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Meredith Smith, Kari Apter and Samantha Hornback
Congratulations to the 118 members of the 2021 class of OSA Fellow Members, who will be recognized at OSA conferences throughout the year for scientific, engineering and technological contributions, as well as industry leadership and service to OSA and the global optics community.
The 2021 class of Fellows reflects the diverse and inclusive community that OSA serves. A record 261 nominations were received, making this program very competitive as no more than 10% of OSA’s total membership may be elected as Fellows. For more information, contact the OSA Awards Office (awards@osa.org; +1 202.416.1960) or go to www.osa.org/fellows.. Nominations for 2022 Fellows are due by 15 June 2022.
Science 2020: 5 events that could change the future of technology - and mankind itself
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31/12/2020 - 13:24 The Long March-5 Y5 rocket, carrying the Chang e-5 lunar probe, takes off from Wenchang Space Launch Center, China on November 24. REUTERS - TINGSHU WANG 6 min If 2020 will always be remembered for the emergence and global spread of Covid-19, there were also some significant scientific milestones that will change the way we look at the world, our relationship with the world, how we live in and on it, and even the future of humanity. Advertising
1. Bringing lunar rocks, asteroid dust to Earth
The Japanese Hayabusa 2 mission, launched in 2014, succeeded in bringing to Earth soil samples from an asteroid 300 million kilometers away. A capsule containing 0.1 grams of the dust from the asteroid Ryugu landed in Australia on December 5.
Physicists Achieve Best Ever Measurement of Fine-Structure Constant
Three times more precise than the previous record-holding determination, the result closely agrees with theoretical predictions but could still reveal pathways to new physics
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Researchers at the Kastler Brossel Laboratory in Paris have made the most precise measurement of one of the fundamental constants, called the fine-structure constant, providing physicists with a vital tool to verify the consistency of their most cherished theoretical models.
The fine-structure constant determines the strength of the electromagnetic force, and is central in explaining a number of phenomena including the interactions between light and charged elementary particles such as electrons. It is an important part of the equations of the Standard Model, a theory that predicts and describes all the known fundamental forces other than gravity namely electromagnetism as well as the weak and strong nuclear forces. The team in