfinder. Congress team of graduate students brought probably our careers as interns— toward standardizing climate data. on this. eventually rejected the president’s a special version to Boston, just for hanging in the balance, the team It’s a spectrometer that will go So we have all sorts of docu- request to defund the mission; the March Meeting. split up, each of us running to dif- on the ISS for calibrating instru- mentation that we need to build Wielicki’s instrument is poised Success in LabEscape requires ferent parts of the lab to begin ments on satellites. It’ll cross the this observing system. But no one to launch in 2023 for deployment the same skills as science: exper- our search for clues. Almost every orbits of various satellites 1,300 has said, dang it, it’s worth it, let’s to the International Space Station imentation, collaboration, and item in the room had a purpose, times. During these orbit cross- go ahead and do it. I’ve been giving (ISS). out-of-the-box ideas. During the from the innocuous posters of ings, it’ll take data that correct for talks about building it for about But that mission is just a tiny pre-challenge briefing, Kwiat did a physicists lining the walls to an calibration drifts. The most com- five years now. It doesn’t appear slice of Wielicki’s bigger goal— short demo of what kinds of things iPod clipped to a lab coat that gave mon cause of these drifts is from to be going anywhere. he wants to build an international we might expect to see inside the musical cues. Along the way we contaminants in the instruments observatory dedicated to monitor- What’s the holdup? lab and handed out explainers of encountered real scientific instru- that get fixed on optical compo- ing climate change over decades. In the US, we have thirteen mentation, like a laser interfer- nents by direct solar UV exposure. physics concepts, like refraction agencies doing climate research. To do this, he needs to get sci- The effects can be larger than and spectroscopy, that emphasized ometer and a beam splitter that entists and politicians globally But none of them does climate helped us uncover the code to a 10 percent over a decade or less. ideas many people learned in high research as their number one job. on board, and he has come to his CLARREO will calibrate these drifts school or middle school. However, safe, and we used physics data to It’s always their third or fourth first APS March meeting to recruit and make for a more accurate cli- Kwiat cautioned the team to not crack the code. Every person on the priority, whether it’s NASA, NOAA, physicists to the cause. After pre- mate record in the long term. rely too much on our own knowl- team contributed, with building or the EPA. So what happens is a senting in a session and attending I’ve also collaborated with edge of physics, but to carefully excitement every time a new safe curse of the commons. No one is a networking dinner, Wielicki says Roger Cooke, an economist, to examine each clue. was opened or discovery made. responsible for it. No one fails in he’s found a handful of physicists publish several papers on the long- Our team consisted of: graduate The escape room, which felt like their jobs if they don’t do climate interested in his work. In a conver- term economic benefits of building students Yi Wei Ho and Jun Hao a real-life treasure hunt complete science. It would help dramatically sation bouncing between enthu- an international observatory. We Hue from the National University with encrypted and hidden mes- if we had an agency whose primary siasm and cautious pragmatism, calculated a metric called value of of Singapore; three science writ- sages, took about three months for budget was dedicated to climate Wielicki tells APS News of the jour- information (VOI). VOI is essen- ers—Emily Conover of Science Kwiat and his LabEscape team to change, but I doubt the US will do ney so far. tially an estimate of the economic News, Amanda Babcock, free- put together. Kwiat was inspired to it, politically. Make the case for us. What is this value of accurate climate data, lancer extraordinaire and myself; create LabEscape after he visited The scientific community has observatory you want to build, and assuming that the government and a family of four—Oak Ridge a different escape room—which a share of the blame, too. As I’ve why do we need it? uses it to prevent climate-related National Laboratory physicist he says he failed. The original given these talks, it struck me We don’t have a climate observ- disasters. We’ve estimated that Michael Manley, his wife Anne, a LabEscape mission took about six how we seem to be crippled. I ini- ing system rigorously designed for each dollar we invest in the geochemist, 13-year-old Ryan, and months for Kwiat to mastermind tially thought, naively, that once for collecting data over long time observatory, it will return around 9-year-old Catherine. Ryan and with the help of graduate stu- my work on the economic value scales. Everybody’s been doing 50 dollars in avoided damages. Catherine would prove invaluable, dents from UCIC and funding from of this observatory got published, their own individual missions. The economic models we use add often spotting clues the