Most weeks, I try to find some natural-looking way to get SteelyKid and Appa in the picture together. Sometimes, though, there’s just no way to get it done, and we have to resort to Kate holding Appa near her: She’s hugging her jacket because it got kind of cold this afternoon, but she’s in a […]
Month: April 2010
Dorky Poll: Would You Like Constants With That?
I wanted to test whether I can put links into PollDaddy poll items for the Laser Smackdown wrap-up tomorrow, so I needed a test poll. But, of course, if I’m going to go to the trouble, I might as well post it, so here’s a dorky poll inspired by the fact that the book I’m […]
Amazing Laser Application 12: Laser Guide Stars!
What’s the application? Producing artificial “stars” to serve as a reference for telescopes using adaptive optics to correct for atmospheric turbulence. This allows ground-based telescopes to produce images that are as good as those from the Hubble Space Telescope. What problem(s) is it the solution to? “How can I make this giant telescope produce even […]
Links for 2010-04-22
Scathing Amazon Reviewer Revealed as Author Orlando Figes’ Wife – AOL News Why didn’t I try– oh, right. Because Kate has integrity, as do I. That’s why. (tags: books literature history stupid internet) Backreaction: It comes soon enough “I think of the future frequently – and more often than not I think it could come […]
Amazing Laser Application 11: Frequency Combs!
What’s the application? An optical frequency comb is a short-duration pulsed laser whose output can be viewed as a regularly spaced series of different frequencies. If the pulses are short enough, this can span the entire visible spectrum, giving a “comb” of colored lines on a traditional spectrometer. This can be used for a wide […]
Links for 2010-04-21
We Are Not Alone § SEEDMAGAZINE.COM “From illusory “canals” spied through blurry 19th century telescopes, to today’s high-endurance robotic rovers, in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars is the perennial favorite target. It is, after all, the most hospitable planet we know other than our own. But despite the Red Planet’s watery, warm ancient […]
Amazing Laser Application 10: Surgery!
What’s the application? Using lasers to cut and/or cauterize tissue during surgical procedures, instead of the traditional very small very sharp knives. What problem(s) is it the solution to? 1) “How can we do surgery without touching the tissues being operated on?” 2) “How can I get rid of these annoying glasses/contact lenses?” How does […]
Links for 2010-04-20
Ptahhotep “The Instruction of Ptahhotep to his son survives in papyrus copies. It is a collection of maxims (not all are given here) dealing with human relations. The maxims do not cover all aspects of Egyptian life. For the most part, they touch on the peaceful virtues of kindness, justice, truthfulness, moderation and self-control. A […]
Amazing Laser Application 9: Fusion!
What’s the application? The goal of laser ignition fusion experiments is to heat and compress a target to the point where the nuclei of the atoms making up the sample fuse together to form a new, heavier nucleus, releasing energy in the process. Nuclear fusion is, of course, what powers stars, and creating fusion in […]
Links for 2010-04-19
Rev. Mod. Phys. 82, 1155 (2010): Introduction to quantum noise, measurement, and amplification “The topic of quantum noise has become extremely timely due to the rise of quantum information physics and the resulting interchange of ideas between the condensed matter and atomic, molecular, optical-quantum optics communities. This review gives a pedagogical introduction to the physics […]