American Physical Society

Physicists aren't the only people doing #physics. Bright minds are using it in every field. For 125 years, we've supported and united scientists to move physics forward in every corner of #science. #APS125

A physicist-turned-ecologist is using satellites to track something unexpected: penguin poop. Heather Lynch, a scientist at Stony Brook University's Institute for Advanced Computational Science, can assess the size, health, and movement of Antarctic penguin colonies, including how stressors like climate change and tourism affect their populations, all by studying their droppings. Learn more about her work: https://go.aps.org/48v0plS

On this day in 1895, this image revolutionized the fields of physics and medicine. It’s one of the earliest photographic plates from Wilhelm Roentgen’s discovery of the X-ray — showing his wife’s hand with her wedding ring clearly visible. Within months, doctors began using X-rays to see inside the human body. Read more about the discovery: https://go.aps.org/3qkJCOq

“Having that diverse perspective of what others are doing, being able to connect with them, I find is really fantastic.” Adam Scott is a physicist in industry and says being an APS member gives them important insight into what’s happening across all disciplines of physics. Sign up today: https://go.aps.org/4dPapbr

We look forward to meeting you in Houston in 7 days for our joint NSBP and NHSP Conference! #MergingNucleiCreatingStrongerForces #StrongerTogether #NSBPNSHP2024 #HoustonConference

Researchers have developed an algorithm to track the turbulent clouds of plasma responsible for the colorful displays of auroras. Using radar data from the ICEBEAR high-frequency radar in Canada, they found the movement of these chaotic clouds closely followed the aurora’s visual path and that the ionosphere’s electrical field may guide these clouds. Read more in Physical Review E: https://go.aps.org/3YavgiW

Are you passionate about supporting women in physics and encouraging more to join the field? Now is your chance! Apply for the Women in Physics Group Grant for a chance to receive up to $1,000 to create your own campus group. The grant can help support recruitment, mentoring, and networking. Apply by Dec. 15: https://go.aps.org/3YMHu1J

This week, we designated the Graphite Reactor at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Oak Ridge National Laboratory as our latest historic site. In 1943, the site in Tennessee became the second nuclear reactor in the world to achieve criticality. It went on to produce plutonium for the Manhattan Project, synthesize medical isotopes, and contribute to neutron diffraction experiments that eventually won a share of The Nobel Prize in Physics in 1994.

A new study in Physical Review X could help confirm the existence of the hypothetical axion particle. Building off earlier theoretical research, scientists simulated the life cycles of pulsars and found axions might be gravitationally bound to these neutron stars, increasing in density over time to the point that they may be detectable via radio telescopes. Read the paper: https://go.aps.org/4hbgocF

Purpose-Led Publishing is making the APS Global Physics Summit accessible to scientists around the world — even if they can’t make it to Anaheim next March. The coalition between AIP Publishing, IOP Publishing, and the American Physical Society is sponsoring multiple satellite sites for #APSSummit25 with watch parties and unique, local presentations. Learn more: https://go.aps.org/3ADvNC6