Mesoscale physics buzz eludes exact definition
The future of physics will depend crucially on researchers’ ability to tackle phenomena at the mesoscale, an enigmatic realm that bridges quantum and classical physics. On that point, speakers at a special session and Town Hall meeting yesterday at the American Physical Society’s March meeting in Boston, Massachussetts, were in agreement. But what exactly is the mesoscale, and what kind of research is needed to understand it? That question brought forth multiple overlapping answers. “This is a buzz word, so you’re free to define it any way you want,” said physics Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin of Stanford University, whose own answer was that the mesoscale was the scale of life, as described by emergent laws of nature that have to be discovered, rather than deduced. Read more
Recent comments on this blog
Experiments reveal that crabs and lobsters feel pain
US research ethics agency upholds decision on informed consent
Chemistry credit disputes under the spotlight
Chemistry credit disputes under the spotlight
Contamination created controversial ‘acid-induced’ stem cells