Phys.org Physics

• Making sense of quantum gravity in five dimensions

  Quantum theory and Einstein's theory of general relativity are two of the greatest successes in modern physics. Each works extremely well in its own domain: Quantum theory explains how atoms and particles behave, while general relativity describes gravity and the structure of spacetime. However, despite many decades of effort, scientists still do not have a satisfying theory that combines both into one clear picture of reality.

• Sudden breakups of monogamous quantum couples surprise researchers

  Quantum particles have a social life, of a sort. They interact and form relationships with each other, and one of the most important features of a quantum particle is whether it is an introvert—a fermion—or an extrovert—a boson.

• Quantum spins team up to create stable, long-lived microwave signals

  When quantum particles work together, they can produce signals far stronger than any one particle could generate alone. This collective phenomenon, called superradiance, is a powerful example of cooperation at the quantum level. Until now, superradiance was mostly known for making quantum systems lose their energy too quickly, posing challenges for quantum technologies.

• Tokamak experiments exceed plasma density limit, offering new approach to fusion ignition

  Researchers working on China's fully superconducting Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) have experimentally accessed a theorized "density-free regime" for fusion plasmas, achieving stable operation at densities well beyond conventional limits.

• Real-life experiment shows Niels Bohr was right in a theoretical debate with Einstein

  Scientists in China have performed an experiment first proposed by Albert Einstein almost a century ago when he sought to disprove the quantum mechanical principle of complementarity put forth by Niels Bohr and his school of physicists. Bohr claimed there are properties of particles that cannot simultaneously be measured. The new result backs up the Copenhagen school yet again, with the potential to shed light on other, less settled questions in quantum mechanics.

• Physicists repair flaw of established quantum resource theorem

  Quantum information theory is a field of study that examines how quantum technologies store and process information. Over the past decades, researchers have introduced several new quantum information frameworks and theories that are informing the development of quantum computers and other devices that operate leveraging quantum mechanical effects.

• Image: Ball bearings as tools for studying physics in microgravity

  In this Oct. 20, 2025, photo, tiny ball bearings surround a larger central bearing during the Fluid Particles experiment, conducted inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.

• Hunting for dark matter axions with a quantum-powered haloscope

  Axions are hypothetical light particles that could solve two different physics problems, as they could explain why some nuclear interactions don't violate time symmetry and are also promising dark matter candidates. Dark matter is a type of matter that does not emit, reflect or absorb light, and has never been directly observed before.

• Dual-cation strategy boosts upconversion efficiency in stable oxide perovskites

  Researchers at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new way to significantly enhance upconversion luminescence in oxide perovskites, a class of materials known for their thermal and chemical stability but limited optical efficiency.

• How do I make clear ice at home? A food scientist shares easy tips

  When you splurge on a cocktail in a bar, the drink often comes with a slab of aesthetically pleasing, perfectly clear ice. The stuff looks much fancier than the slightly cloudy ice you get from your home freezer. How do they do this?

• New optical method reveals micellar structure changes under extensional stress

  Complex fluids, such as polymer melts and concentrated suspensions, are foundational materials for industrial products, including high-strength plastics and optical components. The final performance of these materials depends on their composition and internal microscopic structure. During manufacturing processes, however, fluids are subjected to mechanical forces that introduce internal stress, leading to microscopic structural damage, which in turn affects the material's functionality.

• Josephson junction behavior observed with only one superconductor and iron barrier

  Separate two superconductors with a thin layer of material and something strange happens.

• New materials, old physics—the science behind how your winter jacket keeps you warm

  As the weather grows cold this winter, you may be one of the many Americans pulling their winter jackets out of the closet. Not only can this extra layer keep you warm on a chilly day, but modern winter jackets are also a testament to centuries-old physics and cutting-edge materials science.

• Twisted light-matter systems unlock unusual topological phenomena

  Properties that remain unchanged when materials are stretched or bent, which are broadly referred to as topological properties, can contribute to the emergence of unusual physical effects in specific systems.

• New model showcases microbubble behavior in viscoelastic fluid under ultrasound forcing

  Encapsulated microbubbles (EMBs), tiny gas-filled bubbles coated in lipid or protein shells, play a central role in biomedical ultrasound. When exposed to ultrasound waves, EMBs contract, resulting in oscillations that enhance image contrast or deliver drugs directly by creating pores in cell membranes via sonoporation. However, while promising for biomedical applications, their behavior is far more complex.

• New method uses spin motion to control heat flow in magnetic materials

  NIMS, in joint research with the University of Tokyo, AIST, the University of Osaka, and Tohoku University, have proposed a novel method for actively controlling heat flow in solids by utilizing the transport of magnons—quasiparticles corresponding to the collective motion of spins in a magnetic material—and demonstrated that magnons contribute to heat conduction in a ferromagnetic metal and its junction more significantly than previously believed.

• Using microwave pulses to plug leaks in quantum computers makes them more reliable

  Scientists have developed a new approach to correcting common quantum computing errors, which could pave the way for more reliable systems.

• Researchers discover a new superfluid phase in non-Hermitian quantum systems

  A stable "exceptional fermionic superfluid," a new quantum phase that intrinsically hosts singularities known as exceptional points, has been discovered by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo.

• Evidence of a quantum spin liquid ground state in a kagome material

  Quantum spin liquids are exotic states of matter in which spins (i.e., the intrinsic angular momentum of electrons) do not settle into an ordered pattern and continue to fluctuate, even at extremely low temperatures. This state is characterized by high entanglement, a quantum effect that causes particles to become linked so that the state of one affects the others' states, even over long distances.

• Detecting the hidden magnetism of altermagnets

  Altermagnets are a newly recognized class of antiferromagnets whose magnetic structure behaves very differently from what is found in conventional systems. In conventional antiferromagnets, the sublattices are linked by simple inversion or translation, resulting in spin-degenerate electronic bands. In altermagnets, however, they are connected by unconventional symmetries such as rotations or screw axes. This shift in symmetry breaks the spin degeneracy, allowing for spin-polarized electron currents even in the absence of net magnetization.

• Ultracold atoms observed climbing a quantum staircase

  For the first time, scientists have observed the iconic Shapiro steps, a staircase-like quantum effect, in ultracold atoms.

• Research uncovers the telltale tail of black hole collisions

  When black holes collide, the impact radiates into space like the sound of a bell in the form of gravitational waves. But after the waves, there comes a second reverberation—a murmur that physicists have theorized but never observed.

• New image sensor breaks optical limits

  Imaging technology has transformed how we observe the universe—from mapping distant galaxies with radio telescope arrays to unlocking microscopic details inside living cells. Yet despite decades of innovation, a fundamental barrier has persisted: capturing high-resolution, wide-field images at optical wavelengths without cumbersome lenses or strict alignment constraints.

• Ultrafast fluorescence pulse technique enables imaging of individual trapped atoms

  Researchers at the ArQuS Laboratory of the University of Trieste (Italy) and the National Institute of Optics of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-INO) have achieved the first imaging of individual trapped cold atoms in Italy, introducing techniques that push single-atom detection into new performance regimes.

• Journey to the center of a quantized vortex: How microscopic mutual friction governs superfluid dissipation

  Step inside the strange world of a superfluid, a liquid that can flow endlessly without friction, defying the common-sense rules we experience every day, where water pours, syrup sticks and coffee swirls and slows under the effect of viscosity. In these extraordinary fluids, motion often organizes itself into quantized vortices: tiny, long-lived whirlpools that act as the fundamental building blocks of superfluid flow.