explain it in 60 seconds
April 2013
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April 23, 2013explain it in 60 seconds: Plasma accelerationLike surfers on huge ocean waves, electrons can ride waves of plasma to very high energies.
March 2013
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March 7, 2013explain it in 60 seconds: SpinObjects as large as a planet or as small as a photon can have the property of spin. Spin is also the reason we can watch movies in 3D.
February 2013
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February 18, 2013explain it in 60 seconds: SpectroscopySpectroscopy is a technique that astronomers use to measure and analyze the hundreds of colors contained in the light emitted by stars, galaxies and other celestial objects.
January 2013
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January 8, 2013explain it in 60 seconds: BosonsAll particles fall into one of two classes, bosons or fermions. Two bosons with identical properties can be in the same place at the same time, but two fermions cannot.
December 2012
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December 11, 2012explain it in 60 seconds: Decay channelWhen particles decay, they transform into lighter particles. Physicists can predict how often a particle will decay into certain end products.
October 2012
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October 23, 2012explain it in 60 seconds: Gravitational wavesIf you could detect a bowling ball’s gravitational waves, you would know when someone threw the ball—even if you were standing outside the bowling alley.
September 2012
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September 18, 2012explain it in 60 seconds: KlystronKlystrons are at the heart of particle accelerators, radar, cancer treatments and some radio telescopes.
July 2012
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July 1, 2012explain it in 60 seconds: SigmaSigma is a unit that describes how much a set of experimental data deviates from what’s expected.
June 2012
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June 1, 2012explain it in 60 seconds: Standard candleYour birthday cake isn’t the only thing studded with lights. Bright lights in space tell us about dark energy, the size of the universe, and more.
May 2012
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May 1, 2012explain it in 60 seconds: The muonMeet the Twinkie of particle physics: the muon.
February 2012
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February 1, 2012explain it in 60 seconds: Cosmic microwave backgroundCosmic microwave background is the oldest light in the universe. It was set free when the universe was a mere 380,000 years old and provides a window to the early universe.
October 2011
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October 1, 2011explain it in 60 seconds: SymmetrySymmetry is an expression of exact correspondence between things.
May 2011
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May 1, 2011explain it in 60 seconds: Synchrotron radiationSynchrotron light gets its name from the synchrotron particle accelerators where it was first observed.
February 2011
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February 1, 2011explain it in 60 seconds: DiscoveryDiscovery is the process of uncovering something new. It can be a surprise, like learning that you enjoy an exotic food, or the result of determined effort, like finding a shorter route to work.
October 2010
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October 1, 2010explain it in 60 seconds: Big bangThe big bang refers to the start of the rapid expansion of our universe. Edwin Hubble discovered this expansion in the 1920s through observations of faraway galaxies, showing that the distances between them are growing as time rolls on. This stunning discovery is beautifully explained by general relativity—Einstein's theory of gravity—augmented by two new concepts, dark matter and dark energy.
August 2010
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August 1, 2010explain it in 60 seconds: RedshiftRedshift is the observed change in the color of light emitted by a star or other celestial object that is moving away from Earth. Light, like sound, travels in waves that are stretched or compressed when the source or the observer is in motion. Imagine a passing train blowing its horn: You hear a high-pitched sound as it approaches and a low-pitched sound as it recedes. The approaching sound waves are compressed and the receding sound waves are stretched, causing you to hear different frequencies.
June 2010
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June 1, 2010explain it in 60 seconds: Charged leptonsCharged leptons are a breed of elementary particle that comes in three masses: the lightweight electron, responsible for the electricity in our homes; the middle-weight muon; and the heavy tau. Two other types of elementary particles, quarks and neutrinos, come in three masses as well.
April 2010
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April 1, 2010explain it in 60 seconds: NeutrinoThe neutrino is perhaps the best-named particle around: it is tiny, neutral, and weighs so little that no one has been able to measure its mass yet.
February 2010
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February 1, 2010explain it in 60 seconds: ShieldingShielding refers to layers of material that block radiation: that lead apron we wear during dental X-rays, the thick walls around a nuclear reactor, and even those cool, UV-blocking sunglasses all shield us from biologically damaging forms of radiation.
December 2009
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December 1, 2009explain it in 60 seconds: ScintillatorsScintillators are transparent materials that allow scientists to detect particles and other forms of radiation.
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