rest of us the APS outreach mini-grants the scientific community would get Maybe one satellite’s spectrometer around a factor of 5 of uncertainty, didn’t. The time to beat for the program. behind it—that we’d triple climate is optimized for quantifying chlo- so the return on investment ranges week to escape the lab was around In the end, we made it out of science research and start pushing rophyll in the oceans, and another from about 10 dollars per dollar 33 minutes, a record set by a group the escape room after submitting to build this system. is optimized for studying aerosol to 250 dollars per dollar. Working of local high school students. the professor’s research, thanks to properties. Each satellite’s instru- with other climate scientists, I’ve Upon entering the makeshift a small extension of the grant pro- ments are designed to measure put together a whitepaper making Q&A CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 lab as “interns,” our team was posal deadline, finishing in about greeted with a video call from 52 minutes. our new supervisor, top quantum physicist Professor Schrödenberg. For more information about She tasked us with logging in to LabEscape, or to book your own visit her computer and submitting her to the lab, visit labescape.org. Looking for a coherent laser science talk? The Division of Laser Sciences (DLS) of the American Physical Society sponsors the Distinguished Traveling Lecturer Program in Laser Science and invites applications from schools to host a lecturer in 2019/2020. The purpose of the program is to bring distinguished scientists to colleges and universities in order to convey the excitement of Laser Science to undergraduate students.

DLS covers travel expenses and the honorarium of the lecturer. The host institution is responsible only for local expenses of the lecturer and for advertising the public lecture. Priority will be given to predominantly undergraduate institutions that do not have extensive resources for similar programs.

aps.org/units/dls/distinguished

LECTURERS FOR 2019/2020: Send applications to Hui Cao | School of Engineering and Applied Science, Yale University Rainer Grobe ([email protected]) & Anthony Johnson | Department of Physics, University of Maryland Rohit Prasankumar ([email protected]). Luis A. Orozco | Department of Physics, University of Maryland Deadline to apply for visits in Fall 2019: May 30. David Reitze | LIGO Laboratory, California Institute of Technology Carlos Stroud | The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester Antoinette Taylor | Chemistry, Life & Earth Sciences, Los Alamos National Lab Ron Walsworth | Department of Physics, Harvard University TM Linda Young | Chemistry Division, Argonne National Laboratory

A team of intrepid adventurers successfully escaped the laboratory of Dr. S. 6 • April 2019

KAVLI CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CLIMATE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 and aluminum—none of which are dent at the University of Illinois, “It would keep us stuck where to the Clean Energy Trust, a non- magnetic—to produce a compound Urbana-Champaign, picked we are instead of putting us on profit clean technology accelerator that was ferromagnetic at room research funding as a key issue. a cutting-edge path,” Tomanek focused on bringing scientific and temperature. Felser showed the “You worry about whether explained. Instead, being open to technological advances to the mar- potential of using different ele- funding will dry up, given the recruiting the best and brightest ketplace. Visit APS’s donation page ments from the periodic table in uncertainty surrounding it,” she students from around the world at go.aps.org/2Ugrx0W. novel topological configurations said. would help solve the issue, he said. APS members can visit OGA’s to produce new materials with a Another concern for Song: Regarding climate change, APS Advocacy Page (go.aps.org/takeac- range of properties, such as semi- nuclear weapons. is the first scientific society in the tion) to learn more about science conductors, topological insulators, “I’m from China, and we have United States to broadly assess and policy issues and to contact their and magnets. an unstable neighbor. Nuclear publish its emissions. The Society member of Congress. A vast number of Heusler weapons should be well-con- has taken steps to provide mem- “We want our members to know compounds can be created just by trolled,” she opined. bers the opportunity to mitigate that we are a key resource for them selecting the right building blocks. America’s standing as a global their carbon footprint by donating Philip Kim to take action on the issues that A Heusler compound can either be technology leader has declined due to an environmental organiza- matter most to them,” said Francis tion of their choice—an initiative what’s called a half Heusler (XYZ) to a decrease in research fund- Slakey, APS Chief Government or a normal Heusler (X YZ), where ing, said David Tomanek, phys- that stems directly from APS’s 2 Affairs Officer. X, Y, and Z are chemical elements. ics professor at Michigan State Greenhouse Gas Inventory report X can be one of 33 elements, Y one University. (go.aps.org/2HPM5Lh). For