Particle physics science and discoveries: Latest news

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Latest about particle physics

Quarks are the ultimate building blocks of visible matter.

Quarks: What are they?

By Keith Cooper published

Reference Quarks are elementary particles that are the building blocks of all visible matter in the universe. Explore them in more detail here.

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Artist's illustration of an atom with a nucleus and electrons surrounding it.

Atoms: What are they and how do they build the elements?

By Keith Cooper published

Reference Atoms are the basis of all the elements in the universe, the building blocks of all visible matter, and the secret to nuclear power.

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Quantum entanglement enables a range of futuristic technologies.

Nobel Prize in Physics goes to scientists who paved the way for quantum computing

By Tereza Pultarova published

Three scientists who laid the groundwork for the understanding of the odd "entangling" behavior of quantum particles have received the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics.

The Universe
strings swirl out in web

Can stringy physics rescue the universe from a catastrophic transformation?

By Paul Sutter published

A new understanding inspired by string theory shows that our universe may be more stable than we previously thought.

The Universe
The Standard Model of physics is the theory of particles, fields and the fundamental forces that govern them. An illustration of the structure inside an atom.

What is the Standard Model?

By Keith Cooper last updated

Reference The Standard Model of Physics is the theory of particles, fields and the fundamental forces that govern them.

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An illustration of two bosons produced by colliding two protons.

What are bosons?

By Robert Lea last updated

Reference Bosons are at the heart of interactions between matter, carry the universe's fundamental forces, and help the constituents of matter stick together.

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Stars, like our sun, are powered by nuclear fusion.

What is nuclear fusion?

By Robert Lea last updated

Reference Nuclear fusion is the process of forcing together two light atomic nuclei and creating a heavier one, in the process taking a tiny amount of matter and turning it into massive amounts of energy.

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An illustration of nuclear fission on the atomic level depicting atomic nuclei being split apart.

What is nuclear fission?

By Robert Lea last updated

Reference Nuclear fission is the process of breaking large atomic nuclei into smaller atomic nuclei to release a large amount of energy.

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The gravitational constant can be used to calculate the gravitational pull between two objects. An illustration of the gravitational fields of the Earth and Moon distorting the fabric of space-time.

What is the gravitational constant?

By Keith Cooper last updated

Reference What is the gravitational constant, how do scientists measure it, and is it really constant or can it change across time and space?

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Neutrinos bombarding the Earth in an illustration.

What are neutrinos?

By Keith Cooper published

Reference Inside the secret lives of neutrinos, the universe's 'ghost particles.' What are their properties, how are they created, and what can they tell us about fundamental physics?

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