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theoretical physics

Illustration of a glass box illuminated inside by a red lightbulb. A ray of green light shoots out of the box.
quantum physics

Puzzling Quantum Scenario Appears Not to Conserve Energy

By Katie McCormick
May 16, 2022
Read Later

By resolving a paradox about light in a box, researchers hope to clarify the concept of energy in quantum theory.

An illustration of calipers that look blurry
quantum physics

Physicists Pin Down How Quantum Uncertainty Sharpens Measurements

By Ben Brubaker
May 3, 2022
Read Later

Throwing out data seems to make measurements of distances and angles more precise. The reason why has been traced to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.

A man sits at a table in the middle of a wood-paneled library, perusing a large book.
Q&A

Pondering the Bits That Build Space-Time and Brains

By Charlie Wood
April 20, 2022
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Vijay Balasubramanian investigates whether the fabric of the universe might be built from information, and what it means that physicists can even ask such a question.

Illustration in which the particles of the Standard Model are arranged as sections of a circle, but the W boson is too big and doesn’t fit.]
particle physics

Newly Measured Particle Seems Heavy Enough to Break Known Physics

By Charlie Wood
April 7, 2022
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A new analysis of W bosons suggests these particles are significantly heavier than predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics.

A white wave on a black background.
quantum physics

Massive Black Holes Shown to Act Like Quantum Particles

By Charlie Wood
March 29, 2022
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Physicists are using quantum math to understand what happens when black holes collide. In a surprise, they’ve shown that a single particle can describe a collision’s entire gravitational wave.

particle physics

A Deepening Crisis Forces Physicists to Rethink Structure of Nature’s Laws

By Natalie Wolchover
March 1, 2022
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For three decades, researchers hunted in vain for new elementary particles that would have explained why nature looks the way it does. As physicists confront that failure, they’re reexamining a longstanding assumption: that big stuff consists of smaller stuff.

particle physics

The Mysterious Forces Inside the Nucleus Grow a Little Less Strange

By Charlie Wood
February 14, 2022
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The strong force holds protons and neutrons together, but the theory behind it is largely inscrutable. Two new approaches show how it works.

quantum physics

Quantum Complexity Tamed by Machine Learning

By Charlie Wood
February 7, 2022
Read Later

If only scientists understood exactly how electrons act in molecules, they’d be able to predict the behavior of everything from experimental drugs to high-temperature superconductors. Following decades of physics-based insights, artificial intelligence systems are taking the next leap.

quantum gravity

In a Numerical Coincidence, Some See Evidence for String Theory

By Natalie Wolchover
January 21, 2022
Read Later

In a quest to map out a quantum theory of gravity, researchers have used logical rules to calculate how much Einstein’s theory must change. The result matches string theory perfectly.


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