Editor's choice
Quantum island: why Helgoland is a great spot for fundamental thinking
Matin Durrani explains why delegates at Helgoland 2025 are discussing foundational questions in quantum mechanics
‘The Trump uncertainty principle’ is destroying the position and momentum of US science
The Trump administration is ripping US science apart, warns Robert P Crease
Research updates
New analysis of M67 cluster helps decode the sound of stars
Acoustic oscillations in M67 stars reveal a surprising plateau in frequency patterns, providing a new tool to probe stellar interiors and refine age estimates
Wireless e-tattoos help manage mental workload
Flexible forehead e-tattoo enables stable monitoring of EEG and EOG signals during everyday tasks
Andromeda galaxy may not collide with the Milky Way after all
Odds of a collision in the next 10 billion years may be only 50/50, according to new simulations
Laboratory-scale three-dimensional X-ray diffraction makes its debut
New device could make the technology accessible outside national and international synchrotron facilities
Majorana bound states spotted in system of three quantum dots
System benefits from ease of characterization
Ancient woodworking technique inspires improved memristor
Mortise-and-tenon structure makes for fast, highly uniform switching
Physics World Quantum Briefing
Take a look at our free-to-read digital issue of Physics World Quantum Briefing, which commemorates the centenary of quantum mechanics and celebrates the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology with a selection of articles on the history, mystery and industry of quantum mechanics.
Physics World podcasts
The latest opinion and reviews
Harmonious connections: bridging the gap between music and science
Philip Moriarty reviews A Perfect Harmony: Music, Mathematics, and Science by David Darling
No laughing matter: a comic book about the climate crisis
Mike Follows reviews World Without End: an Illustrated Guide to the Climate Crisis by Jean-Marc Jancovici and Christophe Blain
Physics World podcast
Explore our two regular podcast series! Physics World Weekly looks at the latest events and headlines in physics, as well as featuring short interviews with scientists and our team of journalists. Physics World Stories takes a more in-depth look at a topic.
Read more of our latest articles
Read article: Quartet of Nobel laureates sign Helgoland’s ‘gold book’
Quartet of Nobel laureates sign Helgoland’s ‘gold book’
Matin Durrani explains the unexpected message left by Anton Zeilinger
Read article: Conference marking 100 years of quantum mechanics starts in Hamburg
Conference marking 100 years of quantum mechanics starts in Hamburg
Matin Durrani reports from the first day of the Helgoland 2025 meeting
Read article: Beyond the classroom: a high-school student’s week at the Institute of Physics
Beyond the classroom: a high-school student’s week at the Institute of Physics
A-level student Naeya Mistry talks about her week of work experience at the Institute of Physics
Read article: There’s an elephant in the room at the Royal Society – and for once, it’s not (just) Elon Musk
There’s an elephant in the room at the Royal Society – and for once, it’s not (just) Elon Musk
A conference on the future of the UK space sector makes stunningly little mention of how proposed cuts to NASA funding might affect it
Read article: Development and application of a 3-electrode setup for the operando detection of side reactions in Li-Ion batteries
Development and application of a 3-electrode setup for the operando detection of side reactions in Li-Ion batteries
Discover an easy to implement cell setup that enables the quantitative and qualitative analysis of parasitic side reactions in lithium-ion batteries
Read article: Japan’s ispace suffers second lunar landing failure
Japan’s ispace suffers second lunar landing failure
ispace was attempting to become the first non-US firm to land on the Moon
Read article: Superconducting innovation: SQMS shapes up for scalable success in quantum computing
Superconducting innovation: SQMS shapes up for scalable success in quantum computing
Fermilab’s SQMS Center is on a mission to realize inherently scalable “qudit-based” quantum computing and quantum communication systems
Read article: Bury it, don’t burn it: turning biomass waste into a carbon solution
Bury it, don’t burn it: turning biomass waste into a carbon solution
Biomass burial could be the answer to large-scale, affordable carbon storage. Michael Allen investigates
Read article: Thinking of switching research fields? Beware the citation ‘pivot penalty’ revealed by new study
Thinking of switching research fields? Beware the citation ‘pivot penalty’ revealed by new study
The pivot penalty increases the further away a researcher shifts from their previous topic of research
Read article: Ask me anything: Tom Woodroof – ‘Curiosity, self-education and carefully-chosen guidance can get you surprisingly far’
Ask me anything: Tom Woodroof – ‘Curiosity, self-education and carefully-chosen guidance can get you surprisingly far’
Tom Woodroof on how he switched from nuclear physics to alternative finance
Read article: Leinweber Foundation ploughs $90m into US theoretical physics
Leinweber Foundation ploughs $90m into US theoretical physics
The cash will be used to establish a Leinweber Institute for Theoretical Physics at five US institutions
Read article: China launches Tianwen-2 asteroid sample-return mission
China launches Tianwen-2 asteroid sample-return mission
The craft will aim to collect about 100g of material from a “quasi-satellite” of Earth
Read article: New contact lenses allow wearers to see in the near-infrared
New contact lenses allow wearers to see in the near-infrared
Devices use upconverting nanoparticles to make normally invisible radiation perceptible to humans even with their eyes closed
Read article: How magnetar flares give birth to gold and platinum
How magnetar flares give birth to gold and platinum
Starquakes and magnetic recombination drive the r-process of nucleosynthesis
Read article: Secondary dose checks ensure safe and accurate delivery of adaptive radiotherapy
Secondary dose checks ensure safe and accurate delivery of adaptive radiotherapy
ThinkQA Secondary Dose Check software provides quality assurance for every fraction of adaptive radiotherapy without impacting the clinical workflow
Read article: ‘Zombie’ volcano reveals its secrets
‘Zombie’ volcano reveals its secrets
First high-resolution images of Bolivia's Uturuncu volcano show it is likely to remain active without actually erupting
Read article: Shengxi Huang: how defects can boost 2D materials as single-photon emitters
Shengxi Huang: how defects can boost 2D materials as single-photon emitters
Shengxi Huang explains why Picoquant’s instruments are helping her to develop 2D materials that are highly efficient sources of single photons
Read article: Richard Bond and George Efstathiou share the 2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy
Richard Bond and George Efstathiou share the 2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy
Pair are honoured for their work on the cosmic microwave background
Physics World Jobs offers a range of opportunities for jobseekers with a background in physics or engineering. At all stages of your career, we can help find the job for you
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
For more than 60 years, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has applied science and technology to make the world a safer place. Its defining responsibility is ensuring the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent
Tune into online presentations that allow expert speakers to explain novel tools and applications
Start-stop operation and the degradation impact in electrolysis
26 February 2025
Join this webinar by The Electrochemical Society to explore the impact of intermittent operation on electrolyzer degradation
Stay up to date with the latest international conferences, symposia and exhibitions for interdisciplinary scientists working across academic research and industry
Flat Bands, Strong Correlations, and Heavy Fermions
31 March — 4 April 2025 | Dresden, Germany
This one-week workshop will bring together the communities interested in flat bands of moiré structures and frustrated-lattice materials on the one hand, and strongly correlated electron systems anchored by f-electron materials on the other, with Kondo physics serving as an intellectual link.
Copyright © 2025 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors