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NPL unveils miniature atomic fountain clock

Illustration of a conventional atomic fountain clock (left) next to NPL’s miniature atomic fountain clock

Shining laser light on a material produces subtle changes in its magnetic properties

New use for photolithography could have applications for data storage

Photo of three researchers in white clean room gear, pictured in a laboratory

The obscure physics theory that helped Chinese science emerge from the shadows

Robert P Crease reveals the curious twist in the development of Chinese physics in the 1960s

Research updates

Polarization-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy reveals heart tissue health

MIR-DS-PAM images of fibrotic and normal cardiac tissue

Gravitational lensing sheds new light on Hubble constant controversy

A montage of eight time-delay gravitational lens systems. There is an entire galaxy at the centre of each image, and bright points in rings around them.

RFID-tagged drug capsule lets doctors know when it has been swallowed

Quantum state teleported between quantum dots at telecoms wavelengths

Frequency-converted photons are key to proof-of-principle experiment

Solar storms could be forecast by monitoring cosmic rays

Forbush decrease effect is tracked between the Sun and Earth

CERN team solves decades-old mystery of light nuclei formation

ALICE collaboration identifies three-phase process that allows particles to form despite energetically unfavourable conditions

Anyon physics could explain coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism

Calculations explain curious properties of some 2D materials

Shapiro steps spotted in ultracold bosonic and fermionic gases

Research could lead to a standard for chemical potential

Cracking the limits of clocks: a new uncertainty relation for time itself

Physicists uncover a universal limit on timekeeping precision, proving that anything from heartbeats to ocean waves can be a clock – but none escape the noise

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Physicist Norbert Holtkamp takes over as head of Fermilab

Astronomer Daniel Jaffe named president of the Giant Magellan Telescope project

Russia plans to revive abandoned Soviet-era particle accelerator

The Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Telescope

The latest opinion and reviews

Mission to Mars: from biological barriers to ethical impediments

Two adults and a child wearing spacesuits on a red planet with biodomes in the background

Can entrepreneurship be taught? An engineer’s viewpoint

Honor Powrie wonders what skills she’d need to be an entrepreneur

Blue paper origami bird emerging from the paper sheet

Francis Crick: a life of twists and turns

Andrew Robinson reviews Crick: a Mind in Motion – from DNA to the Brain by Matthew Cobb

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Quantum metrology at NPL: we explore the challenges and opportunities

Quantum information theory sheds light on quantum gravity

Oscar-winning computer scientist on the physics of computer animation

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.

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CERN accepts $1bn in private cash towards Future Circular Collider

Cash comes as Mark Thomson takes the reins at CERN

India turns to small modular nuclear reactors to meet climate targets

While SMRs could help meet climate targets there are concerns over their commercial viability

Photonics West explores the future of optical technologies

SPIE Photonics West sees the global optics and photonics community come together to present and discuss the latest industry trends and research breakthroughs

San Francisco skyline with Oakland Bay bridge

Watching how grasshoppers glide inspires new flying robot design

The findings could result in flying robots with smaller batteries

Bidirectional scattering microscope detects micro- and nanoscale structures simultaneously

New device could be used to observe structures as small as individual proteins, as well as the environment in which they move

Conceptual illustration of the bidirectional quantitative scattering microscope

Chess960 still results in white having an advantage, finds study

Research suggests that the standard game, and other permutations, can be unfair to players who go second

Tetraquark measurements could shed more light on the strong nuclear force

CMS Collaboration focuses on a family of three all-charm exotic hadrons

Reinforcement learning could help airborne wind energy take off

Machine learning technique teaches power-generating kites to extract energy from turbulent airflows more effectively, boosting their efficiency

A bird of prey (a red kite) flies past a group of four wind turbines. The bird is sharply in focus, while the turbines and the flat farm landscape beneath them are blurred.

Organic LED can electrically switch the handedness of emitted light

A new type of OLED can generate left- or right-handed circularly polarized light from just one form of light-emitting molecule

Physicists overcome ‘acoustic collapse’ to levitate multiple objects with sound

Finding could have applications in acoustic-levitation-assisted 3D printing, mid-air chemical synthesis and micro-robotics

Two researchers with goggles in their lab

New hybrid state of matter is a mix of solid and liquid

Finding could be important for catalysis and other thermally-activated industrial processes

A still from a video that shows the motion of atoms (modelled as coloured spheres) against a grid

A theoretical physicist’s journey through the food and drink industry

Theoretical physicist Rob Farr retraces his career journey in the food industry

Cup of espresso on a saucer surrounded by coffee beans

Featured employer

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

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Reversible degradation phenomenon in PEMWE cells

Join the audience for a live webinar at 6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. EST on 4 February 2026

Sponsored by The Electrochemical Society, Hiden Analytical, Scribner Associates, Gamry Instruments

Investigate how voltage dips below 1.5 V trigger reversible PEMWE performance gains, driven by iridium oxidation dynamics and reaction kinetics

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Featured event

Stay up to date with the latest international conferences, symposia and exhibitions for interdisciplinary scientists working across academic research and industry

Food Physics 2026

4—5 February 2026 | Leeds, UK

Physics plays a crucial role in the design of delicious, healthy, and nutritious food and beverages. This annual conference, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2026, brings together academics and industry professionals to share the latest developments and explore opportunities for physicists to tackle multidisciplinary challenges. These challenges range from sustainability to food manufacturing and the design of multiphase microstructures.

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