All Stories by Emily Conover
- Physics
‘Chameleon’ forces remain elusive in a new dark energy experiment
A hypothetical fifth force associated with “chameleon” dark energy and that morphs based on its environment didn’t turn up in a sensitive experiment.
- Particle Physics
Protons contain intrinsic charm quarks, a new study suggests
The massive quarks — counterintuitively heavier than the proton itself — might carry about 0.6 percent of a proton’s momentum.
- Particle Physics
Physicists spotted rare W boson trios at the Large Hadron Collider
By measuring how often triplets of particles called W bosons appear, scientists can check physics’ standard model for any cracks.
- Cosmology
Scientists mapped dark matter around galaxies in the early universe
A technique used to reveal dark matter could also shed light on a disagreement about the clumpiness of matter in the cosmos.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum entanglement makes quantum communication even more secure
Bell tests proved that quantum mechanics really is “spooky.” Now they’ve made quantum communication even more hacker-proof.
- Physics
A new dark matter experiment quashed earlier hints of new particles
Unlike its earlier incarnation, the XENONnT detector found no evidence of extra blips that scientists had hoped indicated new physics.
- Astronomy
A fast radio burst’s rapid, steady beat offers a clue to its cosmic origin
Amped-up neutron stars, pairs of magnetically entangled neutron stars or magnetar quakes could explain a three-second-long train of radio blips.
- Physics
Wiggling metal beams offer a new way to test gravity’s strength
A new experiment aims to get a better handle on “Big G,” the poorly measured gravitational constant.
- Particle Physics
A supersensitive dark matter search found no signs of the substance — yet
The LZ experiment’s first measurement raises hopes that scientists are closer than ever to finding the source of much of the universe’s mass.
- Quantum Physics
Aliens could send quantum messages to Earth, calculations suggest
Scientists are developing quantum communications networks on Earth. Aliens, if they exist, could be going further.
- Particle Physics
How physicists are probing the Higgs boson 10 years after its discovery
The famous particle may point to cracks in the standard model and new physics beyond.
-
‘Elusive’ profiles the physicist who predicted the Higgs boson
Peter Higgs, as Frank Close reveals in his new book, was just one of many physicists who helped crack the mystery of mass’s origins.
