Exact solutions of the Schrödinger equation have long provided fundamental insights into quantum mechanics by furnishing explicit analytical expressions for wave functions and energy spectra. These ...

As Joe Howlett points out, "the Schrödinger equation remains physicists’ foremost window into the quantum realm. It tells scientists how that strange world works; that is, how quantum objects interact ...

All the tech we rely on, from cars to smartphones, was engineered using physics. You don’t need to know the science to use these things. But a well-rounded human should understand at least some of the ...

Light was long considered to be a wave, exhibiting the phenomenon of interference in which ripples like those in water waves are generated under specific interactions. Light also bends around corners, ...

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.

What exactly is … everything? What is space-time? At one extreme, you’ve got the weird rules of quantum physics that deal with subatomic particles. At the other extreme, you’ve got the vast expanses ...

Bengaluru: A formula on pi (π) written by Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan 111 years ago matches with modern-day physics that describes black holes, swirling fluids and the expanding universe, ...

OpenAI's GPT-5.2 has derived a new formula for gluon interactions, overturning assumptions of zero amplitude and advancing theoretical physics.

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In the fall of 2022, a Princeton University graduate student named Carolina Figueiredo stumbled onto a massive coincidence. She ...

We’re celebrating 180 years of Scientific American. Explore our legacy of discovery and look ahead to the future. This year is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, according to ...