condensed matter physics

Three physicists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for rewriting our understanding of exotic quantum states on the surfaces of materials.

String theory has so far failed to live up to its promise as a way to unite gravity and quantum mechanics. At the same time, it has blossomed into one of the most useful sets of tools in science.

Suchitra Sebastian’s searches for quantum anomalies have led to the potential discovery of a new building block of matter.

In a virtuoso experiment, physicists have revealed details of a “quantum critical point” that underlies high-temperature superconductivity.

The physicist Subir Sachdev borrows tools from string theory to understand the puzzling behavior of high-temperature superconductors.

At super-low temperatures, a crystal called samarium hexaboride behaves in an unexplained, imagination-stretching way.

A scientist at Bell Labs has started construction of a topological qubit, which could be the building block of a robust, scalable quantum computer.

Experimentalists have pinpointed the microscopic structure of waves inside high-temperature superconductors, which could be the key to understanding the complex materials.

New findings suggest that beneath the surface of quantum theory lies a vibrant string theory world where some matter corresponds to black holes in higher dimensions.