Upping The Power Triggers An Ordered Helical Plasma Nov 12, 2009
This phenomenon concerns scientists exploring fusion power, who use powerful magnetic fields to confine plasma during their experiments ... 5 million amperes, the helix becomes very smooth, the trapping of the plasma in the magnetic fields improves and the plasma gets hotter ... An attractive feature of the RFP fusion device is that most of its magnetic field is produced by the current flowing in the plasma. (Science Daily)
Reliable, Efficient Fusion Power A Reality? Nov 12, 2009
Because of these extreme temperatures, the hot plasma is confined by magnetic fields in a "tokamak", a donut-shaped device surrounded by powerful electromagnets ... For optimal efficiency, this self-generated heat must be well contained within the tokamak's "magnetic bottle." Models have predicted that the heat loss from the tokamak due to turbulence is quite sensitive to the exact details of the magnetic field configurations ... The plasma is confined by the combination of strong magnetic field... (Science Daily)
Oh, Maya! Is 2012 the end? Probably not Nov 12, 2009
Science writer Lawrence Joseph, author of Apocalypse 2012: An Investigation Into Civilization's End, says solar scientists believe the next peak of solar-flare activity is due at the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013, and that it could coincide with a weakening of the Earth's magnetic field protecting it from the sun's power. The result, he says, will be fried electrical grids and a loss of power for months or even years, unless surge protectors are installed on grids around the world. (USA Today -- Life)
A bubbling ball of gas Nov 12, 2009
Dark spots appear and disappear, clouds of matter dart up - and behind the whole thing are the magnetic fields, the engines of it all ... The IMaX instrument not only depicts the solar surface, it also makes magnetic fields visible; these appear as black or white structures in the polarised light ... What is particularly interesting is the connection between the strength of the magnetic field and the brightness of tiny magnetic structures. (EurekAlert!)
Spiritual Psychic Healing Nov 11, 2009
For example, in the 1980 s, Dr. John Zimmerman reported increased magnetic field emission from the hands of psychic healers during healing with the use of Superconducting Quantum Interface Devices (SQUID). There have also been tests to study the impact of spiritual psychic healing. (Suite101.com)
SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Sun Storm, Galactic Core, More Nov 11, 2009
The video, captured from November 2 to 3, showed where particles from the sun were tracing active magnetic field lines, which elongated and sent out a small solar storm. Photograph courtesy SOHO/NASA. (National Geographic)
Do You Believe In Ghosts? Nov 10, 2009
These proofs are in the forms of photographs, recordings and delicate devices that photograph temperatures, measure magnetic field fluctuations, record inaudible sounds and remove background noises, among other things. The results are real proof of something, and these proofs are evident in nearly all the kinds of tests being done. (Suite101.com)
Untangling the Mystery of Black Holes Nov 10, 2009
An artist's conception of a black hole blazar as it spurts out jets of charged particles accelerated by corkscrew magnetic field lines. An artist's conception of a black hole blazar as it spurts out jets of charged particles accelerated by corkscrew magnetic field lines ... As dust and gas gets dragged toward a black hole, some of it is spit back out and accelerated by twisted magnetic fields around the black hole to shoot out in luminous jets that can be seen across the universe. (Fox News)
Vitaly Ginzburg; worked on Soviet hydrogen bomb Nov 10, 2009
Early work on superconductivity had yielded few practical results because even weak magnetic fields interfered with a material s ability to conduct electricity. Working with another Russian physicist, Lev Landau, Dr. Ginzburg worked out a series of equations that predicted a superconductor s tolerance for a magnetic field and its conductive ability ... Based on Dr. Ginzburg s and Landau s work, physicist Alexei A. Abrikosov developed ways to achieve superconductivity despite the presence of high... (Boston Globe)
Probe Sees More Hidden Territory On Mercury Nov 9, 2009
The probe also has produced several science firsts and is returning hundreds of new photos and measurements of the planet's surface, atmosphere and magnetic field ... The comparison of magnetosphere observations from the spacecraft's first flyby in January with data from the probe's second pass has provided key new insight into the nature of Mercury's internal magnetic field and revealed new features of its magnetosphere ... The magnetosphere is the volume surrounding Mercury that is controlled... (Science Daily)
New Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic Offers Noninvasive Treatment For Major Depression Nov 8, 2009
The TMS therapy system delivers highly focused magnetic field pulses to a specific portion of the brain, the left prefrontal cortex, in order to stimulate the areas of the brain linked to depression. The repeated short bursts of magnetic energy introduced through the scalp excite neurons in the brain. (Science Daily)
Looking Up: Pondering life on other worlds Nov 7, 2009