those of 13 and Z one of 12, allowing for And isolation is not the answer without a preferred organization, The author is the Press Secretary in many combinations. And as Felser to the problem, he added. APS suggests directing donations the APS Office of Government Affairs. showed, the Heusler compounds can be further modified using a variety of tools to create an even BUDGET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 larger family of materials. Kim discussed another versa- directorates, shaving about $1 more favored agencies, NASA’s board cuts, House Appropriations tile method for creating materials billion or 12 percent from the budget would retain much of the Committee Chair Nita Lowey with varied properties by stacking agency. The budget for major increase Congress recently pro- (D-NY) remarked, “President 2D sheets of material, a process facility construction would drop vided the agency. However, echo- Trump has somehow managed Mark D. Ediger pioneered using graphene. Like by a quarter, though the con- ing last year’s proposal, the Earth to produce a budget request even Heusler compounds, the resulting clusion of two projects freed up Science division would be cut by 8 more untethered from reality than properties of 2D stacked materials funds for the agency to propose percent and the Wide Field Infrared his past two.” depend both on which elements beginning a major upgrade to the Survey Telescope would be can- celled, leaving the Astrophysics are used and how the material is Large Hadron Collider and launch- The author is Acting Director of FYI. manipulated. For example, the ing a new program dedicated to division with a 20 percent smaller FYI has been a trusted source of big story of last year’s APS March mid-scale research infrastructure. budget. science policy and funding news Meeting, was creation of a super- NIST’s research facility construc- The overall budget has received since 1989, and is read by mem- conductor by stacking two layers of tion budget would be halved and a chilly reception in Congress, bers of Congress and their staff, graphene, with one layer twisted to its research programs would drop which is apt to disregard much federal agency heads, journalists, at an optimal angle. about $110 million or 16 percent. of its contents. Criticizing the and US scientific leaders. Sign up By stacking different atomi- As one of the administration’s budget’s call for across-the- for free FYI emails at aip.org/fyi. cally thin materials with struc- tures similar to graphene, many types of materials can be created, Sharon Glotzer DCMP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 like magnetic materials or semi- conductors. According to Kim, a probes—such as current flow or on Soft Matter (GSOFT). invited symposia and 150 contrib- number of these stacked systems exposure to light, ultrasound, and Prominent avenues of research uted talk sessions—more than any have predictable results, but there temperature and pressure changes. in condensed matter physics other division. are plenty of new combinations Given this broad reach, it should include everything from inves- The benefits of DCMP mem- of these 2D materials that remain come as no surprise that condensed tigating how phases of matter bership are many. Beyond the APS unknown and could have inter- matter physics has significant behave on the shortest timescales March Meeting, DCMP sponsors esting properties, leading to new overlap with many disciplines— to understanding emerging quan- several smaller meetings each physics. The more layers, the more biological physics, electrical engi- tum states to the discovery of new year on more specific topics in complexity—and the more things neering, and quantum information materials in general. Particular condensed matter physics. For the 2D system may be able to do. research to name a few. The over- excitement surrounds the conflu- instance, coming up in April in Using the structures created from lap between condensed matter ence of condensed matter physics Santa Fe, New Mexico is the Center stacked 2D materials and connect- physics and atomic, molecular, and quantum information. for Nonlinear Studies’ annual ing them together has applications and optical physics is an especially Arovas explained that con- conference on strongly correlated in electronics development. Clifford Brangwynne interesting example: Optical laser densed matter physicists’ work quantum materials, followed by Ediger moved away from neat trap techniques can be used to cre- understanding the storage and an annual workshop on recent stacks of materials to the disor- displays substantially, leading to ate some of the most interesting flow of information at the quantum developments in electronic struc- dered structures of glasses, which increased efficiency and device phases of condensed matter. level is an important step toward ture in Urbana, Illinois in May. In are highly variable. Creating highly lifetime. Arovas pointed out that con- scalable and fault-tolerant quan- addition, DCMP sponsors several stable glass is important for con- In contrast to forming the dis- densed matter physics even tum computation. Another area prizes and awards—including ten