Monthly Archives: November 2019
The trouble with laser-cooling anions
For scientists to use lasers to cool an atom, the atom needs to have two energy states. When laser light is shined on an atom moving towards the source of light, one of its electrons absorbs a photon, climbs to … Continue reading
Posted in Scicomm
Tagged adiabatic cooling, anions, atomic cooling, cerium, diatomic carbon, Doppler cooling, electron affinity, hyperfine structure, ion trap, laser cooling, laser-assisted evaporative cooling, microkelvin, nuclear spin, Sisyphus cooling, Sivaramakrishnan Pancharatnam, sympathetic cooling
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Quitting the Thing
A year ago today, I quit the Thing. The Thing didn’t quit me until three months later, and spending those months not getting back to the Thing was the most difficult thing I ever did. Earlier on the day I’d … Continue reading
Playing the devil’s advocate on Starlink
After SpaceX began to launch its Starlink satellite constellation to facilitate global internet coverage, astronomers began complaining that the satellites are likely to interfere with stargazing schemes, especially those of large, sensitive telescopes. Spaceflight stakeholders also began to worry, especially … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science
Tagged Challakere science city, Elon Musk, environmentalism, India-based Neutrino Observatory, ISRO, Kulasekarapattinam, low-cost internet, Mauna Kea, mega-constellation, non-rivalry, Outer Space Treaty, satellite constellation, space-based internet, SpaceX, Starlink, Sterlite, Thirty Meter Telescope, Thoothukudi
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The invitations
First, I was invited to speak at a science communication meeting in X in November. Next, I was invited to host an event at Y around the same date. Then I was invited to speak at Z on the same … Continue reading
Posted in Life notes
Tagged grumpy, manel, public speaking, science communication
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The cycle
Is it just me or does everyone see a self-fulfilling prophecy here? For a long time, and assisted ably by the ‘publish or perish’ paradigm, researchers sought to have their papers published in high-impact-factor journals – a.k.a. prestige journals – … Continue reading
Posted in Science
Tagged for-profit publishing, impact factor, Nature journal, peer review, prestige bias, prestige journals, publish or perish, scientific publishing
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New management at Nautilus
When an email landed in my inbox declaring that the beleaguered science communication magazine Nautilus would be “acquired by ownership group of super-fans”, I thought it was going to become a cooperative. It was only when I read the extended … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Op-eds, Science
Tagged Daily Dot, Deadspin, Elisa New, John Steele, Larry Summers, Nautilus, Nautilus magazine, Nicholas White, scientism
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The private festival
I used to think I lived in a wonderful part of Bangalore: in Malleshwaram, and not just in Malleshwaram but in a gated apartment complex with great access to greenery and lots of eateries, safe walking areas, recreational spaces, and … Continue reading
Posted in Culture
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