09 January 2010

Slashdot Science Story | Golden Ratio Discovered In a Quantum World

Slashdot Science Story | Golden Ratio Discovered In a Quantum World: "'Scientists have for the first time observed a nanoscale symmetry hidden in solid state matter. 'In order to study these nanoscale quantum effects, the researchers have focused on the magnetic material cobalt niobate. It consists of linked magnetic atoms, which form chains just like a very thin bar magnet, but only one atom wide.' By artificially introducing more quantum uncertainty, the researchers observed that the chain acts like a nanoscale guitar string. The first two notes show a perfect relationship with each other. Their frequencies (pitch) are in the ratio of 1.618, which is the golden ratio famous from art and architecture."

07 January 2010

Faster-Than-Light Pulsar Phenomena | Universe Today

Faster-Than-Light Pulsar Phenomena | Universe Today: "Observational data from nine pulsars, including the Crab pulsar, suggest these rapidly spinning neutron stars emit the electromagnetic equivalent of a sonic boom, and a model created to understand this phenomenon shows that the source of the emissions could be traveling faster than the speed of light."