The week in physics: Stretchy thermometer; Oil–water boundary; Water and the CMB

New clue clarifies the blurry boundary between oil and water Forward this email  View in your browser THE WEEK IN PHYSICS: 14–18 FEBRUARY Advertisement It's Always Safer to have Backup Get the added safety of a backup system when handling hazardous and/or expensive gases and vapors. KNF LeakTight pumps offer ultra-low leak rates of <6×10-6 mbar L/sec and a safety back-up diaphragm, plus safeguards against intrusion contamination. Flow rates from 15 – 290 L/min. Options include explosion-proof motors and material choices. Learn more. Water reveals the universe's temperature 12.9 billion years ago A spectroscopic measurement of a distant galaxy helps pin down the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation. Andrew Grant New clue clarifies the blurry boundary between oil and water At the liquid–liquid interface of oil and water droplets, the negative charge of water's oxygen atoms transfers to oil's carbon–hydrogen bonds. Alex Lopatka Advertisement Fused Quartz "Quartz, a durable, transparent material" Quartz is a versatile glass type material that exhibits high hardness (MOHs 7) and thermal shock resistance and low thermal conductivity and expansion. Intricate features can be machined by diamond grinding and polishing. For extreme hardness and wear resistance, industrial sapphire can be considered including optical polish. Learn more. FROM THE VAULT: October 2000 The tau neutrino has finally been seen The existence of the third neutrino was hardly in doubt. But it took the sub‐micron precision and electronic sophistication of a modern photo‐emulsion target to find the decay of its telltale collision product. Bertram Schwarzschild An electrolyte powers a stretchy thermometer Temperature-driven rearrangements in the solution's charge distribution manifest as a measurable change in voltage. Christine Middleton Webinar Live Webinar: Extreme sensitivity charge detection with lasers Although laser-induced avalanche breakdown of air was observed soon after the first demonstration of the laser, its ability to drive exponential charge growth has only recently been harnessed as an ultra-sensitive charge detection technique. I will describe our work making this possible. Register now. Q&A: Willy Fischler, theorist and flight paramedic As a paramedic on the side, the physicist appreciates helping people and working in a close-knit team. Toni Feder DARPA screens for "risk" in researchers' foreign affiliations The disclosure policy goes further than the ones at other federal science agencies that have already raised concerns among the US research community. Mitch Ambrose Webinar Live Webinar: Spectroscopy of color centers in silicon Color centers in Silicon are emerging as quantum information systems operating at telecom wavelength, compatible with large scale fabrication methods and fiber optic networks. The webinar will explain their fabrication, properties and technologies for spectral characterization. Register now. FROM THE FEBRUARY MAGAZINE Mushy-layer convection Complex physical processes that affect the solidification of multicomponent fluids have implications for materials science and geophysics. Daniel M. Anderson, Peter Guba, and Andrew J. Wells Get notified about our webinars and whitepapers Sign up Get Physics Today delivered for just $25 per year Subscribe FEATURED JOBS > Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty Positions in the Center of Complex Flows and Soft Matter Research  |  South University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) > Faculty Positions in the Department of Physics  |  South University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) > Launch Your Quantum Computing Career With or Without Prior Experience  |  Alibaba Quantum Laboratory Are you hiring? Do you want your job to appear here? Post with Physics Today and select the "Publication" enhancement to easily showcase your job to 66 000 physicists and engineers. Physics Today is published by the American Institute of Physics 1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740 USA +1 301 209 3100 © 2022 American Institute of Physics. Unsubscribe  |  Email Preferences  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us