Is the Higgs boson doing its job?
At the heart of particle physics lies the Standard Model, a theory that has stood for nearly half a century as the best description of the subatomic realm. It tells us what particles exist, how they i…
electrons
10 posts
A transistor for heat
Quantum technologies and the prospect of advanced, next-generation electronic devices have been maturing at an increasingly rapid pace. Both research groups and governments around the world are invest…
New LHC data puts 'new physics' lead to bed
One particle in the big zoo of subatomic particles is the B meson. It has a very short lifetime once it's created. In rare instances it decays to three lighter particles: a kaon, a lepton and an a…
The awesome limits of superconductors
On June 24, a press release from CERN said that scientists and engineers working on upgrading the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) had "built and operated … the most powerful electrical transmission l…
Atoms within atoms
It's a matter of some irony that forces that act across larger distances also give rise to lots of empty space – although the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. The force of gravity…
Good writing is an atom
https://twitter.com/HochTwit/status/1174875013708746752 The act of writing well is like an atom, or the universe. There is matter but it is thinly distributed, with lots of empty space in between. Re…
'Weak charge' measurement holds up SM prediction
Various dark matter detectors around the world, massive particle accelerators and colliders, powerful telescopes on the ground and in space all have their distinct agendas but ultimately what unites t…
Weyl semimetals make way for super optics
A Weyl semimetal is a crystal whose lattice has the uncommon ability to carry electrical energy at room temperature.…
Amorphous topological insulators
Physicists from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, have found that topological insulators needn't always be crystals – as has been thought.…
Physicists could have to wait 66,000 yottayears to see an electron decay
An electron's lifetime is predicted by prevalent theory that physicists would like to see disproved…