Tag Archives: polarization

The imperfection of strontium titanate

Posted on November 29, 2019 by

When you squeeze some crystals, you distort their lattice of atoms just enough to separate a pair of charged particles and that in turn gives rise to a voltage. Such materials are called piezoelectric crystals. Not all crystals are piezoelectric … Continue reading →

Posted in Scicomm | Tagged atomic cooling, atomic lattice, centrosymmetry, gem fire, inversion center, perovskite, piezoelectricity, polar metals, polarization, pyroelectrocity, second-order phase transition, strontium titanate, superconductivity, surface tension, tausonite, thermal equilibrium, thermalization | Comments Off

The magnetic sky

Posted on May 8, 2014 by

On May 6, the team behind the now-inoperative Planck space telescope released a map of the magnetic field pervading the Milky Way galaxy. Titled ‘Milky Way’s Magnetic Fingerprint’, the map incorporates two textures to visualize the magnetic field’s dual qualities: … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BICEP2, cosmic inflation, dust grains, magnetic fields, Planck space telescope, polarization | Comments Off

The Big Bang did bang

Posted on March 19, 2014 by

The Hindu March 19, 2014 On March 17, the most important day for cosmology in over a decade, the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics made an announcement that swept even physicists off their feet. Scientists published the first pieces of evidence … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization, BICEP2, cosmic microwave background, cosmology, Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, polarization | Comments Off