Quantum physics once shocked scientists by revealing that particles can behave like waves—and now, that strange behavior has been pushed even further. For the first time, researchers have observed wave-like interference in positronium, an exotic “atom” made of an electron and its antimatter partner, a positron. This breakthrough not only strengthens the weird reality of quantum mechanics but also opens the door to new experiments involving antimatter, including the possibility of testing how gravity affects it—something never directly measured before.
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If you used every particle in the observable universe to do a full quantum simulation, how big would that simulation be? At best a large molecule. That’s how insanely information dense the quantum wavefunction really is. And yet we routinely simulate systems with thousands, even millions of particles. How? By cheating. Using the ultimate compression algorithm: Density Functional Theory (DFT). Let’s learn how to cheat the universe.
Researchers at the University of Oxford have demonstrated a new type of quantum interaction using a single trapped ion. By creating and controlling increasingly complex forms of “squeezing” – including a fourth-order effect known as quadsqueezing – the team has, for the first time, made previously unreachable quantum effects experimentally accessible.
The approach also provides a new way to engineer these interactions, with potential applications in quantum simulation, sensing, and computing. Their results have been published in Nature Physics.
Many systems in physics behave like tiny objects that vibrate or swing back and forth, like a spring or a pendulum. In quantum physics, these are known as quantum harmonic oscillators. Light waves, vibrations in molecules, and even the motion of a single trapped atom can all be described in this way. Controlling these systems is important for quantum technologies, from ultra-precise sensors to new kinds of quantum computers.
As Homer tells us, Odysseus made an epic journey, against the odds, from Troy to his home in Ithaca. He visited many lands, but mostly dwelt with the nymph Calypso on her island. We can imagine that his wife, Penelope, would have asked him about that particular time. Odysseus might have replied, “It was nothing. In fact, it was less than nothing. Negative five years I dwelt with Calypso. How else could I have arrived home after only ten years? If you don’t believe me, ask her.”
Quantum particles, it turns out, are just as wily as Odysseus, as we have shown in an experiment published in Physical Review Letters. Not only can their arrival time suggest that they dwelt with other particles for a negative amount of time, but if one asks those other particles, they will corroborate the story.
That framing goes too far. Physics doesn’t prove that God is “impossible”—it deals with testable models of the natural world, not metaphysical conclusions. If you present it as a logical or scientific analysis of physical claims, it will sound stronger and more credible. Here’s a refined, high-impact description in the same style—without overclaiming:
Does modern physics leave any room for God? In this video, we examine that question through the analytical lens of Richard Feynman — not as a matter of belief, but as a question about how the universe actually behaves when studied with precision. Physics does not argue against God. It does something more demanding: it builds a complete, self-consistent description of reality based entirely on measurable laws — and asks whether external intervention is required anywhere within that structure. Over four centuries, those laws have expanded to describe everything from subatomic particles to cosmic evolution — without a single confirmed exception. So where, if anywhere, does a non-physical agent fit?
In this video, we walk through the physical framework that raises this question: The conservation laws that govern every interaction. The causal structure of spacetime and what it permits. Thermodynamic limits on energy, order, and change. The constraints of information in a physical universe. And the boundary between scientific knowledge and unfalsifiable claims.
This is not a debate about belief. It’s an examination of structure. Because when physics describes the universe with increasing completeness, it doesn’t explicitly disprove metaphysical ideas — but it does redefine what counts as an explanation. And that shift has consequences.
⚡ Why This Matters: Understanding what science can and cannot say is just as important as understanding what it discovers.
📌 Watch till the end — the conclusion isn’t what most people expect.
Is there a quantum reason we could have free will? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explore the concept of free will and predetermination with neuroscientist, biologist, and author of Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will, Robert Sapolsky.
A special thanks from our editors to Robert Sapolsky’s dog.
Could we put an end to the question of whether or not we have free will? Discover “The Hungry Judge Effect” and how little bits of biology affect our actions. We break down a physicist’s perspective of free will, The Big Bang, and chaos theory. Is it enough to just feel like we have free will? Why is it an issue to think you have free will if you don’t?
We discuss the difference between free will in big decisions versus everyday decisions. How do you turn out to be the type of person who chooses vanilla ice cream over strawberry? We explore how quantum physics and virtual particles factor into predetermination. Could quantum randomness change the actions of an atom? How can society best account for a lack of free will? Are people still responsible for their actions?
