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How do scientists get lead into the LHC?

01/28/25

Sarah Charley

Once a year, the Large Hadron Collider smashes lead ions. But how do scientists get a heavy metal into a particle accelerator?

01/18/22

What is quantum information?

Quantum information breaks the rules of classical information in a way that could allow us to answer questions that a classical computer cannot.

Illustration of contrasting garden styles

01/13/22

From bits to qubits

Quantum computers go beyond the binary.

Illustration of the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly

01/12/22

The second quantum revolution

Inventions like the transistor and laser changed the world. What changes will the second quantum revolution bring?

01/11/22

Playing by the quantum rules

Uncertainty, entanglement, spooky action: On the quantum scale, the universe doesn’t work the way you might expect.

01/11/22

Looking at a new quantum revolution

This month, Symmetry presents a series of articles on the past, present and future of quantum research—and its many connections to particle physics, astrophysics and computing.

Illustration of similar dark matter particles interacting

01/04/22

Theorists imagine a different kind of dark matter

Physicists are revisiting what they previously assumed about how dark matter interacts with itself.

Illustration demonstrating identical swimmers with different masses

12/07/21

Are leptons all alike?

Building experimental evidence suggests that the electron, muon and tau may feel different forces.

11/30/21

Physics books of 2021

Explore 10 new works related to particle physics and astrophysics, plus a bonus book on math.

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