Discusses research that indicates that nerve membranes, which play a key role in the conduction of impulses, are traversed by protein channels with ion pathways opened and closed by the membrane electric field. (Author/MLH)

Discusses expanding user community seeking access to synchrotron radiation sources, properties/sources of synchrotron radiation, permanent-magnet technology and its impact on synchrotron radiation research, factors limiting power, the density of synchrotron radiation, and research results illustrating benefit of higher flux and brightness. Also…

discusses the cosmology theory of a black hole, a region where an object loses its identity, but mass, charge, and momentum are conserved. Include are three possible formation processes, theorized properties, and three way they might eventually be detected. (DS)

Discusses new studies in neutron physics within the last decade, such as ultracold neutrons, neutron bottles, resonance behavior, subthreshold fission, doubly radiative capture, and neutron stars. (MLH)

Describes how the use of tunable lasers in coherent Raman techniques allows spectra to be taken for samples in which spontaneous Raman scattering is intrinsically weak. (MLH)

Presents an overview of planetary science and the United States program for exploration of the planets, examining the program's scientific objectives, its current activities, and the diversity of its methods. Also discusses the program's lack of continuity, especially in personnel. (Author/JN)

Atomic spectroscopy is the study of atoms/ions through their interaction with electromagnetic radiation, in particular, interactions in which radiation is absorbed or emitted with an internal rearrangement of the atom's electrons. Discusses nature of this field, its status and future, and how it is applied to other areas of physics. (JN)

Presents 11 responses received from U.S. scientists who have won Nobel Prizes (physics or physics-related work) indicating what books, discoveries, people, or issues of the last 50 years have most decisively influenced them. (Author/JN)

Discusses a new branch of optical spectroscopy that deals with the optical analogs of spin transients and provides ways to explore dynamic interactions in optically excited materials. (MLH)

Lists activities of the February 2-5, 1976, joint meeting of The American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) in New York city. (CP)

Discusses major developments in radioastronomy since 1945. Topics include proposed facilities, very-long-baseline interferometric array, millimeter-wave telescope, submillimeter-wave telescope, and funding for radioastronomy facilities and projects. (JN)

Summarizes information on the properties of synchrotron radiation and describes laboratories in the United States specializing in this science, including facilities at the National Bureau of Standards, University of Wisconsin, Stanford, and Brookhaven. (CS)

Discusses recent progress in using tunable lasers to selectively separate substances at the atomic and molecular level. Emphasizes biological applications, such as selective excitation and breaking of hydrogen bonds in DNA. (MLH)

Discusses new laser techniques that make it possible to see optical spectra without Doppler broadening, to label energy levels, and to enhance sensitivity. (MLH)

Describes the current understanding of the structure and evolution of the white dwarf stars that was gained as a result of the increasingly sensitive and detailed astronomical observations coupled with calculations of the properties of matter under extreme conditions. (Author/GA)