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Quantum quirk explains why carbon dioxide causes global warming

13 February 2024

A phenomenon called the Fermi resonance, which affects how molecules vibrate, is responsible for a large part of carbon dioxide’s planet-warming effect

Newton’s first law says that objects move at constant speeds until a force affects them

Newton’s first law appears to break down in the quantum realm

21 July 2023

Newton’s first law of motion says that particles move in straight lines unless influenced by a force but a new experiment shows that the quantum version of that assumption fails for quantum particles of light

Five of the biggest unanswered questions about the proton

17 July 2023

There is a lot we don’t know about protons, the particles at the heart of the atom, from what they are made of to whether they live forever. Solving the mysteries surrounding them could transform our understanding of the universe.

Quantum randomness of empty space can be controlled with a laser

13 July 2023

The minuscule fluctuations of seemingly empty space can be controlled just enough to make the building blocks of a new type of computer

Quantum superposition or quantum entanglement concept illustration. Superposition is the ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states at the same time until it is measured. Quantum entanglement is a physical phenomenon that occurs when pairs or groups of particles are generated or interact in ways such that the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently.

Rethinking reality: Is the entire universe a single quantum object?

5 July 2023

In the face of new evidence, physicists are starting to view the cosmos not as made up of disparate layers, but as a quantum whole linked by entanglement

Extremely cold drop of helium can be levitated forever

9 June 2023

A drop of very cold liquid helium can be made to float for an indefinitely long time using strong magnets and quantum effects

The are thosands of small pieces of junk orbiting Earth (as well as thousands of satellites)

Quantum sensors could detect space debris from its gravitational pull

30 May 2023

Devices based on quantum properties of very cold and very small crystals could be mounted on satellites and sense space debris that could collide with them

Sunlight coming out of the optical fibre

Sunlight could cool an atom to its coldest possible temperature

26 May 2023

Sunlight transmitted through an optical fibre could be used to help cool a single charged atom to a temperature only a few millionths of a degree above absolute zero

Illustration of particles and their wave functions

Fundamental law of physics demonstrated using quantum objects

23 May 2023

The principle of least action has been a key law of physics since the 18th century, but has only now been directly observed in the quantum realm thanks to an experiment with single particles of light

2J1JM3H Patterns in a pond. Cropped shot of a finger touching water to form ripples.

Why virtual particles don’t exist but do explain reality – for now

10 May 2023

So-called virtual particles aren't particles at all. Some argue that they are merely mathematical figments, and that we need to find a better way to understand particle interactions