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Rydberg Molecule Created For the First Time
krou writes "The BBC is reporting that the Rydberg molecule has been formed from two atoms of rubidium. Proven in theory, this is the first time it's been created, reinforcing the fundamental quantum theories of Enrico Fermi. Chris Greene, the theoretical physicist who first predicted that the Rydberg molecules could exist, said: 'The Rydberg electron resembles a sheepdog that keeps its flock together by roaming speedily to the outermost periphery of the flock, and nudging back towards the centre any member that might begin to drift away.' It's a sheepdog with a very short life-span, however; the longest lived molecule only lasted 18 microseconds. Vera Bendkowsky, who led the research, explained how they created the molecule: 'The nuclei of the atoms have to be at the correct distance from each other for the electron fields to find each other and interact. We use an ultracold cloud of rubidium — as you cool it, the atoms in the gas move closer together. We excite the atoms to the Rydberg stage with a laser. If we have a gas at the critical density, with two atoms at the correct distance that are able to form the molecule, and we excite one to the Rydberg state, then we can form a molecule.'"
'Nuff said.
If you modulate an inverse tachion beam you should be able to get the same results.
What's seven orders of magnitude between friends?
18 microseconds here, 18 microseconds there, before you know it, we're going to be wasting a lot of time!
...Here all week, veal, etc.
Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
"Captain, I canna hold the DiRubidium together any longer..."
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
"...We use an ultracold cloud of rubidium â" as you cool it, the atoms in the gas move closer together. We excite the atoms to the Rydberg stage with a laser. If we have a gas at the critical density, with two atoms at the correct distance that are able to form the molecule, and we excite one to the Rydberg state, then we can form a molecule."
Uhhh, yeah, what he said.
18 seconds or 18 microseconds? Could mean the difference between winning or losing the purse at the first-ever electron bull rodeo...
Error detected. All news stories of esoteric pure science experiments must conclude, "Spokesman for the lab, Dr Sor Eass, said that this phenomenon could lead to faster computers in the next five to ten years."
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Inexpesnive flying cars and effective robot wives.
The bundle of perl scipts known as Slashcode don't support UTF8 text, or really anything beyone 1960s ASCII. While it would be nice to update slashdot to the current millenium, it's not physically possible to maintain perl code so we're stuck with it.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Not much. Being able to create Rydberg molecules via physical experiment just serves to help validate the theories that predict them.
Now if they had created Zoidberg molecules, the implications would be huge, particularly in the realm of Decapodian cell biology.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
"Unimaginably cold temperatures are needed to create the molecules, as Vera Bendkowsky from the University of Stuttgart who led the research explained."
If you can't even imagine the cold temperatures, how can they get it cold enough? Shenanagins
And they need to get on that, because I really want to use snowman and jolly roger unicode symbols in my posts!
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
Robot wives is an oxymoron. Robots are logical wives are illogical. Therefore no robot will ever replace the wife. Mistress maybe. Though if it lasts only 18 seconds I have my doubts.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
What's seven orders of magnitude between friends?...
That's what I always tell the ladies. I mean, 10 inches, 10 micro inches... same thing right? Right...?
-Taylor
Worldwide Military budgets: $2100 billion. Worldwide Space Exploration budgets: $38 billion. Really, world? Really?
I can only hope the moderators were being humorous. zoidberg particles? Or maybe its time to start moving my investment portfolio over to sandwiches.
...all those nubile, hot young physics groupies...
Scientist: "Hah! well mine is 100 nanometers!, and can go on for up to 18 microseconds"
All those nubile, hot young physics groupies: "Ohhhh my! That is so large! And lasts so long!"
Scientist: "Now who's your Daddy?"
All those nubile, hot young physics groupies: *squeals of delight, desire, adulation, and one porcine*
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
Me sorry. He looked so lonely in there!
It's not about size, it's about length....
(of time.)
Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
The purpose of that site was not known.