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Looking for inconsistencies in the fine structure constant

Radioactive BEC could form a ‘superradiant neutrino laser’

Physicists plan to test idea in the lab

Zero-point motion of atoms measured directly for the first time

Explosive technique images collective quantum fluctuations

Making molecules with superheavy elements could shake up the periodic table

New atom-by-atom technique demonstrated for the first time with nobelium might ensure that elements at the bottom of the table are grouped correctly

Research headlines

Famous double-slit experiment gets its cleanest test yet

Graphic showing a red laser beam illuminating a pair of atoms. A screen behind the atoms shows red and black interference fringes

Quantum control of individual antiprotons puts the Standard Model to the test

Photo of a physicist working at the BASE experiment

Physicists turn atomic motion from a nuisance to a resource

Photo of three men standing around an optical table bathed in deep blue light

New experiment uses levitated magnets to search for dark matter

Although it hasn’t detected dark matter yet, its developers say it offers an alternative path that is worth exploring

Physicists take ‘snapshots’ of quantum gases in continuous space

Innovative imaging technique reveals real space correlations between atoms in quantum systems

Conflicting measurements of helium’s charge radius may be reconciled by new calculations

Theorists move quickly to explain discrepancy

Protons take to the road

Antiprotons could be next after CERN scientists demonstrate transport of trapped particles on a truck

Five-body recombination could cause significant loss from atom traps

Efimov states could be used to build molecules and achieve nuclear fusion

Plasma physics sets upper limit on the strength of ‘dark electromagnetism’

Result could force a rethink on basic models of dark matter, say researchers

Looking for a faster way to stay on top of cutting-edge science? Research Highlights are designed for discovery. Quick, accessible summaries of in-depth research from leading journals such as Reports on Progress in Physics and Progress in Energy. Explore the series now.

Explore more in atomic and molecular physics

Microwaves slow down chemical reactions at low temperatures

Radiation affects quantum states of carbon monoxide

Bilayer optical lattices could unravel the secret of high-temperature superconductivity

Proposal would explore macroscopic quantum phenomena in many-body systems

Optical lattice simulating a superconductor

Splitting water takes more energy than theory predicts – and now scientists know why

Flips in the orientation of water molecules explain sluggish reaction speeds

Ezra Marker, Raiden Speelman, and Franz Geiger in front of their spectrometer. They're all smiling and wearing matching navy blue long-sleeve T-shirts with the slogan "this is my laser shirt" written on the chest pocket in light blue. A Northwestern University banner hangs in the background and two monitors displaying graphs and a dashboard can also be seen.

Thermometer uses Rydberg atoms to make calibration-free measurements

New technique uses black-body radiation to make direct measurements with low uncertainty

Quantized vortices seen in a supersolid for the first time

Further research could shed light on neutron-star glitches

Negative triangularity tokamaks: a power plant plasma solution from the core to the edge?

IOP Publishing's journal, Plasma Science and Technologies explores the knowns and unknowns of negative triangularity and evaluate its future as a power plant solution

Positronium gas is laser-cooled to one degree above absolute zero

New cooling technique could help reveal physics beyond the Standard Model

The most precise timekeeping device ever built

Colorado-based researchers have reduced the systematic uncertainty in their optical lattice clock to a record low. Ali Lezeik explains how they did it

Photonic orbitals shape up

The behaviour of photons confined inside three-dimensional cavity superlattices is much more complex than that of electrons in conventional solid-state materials

The various photonic orbital shapes observed by the researchers, which are much more complex than the lobe- and sphere-like shapes of electron orbitals.

Scientists create space plasmas at CERN

Producing fast-moving "fireballs" in the lab could shed light on processes in extreme astrophysical emissions

Artist's impression of a black hole emitting a jet of hot gas

Matter-wave interferometry puts new limits on ‘chameleon particles’

Gravity measurement benefits from optical lattice

Scientists uncover hidden properties of rare-earth element promethium

The first observation of a promethium complex in solution represents a significant advance in rare-earth research

Conceptual art showing the rare-earth element promethium

Scientists identify a ‘sugar world’ beyond Neptune

The surface of a Kuiper Belt object called Arrokoth is rich in glucose, ribose and other sweet molecules

Composite image of Arrokoth, a lumpy object that resembles a flattened snowman, superimposed on a selection of ball-and-stick diagrams for sugar and related molecules and a photograph showing distant stars and galaxies. The image also includes a graph of Arrokoth's colour slope over time.

Boson sampler uses atoms rather than photons

System charts the evolution of complex quantum states

Magnetic islands stabilize fusion plasma, simulations suggest

Tokamaks like ITER could benefit from computer modelling results

Bilayer of ultracold atoms has just a 50 nm gap

System could be used to simulate superconducting bilayer graphene

Individual polyatomic molecules are trapped in optical-tweezer arrays

Molecules cooled to their quantum ground state

Space weather phenomenon observed in the lab for the first time

Magnetosphere events known as whistler mode chorus emissions can now be produced in a controlled environment

Artist's impression of a plasma confined in the RT-1 facility. The plasma appears as a glowing purple cloud within a toroidal chamber surrounded by magnetic field lines and containing red particles (representing high-temperature electrons) that are emitting white lines (representing the chorus waves)

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Quantum | Conference Q2B25 Silicon Valley: the Roadmap to Quantum Value 9—11 December 2025 | Santa Clara, US
Instrumentation and measurement | Meeting Neutron Scattering Group Early Career Meeting 15—16 January 2026 | Bristol, UK
Atomic and molecular | Conference 52nd IOP Annual Plasma Physics Conference 7—10 April 2026 | Aberdeen, UK

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