Ultra-Precise Particle Measurement Narrows Pathway to ‘New Physics’
A long-awaited calculation of the W boson’s mass agrees with theory, contradicting a previous anomaly that had raised the possibility of new physics beyond the Standard Model
This Researcher Helped Create a Machine to Pursue the ‘Quest for Everything’
Helen Edwards was a particle physicist who led the design and construction of the Tevatron, a machine built to probe deeper into the atom than anyone had gone before.
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A ‘Neutrino Fog’ Is Starting to Cloud the Search for Dark Matter
With the detection of a long-predicted “neutrino fog,” the search for particles of dark matter has entered a new age of both possibility and peril
New Superheavy Element Synthesis Points to Long-Sought ‘Island of Stability’
A novel way of making superheavy elements could soon add a new row to the periodic table, allowing scientists to explore uncharted atomic realms
China Has Plans for the World’s Largest Particle Collider
China wants to build a next-generation particle collider that would be cheaper and more powerful than Europe’s planned successor to the Large Hadron Collider
Exotic Quantum State Achieved after Decades-Long Quest
Molecular Bose-Einstein condensates could help to provide the answers to fundamental questions or form the basis of new quantum computers
Next-Generation Cosmic Observatory Hits South Pole Stumbling Block
Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4, a top-priority project for U.S. astrophysics, was designed to make breakthrough observations of the universe’s very earliest moments. Now the U.S. government says it can’t currently support the project’s construction at the South Pole
Meet HELIX, the High-Altitude Balloon That May Solve a Deep Cosmic Mystery
Every now and then, tiny particles of antimatter strike Earth from cosmic parts unknown. A new balloon-borne experiment launching this spring may at last find their source
Collapsing Sheets of Spacetime Could Explain Dark Matter and Why the Universe ‘Hums’
Domain walls, long a divisive topic in physics, may be ideal explanations for some bizarre cosmic quirks
The Secret to the Strongest Force in the Universe
New discoveries demystify the bizarre force that binds atomic nuclei together
Peter Higgs, a Giant of Particle Physics, Dies at 94
The Nobel Prize-winning theorist’s prediction of the Higgs boson sparked a half-century quest of discovery that reshaped physics—and our understanding of the universe
How Heavy Is a Neutrino? Physicists Are Still Racing to Find Answers
A new generation of lab experiments is aiming to weigh neutrinos with astonishing accuracy