What would Chuck do if he could do anything he wanted? We also discuss the benefits of a society that acknowledges powers outside of our control and scientific advancements made. How is meritocracy impacted by free will? Plus, can you change if people believe in free will if they have no free will in believing so?
Thanks to our Patrons Pro Handyman, Brad K. Daniels, Starman, Stephen Somers, Nina Kane, Paul Applegate, and David Goldberg for supporting us this week.
A century after their discovery, cosmic rays—particles of extreme energy originating from the far reaches of the universe—remain a mystery to scientists. The DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer) space telescope is tackling this phenomenon, particularly investigating the role that dark matter may play in their formation. This international mission, which includes the University of Geneva (UNIGE), has made a major breakthrough by highlighting a universal feature of these particles. The results are published in the journal Nature.
Cosmic rays are the most energetic particles observed in the universe, far surpassing the energies of particles produced by man-made accelerators on Earth. Their exact origin is still under study, and it is believed that they originate from extreme astrophysical phenomena, such as supernovae, black hole jets, or pulsars.
The DAMPE space telescope, launched in December 2015, aims to provide answers regarding the origin and nature of these cosmic rays. This space mission, with the astrophysics group from the Department of Nuclear and Particle Physics (DPNC) at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) being one of its main contributors, has made a crucial breakthrough. Through the analysis of high-precision measurements collected by the telescope, scientists have identified a universal feature in the energy spectra of primary cosmic ray nuclei, ranging from protons to iron.
In thermodynamics, an “adiabatic process” is a system change that transfers no heat in or out of the system. Any and all energy change in that system are therefore accomplished by doing work on the system, work being action that moves matter over a distance. (An example is a bicycle tire pump or lifting a box from the floor.)
The “adiabatic theorem” says that if you change a system slowly enough, it will remain in the same energy state. For example, if you walk slowly enough holding a full cup of coffee, the coffee will not spill—the coffee system has time to relax back to its steady state—but if you make a quick and sudden change while holding the coffee cup, some coffee will spill over the cup’s edge.
There is a similar theorem in quantum mechanics—a quantum system that is changed (perturbed) slowly enough will remain in its existing quantum state (often its ground state), while a sudden change, such as a photon impinging upon an atom, changes its energy state.
An international research team has achieved an important milestone for astrophysics at GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt: In the CRYRING@ESR storage ring, scientists were able to measure nuclear reactions at extremely low energies for the first time, mirroring the conditions inside stars. This novel experimental approach lays the foundation for decoding the formation of elements in the universe with even greater precision in the future.
In the extreme environments of stars, nuclear processes often occur at very low energies. These so-called “sub-MeV energies” (below 1 megaelectron volt) are difficult to replicate in the laboratory because the probability of atomic nuclei interacting at such low speeds is exceptionally small.
In the FAIR storage ring CRYRING@ESR, researchers were able to lower the energy available for the nuclear reaction in the center-of-mass frame of the two particles down to 403 kiloelectron volts. This marks a new record: It is the lowest energy at which a nuclear reaction has ever been measured in a heavy-ion storage ring. The new findings were recently published in the journal European Physical Journal A.
Particle accelerators such as those at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva are typically highly complex large-scale devices. In these ring-shaped facilities, which are often several kilometers in length, magnets and radio-frequency cavities are used to accelerate elementary particles. An alternative approach is now emerging: compact laser–plasma accelerators that can be built and operated at a fraction of the cost. These accelerators can achieve acceleration gradients up to around 1,000 times higher than those of conventional accelerators. Researchers at HHU contributed significantly to this development.
A research team led by Prof. Dr. Markus Büscher, a professor of physics at HHU and group leader at the Peter Grünberg Institute in Jülich, presented the current state of research in a review article in Reports on Progress in Physics. In a separate study published in High Power Laser Science and Engineering, they report on one specific aspect of laser–plasma acceleration, namely whether the polarization—that is to say, the collective spin alignment—of accelerated particles is preserved in laser–plasma accelerators.
Why is this relevant? “Spin alignment is crucial to a range of fundamental scientific questions as it influences the interaction between particles,” explains Professor Büscher. “In controlled nuclear fusion, the reaction probability—and thus ultimately the energy produced in the reactor—increases significantly when the spins of the fusing nuclei, the ‘fusion fuel’ so to speak, are aligned in parallel.”
