These are pictures of the Americium-241 sources inside some old Pyrotronics F3/5A smoke detectors that were being decommissioned. The activity of the Am-241 sources at the time of manufacture (1970s) totaled 80 µCi, so they should still have some ~70 µCi left in them. The Pyrotronics F3/5A smoke detectors were manufactured in the early 1970s. The
Experimental Modern and Quantum Physics for Do-It-Yourself Science Enthusiasts
Physics Today News Picks
- Planck full-sky map may show evidence of other universes May 20, 2013
- Can a mathematical model stop terrorists? May 20, 2013
- Laser sensor watches for the watchers May 20, 2013
- Computational methods should be core part of science curriculum, says study May 17, 2013
- Declaration criticizes use of journal impact factors May 17, 2013
- Ernest Moniz confirmed as DOE secretary May 17, 2013
- IceCube collaboration confirms first sighting of neutrinos from space May 17, 2013
- Stuxnet may have helped more than harmed Iran’s nuclear program May 16, 2013
- UK announces two new space facilities May 16, 2013
- CERN expands data center capacity and cloud computing access May 16, 2013
Physics – spotlighting exceptional research
- Viewpoint: A New Look at the Hydrogen Wave Function May 20, 2013
- Viewpoint: Pushing Back the Frontier of Stability May 20, 2013
- Focus: Wireless Power for Tiny Medical Devices May 17, 2013
- Synopsis: Condensate in a Can May 16, 2013
- Synopsis: Nanostructures Put a Spin on Light May 16, 2013
- Synopsis: Pool of Candidate Spin Liquids Grows May 16, 2013
- Viewpoint: Insulating Magnets Control Neighbor’s Conduction May 13, 2013
- Viewpoint: Fire in a Quantum Mechanical Forest May 13, 2013
- Synopsis: Desirable Defects May 10, 2013
- Focus: Invisibility Cloak for Heat May 10, 2013
Review of Scientific Instruments: All Topics
- Apparatus for measuring Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity of small dimension samples using infrared microscope as temperature sensor
- A testbed for wide-field, high-resolution, gigapixel-class cameras
- Integration of strain feedback and charge drive for high-performance of piezoelectric actuators
- Development and application of an instrument for spatially resolved Seebeck coefficient measurements
- Dedicated vertical wind tunnel for the study of sedimentation of non-spherical particles
- Theoretical and experimental study on two-stage-imaging microscopy using ellipsometric contrast for real-time visualization of molecularly thin films
- Differential interference contrast microscopy using light-emitting diode illumination in conjunction with dual optical traps
- New Products
- Note: Operation of gamma-ray microcalorimeters at elevated count rates using filters with constraints
- Note: A compact, rigid, and easy-to-build piezo motor: The intact-tube GeckoDrive