Quantum Mechanics

Quantum Mechanics

Einstein always loses in the quantum realm.
connected entangled pair
They say that nobody understands quantum mechanics. But thanks to these three pioneers in quantum entanglement, perhaps we do.
heavy neutral atom
No matter how good our measurement devices get, certain quantum properties always possess an inherent uncertainty. Can we figure out why?
universe rotating
If you can model anything in the Universe with an equation, mathematics is how you get the solution(s). Physics must go a step further.
Quantum mechanics forces us to toss out the old, reliable ways in which we make sense of our everyday reality.
plinko
The game of Plinko perfectly illustrates chaos theory. Even with indistinguishable initial conditions, the outcome is always uncertain.
There's a speed limit to the Universe: the speed of light in a vacuum. Want to beat the speed of light? Try going through a medium!
fireworks
From the explosions themselves to their unique and vibrant colors, the fireworks displays we adore require quantum physics.
neutrinos
Experiments cannot confirm what theory predicts about neutrinos. And particle physicists have no idea why.
standard model color
The Standard Model of elementary particles has three nearly identical copies of particles: generations. And nobody knows why.
quantum biology
The spooky world of quantum mechanics might reach out and touch you — by mutating your DNA. Welcome to the weird world of quantum biology.
The weirdness begs for an interpretation.
parallel universe
Humans who've lived through the same events often remember them differently. Could quantum physics be responsible?
Silhouette of a person standing on a field at night, gazing at a clear sky filled with stars and glowing celestial objects, evoking the wonder described by Jim Al-Khalili.
Popular media often frame scientists as having a cold, sterile view of the world. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
John Templeton Foundation
Equations that describe time travel are fully compatible and consistent with relativity — but physics is not mathematics.
heavy neutral atom
Every timekeeping device works via a version of a pendulum — even the atomic clocks that are accurate to nanoseconds.
realism
Realism in science cannot be completely unmoored from human experience. Otherwise, realism ends up tortured with unreal paradoxes.
buddhism physics
The relationship between these two ways of thinking about the world deserves deeper exploration.
reductionism
We cannot deduce laws about a higher level of complexity by starting with a lower level of complexity. Here, reductionism meets a brick wall.
Einstein
More than any other of Einstein's equations, E = mc² is the most recognizable to people. But what does it all mean?
Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy
“When molecules misbehave, it can lead to great insight.”
symmetric
If the electromagnetic and weak forces unify to make the electroweak force, maybe, at even higher energies, something even greater happens?
greatest ideas in science
The ten greatest ideas in science form the bedrock of modern biology, chemistry, and physics. Everyone should be familiar with them.
parallel universe
In scientific theories, the Multiverse appears as a bug rather than as a feature. We should squash it.
astrophysics ALMA
If you want to understand what the Universe is, how it began, evolved, and will eventually end, astrophysics is the only way to go.
quantum gravity
At a fundamental level, nobody knows whether gravity is truly quantum in nature. A novel experiment strongly hints that it is.
interstellar travel
There are a few possible solutions to the problem of interstellar travel, but they largely remain within the realm of science fiction.
spooky action quantum
Many still cling to the idea that we live in a deterministic Universe, despite the nature of quantum physics. Now, the "least spooky" interpretation no longer works.
false vacuum
There's a big difference between the notions of 'false vacuum' and 'true vacuum' states. Here's why we don't want to live in the former.