By Sharon Miki, on April 15th, 2011
Dr. David Sinclair (Credit: Carleton University)
Carleton University‘s Dr. David Sinclair has been selected to receive the first ever Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) -TRIUMF Vogt medal—created in honour of fellow Canadian researcher Erich Vogt—in recognition of his work with neutrino physics in the Sudbury Neutrino Observation (SNO). Regarding the award, Sinclair said, “Canada has such a strong program in subatomic physics encompassing the whole spectrum of nuclear physics because there are so many very accomplished scientists working in this field. Working with Carleton’s SNOLAB group has enabled innovative research, helping us advance understanding in nuclear and particle physics.” [Carleton University]
Dr. Tony Bailetti (Credit: Carleton University)
Another Carleton achiever, Professor Dr. Tony Bailetti, will be honoured next month with the 2011 Ottawa Innovation Community award from the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI). “Tony has been instrumental in developing very successful local ecosystems including . . . → Read More: Recognizing Research: Carleton Professors Receive Awards
By Sharon Miki, on March 14th, 2011
A neutron star. (Credit: University of Alberta)
Researchers from the University of Alberta have made some cosmic discoveries within neutron stars—a so-called “superfluid” that defies the laws of gravity.
The researchers—led by assistant professor of astrophyics Craig Heinke—used NASA’s Chandra space satellite telescope to look study a 330-year-old neutron star called Cassiopeia A. Neutron stars are the byproduct produced by an exploding star—called a supernova. Through this research, Heinke found that the neutron star’s core contained an odd, frictionless liquid. “If you could put some of this superfluid in a jar it would flow up the walls of the container and over the edge,” said Heinke.
Further details of Heinke and his team’s research is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
‘Weird science’ uncovered inside neutron star [University of . . . → Read More: Supernova Superfluid
By Sharon Miki, on December 16th, 2010
Let’s hope that, unlike me, you didn’t spend too much time memorizing the atomic weights of elements on the periodic table back in Chemistry 11—because things are about to change.
University of Calgary researcher Dr. Michael Wieser. (Photo Credit: Riley Brandt/University of Calgary)
A new periodic table outlined by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry’s (IUPAC) Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights shows that the atomic weights of 10 elements—hydrogen, lithium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur, chlorine and thallium — will change.
Historically, all elements were assigned a single-value standard atomic weight. Upon further investigation, however, scientists have found that the atomic weights of certain elements have natural fluctuations in weight depending on where the particular element is found. As University of Calgary associate professor and IUPAC secretary Dr. Michael Wieser explains, “[a]s technology improved, we have discovered that the numbers on our chart . . . → Read More: Back to the (Periodic) Drawing Table: Researchers Revamp the Table of Standard Atomic Weights
By Sharon Miki, on November 18th, 2010
In news that sounds like it could double as the beginning of the diabolical plot from a sci-fi super-villain, a group of international scientists has captured antimatter atoms for the first time in history.
The team—which includes Canadian physicists from Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary, York University and TRIUMF—has developed an innovative technique to trap atoms of antimatter long enough to be studied.
Antimatter is the opposite of matter, which is the substance that makes up our universe. Scientists believe that at the time of the Big Bang, when the universe was created, there was an equal amount of antimatter to match the amount of matter in the universe.
Up until now, it has been impossible to trap, and thus study, antimatter because antimatter is instantly annihilated when it comes into contact with matter. As matter is the substance that makes up . . . → Read More: From Science Fiction to Science: Researchers Capture Atomic Antimatter
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