Physics Today

What can physicists do? Interviews offer a glimpse of how physicists get into—and thrive in—myriad nonacademic careers.

Physics students are told their degree is a ticket to anything but during their time at university, it's rarely elaborated on. So Toni Feder has gone out and interviewed physicists with varied careers away from the field (Posts the physicist whose job title is digital experience director...)

Katrina Miller explores and explains science news “What can physicists do?” is an interview series that profiles physicists who opted for careers outside of academia. (Photo by David Dowd.) Katrina MillerScience writer, New York TimesBS, physics, Duk...

While working on her PhD in neutrino physics, @katrinamillerphd.bsky.social realized that she was more interested in learning about science than doing it. She's now a science writer for @nytimes.com. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics #physicsjobs

Reframing the narrative on physics readiness Alternative undergraduate physics courses expand access to students and address socioeconomic barriers that prevent many of them from entering physics and engin

Undergrads don’t need to have taken calculus in high school to succeed in physics. Rutgers and Ohio State instructors teach calculus-based thinking in an alternative introductory physics sequence to help students succeed without extending the time needed to get a degree. #physics #iteachphysics

Jack Lambert teaches high school physics “What can physicists do?” is an interview series that profiles physicists who opted for careers outside of academia. (Photo courtesy of Jack Lambert.) Jack LambertHigh school physics teacher, UtahBS, ...

Jack Lambert was headed for a PhD in physics when he realized that he was more interested in sharing science with others. After shifting gears, he now teaches physics at a public high school in Utah. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics #physicsjobs

What can physicists do? Interviews offer a glimpse of how physicists get into—and thrive in—myriad nonacademic careers.

About two-thirds of US-trained physics PhD recipients work outside of academia. In a new interview series, Physics Today is profiling physicists who opted for careers outside the ivory tower. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics #physicsjobs

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A green space with bushes and trees and a helix sculpture next to a beige building.

After a long hiatus, AIP's postdoc position for historians of the physical sciences is back!

3 years, $77,500 per year + benefits. Work in the Washington, DC area, close to Univ of Maryland. Open to US citizens/permanent residents. Apply by Nov. 15! #histsci

workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...

Five ways the second Trump term is reshaping climate science and policy A review of federal actions on science, data, and policy in the administration’s first eight months shows far-reaching consequences.

Amid today's fast-moving news cycles, it can be hard to keep up with the rapid changes happening to federal climate science in the US. Here's a review of some of the big changes in the US since January.

#physics #standupforscience

Radioactive ion beam enables monitoring of a cancer treatment as it’s performed Using radioactive ions for particle therapy could lead to real-time imaging of radiation doses to improve the precision of treatment.

Particle therapy is one of the most targeted and effective radiotherapy treatments for cancer. A new approach to the technique could enable real-time imaging of radiation doses to improve treatment precision.

#medicalphysics #physics #cancer

Advocating for science gains urgency In response to the US government’s attacks on science, professional societies intensify efforts to prep scientists to lobby effectively.

Great @physicstoday.bsky.social article covering how professional societies are supporting scientists to lobby effectively in response to the attacks on science -> pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...

Advocating for science gains urgency In response to the US government’s attacks on science, professional societies intensify efforts to prep scientists to lobby effectively.

As the US government continues to undermine research, societies like APS are helping scientists write letters and op-eds and organize visits to lawmakers. As Toni Feder writes, the aim is to garner support for continued science funding.

Mather and smoot share Nobel physics prize for measuring the cosmic microwave background In the early 1990s, NASA’s Cosmic Background Explorer first revealed the microwave background’s spectral perfection—and spatial imperfection—required by Big Ban

We are sad to hear that George Smoot passed away. Smoot, an experimental astrophysicist, shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics with John Mather for his work on the COBE satellite, which demonstrated that the cosmic microwave background has a near-perfect blackbody spectrum.

What does it mean to be a physicist right now? The scientific enterprise is under attack. Being a physicist means speaking out for it.

“It is up to each of us to make the case, in language that resonates beyond academia, that science is not a luxury but a necessity,” says American Physical Society president John Doyle. “Now, as we face new challenges, advocacy must become a part of what we all do.”

#physics #standupforscience

Playing with electromagnetic waves: The science of the theremin The physics behind the unique instrument lets players turn hand gestures into music.

Silvia Alonso-Pérez presents a look at the physics behind the theremin, the early electronic musical instrument that converts hand gestures into the eerie tones heard in the soundtracks of classic sci-fi films like The Day the Earth Stood Still.

#electronicmusic #physics #acoustics #scifi

A machine that mechanically interlocks molecules Researchers have shown how a molecular motor can be used to intertwine two molecules and form a linkage that couldn’t be made with conventional synthesis.

A tiny molecular motor has been used to intertwine two molecules and form a linkage that couldn’t otherwise be made. As Laura Fattaruso writes, the achievement paves the way for the synthesis of molecules that are beyond the reach of conventional chemistry.

