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quasiparticles

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mathematical physics

A New Theory for Systems That Defy Newton’s Third Law

By Stephen Ornes
November 11, 2021
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In nonreciprocal systems, where Newton’s third law falls apart, “exceptional points” are helping researchers understand phase transitions and possibly other phenomena.

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quantum computing

Major Quantum Computing Strategy Suffers Serious Setbacks

By Philip Ball
September 29, 2021
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So-called topological quantum computing would avoid many of the problems that stand in the way of full-scale quantum computers. But high-profile missteps have led some experts to question whether the field is fooling itself.

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condensed matter physics

Physicists Create a Bizarre ‘Wigner Crystal’ Made Purely of Electrons

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
August 12, 2021
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The unambiguous discovery of a Wigner crystal relied on a novel technique for probing the insides of complex materials.

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condensed matter physics

The ‘Weirdest’ Matter, Made of Partial Particles, Defies Description

By Thomas Lewton
July 26, 2021
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Theorists are in a frenzy over “fractons,” bizarre, but potentially useful, hypothetical particles that can only move in combination with one another.

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explainers

The Near-Magical Mystery of Quasiparticles

By Thomas Lewton
March 24, 2021
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The zoo of spontaneously emerging particlelike entities known as quasiparticles has grown quickly and become more and more exotic. Here are a few of the most curious and potentially useful examples.

Graphic of swirling vortex-like patterns called skyrmions.
condensed matter physics

A New Twist Reveals Superconductivity’s Secrets

By Charlie Wood
March 16, 2021
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An unexpected superconductor was beginning to look like a fluke, but a new theory and a second discovery have revealed that emergent quasiparticles may be behind the effect.

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Abstractions blog

‘Milestone’ Evidence for Anyons, a Third Kingdom of Particles

By Dana Najjar
May 12, 2020
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Anyons don’t fit into either of the two known particle kingdoms. To find them, physicists had to erase the third dimension.

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Quantized Columns

The End of Theoretical Physics as We Know It

By Sabine Hossenfelder
August 27, 2018
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Computer simulations and custom-built quantum analogues are changing what it means to search for the laws of nature.

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