We have a protective magnetic field warding off harmful solar and cosmic radiation. Earth is tilted just right to give us reasonable climate. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
Memorial Hermann unveils new MRI machine Nov 6, 2009
The new device has the strongest magnetic field used clinically, which produces higher resolution images to aid in diagnosing diseases in neurology, orthopedics and cardiology. Hospital officials say the new machine will allow for more precise diagnosis, better pre-surgical planning and increased patient comfort. (Houston Business Journal, TX)
Study reveals identity of a puzzling star Nov 5, 2009
The star also had a low magnetic field, which would be unlikely to drive any pulsing behavior. Since a with surface hotspots seemed to be out of the equation, Heinke and his colleague Wynn Ho of the University of Southampton in the U.K. tried to find a way to tackle the size problem. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Mutant Diseases May Cripple Missions to Mars, Beyond Nov 5, 2009
On Earth humans are protected from the effects of cosmic rays, because most of the particles are deflected by the planet's magnetic field. Out in space, however, such protections vanish, and cosmic radiation can cause mutations when it strikes the DNA inside cells. (National Geographic)
Messenger spies iron on Mercury Nov 5, 2009
3x that of water Caloris basin is largest known feature (1,300km in diameter) Possibility of water-ice in permanently shadowed craters Huge iron core takes up more than 60% of the planet's mass Surface temperatures swing between 425C and -180C Has an extremely thin atmosphere (exosphere) Only inner planet besides Earth with global magnetic field. "The iron is in a form that we don't normally encounter in other planetary situations and so it's going be a volley back to our geochemists and... (BBC News -- Science)
Carbon Atmosphere Discovered On Neutron Star Nov 5, 2009
The X-ray spectrum and lack of pulsar activity suggest that the magnetic field on the surface of this neutron star is relatively weak. Similarly low magnetic fields are implied for several other young neutron stars by study of their weak X-ray pulsations ... It is not known whether these neutron stars will have low magnetic fields for their entire lives, and never become radio pulsars, or whether processes in their interior will lead to the development of stronger magnetic fields as they age. (Science Daily)
Emission Impossible?: Is Dark Matter Behind the Hazy Radiation at the Milky Way's Center? Nov 4, 2009
He and his colleagues figured that the microwaves were synchrotron emission: photons emitted by electrons accelerated by the galaxy's magnetic field ... "We would expect that those same electrons that are spiraling around the galactic magnetic field will once in a while hit a photon coming from a star or something like that," says Gregory Dobler, a postdoctoral researcher at at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and lead author of the new arXiv study. (Scientific American)
Nasa to irradiate monkeys for space voyage research... Nov 3, 2009
If a manned mission to Mars ever takes place, the human pilots will be outside Earth s protective magnetic field for several months, unprotected from solar radiation. Little research has been done on this sort of long-term exposure to low doses of radiation. (The Drudge Report)
GALAXY PICTURE: Cosmic Ray Mystery Solved? Nov 3, 2009
But the magnetic fields of larger objects such as planets and stars bend the particles' flight paths, making it hard to trace their exact sources. In addition, the magnetic field of the galaxy itself traps cosmic rays inside, sending them darting about like flies in a sealed mason jar ... These particles bounce around inside the supernova remnant's magnetic field until they reach near-light speed and escape into the galaxy as cosmic rays. (National Geographic)
Two new ESA satellites successfully lofted into orbit Nov 2, 2009
It will be followed by ADM-Aeolus to study atmospheric dynamics and the Swarm mission to monitor the weakening of the Earth's magnetic field, in 2011, as well as by the EarthCARE mission on clouds and aerosols in 2013. Technologies for tomorrow With a launch mass of 135 kg, Proba-2 is a much smaller satellite, "but like its predecessor Proba-1, it is aimed at demonstrating a wide range of technologies, both for future satellite systems and for space science instruments. Among these is a... (Scientific American)
Pimp your toilet? Nov 1, 2009
Instead, it puts out an oscillating magnetic field that will heat metal pots and pans faster than traditional gas or electric stoves. It s safe -- the power won t flow unless there s a pan sitting on the burner -- and more energy-efficient than standard stoves. (Boston Globe)
November 2009 Geology and GSA Today highlights Oct 31, 2009
A possible link between the geomagnetic field and catastrophic climate at the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum Youn Soo Lee and Kazuto Kodama, Geological Research Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Daejeon 305-350, Korea ... This Paleocene-Eocene magnetic reversal is confirmed by both an antipodal shift in direction and a major reduction in magnetic intensity during the lower and upper transitions, and is seen at additional sites, indicating that it was... (EurekAlert!)
