New Magnetic State

Herbertsmithite

Researchers at MIT recently discovered a new type of magnetism.  Science was already aware of two types of magnetism, ferromagnetism and anti-ferromagnetism, and this type is called Quantum Spin Liquid.  In this state, the material is a solid, but the magnetic orientations of the particles move like particles in a fluid.  This state of magnetism was proposed in theory in 1987, but has never been achieved in a lab setting until this experiment.  To do it, the team of scientist created a pure crystal of herbertsmithite, a process that alone took ten months, and used neutron scattering to record how excited the electrons were.  

 In the QSL state, the electrons had fractional quantum states, something that has never been seen before.  The team that discovered the magnetic state thinks that research into it could help in creating high-temperature superconductors, and develop better data storage methods.

Neutron Spectrometer used in the experiment

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/mit-researchers-discover-a-new-kind-of-magnetism-1219.html

Standard Model: String Theory

String theory unites the theories for quantum mechanics, relativity and gravity, but doesn't work when confined to the three dimensions that people normally think of.  It would work if there were more dimensions, so some scientists theorize that there are small dimensions.  Humans can't move in or around these smaller dimensions, but smaller particles would be able to move.  Most ideas about String theory predict 10 dimensions, but the Boson theory predicts 26 and the M-theory 11.  These theories also postulate that some of the smaller dimensions could be circular or overlapping.

I think that it might be impossible for people to see these dimensions or be able to move in them, but the effects of them might be visible on particles that move around these dimensions.  Just like gluons, the force-carrier particle of strong nuclear force, have only been observed indirectly, potentially the dimensions of string theory could been seen indirectly.  Some physicists think that at high enough energies the different 'strings' could be seen, however the energies required are around 10^4 higher than energy in the Large Hadron Collider.  Another idea to test the small dimensions is by using gravity, it is theorized that gravity is stronger in smaller dimensions and that mini black holes could be formed.  I think that on a smaller enough scale and with enough energy it would be possible to prove string theory, but just like how it took a long time to prove the existence of quarks, it will take awhile for the technology to catch up to the theories.

Hydrogen Cars

Hydrogen powered cars would be the solution to the energy crisis and global warming.  They produce water as they by product of the reaction and are more efficient than regular cars.  However, there isn't a practical way to store hydrogen for use in cars.  Recently, metal organic frameworks (MOF) have been proven to store huge amounts of hydrogen in small spaces.  They only problem is that the storage becomes harder as the temperature rises, but scientists are testing to see if adding a metal catalyst could make hydrogen storage practical at room temperature.  These MOFs might also be an easy way to make graphene and other carbon nano materials.  Carbon at a nano scale is used to make touch screens, computer circuit and other technology.  All of these are hard to make on a large scale though, and MOFs could be a more practical way to store the hydrogen needed to make them on a large scale.

Molecular Structure of Graphene

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120920095241.htm

8/24 Skipping Stones

Q: Why is is possible to skip stones across water?

A: The reason that stones skip has to do with the speed, spin and angle of the stone as it hits the water.  If the stone is thrown properly it will hit with the front edge up, letting the back hit the water, and making a small dip.  The water will push back against the stone and the dip acts as a ramp for the front of the stone.
The spin provides stability and keeps the stone moving in the same direction, allowing it to skip again.  The angle that the stone is thrown at makes the biggest difference, the ideal angle is 20 degrees and any more than 45 degrees will cause the stone to sink immediately.  The spin needs to be about 5 rotations per second, but the higher the better and to create a force big enough to skip the stone has to be moving between 25 and 40 mph.  Technically anything can be skipped as long as it has a flat surface, but humans can't throw heavy stones fast enough to compensate for the added weight, so light ones work best. This is the equation for the skip of any given stone; it takes into account: diameter (), velocity (), mass (), tilt (), angle of attack (), and the density of water ().