Physical Review Letters
Encyclopedia
Physical Review Letters established in 1958, is a peer review
ed, scientific journal
that is published 52 times per year by the American Physical Society
. According to various measurement standards, which includes the Journal Citation Reports
impact factor, Physical Review Letters is considered to be a prestigious journal in the field of physics
.
PRL is published as a print journal, and is in electronic format, online and CD-ROM. Its focus is rapid dissemination of significant, or notable, results of fundamental research on all topics related to all fields of physics
. This is accomplished by rapid publication of short reports, called "Letters". Papers are published and available electronically one article at a time. When published in such a manner, the paper is available to be cited by other work. Three editors are listed for this journal: Jack Sandweiss, George Basbas, and Reinhardt B. Schuhmann.
Worthy of note is a section which consists of emphasized articles. This section is designed to be articles suggested by the editors of the journal, which have been covered by Viewpoint in Physics. Further criteria for these selections are these may be features in Physical Review Focus
, or these selections are worthy of note for other reasons.
at Columbia University
, in the City of New York. These 36 decided that the mission of the APS is "to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics". The APS has succeeded with its goal by various means since that time. In the beginning the dissemination of physics knowledge, e.g. the mission, took place only through quarterly scientific meetings. Then in 1913 the APS took over the operation of Physical Review
, already in existence since 1893. Hence, journal publication also became a important goal, second only to its original mission. Physical Review was followed by Reviews of Modern Physics
in 1929, and by Physical Review Letters in 1958. Volume 1, Issue 1 was published on July 1, 1958 (See archives link). As the years past the fields of physics have multiplied, and the number of submissions have grown. Consequently, Physical Review has been subdivided into five separate sections, which are distinct from Physical Review Letters.
of 7.328 for 2009, and it is indexed in the following bibliographic databases:
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
ed, scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
that is published 52 times per year by the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
. According to various measurement standards, which includes the Journal Citation Reports
Journal Citation Reports
Journal Citation Reports is an annual publication by the Healthcare & Science division of Thomson Reuters. It has been integrated with the Web of Knowledge, by Thomson Reuters, and is accessed from the Web of Science to JCR Web. It provides information about academic journals in the sciences and...
impact factor, Physical Review Letters is considered to be a prestigious journal in the field of physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
.
PRL is published as a print journal, and is in electronic format, online and CD-ROM. Its focus is rapid dissemination of significant, or notable, results of fundamental research on all topics related to all fields of physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. This is accomplished by rapid publication of short reports, called "Letters". Papers are published and available electronically one article at a time. When published in such a manner, the paper is available to be cited by other work. Three editors are listed for this journal: Jack Sandweiss, George Basbas, and Reinhardt B. Schuhmann.
Scope and organizational format
Physical Review Letters is an internationally read physics journal, describing a diverse readership. Advances in physics, as well as cross disciplinary developments, are disseminated weekly, via this publication. Topics covered by this journal are also the explicit titles for each section of the journal. Sections are delineated (in the table of contents) as follows:- General PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
: StatisticalStatistical mechanicsStatistical mechanics or statistical thermodynamicsThe terms statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics are used interchangeably...
and Quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
, Quantum informationQuantum informationIn quantum mechanics, quantum information is physical information that is held in the "state" of a quantum system. The most popular unit of quantum information is the qubit, a two-level quantum system...
, etc. - GravitationGravitationGravitation, or gravity, is a natural phenomenon by which physical bodies attract with a force proportional to their mass. Gravitation is most familiar as the agent that gives weight to objects with mass and causes them to fall to the ground when dropped...
and AstrophysicsAstrophysicsAstrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior... - Elementary Particles and FieldsQuantum field theoryQuantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
- Nuclear physicsNuclear physicsNuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
- Atomic, Molecular, and Optical physicsAtomic, molecular, and optical physicsAtomic, molecular, and optical physics is the study of matter-matter and light-matter interactions on the scale of single atoms or structures containing a few atoms. The three areas are grouped together because of their interrelationships, the similarity of methods used, and the commonality of the...
- Nonlinear dynamics, Fluid dynamicsFluid dynamicsIn physics, fluid dynamics is a sub-discipline of fluid mechanics that deals with fluid flow—the natural science of fluids in motion. It has several subdisciplines itself, including aerodynamics and hydrodynamics...
, Classical optics, etc. - Plasma and Beam physicsLaserA laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
- Condensed matterCondensed MatterCondensed matter may refer to several things*Condensed matter physics, the study of the physical properties of condensed phases of matter*European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, a scientific journal published by EDP sciences...
: Structure, etc. - Condensed Matter: Semiconductor-ElectronicSemiconductorA semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
properties, etc. - Soft matterSoft matterSoft matter is a subfield of condensed matter comprising a variety of physical states that are easily deformed by thermal stresses or thermal fluctuations. They include liquids, colloids, polymers, foams, gels, granular materials, and a number of biological materials...
, Biological, and Interdisciplinary physicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
Worthy of note is a section which consists of emphasized articles. This section is designed to be articles suggested by the editors of the journal, which have been covered by Viewpoint in Physics. Further criteria for these selections are these may be features in Physical Review Focus
Physical Review Focus
Physical Review Focus is an internet service of the American Physical Society, aiming to explain new developments in physics in a language understandable to the educated non-physicist. One or two short articles are published weekly...
, or these selections are worthy of note for other reasons.
Brief historical overview
On May 20, 1899, 36 physicists gathered to establish the American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, in the City of New York. These 36 decided that the mission of the APS is "to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics". The APS has succeeded with its goal by various means since that time. In the beginning the dissemination of physics knowledge, e.g. the mission, took place only through quarterly scientific meetings. Then in 1913 the APS took over the operation of Physical Review
Physical Review
Physical Review is an American scientific journal founded in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research and scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the American Physical Society. The journal is in its third series, and is split in several...
, already in existence since 1893. Hence, journal publication also became a important goal, second only to its original mission. Physical Review was followed by Reviews of Modern Physics
Reviews of Modern Physics
The Reviews of Modern Physics is a journal of the American Physical Society. The journal started in paper form. All volumes are also online by subscription.Issue 1, Volume 1 consisted of the review by...
in 1929, and by Physical Review Letters in 1958. Volume 1, Issue 1 was published on July 1, 1958 (See archives link). As the years past the fields of physics have multiplied, and the number of submissions have grown. Consequently, Physical Review has been subdivided into five separate sections, which are distinct from Physical Review Letters.
Abstracting, indexing, and impact factor
Physical Review Letters is rated an impact factorImpact factor
The impact factor, often abbreviated IF, is a measure reflecting the average number of citations to articles published in science and social science journals. It is frequently used as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field, with journals with higher impact factors deemed...
of 7.328 for 2009, and it is indexed in the following bibliographic databases:
- Chemical Abstracts
- Computer & Control Abstracts
- Current Physics Index
- Electrical & Electronics Index
- Energy Research Abstracts
- GeoRefGeoRefThe GeoRef database is a bibliographic database of scientific literature in the geosciences, including the geology of North America and the world. Coverage ranges from 1785 to the present for North American literature, and 1933 to the present for the rest of the world. It currently contains more...
- INSPECInspecInspec is a major indexing database of scientific and technical literature, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology , and formerly by the Institution of Electrical Engineers , one of the IET's forerunners....
- International Aerospace Abstracts
- Mathematical ReviewsMathematical ReviewsMathematical Reviews is a journal and online database published by the American Mathematical Society that contains brief synopses of many articles in mathematics, statistics and theoretical computer science.- Reviews :...
- MedlineMEDLINEMEDLINE is a bibliographic database of life sciences and biomedical information. It includes bibliographic information for articles from academic journals covering medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and health care...
- Metals Abstracts
- Nuclear Science Abstracts
- Physics Abstracts
- PubSCIENCE
- SPIN
- World Aluminum Abstracts
See also
- 1964 PRL symmetry breaking papers
- American Journal of PhysicsAmerican Journal of PhysicsThe American Journal of Physics is a monthly, peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics. The editor is Jan Tobochnik of Kalamazoo College.-Aims and scope:...
- Annales Henri PoincaréAnnales Henri PoincaréAnnales Henri Poincaré is a scientific journal which collects and publishes original research papers in the field of theoretical and mathematical physics. The emphasis is on "analytical theoretical and mathematical physics" in a broad sense...
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and PhysicsCRC Handbook of Chemistry and PhysicsThe CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics is in its 92nd edition . It is sometimes nicknamed the 'Rubber Bible' or the 'Rubber Book', as CRC originally stood for "Chemical Rubber Company"....
- Physical Review E
- Physics TodayPhysics TodayPhysics Today, created in 1948, is the membership journal of the American Institute of Physics. It is provided to 130,000 members of twelve physics societies, including the American Physical Society...