M-theory

Yeah! Why not? 🐓

Red Spider Planetary Nebula

The best vintage cars, hot rods, and kustoms

No, tell the park rangers to calm down, it’s fine–I put a screen on the front. I just want to get the birds a little closer.

Birdwatching [Explained]

Stenciling with atoms in 2-dimensional materials possible

The possibilities for the new field of two-dimensional, one-atomic-layer-thick materials, including but not limited to graphene, appear almost limitless. In new research, Penn State material scientists report two discoveries that will provide a simple and effective way to “stencil” high-quality 2D materials in precise locations and overcome a barrier to their use in next-generation electronics.

In 2004, the discovery of a way to isolate a single atomic layer of carbon – graphene – opened a new world of 2D materials with properties not necessarily found in the familiar 3D world. Among these materials are a large group of elements – transition metals – that fall in the middle of the periodic table. When atoms of certain transition metals, for instance molybdenum, are layered between two layers of atoms from the chalcogenide elements, such as sulfur or selenium, the result is a three-layer sandwich called a transition metal dichalcogenide. TMDs have created tremendous interest among materials scientists because of their potential for new types of electronics, optoelectronics and computation.

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how to physics

magic.

Mathematical Spirals

According to Wikipedia, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point (similar to helices [plural for helix!] which are three-dimensional). Pictured above are some of the most important spirals of mathematics.

Logarithmic Spiral: Equation: r=ae^bθ. I must admit that these are my favorite! Logarithmic spirals are self-similar, basically meaning that the spiral maintains the same shape even as it grows. There are many examples of approximate logarithmic spirals in nature: the spiral arms of galaxies, the shape of nautilus shells, the approach of an insect to a light source, and more. Additionally, the awesome Mandelbrot set features some logarithmic spirals. Fun fact: the Fibonacci spiral is an approximation of the Golden spiral which is only a special case of the Logarithmic spiral. 

Fermat’s Spiral: Equation: r= ±θ^(½). This is a type of Archimedean spiral and is also known as the parabolic spiral. Fermat’s spiral plays a role in disk phyllotaxis (the arrangement of leaves in a plant system). 

Archimedean Spiral: Equation: r=a+bθ. The Archimedean spiral has the property that the distance between each successive turning of the spiral remains constant. This kind of spiral can have two arms (like in the Fermat’s spiral image), but pictured above is the one-armed version. 

Hyperbolic Spiral: Equation: r=a/θ. It is also know as the reciprocal spiral and is the opposite of an Archimedian spiral. It begins at an infinite distance from the pole in the center (for θ starting from zero r = a/θ starts from infinity), and it winds faster and faster around as it approaches the pole; the distance from any point to the pole, following the curve, is infinite. 

Spontaneous symmetry breaking

A good way to get an idea of what this is like is through water. Water has four different forms it could take depending on the conditions; frost, snow, ice and rime. Spontaneous symmetry breaking is sort of like this.

At the start of the big bang there was a single force which started off hot and as it expanded began to cool and in 1x10-46s (supposed to be scientific notation) gravity came into existence.

Now there is gravity and the force energy of the universe. This force energy then split into the strong nuclear force (SNF) at about 1x10-36s.

Then shorty after the massive inflation at 1x10-22s (where the universe expanded from about the size of a proton to that of a orange), the weak nuclear force and electromagnetic force (or electroweak force as we now know that they are the same) came into existence at the same time at 1x10-12s.

So from one force, in 1x10-12s all the different forces have fallen out.

In about 1x10-6 quark confinement would happen, from 3-20 minutes the nuclei would begin to form, there is still too much energy for the electrons to be bound to the nuclei. Atoms would not form for about 380,000 years.

Well this has been a brief and simple intro to spontaneous symmetry breaking, hope you guys liked it.