The following press conference at the American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting will take place in room 516 of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The newsroom itself will be room 517, where the phone numbers are 213-743-6237 and -6238; the fax number is 213-741- 3924.

VORTEX CRYSTALS AND TURBULENCE.

Monday, March 16, 2 PM. Trapping a billion electrons in a special magnetic field arrangement, Fred Driscoll and his colleagues at UC-San Diego (619-534-2489) have caused each electron to act like a fluid particle on a flat surface. This approach has enabled them to perform controlled studies of phenomena such as how turbulent flows spontaneously form "vortex crystals," geometric patterns of whirlpool-like eddies that are frozen in place (Paper C6.02). A Cornell group (Eberhard Bodenschatz, 607-255-0794) has performed the first detailed measurements of a particle's acceleration as it travels through a fluid exhibiting turbulence levels approaching those in the atmosphere. Such experimental studies, difficult to perform until now, may aid understanding of problems such as the transport of dust, snowflakes, and pollutants in the atmosphere (Paper A6.05)