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Articles on Theoretical physics

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New measurements from Japan’s Subaru telescope have helped researchers study the matter-antimatter asymmetry problem. Javier Zayas Photography/Moment via Getty

Measuring helium in distant galaxies may give physicists insight into why the universe exists

The way particles interacted while the universe was forming seconds after the Big Bang could explain why the universe exists the way it does – a physicist explains matter-antimatter asymmetry.
When two particles are entangled, the state of one is tied to the state of the other. Victor de Schwanberg/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

What is quantum entanglement? A physicist explains the science of Einstein’s ‘spooky action at a distance’

A multitude of experiments have shown the mysterious phenomena of quantum mechanics to be how the universe functions. The scientists behind these experiments won the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics.
Measuring the mass of W bosons took 10 years – and the result was not what physicists expected. PM Images/Digital Vision via Getty Images

A decade of science and trillions of collisions show the W boson is more massive than expected – a physicist on the team explains what it means for the Standard Model

A decadelong experiment produced the most accurate measurement yet of the mass of W bosons. These particles are responsible for the weak force, and the result is more evidence for undiscovered physics.
Faster than light travel is the only way humans could ever get to other stars in a reasonable amount of time. Les Bossinas/NASA/Wikimedia Commons

Warp drives: Physicists give chances of faster-than-light space travel a boost

If humanity wants to travel between stars, people are going to need to travel faster than light. New research suggests that it might be possible to build warp drives and beat the galactic speed limit.
British theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Professor Stephen Hawking in 2014. EPA/Andy Rain

Tributes pour in for Stephen Hawking, the famous theoretical physicist who died at age 76

Stephen Hawking inspired people with his work on black holes and other mysteries of the universe. Many were quick to pay tribute to the theoretical physicist who died today in the UK, aged 76.
If kitty goes in, will she really be alive and dead? Robert Couse-Baker/Flickr

Schrödinger’s cat gets a reality check

It’s a century-old debate: what is the meaning of the wave function, the central object of quantum mechanics? Is Schrödinger’s cat really dead and alive? I was recently involved in an experiment conducted…
We know gravity waves exist but just haven’t detected any… yet. www.shutterstock.com

An end in sight in the long search for gravity waves

Our unfolding understanding of the universe is marked by epic searches and we are now on the brink of discovering something that has escaped detection for many years. The search for gravity waves has been…
Electricity – just one bright idea to stem from physics. Flickr/JonathanCohen

Physics: a fundamental force for future security

AUSTRALIA 2025: How will science address the challenges of the future? In collaboration with Australia’s chief scientist Ian Chubb, we’re asking how each science discipline will contribute to Australia…
Universe’s secrets are revealed in a dark corner in Switzerland. timtom.ch

LHC celebrates five years of not destroying the world

Five years ago, at breakfast time, the world waited anxiously for news from CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. The first nervy bunch of protons were due to be fired around the European…

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