tinued development in modern ordered states of glass, Glotzer touches particle physics and cos- of high interest is exotic phases DCMP Grad Student Travel Awards electronics, like OLED (organic discussed the formation of crystals mology: Peter Higgs’ famous 1964 of matter. This includes quantum and ten DCMP Honorable Mention light emitting diode) displays now in the absence of energetic inter- paper in Physical Review Letters spin liquids (featuring intrinsic Awards each year to support young found in some smartphones or actions. She introduced the notion (go.aps.org/2uE7QVS) describing quantum fluctuations that can lead scientists entering the condensed optical fibers. Ediger discussed a of the entropic bond, the idea that what became known as the Higgs to a breakdown of conventional matter physics field. method of creating glass that will particles jostling together in a boson cites seminal work by the order) and recently discovered “Nature has been extremely provide higher density and low- space will become ordered as they kind to condensed matter energy amorphous packing: instead find the best packing structures. condensed matter physicist Philip two-dimensional systems like gra- physicists, providing us with a of cooling a molten liquid, the The spontaneous formation of the Anderson that elucidates a con- phene, which in twisted bilayer (or seemingly inexhaustible set of fas- usual method of glass creation, he ordered crystal state seems coun- nection between particle phys- “magic angle”) form can exhibit cinating materials and phenom- proposes using vapor deposition. terintuitive, but Glotzer explained ics and superconductivity. And superconductivity. ena to investigate and to model,” A typical method of glass cre- how entropy can order matter. in astrophysics, neutron stars DCMP has historically had a remarked Arovas, “Truly, it is an ation involves a supercooled liquid Ten years ago, one of Glotzer’s might exhibit the phenomena of prolific presence at the APS March embarrassment of riches.” slowly turning into a glass, where students found that tetrahedra superconductivity and superflu- Meeting, and 2019 was no excep- More information on this unit different cooling rates create dif- self-assembled into a quasicrystal, idity. According to Canfield, this tion. In terms of participation, can be found here: aps.org/units/ ferent types of glasses. But to but now she’s seen over 100 other breadth also allowed DCMP to DCMP’s over four thousand reg- dcmp form the high-density glass states nanoparticle shapes that also form act as a kind of “incubator” giv- istered March Meeting attendees Ediger is interested in would take crystals. The formation is driven ing rise to other more specialized comprised more than a quarter years using this method. With by the system seeking maximum divisions and topical groups within of total meeting attendance. As The author is a freelance writer in vapor deposition, collecting gas on entropy, which in turn means APS, for example the Topical Group for content, DCMP organized 33 Helsinki, Finland. a cold substrate to create thin but finding the maximum number dense glass takes about an hour. of possible microstates—and for The higher density occurs as the some shapes, including spheres, research primarily deals with result in new physics. has shown, liquid-liquid phase molecules fall to the substrate there are more ways to be orga- structures on a size scale between Many people remember organ- transitions inside the cell, driven like blocks in the computer game nized than disorganized. nanoscale—like protein fold- elles from high school biology, but by intrinsically disordered proteins, Tetris and have the opportunity to Brangwynne rounded out the ing—and the macroscale of vis- as Brangwynne points out, all of may have implications for the acti- switch positions to pack together Kavli session with applications of ible cells: The rules for assembling these organelles are membrane- vation of specific genes. as tightly as possible. Just a one soft matter physics to biological mesoscale structures like organ- bound. But his interest is in fluids systems. Molecules within living elles are not well understood but percent increase in glass density of intercellular material that move All of the Kavli lectures can be viewed achieved by vapor deposition can cells undergo self-assembly to ful- studying such biological structures inside the cell to control what form on the APS YouTube channel: youtube. increase photostability of OLED fil certain functions. Brangwynne’s and their rules for assembly could the cell will take. As Brangwynne com/user/apsphysics. April 2019 • 7

EDUCATION AND DIVERSITY NEWS Q&A CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