A special issue on the International Workshop of the 2008 Solar Total Eclipse Oct 31, 2009
Space and ground based results of magnetic field measurements. Theory of magnetic fields ... Understanding coronal magnetic field, coronal heating and solar wind acceleration. (EurekAlert!)
Must-see Exploratorium exhibits Oct 31, 2009
Magnetic Field Stone: Made by Ned Kahn for the "Turbulent Landscapes" show, this tantalizing exhibit catches kids probably while you're still getting the tickets at the entrance to the museum ... On the plate, black magnetic sand constantly shifts, making spiky swirls as the particles line up to follow the magnetic field. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
More than 2 feet: Record October snowfall blankets Colorado... Oct 31, 2009
04 ) trace gas essential to photosynthesis drove average warming up 1 degree F over a century, or clearly observed and measured increases in solar wind, irradiance, and magnetic field effects during the same period. A broad review of the scientific data, especially Prof. (The Drudge Report)
Magnetic Mixing Creates Quite A Stir Oct 30, 2009
In the new method of mixing, when one turns on a particular kind of magnetic field, the magnetic particles suspended in the fluid form chains like strings of pearls ... More technically, the new mixing method, which Jim calls vortex field mixing, subjects a suspension of microscopic, magnetizable particles to a magnetic field whose direction is constantly spinning in a motion similar to a spinning top as it is about to collapse on its side, but much faster ... "In your high school chemistry... (Science Daily)
AGU Journal highlights -- Oct. 26, 2009 Oct 27, 2009
Furthermore, 300-keV electron precipitation occurs at all longitudes in both hemispheres, whereas 1-MeV electron precipitation occurs mainly in the Southern Hemisphere southward of the South Atlantic anomaly, a known weakness in Earth's magnetic field. This indicates that different processes are responsible for scattering different energy electrons into the atmosphere. (EurekAlert!)
Physicists Turn To Radio Dial For Finer Atomic Matchmaking Oct 26, 2009
As the authors report in an upcoming issue of Physical Review A, the radio-frequency (RF) radiation could serve as a second "knob," in addition to the more traditionally used magnetic fields, for controlling how atoms in an ultracold gas interact ... Previous experiments with ultracold gases, including the creation of Bose-Einstein condensates, have controlled atoms by using a single knob -- traditionally, magnetic fields ... The new work shows that, near magnetic field values that have a big... (Science Daily)
Galileo's Notebooks May Reveal Secrets Of New Planet Oct 25, 2009
12, 2008) Radio waves accelerate electrons within Jupiter's magnetic field in the same way as they do on Earth, according to new research. The discovery overturns a theory that has held sway for more than a. (Science Daily)
Who you gonna call? (13) Oct 25, 2009
We also use an electro magnetic field detector to look for electrical fields out there to see if there are any anomalies within the environment. A digital thermometer is used to check ambient temperature to see if there are any cold spots. (Pocatello Idaho State Journal, ID)
A cordless future for electricity? Oct 25, 2009
Technology converts electricity into magnetic field to send it through air ... WiTricity's version of wireless electricity -- which converts power into a magnetic field and sends it sailing through the air at a particular frequency -- still needs to be refined a bit, he said, but should be commercially available soon ... Their technology is called "magnetically coupled resonance," and it basically sends a magnetic field through the air at a specific frequency that an an enabled phone or TV can... (CNN -- Tech)
NIST physicists turn to radio dial for finer atomic matchmaking Oct 23, 2009
In the sequence of green arrows, a pair of ultracold gas atoms collides, briefly forms a molecule, and flies apart, in the presence of an external magnetic field (not shown) ... As the authors report* in an upcoming issue of Physical Review A, the radio-frequency (RF) radiation could serve as a second "knob," in addition to the more traditionally used magnetic fields, for controlling how atoms in an ultracold gas interact ... Previous experiments with ultracold gases, including the creation of... (EurekAlert!)