#physics #molecularmachines

What does it mean to be a physicist right now? The scientific enterprise is under attack. Being a physicist means speaking out for it.

“Shut up and calculate”? Not a chance.🔭🧪

President of the @apsphysics.bsky.social in @physicstoday.bsky.social reminds us that physicists are not just scientists; we are citizens, educators, & truth-tellers.

So, no, Laura Ingraham, we also won't just "shut up and dribble."
🔗 bit.ly/ShutUpandCal...

Two images of a live frog levitating above a magnet.

For more Ig Nobel Prize–winning work, see Andrey Geim’s 1998 Physics Today article on levitating a live frog using a 20-tesla magnet.

doi.org/10.1063/1.88...

YouTube video by Science X: Phys.org, Medical Xpress, Tech Xplore 2025 Ig Physics Nobel Prize goes to perfect pasta sauce

A team of Italian physicists won the satirical Ig Nobel Prize in Physics last week for their phase diagram of the notoriously tricky cacio e pepe pasta sauce. The team varied the amount of cornstarch and the cooking temperature to find the “scientifically optimized recipe” to avoid clumping.

A crowdsourced database tracks US science grant cancellations Increasing transparency and informing advocacy and litigation efforts are the main goals of the online resource, which monitors the status of funds awarded by NSF and NIH.

Grant cancellations by NSF this year are being tracked in a database called Grant Witness. The volunteer-run site has been used in litigation and science advocacy efforts and regularly updates grant statuses as court cases and appeals are announced.

Political currents The Eisenhower administration dismissed the director of the National Bureau of Standards in 1953. Suspecting political interference with the agency’s research, scientists fought back—and won.

The Eisenhower administration dismissed the director of the National Bureau of Standards (the predecessor of NIST) in 1953. As Joseph D. Martin writes, scientists suspected political interference with the agency’s research, fought back, and won. #histSTM #longread

Major climate change indicators broke records in 2024 A report authored by hundreds of climate scientists worldwide documents surface temperatures, humidity, glacier mass, and more.

Scientists reviewed measurements from monitoring stations and instruments from around the world to document the global climate system in their 2024 annual report.

The successes and challenges of US–Soviet scientific communication Research exchanges between US and Soviet scientists during the second half of the 20th century may be instructive for navigating today’s debates on scientific collaboration.

Despite working in a time of tense diplomatic relations, proxy wars, and budget cuts, many US and Soviet scientists collaborated productively during the 1970s and 1980s, writes Anna Doel. Prior exchanges help better understand the challenges to scientific cooperation today.

https://bit.ly/4neNFWQ

The ingredients for an unbeatable squash shot In four-walled racket sports such as squash, one type of shot reigns supreme: the nick. It occurs when a player hits the 4-centimeter ball to the right-angled spot where the wall of the court meets th...

A team at Brown University uncovered the physics behind the vaunted nick shot—an unbeatable hit in four-walled racket sports like squash. #everydayphysics

https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/online/44637/

The perfect strike in tenpin bowling How hitting just 4 pins can result in knocking down all 10, over and over.

A lucky strike might be fun, but achieving high bowling scores requires consistently knocking down all 10 pins. Here's the physics behind throwing a perfect strike. https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/online/44608

Weiss, Barish, and Thorne share 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Three architects of LIGO are honored for their successful effort to directly detect gravitational waves.

For more on the history of LIGO and the detection of gravitational waves, check out our coverage of the 2017 Nobel Prize.
doi.org/10.1063/PT.3...

We're sad to hear of the death of Rainer Weiss, who shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics with Barry Barish and Kip Thorne for his contributions to the gravitational-wave detector LIGO. In 1999, he and Barish outlined the physics behind LIGO for Physics Today. https://bit.ly/3UPb84O

From the vault: The future of the Higgs boson, by Joseph Lykken and Maria Spiropulu, December 2013.

From our archives: “The future of the #Higgs boson” by Joseph Lykken and Maria Spiropulu from December 2013

doi.org/10.1063/PT.3...

#FromTheVault #PTarchive

French space companies come to Texas for a startup accelerator program Seeking to attract new ideas, the Rice University initiative introduces French space startups to the US commercial space market.

International collaboration is the goal of the newly launched Texas–France space hub in Houston. Rice University is facilitating the exchange of new ideas for some of space’s biggest challenges. The 6-month program introduces French firms to the US commercial space ecosystem. doi.org/10.1063/pt.o...

This month's cover article in @physicstoday.bsky.social @aip-publishing.bsky.social is on "The Enduring Puzzle of Static Electricity".

To learn more about using electrostatic forces to design granular materials, turn to the article that I wrote together with Joshua Méndez Harper: lnkd.in/e_fxkrzt

From our archives: “Analysis of musical‐instrument tones” by Jean‐Claude Risset and Max V. Mathews from February 1969

"With computers we can not only analyse the sound of a musical instrument but also build up a synthesized copy of the sound."

doi.org/10.1063/1.30...

#FromTheVault #PTarchive