PhysTEC Teacher of the Year But nope. That’s not what hap- omists. It takes some courage to purely intellectual threat. We may pened. Scientists tend to be narrow take that step. Scientists don’t be so dysfunctional in terms of he PhysTEC Teacher of three years of full-time teach- specialists. Climate science is this know economics, and economists long-term strategizing that we are the Year program recog- ing that has included substan- huge complex system involving 50 know very little science. But this is literally marching off into oblivion. nizes outstanding physics tial physics teaching experience. T essential variables. No single sci- a totally unplowed area of science. This interview has been edited and teachers and aims to demonstrate From these nominees, PhysTEC entist understands all of it. When I’m trying to explain to people that condensed for clarity. the impact and value of physics will select up to one local Teacher given a big picture problem like it didn’t take Roger and me very teacher preparation programs that of the Year per institution and a building this observatory, most long to learn enough economics are members of PhysTEC. PhysTEC single national Teacher of the Sophia Chen is a freelance science scientists tend to think that it’s and enough climate science to do institutions are eligible to nomi- Year. Learn more at phystec.org/ writer based in Tucson, Arizona. someone else’s problem. Their something useful. nate one graduate who has at least toty/. Additional Reading focus is on their next grant, next So what will it take to get this 1. Cooke, R., B. A. Wielicki, D. F. paper, next postdoc. observatory built? Young, and M. G. Mlynczak, What are you hoping to communi- It depends on whether I’m “Value of Information for Climate Observing Systems,” J. Environ. cate to physicists? being optimistic or pessimistic. If Syst. Decis., 34, 98 (2014), DOI: SPLITTING THE ATOM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 I’m hoping to open people’s I’m being optimistic, I say that the 10.1007/s10669-013-9451-8. eyes to a new way of looking at message just needs more time. If 2. Hope, C., “The $10 trillion value committee charged with dealing to the chimneys. And it turned out things, to think about climate I’m being pessimistic, I say that of better information about the with issues relating to the techni- the Oak Ridge uranium oxide had science in a business framework. I’m starting to conclude that soci- transient climate response,” cal feasibility of an atomic bomb. come from the chemical plant, Scientists typically start with a ety is genetically not capable of Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 373, In 1944, Cockcroft was not the reactor. The filters were budget and ask what’s the most dealing with long-term climate 20140429 (2015), DOI: 10.1098/ rsta.2014.0429.Cooke, R. et al., named director of the Montreal dubbed “Cockcroft’s folly,” since important science to do within change. That may literally be the “Real Option Value of Earth Ob- Laboratory, a new heavy-water that budget. Instead, I’m saying we answer. [laughs] his colleagues didn’t think they serving Systems,” Climate Policy nuclear reactor in Canada to man- were necessary. But Cockcroft’s should think of climate science as For millions of years, we’ve had (2016), DOI:10.1080/14693062.2 ufacture plutonium and enriched excess of caution ultimately paid investing in a business. The ques- to protect ourselves from short- 015.1110109. uranium. Two years later he off: In 1957 a fire broke out at the tion is, how much should society term threats—lions and tigers and 3. Weatherhead, B. et al., “Designing became director of the Atomic invest? Right now, there’s been storms. A long-term threat, dis- the climate observing system of Windscale facility, and one of the Energy Research Establishment five journal papers written on this tributed over the whole world on the future,” Earth's Future (2017), reactors caught fire. Thanks to DOI: 10.1002/2017EF000627. (AERE) in the UK, overseeing the topic. Roger Cooke and I have writ- a fifty-year time scale, is so for- the filters, no radioactive mate- 4. Cooke, R. et al., “Monetizing the construction of various reactors. ten four of them. We need more eign to our genes. Our emotions rial escaped into the surrounding Value of Measurements of Equilib- The first nuclear reactor in west- diversity. are usually what force us to make ern Europe started up in August environment. rium Climate Sensitivity Using the So my goal here is to get more decisions. But we don’t react emo- Social Cost of Carbon,” Environ. 1947 at AERE. In 1959, Cockcroft became the scientists to collaborate with econ- tionally to climate change; it’s a Mon. Assess., in press. In the 1950s, a similar reac- first Master of Churchill College, tor design was implemented at Cambridge, which formally opened the Windscale facility in north- in 1964. He died of a heart attack west England for producing fis- at his Cambridge home in 1967. PRC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 sile material for atomic weapons. Walton had returned to Ireland in Cockcroft made one especially 1934 as a fellow of his alma mater, far from stability and investiga- Review Letters, and Physical Review the larger nuclear physics com- controversial decision in the con- Trinity College, working on the tions with radioactive beams. C have been published fully open munity owe a debt of gratitude struction of the Windscale plu- phosphorescent effect in glasses, The journal also introduced new access (under a so-called CC-BY to the outstanding scientists who tonium production reactors: He radiocarbon dating, and thin-film article structures and article types. 