Showing papers in "Physics Today in 2017"
TL;DR: Sornette et al. as mentioned in this paper proposed a simple, powerful, and general theory of how, why, and when stock markets crash, which can be found months and even years before the abrupt, catastrophic event in the build-up of cooperative speculation, which often translates into an accelerating rise of the market price.
Abstract: The scientific study of complex systems has transformed a wide range of disciplines in recent years, enabling researchers in both the natural and social sciences to model and predict phenomena as diverse as earthquakes, global warming, demographic patterns, financial crises, and the failure of materials. In this book, Didier Sornette boldly applies his varied experience in these areas to propose a simple, powerful, and general theory of how, why, and when stock markets crash.
Most attempts to explain market failures seek to pinpoint triggering mechanisms that occur hours, days, or weeks before the collapse. Sornette proposes a radically different view: the underlying cause can be sought months and even years before the abrupt, catastrophic event in the build-up of cooperative speculation, which often translates into an accelerating rise of the market price, otherwise known as a "bubble." Anchoring his sophisticated, step-by-step analysis in leading-edge physical and statistical modeling techniques, he unearths remarkable insights and some predictions--among them, that the "end of the growth era" will occur around 2050.
Sornette probes major historical precedents, from the decades-long "tulip mania" in the Netherlands that wilted suddenly in 1637 to the South Sea Bubble that ended with the first huge market crash in England in 1720, to the Great Crash of October 1929 and Black Monday in 1987, to cite just a few. He concludes that most explanations other than cooperative self-organization fail to account for the subtle bubbles by which the markets lay the groundwork for catastrophe.
Any investor or investment professional who seeks a genuine understanding of looming financial disasters should read this book. Physicists, geologists, biologists, economists, and others will welcome Why Stock Markets Crash as a highly original "scientific tale," as Sornette aptly puts it, of the exciting and sometimes fearsome--but no longer quite so unfathomable--world of stock markets.
670 citations
TL;DR: With their hyperfine states serving as two-level qubits, atoms can be packed into closely spaced, laser-cooled arrays and be individually addressed using laser pulses as discussed by the authors, which can be considered as a two level qubit system.
Abstract: With their hyperfine states serving as two-level qubits, atoms can be packed into closely spaced, laser-cooled arrays and be individually addressed using laser pulses.
203 citations
89 citations
TL;DR: How much new science will it take to design a vehicle that can routinely fly at many times the speed of sound?
Abstract: How much new science will it take to design a vehicle that can routinely fly at many times the speed of sound?
80 citations
53 citations
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TL;DR: The search for extraterrestrial life is increasingly informed by their knowledge of exoplanets, and within three decades, the authors may know whether extrasolar life is rare.
Abstract: The search for extraterrestrial life is increasingly informed by our knowledge of exoplanets. Within three decades, we may know whether extrasolar life is rare.
46 citations
TL;DR: Quasiparticles of light and matter may be our best hope for harnessing the strange effects of quantum condensation and superfluidity in everyday applications as discussed by the authors, and they have been shown to be useful in many applications.
Abstract: Quasiparticles of light and matter may be our best hope for harnessing the strange effects of quantum condensation and superfluidity in everyday applications.
35 citations
[...]
TL;DR: The imprimatur bestowed by peer review has a history that is both shorter and more complex than many scientists realize as mentioned in this paper, and the history of the peer review process is complex.
Abstract: The imprimatur bestowed by peer review has a history that is both shorter and more complex than many scientists realize.
29 citations
TL;DR: The first medical device to restore a human sense, a cochlear implant converts sound into a train of current pulses that directly stimulate the auditory nerve of a profoundly deaf ear.
Abstract: The first medical device to restore a human sense, a cochlear implant converts sound into a train of current pulses that directly stimulate the auditory nerve of a profoundly deaf ear.
27 citations
TL;DR: The same connections that give a network its functionality can promote the spread of failures and innovations that would otherwise remain confined as discussed by the authors, and the same connections can also promote the diffusion of failures.
