Browse Physics

Simulations show that a new technique can control the wavelength of a random laser—a type of laser that lacks mirrors and whose output has been impossible to control.

A new limit on the half-life of neutrinoless double-beta decay sets an upper limit on the Majorana neutrino mass

An improved method for trapping cesium atoms near dielectric nanofibers raises possibilities for applications as well as tests of fundamental physics.

A new design for a matter-beam splitter uses crossed lasers to make a “fork in the road” for traveling matter waves.

High-speed camera studies show the detailed behavior of liquid droplets bouncing and eventually shooting off of a hot surface.

Experiments demonstrate a new way to prevent light from retracing its steps, which could potentially be integrated with other components on a chip to process optical information.

A new approach to finding the electronic potentials in density-functional theory—one of the most important computational tools in condensed matter and quantum chemistry—is proposed.

Theorists predict that the matter surrounding some black holes may be hot enough for nuclear fusion, which could generate lithium and deepen the mysteries surrounding lithium in the universe.

What looks like supersolidity in helium could actually be the result of changes in helium’s elasticity, according to theory.

A new analysis shows that it is possible to look for dark-matter particles with mass far below 1 giga-electron-volt by using atomic ionization.

Two proposed experiments may allow measurement of how much entanglement is present in a many-body quantum system.

Experiment and theory combine to give a more complete picture of a fundamental problem in diffraction optics.

The explanation for why helium doesn’t solidify at low temperatures may be more complicated than previously thought.

Radiation pressure and thermal effects come together in a new technique for manipulating particles inside a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber.

A novel measurement of the Casimir force may help settle a long-standing debate over how to deal with a certain type of vacuum fluctuation.

Surprisingly uniform layers that form in the ocean result from salt fingers—long, vertical tubes of water with salt content different from their surroundings—according to simulations.

Focusing a beam of light on a slit reveals details of its polarization with surprising sensitivity.

The universal shape of necking liquids as they form drops has been measured experimentally.

Though often treated similarly, glass and jamming transitions are qualitatively different.

Gamma-ray spectroscopy of the superheavy nucleus ${}^{256}$Rutherfordium reveals details of its nonspherical shape and internal structure—the heaviest element for which such information has been obtained.