From today’s SJ Voice:
Click here for the full article.
George Musser – an editor at Scientific American (and author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to String Theory”) – visited our basement lab a few weeks ago. Today he published a very nice blog about us on the Scientific American site. Thanks George!
Click here for the blog.
Prof. Mark Beck from the Dept. of Physics at Whitman College recently published an excellent book titled “Quantum Mechanics: Theory and Experiment.” It is written for an advanced undergraduate/graduate quantum mechanics class. This book presents the theory in its full formalism (with thorough, high-level math), as well as describes five laboratory experiments that explore the use of entangled photons in the undergraduate lab.
Prof. Beck’s laboratory experiments use the same type of system as we describe in Chapter 8 of Exploring Quantum Physics Through Hands-On Projects, so if you are up to the math, we heartily recommend this book to continue your exploration with your entangled-photon system.

The nice guys at the Yahoo GammaSpectrometry Group developed multichannel analyzer software for the $79 SainSmart DSO201 Pocket-Sized Digital Oscilloscope. The upload of the MCA software to the oscilloscope is really easy (via USB), and it allows the PMT probe shown in the book’s Figure 30 to be connected directly to the oscilloscope’s input with no need for a PMT amplifier!

Gunnplexers are becoming scarce in the surplus market, but X-band motion detection is very much alive. X-band detection modules are available for OEM applications, and fortunatelly, Parallax has a unit based on this module available for $34.99.

diy Quantum Physics was featured in Make Magazine, Volume 31: Punk Science (page 76).

We were interviewed by the Jewish Exponent and featured in today’s edition. Check it out at: http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/26460/FatherDaughter_CoAuthors/
A scan of the printed edition is at: Exponent002
My ongoing eBay search found a number of Perkin Elmer SPCM AQRH-12 units. Two are listed for $499 (buy-it-now) as working, one for $199 as “parts/repair.” I have no connection to seller.
eBay auctions: 230835435238, 230835438679, and 320959423052 (parts/repair).

Harvey Summers called my attention to a miniature electron accelerator that was built for an exhibit at the Trocadéro’s Gardens in Paris, France. The device is an exhibit that was shown to the public for the first time during the CNRS exhibition “Entrée en matière” in November 2011.
Today I found two Perkin Elmer SPCM-AQE-13-FC SPCMs for sale on eBay at $400 each. eBay auction numbers are 280877451350 and 280877453169. I am passing along this information in case that blog readers may be interested. I have no connection whatsoever to seller.

We just came back from the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington DC, where we had the pleasure to meet fellow diy Science authors Theo Gray (Mad Science, The Elements, Popular Science’s Gray Matter, etc.) and William Gurstelle (Backyard Ballistics, Whoosh Boom Splat, The Practical Pyromaniac, etc.)


Image Credit: Images Scientific Corporation
Images Scientific Corporation just announced a new Geiger counter wand base provides a stable platform to hold the Geiger counter wand for experiments. The physical dimensions of the holder are 2″ wide by 12″ long. The length of the sled has markings in both metric and imperial.
The sled isotope holder provides a stable and moveable platform for radioactive isotopes 1″ diameter discs. The sled isotope holder is available in two sizes: One that holds 1/8″ thick discs and the other to hold 1/4″ thick discs.
When used in conjunction with the Sled isotope holder a number of nuclear experiments may be performed such as the Inverse Square Law of radiation, half life, shielding effects, etc.