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Quantum physics

Latest Articles

How Bell’s Theorem Proved ‘Spooky Action at a Distance’ Is Real

July 20, 2021

The root of today’s quantum revolution was John Stewart Bell’s 1964 theorem showing that quantum mechanics really permits instantaneous connections between far-apart locations.

A Video Tour of the Standard Model

July 16, 2021

The Standard Model is a sweeping equation that has correctly predicted the results of virtually every experiment ever conducted, as Quanta explores in a new video.

Nathan Seiberg on How Math Might Complete the Ultimate Physics Theory

June 24, 2021

Even in an incomplete state, quantum field theory is the most successful physical theory ever discovered. Nathan Seiberg, one of its leading architects, talks about the gaps in QFT and how mathematicians could fill them.

Mathematicians Prove 2D Version of Quantum Gravity Really Works

June 17, 2021

In three towering papers, a team of mathematicians has worked out the details of Liouville quantum field theory, a two-dimensional model of quantum gravity.

The Mystery at the Heart of Physics That Only Math Can Solve

June 10, 2021

The accelerating effort to understand the mathematics of quantum field theory will have profound consequences for both math and physics.

Charlie Marcus Knows That Quantum Facts Aren’t Complicated

May 10, 2021

The secret to making a qubit for future quantum computers might depend on knowing how to tie knots in unusual materials, argues the physicist Charlie Marcus.

Quantum Double-Slit Experiment Offers Hope for Earth-Size Telescope

May 5, 2021

A new proposal would use quantum hard drives to combine the light of multiple telescopes, letting astronomers create incredibly high-resolution optical images.

How Gravity Is a Double Copy of Other Forces

May 4, 2021

An enigmatic connection between the forces of nature is allowing physicists to explore gravity’s quantum side.

Q&A

How to Rewrite the Laws of Physics in the Language of Impossibility

April 29, 2021

Chiara Marletto is trying to build a master theory — a set of ideas so fundamental that all other theories would spring from it. Her first step: Invoke the impossible.

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