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07/27/18

LHC accelerates its first “atoms”

Lead atoms with a single remaining electron circulated in the Large Hadron Collider.

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Illustration of a W boson among a pattern of masks

Explain it in 60 seconds: W boson

09/10/24

Josh Bendavid and Sarah Charley

Meet the short-lived particle that helps the sun shine.

08/01/07

Number crunching, redefined

Supercomputers can play chess, map DNA, and aid in the study of dark energy. But recently they were unleashed on a bold new frontier: optimizing the production of potato chips.

08/01/07

Dark energy

Dark energy, the weirdest and most abundant stuff in the universe, is causing the expansion of the universe to speed up.

08/01/07

Raising MoNA

In the olden days, farmers would travel for miles through the American countryside to help neighbors raise a barn.

08/01/07

Particle search on a shoestring

When Aaron Chou heard about an experiment in Italy that suggested the existence of an exotic particle as a candidate for dark matter, he was intrigued enough to go looking for it. His first stop: the Fermilab cafeteria.

08/01/07

What, no popcorn?

Though scientists are skeptical of the suggested particle's existence, the results from Legnaro need to be checked, says Chou, who strayed from his usual area of researchcosmology to help put the project together. "It's unlikely but not impossible.

Four people pulling on four corners of a space blanket

08/01/07

Dark energy

Dark energy, the weirdest and most abundant stuff in the universe, is causing the expansion of the universe to speed up.

08/01/07

The particle physics life list

Bird watchers have "life lists" of species they hope to see in their lifetimes. Why shouldn't particle physics fans do the same? With that in mind, in our April issue we asked readers to help us put together the first particle physics life list.

08/01/07

Donors big dream

Drawn by the chance to help answer the most fundamental questions about the universe, philanthropists are starting to make significant investments in physics research.

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