Scientific community articles within Nature Physics

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  • Measure for Measure |

    Bart Verberck uses the musical cent as a pretext to touch on some of the intricacies of musical tuning systems.

    • Bart Verberck

  • Measure for Measure |

    Measuring air temperature is far from a trivial task, as Andrea Merlone, Graziano Coppa and Chiara Musacchio explain.

    • Andrea Merlone
    • , Graziano Coppa
    •  & Chiara Musacchio

  • Measure for Measure |

    Adaptive optics allows scientists to correct for distortions of an image caused by the scattering of light. Anita Chandran illuminates the nature of the technique.

    • Anita Mary Chandran

  • Measure for Measure |

    Quantum technologies change our notion of measurement. Chenyu Wang elaborates on how quantum squeezing enhances the precision of gravitational-wave interferometers.

    • Chenyu Wang

  • Measure for Measure |

    The hectare has a long association with the metric system, but its most recent status has created some ambiguity as to its future application. Richard Brown surveys the lay of the land.

    • Richard J. C. Brown

  • Measure for Measure |

    Although its measurement was considered an experimental nightmare for decades, the Stefan–Boltzmann constant was assigned an exact value in 2019. Massimiliano Malgieri and Pasquale Onorato explain what this story teaches us.

    • Massimiliano Malgieri
    •  & Pasquale Onorato

  • Measure for Measure |

    Metrology and meteorology: just two letters separating two similar and frequently confused words. Andrea Merlone, Chiara Musacchio and Walter Bich tell us about these different disciplines and ways in which they collaborate.

    • Andrea Merlone
    • , Chiara Musacchio
    •  & Walter Bich

  • Editorial |

    Claims of a room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor recently kicked up a storm on social media. As the dust settles, we take stock of what this experience can teach us.

  • Measure for Measure |

    Originally invented to improve cornering techniques in race driving, speed traps contribute to road safety. Robert Wynands introduces us to tools of traffic metrology.

    • Robert Wynands

  • Measure for Measure |

    Radionuclides have a myriad of applications, ranging from nuclear energy to environmental studies. Carine Michotte illustrates the importance of radionuclide metrology for nuclear medicine.

    • Carine Michotte

  • Measure for Measure |

    The unit one is a necessary part of any system of units but debate concerning its proper treatment in science and technology continues. Richard Brown enumerates its uses.

    • Richard J. C. Brown

  • Measure for Measure |

    Not to be confused with Jane Austen’s famous character, the unit darcy goes back to a French engineer, as Stefanie Reichert explains.

    • Stefanie Reichert

  • Measure for Measure |

    Despite their differences, the six regional metrology organizations work together to provide and advance the global equivalence of national measurements standards, as Hyun Min Park explains.

    • Hyun Min Park

  • Editorial |

    As sharing of research data becomes more important, we are facilitating this by integrating the Figshare repository into our submission system.

  • Measure for Measure |

    The nautical mile and knot were acknowledged by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Bart Verberck wonders why this is not the case anymore.

    • Bart Verberck

  • Editorial |

    11 February marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We ask what it takes to be considered one.

  • Measure for Measure |

    Standards recommended by the International Organization for Standardization are often hidden in plain sight. Angelique Botha, Chair of ISO/TC 334 for Reference Materials, tells us where to look.

    • Angelique Botha

  • Measure for Measure |

    The SI prefixes provide an essential mechanism for the effective communication of scientific information. Richard Brown and Martin Milton inform us about the latest developments.

    • Richard J. C. Brown
    •  & Martin J. T. Milton

  • Measure for Measure |

    The use of quantum effects and digital technologies is changing the measurement of electrical power and energy, as explained by Héctor Laiz.

    • Héctor Laiz

  • Editorial |

    A new study that reveals under-citation of women physicists invites individual and journal-level action to tackle discrimination.

  • Editorial |

    Physics societies have a long and illustrious history. Now, a world-wide union of societies celebrates its 100th birthday with a centennial conference.

  • Measure for Measure |

    The vast majority of devices for processing quantum information — from communication to computation and sensing — operate with quantum bits. Federico Levi tells us what makes a good qubit.

    • Federico Levi

  • Measure for Measure |

    Although the ohm is ‘only’ a derived SI unit, the assumption that it plays an unobtrusive role could not be further from the truth, as Karin Cedergren reveals.

    • Karin Cedergren

  • Measure for Measure |

    The impact of legal metrology often remains unnoticed in our everyday lives. Pavel Klenovsky, Marc Wouters and Wilfried de Waal instruct us in trade and legal regulations.

    • Pavel Klenovsky
    • , Marc Wouters
    •  & Wilfried de Waal

  • Measure for Measure |

    The shift of the definition of the kilogram in 2019 away from an artefact to one relying on the Planck constant inspires technological innovation, as Naoki Kuramoto elucidates.

    • Naoki Kuramoto

  • Comment |

    Against the backdrop of various philosophical accounts, this Comment argues for the need of a human rights approach to scientific progress, which requires us to rethink how we view scientific knowledge.

    • Michela Massimi

  • Measure for Measure |

    A task group recommends values for many constants in fundamental theories of physics and chemistry. Eite Tiesinga and Peter Mohr tell some of the constants’ stories.

    • Eite Tiesinga
    •  & Peter Mohr

  • Measure for Measure |

    The coexistence of qualitative and quantitative scales characterizes advances in earthquake measurements. Although often confused, intensity and magnitude refer to very different things, as Leonardo Benini explains.

    • Leonardo Benini

  • Measure for Measure |

    The establishment of a global metric system of units as agreed upon in the Metre Convention relies on international as well as national institutes and organizations, of which Stefanie Reichert gives an overview.

    • Stefanie Reichert

  • Editorial |

    The Guided Open Access pilot we are trialling with five other journals in the Nature Portfolio will continue into 2022. We highlight some of the main lessons we’ve learned so far.

  • Measure for Measure |

    To celebrate the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development, James Gallagher tells the story of the British thermal unit, a unit for heat.

    • James Gallagher

  • Measure for Measure |

    The idea of radiocarbon existing at equilibrium within Earth’s atmosphere has established radiocarbon dating. Adam Fleisher takes a look at its beginnings, achievements and limitations.

    • Adam J. Fleisher

  • Editorial |

    The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi “for groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems”.

  • Editorial |

    This month, we celebrate the discovery of electromagnetic rotation, the principle behind the electric motor.

  • Measure for Measure |

    The uptake of graphene-based materials calls for standardization. Silvia Milana explains what this entails.

    • Silvia Milana

  • Editorial |

    They say a picture tells a thousand words, so by that accounting, the visual word count of a Nature Physics paper doubles that of its text. So how best to use that budget?

  • Measure for Measure |

    The unit length of DNA is a base pair, which serves as a ruler for DNA compaction and processing, as Michelle Wang explains.

    • Michelle D. Wang

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