Francis Halzen wins Nobel Prize in Physics
Astrophysicist wins for his work detecting cosmic neutrinos
Read article: Francis Halzen wins Nobel Prize in Physics
News
Read article: Francis Halzen wins Nobel Prize in Physics
Inventors of optogenetics win Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel are joint winners of the 2026 prize
Read article: Inventors of optogenetics win Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Siemens Healthineers unveils ultrafast Accela radiotherapy system
Launched at ASTRO 2026, the high-speed Accela platform can deliver stereotactic treatments in a single breath-hold
Read article: Siemens Healthineers unveils ultrafast Accela radiotherapy system
Cyril Hilsum, former GEC research boss and Institute of Physics president, dies aged 101
Hilsum helped develop commercial applications for liquid crystals
Read article: Cyril Hilsum, former GEC research boss and Institute of Physics president, dies aged 101
Thirty Meter Telescope rejects La Palma as alternative host site
€1bn funding package has been turned down by the Thirty Meter Telescope International Organization
Read article: Thirty Meter Telescope rejects La Palma as alternative host site
Spectacular image of the Shark Nebula wins Royal Observatory Greenwich prize
The picture – The Quiet Predator– was taken by Kuwaiti photographer Ali Alobaidly
Read article: Spectacular image of the Shark Nebula wins Royal Observatory Greenwich prize
Research updates
Exciton wavefunctions come into view
New work could lead to improvements in organic photovoltaics
Read article: Exciton wavefunctions come into view
Radiotherapy trials shape future treatments of brain metastases
Studies presented at the ASTRO 2026 meeting provide new evidence that could help inform radiation treatments of patients with brain metastases
Read article: Radiotherapy trials shape future treatments of brain metastases
Scientists explain how a 300 TeV photon could reach Earth
A mysterious signal from a powerful gamma-ray burst may reveal how exotic particles and altered physics could let extreme radiation cross the universe
Read article: Scientists explain how a 300 TeV photon could reach Earth
DNA computer settles in thermodynamic equilibrium
Low-energy system is simple and reusable
Read article: DNA computer settles in thermodynamic equilibrium
Polymer-tuned perovskite creates high-efficiency underwater solar cells
A novel crystallization approach boosts submerged solar cells to unprecedented stability, enabling effective conversion of filtered submarine light into sustainable underwater power
Read article: Polymer-tuned perovskite creates high-efficiency underwater solar cells
Heavy water isotopes make weather predictions more accurate
Incorporating satellite measurements of water vapour isotopes into weather models can improve weather forecasts, particularly when predicting heavy rainfall
Read article: Heavy water isotopes make weather predictions more accurate
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Features
Hofstadter’s butterfly turns 50: a fractal hiding in quantum matter
Indu Satija celebrates the golden anniversary of Hofstadter’s butterfly
Read article: Hofstadter’s butterfly turns 50: a fractal hiding in quantum matter
C V Raman: the physicist with a ‘Himalayan ego’ who went to Stockholm convinced he’d win a Nobel prize
Preetish Kakoty describes why India's only Nobel-prize-winning physicist went to Sweden on a whim
Read article: C V Raman: the physicist with a ‘Himalayan ego’ who went to Stockholm convinced he’d win a Nobel prize
How the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will turn the sky into a dataset
Richard de Grijs looks at how the Roman Space Telescope will change astronomy forever
Read article: How the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will turn the sky into a dataset
How scientific publishers are fighting back against fraudulent papermills
The growth of AI and papermills has caused publishers countless headaches
Read article: How scientific publishers are fighting back against fraudulent papermills
Theatre is bringing physics to new audiences but what is the definitive science play?
Chris Sinclair explores the plays that are bringing physics to new audiences
Read article: Theatre is bringing physics to new audiences but what is the definitive science play?
From student to scientist – how to build a career with physics
Tushna Commissariat and Matin Durrani guide physics students through the maze of career options
Read article: From student to scientist – how to build a career with physics
From the blog
Particle physicist Hideki Yukawa: Japan’s first Nobel laureate
Yukawa laid the foundation for an active post-war generation of particle physicists in Japan
Read article: Particle physicist Hideki Yukawa: Japan’s first Nobel laureate
Abdus Salam: Pakistan’s first (and so far only) physics Nobel prize-winner
Matin Durrani looks at the work of Abdus Salam, who was born a century ago this year
Read article: Abdus Salam: Pakistan’s first (and so far only) physics Nobel prize-winner
How long did it take for countries to claim a Nobel laureate?
