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theoretical physics

Latest Articles

Illustration of a rotating object that warps the space-time fabric around itself, as seen by eyes located in different places
general relativity

Mass and Angular Momentum, Left Ambiguous by Einstein, Get Defined

By Steve Nadis
July 13, 2022
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Surprising as it may sound, 107 years after the introduction of general relativity, the meanings of basic concepts are still being worked out.

Dendritic ice crystals grow from top to bottom across the frame of a video.
condensed matter physics

Controversy Continues Over Whether Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold

By Adam Mann
June 29, 2022
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Decades after a Tanzanian teenager initiated study of the “Mpemba effect,” the effort to confirm or refute it is leading physicists toward new theories about how substances relax to equilibrium.

An illustration that includes a triangular network overlaid by images of spinning particles.
explainers

The Spooky Quantum Phenomenon You’ve Never Heard Of

By Katie McCormick
June 22, 2022
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Quantum computers may derive their power from the “magical” way that properties of particles change depending on the context.

A curly arrow being straightened out.
theoretical physics

Physicists Rewrite the Fundamental Law That Leads to Disorder

By Philip Ball
May 26, 2022
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The second law of thermodynamics is among the most sacred in all of science, but it has always rested on 19th century arguments about probability. New arguments trace its true source to the flows of quantum information.

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
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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
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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.

The Joy of Why

Untangling Why Knots Are Important

By Steven Strogatz
April 6, 2022
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Steven Strogatz explores the mysteries of knots with the mathematicians Colin Adams and Lisa Piccirillo.


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