Browse Physics

Hairlike sensory cells in our ears may detect weak auditory signals through a synchronization process, according to new experiments.

Femtosecond laser spectroscopy can identify otherwise inaccessible precursors in photoinduced chemical reactions.

The first results from the space-borne Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer confirm an unexplained excess of high-energy positrons in Earth-bound cosmic rays.

A major source of energy loss in laser-driven fusion could be remedied with the use of optical elements called zooming-phase plates.

Combining two spin-dependent effects generates a microwave signal that can be easily read to study the magnetization dynamics in a device with novel geometry.

New theory and experiments explain why the lengthy strands that dangle from a spoon of honey can get so long without breaking up.

The IceCube neutrino telescope reports its most extensive search for neutrinos produced by dark matter annihilations in the Sun.

Metal nanorods grown by physical vapor deposition can be fabricated with a much narrower diameter than previously thought, potentially enabling the design of more efficient catalysts.

When exposed to light, swimming microalgae converge to the center of a pipe—a behavior that could prove advantageous for certain industrial uses of these organisms.

Defects in diamond could be used to engineer portable timekeeping devices as precise as modern atomic clocks, according to a new theoretical proposal.

Optical experiments let researchers fully characterize the quantum transformations corresponding to photon creation and annihilation operators.

The ATRAP Collaboration has measured the magnetic moment of the antiproton more precisely than ever before, allowing a new test of $CPT$ symmetry.

New search for hypothetical particle focuses on old rocks where monopole abundance should be higher.

An experimental team provides new supporting evidence for a self-annihilating quasiparticle inside specially prepared superconductors.

Shape-preserving waves that create a depression in the surrounding medium are observed in water for the first time.

Phonon lasing—coherent amplification of phonons by stimulated emission—has been achieved in a purely acoustic analog of a three-level laser scheme.

New experiments show that holes in silicon can transport spin over surprisingly large distances, adding $p$-type semiconductors to the toolkit of materials for spintronics.

Can perpetually rotating objects called time crystals really exist? The idea is now being called into question, but experimentalists will forge ahead.

A theoretical model finds that atoms can organize themselves into a regularly spaced row when trapped between a pair of nanosized optical fibers.

Laser light scattered from a single atom undergoes large optical phase shifts that may be useful in imaging and quantum information transmission.