http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/albert_einstein/ Albert Einstein in the News. Research institutes have been testing Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity and general relativity. Was Albert Einstein right? en-us Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:05:01 EST Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/albert_einstein/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105143728.htm A breakthrough in discovering new millisecond pulsars is providing astronomers a greatly improved capability to use those natural cosmic tools to make the first direct detections of gravitational waves. Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105143728.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091220175323.htm Within a decade scientists could be able to detect the merger of tens of pairs of black holes every year, according astronomers. By modeling the behavior of stars in clusters, the team finds that they are ideal environments for black holes to coalesce. These merger events produce ripples in time and space (gravitational waves) that could be detected by instruments from as early as 2015. Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091220175323.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102103329.htm Using Einstein's theory of special relativity to speedup computer simulations, scientists have designed laser-plasma accelerators with energies of 10 billion electron volts (GeV) and beyond. These systems, which have not been simulated in detail until now, could in the future serve as a compact new technology for particle colliders and energetic light sources. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102103329.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922202535.htm A new toolkit of equations will help theorists determine whether a promising agreement between particle physics and string theory is fact or fancy. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922202535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901132806.htm Scientists using a continent-wide array of radio telescopes have made an extremely precise measurement of the curvature of space caused by the Sun's gravity, and their technique promises a major contribution to a frontier area of basic physics. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901132806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824115758.htm Scientists are trying to figure out to what extent a new theory of quantum gravity will reproduce general relativity. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824115758.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817143556.htm Quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of general relativity are both extremely accurate theories of how the universe works, but all attempts to combine the two into a unified theory have ended in failure. Now physicists have found a way to carry out a new set of gravity calculations with the help of an older theory that has been around since the 1980s. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817143556.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819135426.htm An investigation by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration has significantly advanced our understanding the early evolution of the universe. Analysis of data taken from 2005 to 2007 has set the most stringent limits yet on the amount of gravitational waves that could have come from the Big Bang in the gravitational wave frequency band where LIGO can observe. The data put new constraints on the details of how the universe looked in its earliest moments. Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819135426.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807091433.htm Einstein succeeded only partly in explaining the aspects of the universe. Today's scientists are also at a loss about how it all connects. A mathematician in Norway and international fellow scientists have now conceived a grand idea about the universal universe. They have developed a method that may provide answers to universal problems and characterize and describe the universe. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807091433.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720134239.htm Physicists have determined that the interactions of light and matter with spacetime, as predicted by general relativity, can be studied using the new breed of artificial optical materials that feature extraordinary abilities to bend light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720134239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716093526.htm An astrophysics experiment in America has demonstrated how fundamental research in one subject area can have a profound effect on work in another as the instruments used for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) pave the way for quantum experiments on a macroscopic scale. Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716093526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715112031.htm In his discussion of accelerated motion on page 60 of "The Meaning of Relativity," Albert Einstein made an approximation that allowed him to develop the theory of relativity further. Einstein apparently never had the opportunity to check his original approximation. Now, a physicist has uncovered some clues about the basis of Einstein's theories and presented a more general approximation, which may better link quantum physics with classical physics. Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715112031.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090706113702.htm String theory has come under fire in recent years. Promises have been made that have not been lived up to. Theoretical physicists have now for the first time used string theory to describe a physical phenomenon -- the quantum-critical state of electrons leading to high-temperature superconductivity. Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090706113702.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528204402.htm In 1919, the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) launched an expedition to the West African island of Príncipe, to observe a total solar eclipse and prove or disprove Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Now, in a new RAS-funded expedition for the International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009), scientists are back. Astronomers Professor Pedro Ferreira from the University of Oxford and Dr Richard Massey from the University of Edinburgh, along with Oxford anthropologist Dr Gisa Weszkalnys, are paying homage to the original expedition led by Sir Arthur Eddington and celebrating the 90th anniversary of one of the key discoveries of the 20th century. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528204402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526183928.htm In physics many subtle phenomena can be studied by allowing waves to interfere with each other. In an interferometer, light waves travel by two different paths, directed from place to place by strategically places mirrors, and converge at a detector, where they produce a striped interference pattern. Sat, 30 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526183928.