Phonons are the collective vibrations that move through a solid. They can be thought of as waves traveling across the atomic ...

Physicists have just upped their ante: Not only have they split atoms but, even trickier, they've put them back together. Their secret? Quantum physics. A team of scientists was able to "split" an ...

Quantum simulations are pushing physicists to rethink what it means for an atom to move. In new work on a quantum computer, ...

Atoms measure roughly 0.1 nanometers across, a scale so small that scientists spent more than six decades developing ...

This calculated diffraction image shows how forked diffraction gratings shape the atoms' wave function into a vortex. (Courtesy: Science/AAAS) A wave-like property previously only seen in beams of ...

Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon that’s as bizarre as it is fragile. Entangled particles are thought to lose this inexplicable link when exposed to outside factors. But now, physicists have ...

In chemistry, molecules with a "flat" geometry are often stable enough to support a wide range of reactions. But in the quantum world, that's not technically true.

The best way to find buried treasure may be with a quantum gravity sensor. In these devices, free-falling atoms reveal subtle variations in Earth’s gravitational pull at different places. Those ...

This giant greedy atom can help scientists probe the reaches of ultracold atom physics. The space between an atom's nucleus and electron is usually barren. But, when an electron's orbit sits ...

An unusual alliance between physicists who study ultrahot plasmas and ultracold atoms is yielding intriguing results – and may even lead to an experimental test for string theory, as Barbara Jacak ...

Physicists have just upped their ante: Not only have they split atoms but, even trickier, they've put them back together. Their secret? Quantum physics. A team of scientists was able to "split" an ...