In quantum field theory, spontaneous particle formation can occur when the potential energy between two elementary particles increases with their separation, as if they were confined by a string. When ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. String theory captured the hearts and minds of many physicists decades ago because of a beautiful simplicity. Zoom in far enough on a ...

New series: short, bite-sized summaries of important scientific topics — this is the first episode. Chapters 0:00 The force of gravity 1:58 The universe is Quantum, that's a problem! 4:32 String ...

A proposed experiment could shed light on the unknown interplay of quantum theory and general relativity. Quantum theory in curved spacetime can be theoretically understood beyond the limit at which ...

"But one of the drawbacks of string theory is that it operates in high-dimensional math and a vast 'landscape' of possible universes, making it fiendishly difficult to test experimentally," Heckman ...

Physicists have long struggled with their goal of making gravity a quantum force. A radical post-quantum approach might solve ...

Strike a bell, and it rings with a pitch and a fading that tell you about the bell: its size, its shape, the metal it is made of. Black holes ring too. When two merge, the newborn black hole shivers ...

Physicists may have uncovered a surprising new clue that string theory—the idea that the universe is built from unimaginably tiny vibrating strings—could be more than just a mathematical fantasy.

The Nature Index 2026 Research Leaders reveal the leading institutions and countries/territories in the natural sciences, health sciences, applied sciences and social sciences, according to their ...

Theoretical physicist Lennaert Huiszoon has described a new family of strings in research conducted at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics. He investigated so-called ...

Scientists who have been trying for decades to bridge quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity have come up with a possible solution for quantum gravity. One bold proposal, Group Field Theory ...