Discover
/
Article

Congressional interactions at very small impact parameter

DEC 01, 1976
A Scientist Fellow, sponsored by The American Physical Society, evaluates his one‐year term in the Washington maze as adviser, legislative aide and handyman.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3024634

Paul Horwitz

THIS IS A REPORT to the members of The American Physical Society on some recent data obtained from the ongoing Congressional Fellow Deep Inelastic Scattering Experiment. This experiment, which was initiated by the APS and other scientific and engineering societies three years ago, represents a first attempt to probe the nature of the US Congress. The concept is very simple: a strongly focused beam of high‐energy Congressional Fellows is directed at the Congress and allowed to interact. An analysis is then made of the final state of the system (which may be either a free Fellow or a bound Fellow‐Congress pair) and, in this way, insight is gained into the nature of the unknown scattering center and its interactions. A more ambitious goal is to learn to use and perhaps even modify these interactions for some practical purpose—this goal is still a long way off, and at present very little is known about the fundamental nature of either the Congress or that larger entity of which it is a part, the Federal Government.

More about the Authors

Paul Horwitz. Avco Everett Research Laboratory.

This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1976_12.jpeg

Volume 29, Number 12

Related content
/
Article
Technical knowledge and skills are only some of the considerations that managers have when hiring physical scientists. Soft skills, in particular communication, are also high on the list.
/
Article
Professional societies can foster a sense of belonging and offer early-career scientists opportunities to give back to their community.
/
Article
Interviews offer a glimpse of how physicists get into—and thrive in—myriad nonacademic careers.
/
Article
Research exchanges between US and Soviet scientists during the second half of the 20th century may be instructive for navigating today’s debates on scientific collaboration.
/
Article
The Eisenhower administration dismissed the director of the National Bureau of Standards in 1953. Suspecting political interference with the agency’s research, scientists fought back—and won.
/
Article
Alternative undergraduate physics courses expand access to students and address socioeconomic barriers that prevent many of them from entering physics and engineering fields. The courses also help all students develop quantitative skills.

Get PT in your inbox

Physics Today - The Week in Physics

The Week in Physics" is likely a reference to the regular updates or summaries of new physics research, such as those found in publications like Physics Today from AIP Publishing or on news aggregators like Phys.org.

Physics Today - Table of Contents
Physics Today - Whitepapers & Webinars
By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.