Physicists Develop Multifunctional Storage Device For Light Oct 20, 2009
Similar to the motion of a charged particle stored in a magnetic bottle, i.e., a particular spatially varying magnetic field, the light oscillates back and forth along the fiber between two turning points. For this reason, this novel type of microresonator realized by the physicists in Mainz is referred to as a bottle resonator. (Science Daily)
The water-generating Moon Oct 20, 2009
Furthermore, the hydrogen is shooting off into space at speeds of around 200 kilometres per second, without being deflected by the Moon's weak gravity, or, since hydrogen is also electrically neutral, by magnetic fields in space ... Whilst the Moon does not generate a global magnetic field, some lunar rocks are magnetized. (Astronomy Now Online)
IBEX maps edge of Solar System Oct 20, 2009
The galactic magnetic field shapes the heliosphere as it drapes over it. The ribbon appears to trace the area where the magnetic field is most parallel to the surface of the heliosphere (the heliopause) ... It is still early days in terms of interpreting the data, but because the ribbon appears to be ordered by the direction of the local interstellar magnetic field outside the heliosphere, the new observations suggest that the interstellar environment has far more influence on the structure of... (Astronomy Now Online)
Researcher paves alternate path for hard drives Oct 20, 2009
The process uses a localized high frequency ac magnetic field generated by a magnetic thin film stack integrated with existing recording heads. The stack consists of "a few more magnetic layers within the present recording heads and the additional process will only increase the complexity of the recording heads by 10 percent or less," said Zhu. (EETimes)
Small mechanical forces have big impact on embryonic stem cells Oct 19, 2009
Then they applied a tiny oscillating magnetic field, which moved the bead up and down. By precisely measuring the magnetic field and the distance the bead traveled, the effect of the mechanical force and how soft the cells are could be determined. (EurekAlert!)
Click to read:Scientists Release New Polar Ice Findings Oct 18, 2009
The magnetic field flips on a periodic basis, as recorded in the sea floor rock ... Danish research implies that there is a connection between the magnetic field and climate ... The earths magnetic fields were at one time strong enough to keep the majority of the harmfull radiation from the sun from entering to the surface of the planet in the strength needed to do the damage it really could do. (CBS News)
Does this make your head hurt? Oct 17, 2009
Put some in a magnetic bottle, a magnetic field that confines the antimatter in a cavity so that it doesn't touch any normal matter - the only way known to be able to contain it - and then release it very slowly, allowing it to react with normal matter. It would make fusion power seem like a car battery. (BBC News -- UK)
IBEX discovers that galactic magnetic fields may control the boundaries of our solar system Oct 17, 2009
NASA mission reveals impact of galaxy's magnetic fields. (Boston) - The first all-sky maps developed by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft, the initial mission to examine the global interactions occurring at the edge of the solar system, suggest that the galactic magnetic fields had a far greater impact on Earth's history than previously conceived, and the future of our planet and others may depend, in part, on how the galactic magnetic fields change with time ... "The... (EurekAlert!)
Satellite reveals surprising cosmic 'weather' at edge of solar system Oct 17, 2009
Revealed in the IBEX data, but not predicted in the theoretical heliosphere simulations of three different research groups, was the ribbon itself, formed where the direction of the interstellar magnetic field draping over the heliosphere is perpendicular to the viewpoint of the sun ... Energetic protons create forces as they move through the magnetic field, and when the protons are bathed in interstellar neutrals, they produce energetic neutral atoms. (EurekAlert!)