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507175838.htm With the new movie 'Star Trek' opening in theaters across the nation, one thing movie goers will undoubtedly see is the Starship Enterprise racing across the galaxy at the speed of light. But can traveling at warp speed ever become a reality? Fri, 08 May 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507175838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090506110202.htm Research by a theoretical physicist shows that the crusts of neutron stars are 10 billion times stronger than steel or any other of the earth's strongest metal alloys. Wed, 06 May 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090506110202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505061949.htm Do we have to modify Newton's theory of gravitation as it fails to explain so many observations? Voices are increasingly being heard that support this heretical hypothesis. Two new studies are likely to provide yet more grist for the mill. Their latest results about so-called "satellite galaxies" at the periphery of the Milky Way could rock the theoretical foundations of standard physics. Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505061949.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221439.htm In 1968, theoretical physicist and cosmologist Brandon Carter showed that a particle's wild gyrations while orbiting a rotating black hole nevertheless hold another variable fixed, which was named the "Carter constant," remaining somewhat mysterious 40 years later. Now Clifford M. Will, of Washington University has shown that, even in Newton's theory of gravitation, arrangements of masses exist whose gravitational field also admits a Carter-like constant of motion, in addition to energy and angular momentum. Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221439.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203081609.htm Scientists are trying to understand the mysteries of the holographic principle: How many dimensions are there in our universe? Some of the world's brightest minds are carrying out research in this area -- and still have not succeeded so far in creating a unified theory of quantum gravitation is often considered to be the "Holy Grail" of modern science. Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203081609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203130708.htm Scientists searching the depths of space to study gravitational wave may have stumbled on one of the most important discoveries in physics. At least one physicist is convinced that he has found proof in the data of the gravitational wave detector GEO600 of a holographic universe. Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203130708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105150837.htm Physicists have developed a promising new way to identify a possible abnormality in a fundamental building block of Einstein's theory of relativity known as "Lorentz invariance." If confirmed, the abnormality would disprove the basic tenet that the laws of physics remain the same for any two objects traveling at a constant speed or rotated relative to one another. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105150837.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016141450.htm A new research field called transformation optics may usher in a host of radical advances including a cloak of invisibility and ultra-powerful microscopes and computers by harnessing nanotechnology and "metamaterials." Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016141450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001093239.htm A new method of forecasting clear air turbulence will be published this week in the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences. The research, led by a scientist at the University of Georgia, could help pilots chart new courses around these patches of rough but clear air that can turn an otherwise unremarkable flight into a nightmare. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001093239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903112026.htm How did the universe come to be? What is it made of? What is mass? Can science prove that there are other dimensions? We may have answers soon. On September 10, 2008, the new CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is scheduled to turn on. The first high-energy collisions are expected to take place in October 2008. Scientists are calling it the largest experiment in the world. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903112026.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703140721.htm Researchers have confirmed a long-held prediction of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, via observations of a binary-pulsar star system. Eclipses in a unique system of two dead stars, called pulsars, has shown that one of the pair is 'wobbling' in space - just like a spinning top. The effect, called precession, is precisely as predicted by Albert Einstein and is thus a new and exciting confirmation of his theory. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703140721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080618133708.htm The biggest black holes may feed just like the smallest ones, according to data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based telescopes. This discovery supports the implication of Einstein's relativity theory that black holes of all sizes have similar properties, and will be useful for predicting the properties of a conjectured new class of black holes. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080618133708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602112344.htm The search for gravitational waves has revealed new information about the core of one of the most famous objects in the sky: the Crab Pulsar in the Crab Nebula. An new analysis has shown that no more than 4 percent of the energy loss of the pulsar is caused by the emission of gravitational waves. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602112344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523163050.htm The future of fundamental physics research lies in observing the early universe and developing models that explain the new data obtained. The availability of much higher resolution data from closer to the start of the universe is creating the potential for further significant theoretical breakthroughs and progress resolving some of the most difficult and intractable questions in physics. But this requires much more interaction between astronomical theory and observation, and in particular the development of a new breed of astronomer who understands both. Mon, 26 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523163050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092615.htm Physicists have provided a mechanism by which information can be recovered from black holes -- and the first plausible mechanism for how information might escape from black holes, those regions of space where gravity is so strong that, according to Einstein's theory of general relativity, not even light can escape. The team's findings pave the way toward ending a decades-long debate sparked by renowned physicist Steven Hawking. Thu, 15 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415143816.htm Gravitational radiation -- widely expected to provide "smoking gun" proof for a theory of the early universe known as "inflation" -- can be produced by another mechanism, according to physics researchers. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415143816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310131513.htm Ultracold atoms moving through a carefully designed arrangement of laser beams will jiggle slightly as they go, two NIST scientists have predicted. If observed, this never-before-seen "jitterbug" motion would shed light on a little-known oddity of quantum mechanics arising from Paul Dirac's 80-year-old theory of the electron. