Light & Optics
Physics in Action
Laser Speckle Patterns and Malaria
Of the five different parasites that cause malaria, one type can cause death within hours. Current methods of detecting malaria take between 8 and 10 hours. A new technique, developed by an international group, analyzes the speckle patterns of laser light reflected off of a blood sample with detection times of 30 minutes.
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People in Physics
James Roche
James Roche is part artist, part skateboarder, part physicist, and full time funny man. This physicist and APS project coordinator knows how to make any experience fun and exciting. Physics after all, can be funny.
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Physics Buzz
The Mylar Renaissance
Imagine walking into a dark, abandoned, stone church, the air a little damp and the floor echoing as you walk into the chapel, towards a glowing orb sitting on the floor.In response to your approach, to your movement and to the heat you radiate, hundreds...
Writer's Gallery
Death From the Skies
"The Universe is trying to kill you. It's nothing personal. It's trying to kill me too" Astronomer, Phil Plait, describes how everything from asteroids to gamma ray burst would end impact the Earth.










Light includes electromagnetic waves of all sizes of wavelengths, frequencies, and energies. Light particles, called photons, have properties of particles and waves, a combination that makes light very interesting. With the invention of lasers, we have gained precise control over light and revolutionized many areas of research and technology.