To really understand neutrons, physicists may have to take to space. When outside the confines of an atomic nucleus, a neutron decays into other particles in about 15 minutes on…
Category: Physics
A star shredded by a black hole may have spit out an extremely energetic neutrino
A neutrino that plowed into the Antarctic ice offers up a cautionary message: Don’t stray too close to the edge of an abyss. The subatomic particle may have been blasted…
A controversial X-ray glow didn’t show up in the Milky Way’s dark matter halo
Glowing X-rays around distant galaxies can’t come from dark matter particles, new research shows. The mysterious glow failed to show up in the dark matter halo around the Milky Way,…
Particles called axions could reveal how matter conquered the universe
Chalk up a potential third win for hypothetical particles called axions. If the subatomic particles exist, they could solve two pressing puzzles of particle physics: the source of the dark…
Physicists have narrowed the mass range for hypothetical dark matter axions
Bit by bit, physicists are winnowing down the potential masses for hypothetical particles called axions. If they exist, the subatomic particles could make up dark matter, a mysterious source of…
Drones could help create a quantum internet
The quantum internet may be coming to you via drone. Scientists have now used drones to transmit particles of light, or photons, that share the quantum linkage called entanglement. The…
The new light-based quantum computer Jiuzhang has achieved quantum supremacy
A new type of quantum computer has proven that it can reign supreme, too. A photonic quantum computer, which harnesses particles of light, or photons, performed a calculation that’s impossible…
Galileo’s famous gravity experiment holds up, even with individual atoms
According to legend, Galileo dropped weights off of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, showing that gravity causes objects of different masses to fall with the same acceleration. In recent years,…
A measurement of positronium’s energy levels confounds scientists
Positronium is positively puzzling. A new measurement of the exotic “atom” — consisting of an electron and its antiparticle, a positron — disagrees with theoretical calculations, scientists report in the…
To live up to the hype, quantum computers must repair their error problems
Astronaut John Glenn was wary about trusting a computer. It was 1962, early in the computer age, and a room-sized machine had calculated the flight path for his upcoming orbit…