Cassini Helps Redraw Shape Of Solar System Oct 17, 2009
The INCA images suggest that the solar wind s interaction with the interstellar medium is instead more significantly controlled by particle pressure and magnetic field energy density. The map we ve created from INCA s images suggests that pressure from a hot population of charged particles and interaction with the interstellar medium s magnetic field strongly influence the shape of the heliosphere, says Don Mitchell, MIMI/INCA co-investigator at APL. ... The energetic neutral atoms are produced... (Science Daily)
Mystery emissions found at solar system's edge Oct 16, 2009
Southwest Research Institute A bright ribbon shows high-energy emmissions that appear to be shaped by the direction of the interstellar magnetic field outside the heliosphere ... The bright ribbon appears to be shaped by the direction of the interstellar magnetic field outside the heliosphere ... "[The ribbon is] aligned by and dominated by the external magnetic field," McComas said in a briefing Thursday. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Glimpses of Solar System's edge Oct 16, 2009
Completes a large, elliptical orbit around the Earth Measures uncharged atoms that enter the Solar System from the interstellar medium Can detect hydrogen, helium, and oxygen moving at a wide range of speeds through the Solar System Results should explain how interstellar magnetic fields form our heliosphere ... The research groups agree that the magnetic field interactions at the heliopause have as-yet undetermined effects on the overall shape. (BBC News)
Broca's Area: How Human Brain Computes Language Oct 16, 2009
Using new technology that measures the magnetic field generated by the activation of neurons. (Nov. (Science Daily)
'Magnetricity' Observed And Measured For First Time Oct 16, 2009
They then tested the theory by applying a magnetic field to a spin ice sample at a very low temperature and observing the process using muons at ISIS. ... The magnetic equivalent of electricity in a 'spin ice' material: atom sized north and south poles in spin ice drift in opposite directions when a magnetic field is applied. (Science Daily)
IBEX satellite finds ribbon-like structure at edge of heliosphere Oct 16, 2009
"The ribbon follows a circular arc of high pressure that we believe is centered on the direction of the magnetic field of the interstellar cloud through which we are moving," Funsten said. This magnetic field seems to fundamentally organize the interaction region. (EurekAlert!)
Interactions Between Massless Particles May Lead To Speedy, Powerful Electronic Devices Oct 16, 2009
The FQHE is seen when charge carriers are confined to moving in a two-dimensional plane and are subject to a perpendicular magnetic field. When interactions between these charge carriers are sufficiently strong they form new quasi-particles with a fraction of an electron's elementary charge. (Science Daily)
How the Moon produces its own water Oct 16, 2009
Hydrogen is also electrically neutral, and is not diverted by the magnetic fields in space ... Whilst the Moon does not generate a global magnetic field, some lunar rocks are magnetised. (Scientific American)
NASA Spots Mystery Emissions at Edge of Solar System Oct 16, 2009
The galactic magnetic field shapes the heliosphere. The ribbon appears to trace the area where the magnetic field is most parallel to its surface ... The galactic magnetic field shapes the heliosphere. (Fox News)
Rip Currents Pose Greater Risk To Swimmers Than To Shoreline, Study Suggests Oct 15, 2009
8, 2007) French scientists from CNRS and other groups shows that the marine turtles use a relatively simple navigation system involving the earth's magnetic field, and this allows them to return to the same. (May 30, 2007) A novel analysis of water flow in the Southern Ocean surrounding the Antarctic is revealing previously hidden structures that are crucial in controlling the transport of drifting plants and animals. (Science Daily)
'Magnetic electricity' discovered Oct 15, 2009
The loops of a magnetic field can be seen in the arrangement of iron filings ... They showed that when the spin ice was placed in a magnetic field, the monopoles piled up on one side - just like electrons would pile up when placed in an electric field. (BBC News -- Technology)
Magnetic Nanotags Spot Cancer In Mice Earlier Than Methods Now In Clinical Use Oct 15, 2009
The magnetic nanotags attach themselves to the outer antibody on the sandwich, where they alter the ambient magnetic field in a small but distinct and detectable way that is sensed by the detector. The protein-detection assays that are currently in use rely on a variety of mechanisms, such as measuring electrical charge, fluorescent signals or pH, all of which are prone to interference from the biological matrix in which the desired proteins reside. (Science Daily)
Panasonic's Solar Power Status Symbols Turn Japan's Rich Green With Envy Oct 15, 2009
Housewife Yasuyo Takizawa, whose husband runs a PR company, spent as much as 4 million yen ($44,900) on systems that combine solar power with energy-efficient water and room heaters and induction cookers that heat pots with a magnetic field, boosting her green credentials and swelling earnings for manufacturer. Im not normally big on the environment, but I feel good that Im using eco-friendly products, said Takizawa, 63, who installed the system after seeing it at her sisters house. (Bloomberg -- Japan)
Experts summarize state of the science in autism disorders Oct 15, 2009
Neuroimaging tools, such as magnetoencephalography (MEG), a method of mapping the brain's magnetic field, hold the potential of identifying a biological signature of ASDs, so that clinicians might identify autism during early childhood and monitor the effectiveness of treatments. Regarding therapy, the authors note that the most researched treatments are those based on applied behavioral analysis, which includes intensive, highly structured treatments beginning in early childhood. (EurekAlert!)