4.0 license) at no additional cost have served as Associate Editors, insisted the chimney stacks be fit- In order to improve information to the authors or readers. Editorial Board members, and dili- ted with high performance filters. deposition on glass, among other content and increase efficiency As another innovation, Physical gent referees of whom a few are interests. He died in 1995 at the There had been a report of ura- of computer searches Physical Review C has embarked on an recognized each year under the age of 91 in Belfast. nium oxide detected near the X-10 Review C introduced “structured important experiment: Certain APS’s Outstanding Referees pro- Graphite Reactor at the Oak Ridge, Further Reading: abstracts” in 2011. A year later spectroscopic data are being gram [2]. Tennessee facility, and Cockcroft 1. Cathcart, Brian. The Fly in the Physical Review C joined the other checked, in collaboration with the Finally, the journal appreci- wanted to guard against similar Cathedral. New York: Penguin, Physical Review journals in high- National Nuclear Data Center at ates the many talented scien- leakage. 2005. lighting articles that the editors Brookhaven National Laboratory, tists who have entrusted Physical It was a costly detail, since he 2. Hartcup, Guy, and Allibone, T.E. find particularly interesting or for consistency in an effort to Review C with publishing their best made the decision late in the design Cockcroft and the Atom. Bristol: A. important by marking these as avoid having to publish corrections research. The authors are truly the process, resulting in a lumpy shape Hilger, 1984. “Editors’ Suggestions.” These spe- at a later date. heart and soul of the journal. cially marked articles are posted on The field of nuclear physics has the journal’s home page along with undergone continual change in Benjamin F. Gibson has served as a brief summary and link to the the 49 years since Physical Review Editor of Physical Review C since Opening for online version. C was established. Yet the central 2002. Christopher Wesselborg is the submissions In January 2018, Physical Review goal of the journal has remained journal’s Managing Editor, having soon C took an important step forward in unchanged: to accept and publish joined PRC in 1993. open-access publishing by joining those manuscripts that are sci- 1. What You Need to Know: APS and PHYSICAL SCOAP3 (see APS News, December entifically sound and advance the SCOAP3, APS News, December 2017 [1]). Under this agreement, field of nuclear physics. In that 2017, go.aps.org/2j0eDqK. high-energy physics articles pub- endeavor Physical Review C, the APS 2. journals.aps.org/OutstandingRef- REVIEW lished in Physical Review D, Physical Division of Nuclear Physics, and erees RESEARCH

A new open access journal in the Physical Review family JOURNEY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

at UCIC. In a monologue to the two in the action, the ensemble acted cal material from published papers adventurers, Newton explained the out discrete quantized levels in to personal letters, alternating concept of quantum superposi- a diagonal line across the stage, with Rojo’s vocals . tion completely in German. After each actor running in place at dif- The songs covered a select list Welcoming the Full Spectrum of Research a moment of initial confusion and ferent “energies.” The quantum of important figures in physics audience laughs, Sapienza (played voyage ended with a representation Physical Review Research is a multidisciplinary, international history, beginning with Galileo. by Kalan Benbow) translated the of an MRI machine, using a long, journal covering all research topics of interest to the physics Letters from Maxwell to Faraday community. The open access publishing model supports monologue. blue glow light to scan a collapsed formed the basis for a song on the the aim of the journal—to broadly disseminate high-quality Newton fooled the audience with Terra. Sapienza then returned the discovery that light is an electro- research from all of physics, the physical sciences and her convincingly fluent German adventurers home. Their new- magnetic wave. A song inspired interdisciplinary areas to a global audience. Our goal is to thanks to careful preparation. found knowledge inspired the pair by Richard Feynman, titled “Trees to ask bigger questions, seek more initiate conversations across traditional boundaries, invite “[Newton] studied with a native are made of air,” relayed the idea speaker,” Vishveshwara confirmed. answers, and appreciate that what potential new collaborations, and enable future discoveries. of carbon sequestration in trees. She also noted that the mono- is seen is not all there is to see. The last song of the night focused logue came in part from Erwin The evening continued with on Vera Rubin, using jarring Sign Up for Alerts journals.aps.org/prresearch Schrödinger’s cat paradox paper. the performance of “A History of strains to communicate the unex- The ensemble’s creative repre- Physics in 13 Songs.” Rojo was pected galactic rotation curves, a sentations of quantum phenom- joined by Michael Gould on per- discovery supporting the existence ena included acting out a game cussion and Dave Haughey on cello of dark matter. of Clue to illustrate the confusion with Lynnae Lehfeldt providing Published by the of being in two states at once— narration. Lehfeldt’s practiced American Physical Society @PhysRevResearch in this case both dead and alive theater voice resonated over the The author is a freelance writer based at the same time. At one point music, reading a variety of histori- out of Goodland, KS. 8 • April 2019 THE BACK PAGE