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310131513.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310151949.htm Researchers are exploring the possibility of an extra dimension -- an imperceptibly small dimension, about one billionth of a nanometer. Researchers say: "This extra dimension would be curled up, in a state similar to that of the entire universe at the time of the Big Bang." Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310151949.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304153747.htm A new gadget can identify weaknesses in structures ranging from massive bridge construction to the tiniest elements of nanotechnology no larger than a speck of dust on a pinhead. The deformation prediction instrument uses the technology of optical interferometry to make precise measurements that identify weak spots in a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics and other products. Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304153747.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113207.htm Ancient light absorbed by neutral hydrogen atoms could be used to test certain predictions of string theory, say cosmologists. Making the measurements, however, would require a gigantic array of radio telescopes to be built on Earth, in space or on the moon. Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109104244.htm Contrary to earlier predictions, Duke University engineers have found that a three-dimensional sound cloak is possible, at least in theory. Such an acoustic veil would do for sound what the "invisibility cloak" previously demonstrated by the research team does for microwaves -- allowing sound waves to travel seamlessly around it and emerge on the other side without distortion. Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109104244.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071127142128.htm Einstein's self-proclaimed "biggest blunder" -- his postulation of a cosmological constant (a force that opposes gravity and keeps the universe from collapsing) -- may not be such a blunder after all, according to the research of an international team of scientists. Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071127142128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112133748.htm Thanks to Einstein, physicists know that the world looks different depending on how fast you're moving. A new analysis shows that it a lot prettier (mathematically speaking) if you're moving at just the right speed, leading to an improvement in calculations describing colliding particle beams and lasers by factors of a million or so. Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112133748.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071003130816.htm Scientists have attempted to disprove Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity for the better part of a century. After testing and confirming Einstein's prediction in 2002 that gravity moves at the speed of light, a professor has spent the past five years defending the result, as well as his own innovative techniques for measuring the speed of propagation of the tiny ripples of space-time known as gravitational waves. Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071003130816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070906140741.htm NASA and the US Department of Energy should pursue the Joint Dark Energy Mission as the first mission in the "Beyond Einstein" program, according to a new report from the National Research Council. Beyond Einstein is NASA's research roadmap for five proposed mission areas to study the most compelling questions at the intersection of physics and astronomy. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070906140741.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070822164415.htm Researchers have developed a theoretical model of a time machine that, in the distant future, could possibly enable future generations to travel into the past. The main question is: if, according to the principles of curvature development in the theory of relativity, can a time machine be created? In other words, can we cause space-time to curve in such a way as to enable travel back in time? Such a journey requires a significant curvature of space-time, in a very special form. Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070822164415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070805131436.htm The dream of theoretical physics is to unite behind a common theory that explains everything, but that goal has remained highly elusive. String theory emerged 40 years ago as one of the most promising candidates for such a theory, and has since slipped in and out of favour as new innovations have occurred. Now Europe is fortunate to have one of the world's leading experts in string theory working on an ambitious project that could make significant progress towards a unified theory, and at least help resolve two mysteries. One is how the universe emerged in the beginning as a random fluctuation of a vacuum state, and the other is a common explanation for all sub-atomic particles. Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070805131436.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070722193817.htm There are many objects in nature, such as flowers, that are "pre-programmed" to develop into delicate, beautiful and intrically shaped forms. But can this pre-determined process be duplicated by man starting with plain, flat surfaces? Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070722193817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070622190202.htm A new way of looking at a previously abandoned mathematical model might help astronomers study and accurately identify an exotic clan of gravitational waves. Sat, 23 Jun 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070622190202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070601104855.htm A major focus on the study of Einstein's theory of general relativity has been on confirming the existence of the gravitomagnetic field, as well as gravitational waves. A physicist recently argued in a paper that the interpretation of the results of Lunar Laser Ranging, which is being used to detect the gravitomagnetic field, is incorrect because LLR is not currently sensitive to gravitomagnetism and not effective in measuring it. Sat, 02 Jun 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070601104855.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070503100813.htm A unique computer model designed by a mathematician has shown that it is possible to make objects, such as airplanes and submarines, appear invisible at close range. Fri, 04 May 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070503100813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070416164604.htm At the recent American Physical Society meeting, a Stanford University physicist provided the first public peek at data that will reveal whether Einstein's theory has been confirmed by the most sophisticated orbiting laboratory ever created. Tue, 17 Apr 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070416164604.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070323171548.htm Few people look beyond gold's glitter and rarity, but chemists have found that its chemical properties are just as interesting, making it a unique catalyst for producing unusual organic molecules. UC Berkeley's Dean Toste attributes these properties to relativistic effects in the gold atom, the same effects that give gold its yellow luster. Sat, 24 Mar 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070323171548.htm