Abstract: The same connections that give a network its functionality can promote the spread of failures and innovations that would otherwise remain confined.
26 citations
TL;DR: Suspensions of metallic nanoparticles can harvest valuable heat from sunlight that would otherwise go to waste in a photovoltaic cell as discussed by the authors, and they can be used to generate electricity.
Abstract: Suspensions of metallic nanoparticles can harvest valuable heat from sunlight that would otherwise go to waste in a photovoltaic cell.
TL;DR: Lens-free on-chip imaging devices provide cost-effective, compact, and wide-field microscopy solutions for fieldwork and global health applications.
Abstract: Lens-free on-chip imaging devices provide cost-effective, compact, and wide-field microscopy solutions for fieldwork and global health applications.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that college graduates need plenty of skills beyond an ability to solve problem sets beyond their ability to learn a set of skills, such as problem solving.
Abstract: Whether they end up in industrial, governmental, business, or academic settings, college graduates need plenty of skills beyond an ability to solve problem sets.
TL;DR: In this article, culture and experience contribute to the process that translates a complex acoustic stimulus into an intelligible message, and they are both needed for the translation of complex acoustic stimuli into an understandable message.
Abstract: Culture and experience contribute to the process that translates a complex acoustic stimulus into an intelligible message.
TL;DR: In this paper, the approach can develop undergraduates' skills in teamwork, communications, entrepreneurship, and tackling real-life problems, which can develop their skills for teamwork, communication, and entrepreneurship.
Abstract: The approach can develop undergraduates’ skills in teamwork, communications, entrepreneurship, and tackling real-life problems
TL;DR: The spin Hall effect and its companion, the inverse spin galvanic effect, have evolved from topics of academic interest to efficient means for fabricating microelectronic magnetic memories as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The spin Hall effect and its companion, the inverse spin galvanic effect, have evolved from topics of academic interest to efficient means for fabricating microelectronic magnetic memories.
TL;DR: The American Physical Society Bridge Program has assisted more than a hundred underrepresented racial and ethnic minority students to pursue PhDs in physics as discussed by the authors. But the bridge program was not designed for women.
Abstract: Initiated in 2013, the American Physical Society Bridge Program has assisted more than a hundred underrepresented racial and ethnic minority students to pursue PhDs in physics.
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that long-range magnetic order can survive in the 2D limit, but it has some surprises in store, such as the ability of magnetic order to survive in 3D space.
Abstract: Whether long-range magnetic order could survive in the 2D limit was an open and fundamental question. The answer is that it can, but it has some surprises in store.
TL;DR: Neuromechanics explores how systems interact with each other and the environment to enable movement in animals and other organisms.
Abstract: Many physiological systems must work together to enable movement in animals and other organisms. Neuromechanics explores how those systems interact with each other and the environment.
TL;DR: In this article, the belts were still finding mysterious features six decades after the belts' discovery in 1958, and scientists are still finding the mysterious features of the belts. But they are not revealing any secrets.
Abstract: Six decades after the belts’ discovery in 1958, scientists are still finding mysterious features.
TL;DR: The Every Student Succeeds Act, passed in 2015, harbors both threats and opportunities for physics education in the US as discussed by the authors, and the Every Student Success Success Act (ESSA) is one of the most popular laws in physics education.
Abstract: The Every Student Succeeds Act, passed in 2015, harbors both threats and opportunities for physics education in the US.
TL;DR: In some ways, the hit TV show reinforces popular stereotypes about scientists as mentioned in this paper, and in others, notably in its affectionate portrayals, it plays against type, which is not a good combination.
Abstract: In some ways, the hit TV show reinforces popular stereotypes about scientists. In others, notably in its affectionate portrayals, it plays against type.
TL;DR: At just the right locations in parameter space, resonant frequencies are ultrasensitive to tiny changes in conditions as discussed by the authors, which is why they can be extremely sensitive to small perturbations.
Abstract: At just the right locations in parameter space, resonant frequencies are ultrasensitive to tiny changes in conditions.