From Physics Research Archive - Page 4
The Physics Classroom: Total Internal Reflection - Sep 16, 2010
The optical fiber in the photo above doesn't just guide the beam--the fiber produces the beam. Instead of a tube of helium and neon gas, or a piece of ruby, the "active medium" of this laser is added to the glass in the fiber. Since the mirrors are just the polished ends of the fiber, there is nothing to go out of alignment, and maintenance is easy.
Network Theory: A Key to Unraveling How Nature Works - Sep 1, 2010
You are looking at a network diagram that shows the interconnectedness of the world economy. To learn more about this network, visit Mapping the World Economy.
Making a supersonic jet in your kitchen - Aug 16, 2010
What exactly happens when an object makes a splash in water? The disk shown above was pulled into water in a reproducible way to investigate the splash.
The Real Sea Monsters: On the Hunt for Rogue Waves - Aug 1, 2010
This "rogue wave" broke over the deck of an oil tanker, and was much taller than the other waves on the ocean at the time. See Freak Waves, Rogue Waves for graphs of rogue waves building up in the ocean, and for the measurement of one that struck an oil platform in the North Sea.
From Soap Bubbles to Technology - Jul 16, 2010
The soap film you see here, made in between two metal rings, is called a catenoid, and it uses the minimum area to enclose a given volume. Click on the image to see another example of a "minimal surface" soap film.
About Dust - Jul 1, 2010
This satellite image shows a recent dust storm in China that was so large it spread out to neighboring countries. For more on this storm, see this Time magazine article and also About Dust.
Shock Diamonds and Mach Disks - Jun 16, 2010
When the speed of the gases in a jet or rocket exhaust exceeds the speed of sound, a dazzling pattern results called "shock diamonds" or "Mach disks," as shown in this photo of the SR-71 Blackbird. The diamonds are created by crisscrossing shock waves in the exhaust.
image credit: NASA, ESA, H. Bond (STScI), R. Ciardullo (Penn State), and the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI); image source; larger image
Stellar Evolution - Jun 1, 2010
When the Sun reaches the end of its life, its outer layers will drift into space, an intricate cloud illuminated by its hot, dense core, as in this false-color image of a planetary nebula and white dwarf. For more details, see this page on the death of solar-mass stars.
Perspectives on Plasmas - May 16, 2010
This is a ball of plasma, created by discharging electricity into a solution. See the image source for more on how the image was made.
Properties of Volcanic Ash - May 1, 2010
Why were so many European airports closed due to the volcano? The image above of one volcanic ash particle begins to tell us why: the extremely small particles, with their many voids, can travel great distances after eruption. Once inside a jet engine, they melt and then re-solidify. Read Properties of Volcanic Ash for more details. You can learn about the specific dangers of flying through volcanic ash here.