Physics
42 articles in this section.
Muons’ magnetism matches theory, easing an enduring physics conundrum
One of the most enduring mysteries of particle physics may be finally resolved, two new studies suggest. The oddities of muons, subatomic particles that are relatives of electrons,…
This laser would shoot beams of neutrinos, not light
Neutrino lasers: It’s an idea that many physicists didn’t see coming. At first glance, physics suggests that it would be impossible to make a laser of neutrinos, famously…
A primordial black hole may have spewed the highest energy neutrino ever found
The highest energy neutrino ever detected from space may finally have an origin story. Mathematical analyses suggest that the ghost particle could’ve come from a theoretical object known…
This tiny gold crystal could bring quantum technology out of the deep freeze
A new Nature study establishes a blueprint for engineering future quantum materials that operate under everyday conditions. Credit: LSU Quantum Photonics Group Quantum materials could reshape fields as…
Lasers made muon beams, no massive accelerator needed
Producing the subatomic particles called muons is now a lighter lift than ever before. Several teams of researchers have generated muons using small particle accelerators driven by lasers.…
Earth is bathed in droves of neutrinos spewed by the Milky Way’s stars
The Milky Way could be called “the Neutrino Way.” Its stars produce vast numbers of the subatomic particles. Now, scientists have calculated how many of them should be…
Physicists discovered neutrinos 70 years ago. The ghostly particles still have secrets to tell
Neutrinos have been with us since the beginning. They existed alongside prehistoric humans, dinosaurs and the first scattered crumbs of life on Earth. The birth of the solar…
The only U.S. particle collider shuts down – so a new one may rise
I peeked in on the house-sized particle detector known as STAR just after it took its last-ever snapshot of one of the most extreme types of fireball ever…
Antimatter traveled by truck for the first time
Special delivery: antimatter. Scientists have completed the first-ever transport of antimatter by truck. On March 24, researchers carried antiprotons, the negatively charged counterparts of protons, inside a magnetic…
World’s first superconducting quantum heat engine could help unlock massive quantum computers
Artistic impression of a superconducting quantum heat engine. Credit: Heikka Valja / Aalto University A newly developed superconducting quantum heat engine could deepen our understanding of thermodynamics while…