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Portal:Physics/2011 Selected articles

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This is an archive of the entries that have appeared or will appear on the Wikipedia Physics Portal.

Please do not edit this page directly. Instead, use one of the "Edit" links on the bottom right of the corresponding section. This will ensure that you edit the correct page for your changes to appear on Portal:Physics in the correct week.


January

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Richard Feynman at Los Alamos

Richard Phillips Feynman (May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) was an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics (he proposed the parton model). For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman, jointly with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. He developed a widely used pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions governing the behavior of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams. During his lifetime, Feynman became one of the best-known scientists in the world.

He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb and was a member of the panel that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In addition to his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing,[1] and introducing the concept of nanotechnology.[2] He held the Richard Chace Tolman professorship in theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology.

Feynman was a keen popularizer of physics through both books and lectures, notably a 1959 talk on top-down nanotechnology called There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom and The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Feynman also became known through his semi-autobiographical books (Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think?) and books written about him, such as Tuva or Bust!

Feynman also had a deep interest in biology, and was a friend of the geneticist and microbiologist Esther Lederberg, who developed replica plating and discovered bacteriophage lambda.[3] They had several mutual physicist friends who, after beginning their careers in nuclear research, moved for moral reasons into genetics, among them Leó Szilárd, Guido Pontecorvo, and Aaron Novick.


February

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There are scientific journals that focus on physics research. For example, Annalen der Physik is the oldest physics journal. It appears to cover all topics in the physics discipline by reporting original work in the areas of experimental, theoretical, applied and mathematical physics. Advances in Physics focuses on interdisciplinary, critical reviews with topics ranging over condensed matter physics, statistical mechanics, quantum information, cold atoms, soft matter physics, and biophysics. Space Science Reviews only synthesizes current results in space science research, which can impact the various related fields and related insturmentation.

Below is a list of general interest articles pertaining to physics related scientific journals:


March

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Sir Isaac Newton


April

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The theme of this month is "Physics awards"; A through G. Wikipedia has a significant number of articles which discuss a physics award. This month the articles are listed in alphabetical order from A through G.


May

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The quark structure of the antiproton

In particle physics, antimatter is the extension of the concept of the antiparticle to matter, where antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles. For example, a positron (the antiparticle of the electron or
e+
) and an antiproton (
p
) can form an antihydrogen atom in the same way that an electron and a proton form a normal matter hydrogen atom. Furthermore, mixing matter and antimatter can lead to the annihilation of both in the same way that mixing antiparticles and particles does, thus giving rise to high-energy photons (gamma rays) or other particle–antiparticle pairs.

There is considerable speculation as to why the observable universe is apparently almost entirely matter, whether there exist other places that are almost entirely antimatter instead, and what might be possible if antimatter could be harnessed. At this time, the apparent asymmetry of matter and antimatter in the visible universe is one of the greatest unsolved problems in physics. The process by which this asymmetry between particles and antiparticles developed is called baryogenesis.


June

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This is a representation of a proton. It is composed of two up quarks and one down quark.


July

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Computer-generated drawing of the AMS-02

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, also designated AMS-02, is a particle physics experiment module that is mounted on the International Space Station. It is designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of the Universe and search for evidence of dark matter as well as investigate anti-matter. The principal investigator is Nobel laureate particle physicist Samuel Ting. After final testing at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) facility in the Netherlands, delivery to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida took place on 26 August 2010. The launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour flight STS-134 carrying AMS-02 took place on 16 May 2011, and the module was installed on 19 May 2011.

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a state-of-the-art particle physics detector constructed, tested and operated by an international team composed of 60 institutes from 16 countries and organized under United States Department of Energy (DOE) sponsorship.


August

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Below are links to Featured content within WikiProject Physics. A small bronze star icon ( ) on the top right corner of an article's page, symbolizes the featured content on Wikipedia.

A featured article exemplifies our very best work and is distinguished by professional standards of writing, presentation, and sourcing. Featured article status means the article is well written, comprehensive, and well researched. Besides meeting the policies regarding content for all Wikipedia articles, it meets style guidelines.


September

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Various examples of physical phenomena

This month, the Physics portal selects various Wikipedia books related to physics. A Wikipedia Book is a collection of Wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, rendered electronically in PDF, ZIM or OpenDocument format, or ordered as a printed book. As with most projects on Wikipedia, this one is evolving.

  • There is also the book Chemical elements, which contains links to various books on the elements.


October

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Wikipedia news

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From Wikipedia's main page on Tuesday, October 4, 2011:

Related featured article

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The Nobel Prize in Physics (Swedish: Nobelpriset i fysik) is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The first Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, a German, "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays (or x-rays)." This award is administered by the Nobel Foundation and widely regarded as the most prestigious award that a scientist can receive in physics. It is presented in Stockholm at an annual ceremony on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death.


November

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Below are links to Featured content within WikiProject Physics. A small bronze star icon ( ) on the top right corner of an article's page, symbolizes the featured content on Wikipedia.

A featured article exemplifies our very best work and is distinguished by professional standards of writing, presentation, and sourcing. Featured article status means the article is well written, comprehensive, and well researched. Besides meeting the policies regarding content for all Wikipedia articles, it meets style guidelines.


December

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Various examples of physical phenomena. The illustration is from the article entitled Physics.

This month, the Physics portal selects various Wikipedia books related to physics. A Wikipedia Book is a collection of Wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, rendered electronically in PDF, ZIM or OpenDocument format, or ordered as a printed book. As with most projects on Wikipedia, this one is evolving.

  • There is also the book Chemical elements, which contains links to various books on the elements.


  1. ^ West, Jacob (July 2003). "The Quantum Computer" (PDF). Xootic. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  2. ^ Edwards 2006, pp. 15–17.
  3. ^ "Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg Memorial Web Site".
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