Physics
Theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg said, "not only is the Universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think." That doesn't mean some very smart men and women will stop seeking answers as to how the Universe behaves. Here is where we try to make sense of their discoveries.
Latest News
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Proposed dark matter detector watches a billion tiny pendulums swing
Scientists have so far been unable to detect dark matter. But a new detector design, using an array of billions of tiny pendulums, could finally break the silence by searching for the effects of dark matter’s incredibly strong gravitational pull. -
Shortest event ever measured lasts mere sextillionths of a second
Physicists in Germany have measured the shortest timespan ever recorded. The team measured the time it takes for a photon of light to travel the length of a hydrogen molecule, and found it to occur in just trillionths of a billionth of a second. -
Maximum speed of sound calculated at 100 times faster than through air
When we talk about the speed of sound, we usually mean how fast it moves through air. But it can travel much faster through other media, and now scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified the absolute top speed of sound. -
2020 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to black hole science pioneers
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Roger Penrose for his proof that black holes result from general relativity, and jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez for discovering the supermassive monster at the center of the Milky Way. -
Scientists calculate how much matter there is in the universe
Scientists have estimated the total amount of matter in the universe using a more precise method. By calculating the mass of hundreds of galaxy clusters, the team found that matter makes up around a third of the contents of the universe. -
Strangely light galaxies could imply new model for dark matter
In recent years astronomers made the puzzling discovery of two bizarre galaxies with almost no dark matter, which should dominate them. Now, a new study has suggested an explanation for that mystery – a larger nearby galaxy is stripping it away. -
Gravitational waves signal most massive black hole collision ever recorded
The LIGO and Virgo Scientific Collaboration has detected gravitational waves coming from the most massive black hole collision that it's ever recorded. The end result created a gargantuan black hole that belongs to a new class. -
Rare-earth element upgrade to help observatory detect ancient neutrinos
The Super-Kamiokande neutrino observatory in Japan has received an upgrade. A rare-earth element called gadolinium has been added to the water in the facility, which will make it more sensitive to neutrinos from more distant and ancient supernovae. -
CERN's powerful new linear accelerator fires up ahead of LHC upgrade
After a two-year shutdown for repairs and upgrades, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider is beginning to fire back up. The newest particle accelerator, Linac 4, completed its first test run over the past few weeks, and will produce much more powerful beams. -
Physicists witness time crystals interacting for the first time ever
Time crystals are strange phases of matter that appear to break time-translation symmetry. Now scientists have observed two time crystals interacting for the first time, which could be a step towards practical applications like quantum computing. -
Neutrino experiments find no sign of expected new subatomic particle
An extensive search for a hypothetical particle has turned up empty. The sterile neutrino is a proposed subatomic particle that could even be a candidate for the mysterious dark matter, but two new experiments have all but ruled it out. -
Spacetime wave packets: New class of laser defies laws of light physics
Scientists have created a new class of laser beam that appears to violate long-held laws of light physics. Known as “spacetime wave packets,” these lasers follow different rules of refraction, which could lead to new communication technologies.
