May 29, 1996

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A quicker, safer way to clean medical instruments might result from a University of Tennessee research project. UT-Knoxville researchers are testing a sterilization process using electrically charged gases that kill surface germs faster and more safely than conventional methods. Tests show the process does the job without the heat, poisons and harmful

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The image of a physical phenomenon first seen and recorded by University of Tennessee physicists appears on the cover of the current issue of Nature. Joe Carpinelli, a UT-Knoxville doctoral student, said the image is the first visual observation of a surface charge density wave. These waves occur when electrons rearrange on