Wiki-Edit-A-Thon RMP 90th LabEscape Back Page: Harassment at 03 04 05 08 Meetings 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.