Large Hadron Collider: 5 Things You Didn't Know Oct 15, 2009
Accelerating charged particles like protons requires a powerful magnetic field, one that can only be produced by using magnets that are first cooled with liquid hydrogen and then supercooled with superfluid helium ... These superconducting magnets create a magnetic field with the force necessary to accelerate the proton beams to 99. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Color Sensors For Better Vision Oct 14, 2009
(June 9, 2008) A novel magnetic sensor for the first time detects tiny fluctuations in a small magnetic field -- even when there is a strong magnet right beside it. The sensor can thus be utilized even in places. (Science Daily)
Elusive 'Persistent Current' Flows Forever Oct 12, 2009
Past experiments tried to indirectly measure persistent current via the magnetic field it produces (any current passing through a metal wire produces a magnetic field) ... SQUIDs had long been established as the tool used to measure extremely weak magnetic fields ... The team used the cantilevers to detect changes in the magnetic field produced by the current as it changed direction in the aluminum rings. (Science Daily)
Springtime opportunism Oct 12, 2009
These include population kinetics, influx of radiocarbon into earth's atmosphere, absence of meteorites from the geologic column, and decay of earth's magnetic field. - There is no gradualism in the fossil record, no intermediate types. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
First 'One-way Roads' For Light Could Lead To Simpler Lightwave Technology Oct 10, 2009
Through the application of an external magnetic field, this specially designed waveguide induces unusual restrictions to the propagation of the light inside it. "We have now found a way to make light travel without bouncing back, by shining it through an array of small ceramic rods placed in a strong magnetic field," said Dr Zheng Wang, a lead author of the paper ... For example, instead of light being able to travel to the right or to the left along this waveguide (as is traditionally... (Science Daily)
UA scientists discover quantum fingerprints of chaos Oct 8, 2009
The quantum version of the top is the "spin" of individual laser-cooled cesium atoms that Jessen's team manipulate with magnetic fields and laser light, using tools and techniques developed over a decade of painstaking laboratory work ... Because spinning atoms are tiny magnets, the "kicks" were delivered by a pulsed magnetic field. (EurekAlert!)
Sun Down: High-Energy Cosmic Rays Reach a Space Age Peak Oct 7, 2009
Among them: the weakening of the sun's magnetic field as well as the diminished pressure and speed of the solar wind the stream of charged particles emanating from the sun. The solar wind, Mewaldt explains, is "what blows the bubble in the heliosphere that protects us from the interstellar medium. And since that pressure has been low for the last few years, that means the bubble is getting smaller.". (Scientific American)
All Eyes on Nobel Physics Prize Oct 6, 2009
The theory developed in 1959 by Aharonov with the late David Bohm, explains some of the obscure and weird actions of parts of atoms around a magnetic field "somehow allowing an electron effectively to split around the magnetic field and rejoin later," said Phil Schewe of the American Institute of Physics. "Experiments in this area helped vindicate current thinking in quantum mechanics that goes back nearly a century.". (CBS News)
Balloon probe seeks clues to universes start Oct 6, 2009
"The idea is if you have a charged particle that's traveling through a magnetic field, it'll be bent into a curved trajectory by the field," said John Mitchell, a NASA scientist at the in Greenbelt, Md. and a lead investigator on the BESS program. (MSNBC -- Technology)