Impressions from the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting BY SARA JANE

ote: The APS Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) is observed any inappropriate behavior of any kind at DNP meetings. committed to providing an inclusive space where The other confirmed that he had never witnessed any sort of racist N physicists can exchange ideas and share their inter- or sexist behavior, only a high-degree of professionalism. Not sure ests in nuclear physics, regardless of the origin, color, gen- what the woman answered but I was angered by these comments. der, sexual orientation, gender identity etc, of the scientist. These guys just don’t care about what others are experiencing… In this context, last year the DNP requested stories from Friday 8:30 a.m. the membership. Rather than present each story in isolation, I went for breakfast at Starbucks in the hotel. I saw the senior we have chosen to collect them as though they happened physicist that gave one of the plenary talks on Wed and one of his to one young woman as she navigates DNP meetings. Each colleagues. They both looked very accomplished and talked quite incident related in this compendium was submitted to us as loud. One was complaining about the pressure to invite more an actual personal experience, however, only a fraction of women as speakers and the other agreed and said: “Specially the stories are included in this first edition (others stories because good ones are really hard to find.” I wondered whether will be part of future editions). All names have been changed they had seen my talk. Were they referring to me? Perhaps women to protect confidentiality. speakers are more like tokens… Dear Diary, Wednesday 8:30 a.m. After our registration, my advisor told me he would introduce “We sat at a table with a few other students. me to this famous physicist that was standing in the lobby. I got At some point I went to the bathroom and so excited. He just looked at my name badge, nodded in recogni- started talking to this other woman from the tion and said he thought I was a man. Clearly this person needs to work on his implicit bias and expand his imagination to include conference. As we were coming back to the women physicists… table, what appeared to be her colleague approached us and, before introducing “After our registration, my advisor told me he GETTY IMAGES himself, stared at my chest and said: “I am would introduce me to this famous physicist not looking at your boobs, I’m just trying to that was standing in the lobby. I got so one side to the other and his eyes would follow my ankles. I am read your name-tag.” If he is not looking at wearing a skirt below the knees and normal flat shoes, so I don’t excited. He just looked at my name badge, understand his focus. It was creepy and I felt so vulnerable. my boobs, why does he need to make this nodded in recognition and said he thought I Thursday 1:00 p.m. comment about my anatomy?” was a man.” I had lunch with Nancy. She is a postdoc from my university and works on precision measurements. I had never seen her so upset. Her talk was about these new measurements they are preparing Friday 2:00 p.m. to run. She spent the whole time going through the details on how Wednesday 11:00 a.m. Earlier, I was having lunch with Eric and Matt. We sat at a table they planned to calibrate their detector and get the precision they At the coffee break I was just standing around and overheard with a few other students. At some point I went to the bathroom need. Someone from the audience was asking questions in a very this group talking about climate change. Someone questioned and started talking to this other woman from the conference. As we aggressive tone and at the end he said “I won’t believe any result the hard evidence. Everyone ridiculed this person just for asking were coming back to the table, what appeared to be her colleague from your experiment unless you prove to me that you will be able questions. But aren’t we scientists? Aren’t we supposed to be able approached us and, before introducing himself, stared at my chest to calibrate your detector to x precision.” She was left silent. A to ask questions? and said: “I am not looking at your boobs, I’m just trying to read female senior physicist came to her after the talk, praised her talk Wednesday 2:00 p.m. your name-tag.” If he is not looking at my boobs, why does he and advised her to ignore that aggressive man from the audience. I just had lunch with a couple of female students from my uni- need to make this comment about my anatomy? Easier said than done. Nancy is shaken. versity. They were telling me about their visit to X National Lab. Friday 11:00 p.m. Apparently they were stopped by an armed guard. After asking After the