Deciding where a prize winner is from can be tricky, but Hamish Johnston tries his best
Read article: How long did it take for countries to claim a Nobel laureate?
Did space weather delay a train in 1841?
It would have been the earliest example of space weather impacting human technology, but an international team of researchers found a slight problem
Read article: Did space weather delay a train in 1841?
The free-to-read Physics World Big Science Briefing 2026 is out now
Discover how big science is playing its part to tackle the climate crisis
Read article: The free-to-read Physics World Big Science Briefing 2026 is out now
Analysis
Festival season finds Quantum Software Lab in high spirits
The Quantum Fringe filled the summer with inspiring events for students, scientists and the public, and celebrated the third anniversary of Edinburgh's Quantum Software Lab
Read article: Festival season finds Quantum Software Lab in high spirits
Debating the future of photonics: experts assess the challenges and opportunities ahead
The key themes facing photonics industry and research in the UK were discussed at the recent Photon2026 conference at Newcastle University
Read article: Debating the future of photonics: experts assess the challenges and opportunities ahead
Faster cryogenics speeds up quantum testing
A cryostat that can reach temperatures of 4 K and warm back up again within just two hours offers an efficient solution for testing the electronic components needed to build quantu...
Read article: Faster cryogenics speeds up quantum testing
Opinion and reviews
Demon in the AI machine: bias, bad data and the burden of proof
Andrew Glester reviews the film Mercy, directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Read article: Demon in the AI machine: bias, bad data and the burden of proof
The secret world of tribology
Honor Powrie pays tribute to the work of tribologists
Read article: The secret world of tribology
Illuminating, beautiful and disturbing: a photographic record of the Trinity atomic test
Margaret Harris reviews Trinity: an Illustrated History of the World’s First Atomic Test
Read article: Illuminating, beautiful and disturbing: a photographic record of the Trinity atomic test
Get your teeth into the cutting edge of materials science
Robert P Crease discovers the true extent of materials science in a dental lab
Read article: Get your teeth into the cutting edge of materials science
Universities should judge quantum-computing investments by what students learn
Students need to experiment with real quantum-computing systems, says Alex Krasnok
Read article: Universities should judge quantum-computing investments by what students learn
Honor Powrie: 10 things I wish I’d known (or done better) when I started my career
Honor Powrie offers advice for physicists at the start of their careers
Read article: Honor Powrie: 10 things I wish I’d known (or done better) when I started my career
Interviews
Ask me anything: Kiefer Vermeulen – ‘We had to figure everything out on a shoestring budget and on a really challenging timescale’
Kiefer Vermeulen is research team lead at Delft Circuits in the Netherlands
Read article: Ask me anything: Kiefer Vermeulen – ‘We had to figure everything out on a shoestring budget and on a really challenging timescale’
Ask me anything: Kristian Dominek Barajas – ‘I’m able to take a really complicated problem and give it my best guess’
Kristian Dominek Barajas is head of quantum theory at Oxford Ionics, an IonQ company
Read article: Ask me anything: Kristian Dominek Barajas – ‘I’m able to take a really complicated problem and give it my best guess’
From galaxies to groceries: how Sarah Bridle made the switch from cosmology to food
Gleb Yakubov talks to Sarah Bridle a physicist who has studied food at the University of York
Read article: From galaxies to groceries: how Sarah Bridle made the switch from cosmology to food
Ask me anything: Mary Bishai – ‘For a self-professed nerd like me, doing big science is heaven’
Mary Bishai is an experimental neutrino physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US
Read article: Ask me anything: Mary Bishai – ‘For a self-professed nerd like me, doing big science is heaven’
Institute of Physics president Paul Howarth outlines his vision for physics
Paul Howarth is set to be IOP president until 2029
Read article: Institute of Physics president Paul Howarth outlines his vision for physics
Ask me anything: Gwenaëlle Lefeuvre ‘Not everyone is built to be a specialist and there is nothing wrong with that’
Gwenaëlle Lefeuvre is the network coordinator for Photonics Bretagne, an innovation hub supporting the photonics ecosystem in Brittany, France
Read article: Ask me anything: Gwenaëlle Lefeuvre ‘Not everyone is built to be a specialist and there is nothing wrong with that’
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