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Giant 'rogue waves' of invisible matter might be disrupting the orbits of stars, new study hints
By Paul Sutter published
New research shows how disruptions to binary star systems could be the key to detecting space's most confounding substance — dark matter.
Can mirrors facing each other create infinite reflections?
By Sarah Wells published
Infinite mirrors are a fun party trick, but the physics behind this phenomenon explains why it may not be true.
Cosmic 'superbubbles' might be throwing entire galaxies into chaos, theoretical study hints
By Paul Sutter published
When there are multiple supernovas in the same galaxy, they can leave enormous voids that tamper with the balance between dark matter and regular matter. Over time, this can throw entire galaxies into chaos.
'A dream come true': Nuclear clock breakthrough could revolutionize study of the universe's fundamental forces
By Ben Turner published
By nudging a thorium-229 nucleus into a higher energy state, physicists have made it possible to develop a nuclear clock that could probe the most fundamental forces in physics. However, there is still a long way to go.
Stunning image shows atoms transforming into quantum waves — just as Schrödinger predicted
By Ben Turner published
A new imaging technique, which captured frozen lithium atoms transforming into quantum waves, could be used to probe some of the most poorly understood aspects of the quantum world.
Quantum mechanics: Definitions, axioms, and key concepts of quantum physics
By Adam Mann last updated
Reference Quantum mechanics, or quantum physics, is the body of scientific laws that describe the wacky behavior of photons, electrons and the other subatomic particles that make up the universe.
Tweak to Schrödinger's cat equation could unite Einstein's relativity and quantum mechanics, study hints
By Andrey Feldman published
Physicists have proposed modifications to the infamous Schrödinger's cat paradox that could help explain why quantum particles can exist in more than one state simultaneously, while large objects (like the universe) seemingly cannot.
Scientists are one step closer to knowing the mass of ghostly neutrinos — possibly paving the way to new physics
By Ben Turner published
By precisely measuring the mass of neutrinos — ghostly particles that stream through your body by the billions each second — physicists could find some glaring holes in the Standard Model of particle physics. A new experiment has taken them one step closer.
The universe may be dominated by particles that break causality and move faster than light, new paper suggests
By Paul Sutter published
With the nature of the universe's two most elusive components up for debate, physicists have proposed a radical idea: Invisible particles called tachyons, which break causality and move faster than light, may dominate the cosmos.
Largest 3D map of our universe could 'turn cosmology upside down'
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Scientists using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument have unveiled the largest 3D map of the universe ever. The results suggest that dark energy, the mysterious force pulling the universe apart, may be weakening, challenging prevailing theories of cosmology.
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