Experimental physics

An unexpected connection has emerged between the results of physics experiments and an important, seemingly unrelated set of numbers in pure mathematics.

So-called “analogue experiments” are becoming increasingly common in physics, but do they teach or mislead?

Can a fluid analogue of a black hole point physicists toward the theory of quantum gravity, or is it a red herring?

A discrepancy in the measured size of the “deuteron” increases the chance that something is amiss in our understanding of atoms.

Physicists are confronting their “nightmare scenario.” What does the absence of new particles suggest about how nature works?

A hint that neutrinos behave differently than antineutrinos suggests an answer to one the biggest questions in physics.

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

An experiment claims to have invalidated a decades-old criticism against pilot-wave theory, an alternative formulation of quantum mechanics that eliminates the most baffling features of the subatomic universe.

The search for exotic new physical phenomena is being led by huge experiments like the Large Hadron Collider. But at the other end of the spectrum lie tabletop experiments — small-scale probes of hidden dimensions, dark matter and dark energy.