banquet I suggested to the people at our table that we protocol questions, he told them: “some days I just want to shoot go out and see a live band. I am NOT a dancer. I am quite simply all women physicists.” He then explained it was just a joke but they “In the afternoon I overheard this woman pathologically bad at dancing. One of the physicists in the group couldn’t take it as such. They felt very uneasy but didn’t respond. physicist talking about the climate at DNP insisted I dance with him and despite my many refusals, he finally I think they should have reported the guy. What is wrong with meetings to a couple of male colleagues said: “But you have to dance with one of us—you’re the only girl!” these people that they think joking about murdering women is ok? I felt so pressured that I only wanted to get away from there. Wednesday 5:00 p.m. ... One man immediately responded saying Saturday 10:00 a.m. I’ve been trying to talk to my advisor but every time I spot him, that he has been a member of the DNP for There was an issue with the projector so a group of us were he seems to get busy talking to somebody else. I’ve emailed him almost three decades and never observed standing outside the conference room waiting for the session to the slides but still have not heard back. I’m stressing out with my restart. One of the postdocs made strong political statements that talk! Doesn’t he remember my talk is tomorrow morning? any inappropriate behavior of any kind at presume only idiots would not accept his opinion. In our group, Wednesday 8:00 p.m. DNP meetings. The other confirmed that there were people from various countries, clearly with different I just had dinner with Eric and my advisor. Food was awful and he had never witnessed any sort of racist worldviews than his. Shouldn’t he show more tolerance for the the place was noisy. My advisor set a meeting with me for 10pm diversity of opinions in the group? tonight in the hotel, because he needed to meet with Eric first. Eric or sexist behavior, only a high-degree of Saturday 12:00 p.m. is also a grad student in our group but he is one year ahead of me. professionalism.” I don’t think my advisor is talking to me. I can never get hold I agreed to meet at 10:00 p.m. but seriously?? I need to give a talk of him in the conference. I texted and tried to call him several tomorrow and wish I could sleep… times, but there is no answer. For two days I have wanted to let Wednesday 11:00 p.m. Thursday 4:00 p.m. him know how my talk went… Thank goodness the meeting is I just met with my advisor. Instead of going over my slides, There is this senior physicist that does work relevant for my over: I feel exhausted. he declared he was helping me too much and his colleagues were research. After his talk, I found the courage to approach him and We thank the many APS members who graciously shared thinking he is having an affair with me. I tried to argue that he asked him some questions. He said my questions were really good their stories with us. Many represent a moment of pain or spends more time with Eric than with me and I am less experienced and suggested we continue the discussion in the hotel bar. It made confusion, and a sense of not belonging to a community as a grad student. This is my first conference! He quickly concluded me feel uncomfortable but I went along. The drinks came and he they hoped would be an important part of their lives. —DNP the meeting saying I should just try to be more independent. said: “Let’s take these up to my room.” I gracefully declined say- Ad Hoc Committee on Harassment Prevention: Ron Gilman Thursday 6:00 a.m. ing I needed to meet some of my friends soon. Honestly, I am so (Rutgers University), Robert Janssens (University of North I woke up in the middle of the night and I could not sleep disappointed. I had so admired this man before he made me feel Carolina at Chapel Hill), Chair: Filomena Nunes (Michigan anymore. Couldn’t stop thinking about what my advisor told me. so unimportant as a scientist… State University), Roxanne Springer (Duke University), Instead of milling, I decided to practice my talk again and again. Thursday 6:00 p.m. Warren Rogers (Indiana Wesleyan University), and Sherry Now I am more than ready! I came to my room early because I need to sleep. In the after- Yennello (Texas A&M University). Thursday 10:00 a.m. noon I overheard this woman physicist talking about the climate Eric said my talk went fine and Matt said I looked very pro- at DNP meetings to a couple of male colleagues. They looked pretty Editor’s note: APS urges all members to become familiar with the fessional. Still, I feel terrible... I am disappointed that my advisor senior. The woman said she would like to consider ways on how to Code of Conduct for APS Meetings and how to confidentially report didn’t turn up but much worse was this creepy guy in the front improve things. One man immediately responded saying that he any concerns or incidents. More information is available at aps. row. He stared at my ankles the ENTIRE TIME! I would walk from has been a member of the DNP for almost three decades and never org/meetings/policies/code-conduct.cfm.

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