Browse Physics

Experiments show that magnetic waves in a plasma may be effective at controlling energetic electrons.

Interactions between primordial photons and axions may be why the accepted model of nucleosynthesis overestimates the abundance of the isotope lithium-7.

Theorists suggest that the weeks-long flare measured last year from a distant galaxy was probably beamed by a jet of material aligned with the rotational axis of a mammoth black hole.

An underground neutrino detector has found the first evidence of a nuclear reaction that produces deuterium in the sun.

Observation of shallow water motion provides a remarkably good way to simulate the shock wave instabilities that occur in exploding stars.

A crust-busting vibration of a neutron star—induced by a merger with another dense object—may explain pre-emptive flashes for some gamma-ray bursts.

An unusual excess of radio emission from outside the Milky Way may come from dark matter.

New scattering experiments provide evidence for the long-suspected existence of an excited rotational state in carbon-$12$, related to a state that’s crucial in stellar fusion reactions.

A new experiment finds structure in the cosmic ray spectrum at very high energies, supporting theories about the origin and propagation of cosmic rays.

Dense plasmas created by lasers used for inertial confinement fusion research have been used to extract precise basic nuclear physics data.

Smallish black holes left behind from the early universe might cause detectible vibrations as they pass through the sun or other stars.

Analysis of newly retrieved navigational data for the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft suggests that an anomalous acceleration in their motion is steadily decreasing, pointing to asymmetric radiation of heat as the likely cause, rather than the more exotic explanations previously proposed

Cosmic microwave background data have been combed for evidence of bubble universe collisions that might signal the existence of eternal inflation.

The idea that the observed expansion of the universe is related to our unique vantage point—as opposed to dark energy—seems to be inconsistent with telescope data.

Gravitational lensing distorts maps of the cosmic microwave background, providing yet another way of probing the matter and energy content of the universe.

On the largest distance scales, the distribution of galaxies appears to be clumpier than the standard cosmological model predicts.

Nearly fifty years after its inception, the Gravity Probe B satellite mission delivers the first measurements of how a spinning gyroscope precesses in the gravitational warping of spacetime.

A report from the PAMELA satellite says the electron flux in cosmic rays is consistent with the existence of new sources, such as dark matter particles or other astrophysical phenomena, but the results are still inconclusive.

Tests of an early design for a gravity-wave detector determine sensitivity limits in a new frequency window.