Physicists Advance Theory For New Class Of Quantum Phase Transition

ScienceDaily ^ | 10.29.01 | Rice University

[callisto]

ping

[Maceman]

There is a growing realization that the apparent breakdown of the standard theory of metals — Landau’s Fermi-liquid theory — in high-temperature superconductors and related systems may result from proximity to quantum criticality.

Well du-uh.

[MichaelP]

Modern Physics is exploding with new understanding. The entire spectrum of Quantum Mechanics is surging with breakthrough science. The near future holds possible what until recently was thought to be impossible.

Mike

[willyb_jr]

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Click here for a list of all RealScience articles

[newzjunkey]

bump for later reading.

[callisto]

Science and technology are growing at an exponential rate. The amount of newly discovered information that is written daily is overwhelming to keep up with. Now we just need computers with the ability to process all of this data....But one is on the way to link a lot of the worlds universities that computes in petabytes...approximately 1 million gigabytes!!!! WOW!!!

[Vide]

"...that computes in petabytes..."

What next, namblabytes?

[samtheman]

Any chance of getting a new weapon out of this research? (Sorry, one track mind these days.)

[Check6]

Does a bear have hair?

[callisto]

Any chance of getting a new weapon out of this research?

I see lots of possiblities here for new weapons.

[Check6]

The Chicoms are probably looking at it as we speak (if they didn't have the research in their hands months ago).

[callisto]

What next, namblabytes?

ROTFLMAO!!!! You must be wide awake this AM!

[Check6]

I wonder if Qimiao Si would quality for a Secret or Top Secret clearance . . . bet not.

[d4now]

bump for later

[general_re]

ping

So where are my room-temperature superconductors and maglev trains and railguns and what-have-you? This is good money we're spending here, and if we can't have newer and better ways to frag bad guys, I don't wanna bother ;)

[Gordian Blade]

I'm leaving soon for my class, but I want to take a closer look when I get a chance.

One of my classmates in grad school did his Ph.D. thesis on maglev. It can work technically, but the cost per mile of the track is very high compared with conventional high-speed track. Too bad.

Then I have another friend who worked on railguns. They couldn't make a practical weapon out of it. Too bad.

Then I have another friend from grad school who was working on magnetic containment for controlled fusion. That hasn't worked yet, although some progress is being made. Too bad.

Is there a pattern here?

[zeugma]

After petabytes, come exobytes.

[zeugma]

I'd be interested in seeing some charts of data relating to these newly discovered phase transitions. I recall reading many years ago that electromagnetic state transitions are governed by the Mandelebrot formula.

[general_re]

Is there a pattern here?

Yes. Hanging around with you is bad luck. Stop making so many friends - it's retarding the progress of science ;)

More seriously, it seems pretty clear that a lot of these things have been somewhat oversold in the public imagination. If I were a cynic, I might say that this is the inevitable result of the vagaries of scientific funding - turning scientists into salesmen, and funding the best salesmen rather than the most promising scientists.

But, less cynically, when you say magnetic containment fields for fusion, are you speaking of tokamak-type reactors? I seem to recall some articles a few years ago showing some progress down around Princeton way....