Space: The Final Illusion
The intuitive idea that objects influence each other because they are in physical proximity is soon to become another of those beliefs that turn out to be wrong when we look deeper
Volume 30, Issue 5s
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Features
The Unsolvable Problem
After a years-long intellectual journey, three mathematicians have discovered that a problem of central importance in physics is impossible to solve—and that means other big questions may be undecidable, too
Can Quantum Mechanics Save the Cosmic Multiverse?
A surprising connection between cosmology and quantum mechanics could unveil the secrets of space and time
How Does the Quantum World Cross Over?
The universe according to quantum mechanics is strange and probabilistic, but our everyday reality seems nailed down. New experiments aim to probe where—and why—one realm passes into the other
Lost in Thought—How Important to Physics Were Einstein’s Imaginings?
Einstein’s thought experiments left a long and somewhat mixed legacy of their own
Quantum Gravity in the Lab
Physicists attempting to unify the theories of gravity and quantum mechanics have long thought practical experiments were out of reach, but new proposals offer a chance to test the quantum nature of gravity on a tabletop
Escape from a Black Hole
To save quantum mechanics, information must break free from black holes. New observations may help tell us how
Quantum Slits Open New Doors
An update to the classic “double-slit” experiment paves the way toward a novel strategy for quantum computing
Spooky Quantum Action Passes Test
Recent experiments quash the hope that the unsettling phenomenon of quantum entanglement can be explained away
What Einstein Really Thought about Quantum Mechanics
Einstein’s assertion that God does not play dice with the universe has been misinterpreted
China Shatters “Spooky Action at a Distance” Record, Preps for Quantum Internet
Results from the Micius satellite test quantum entanglement, pointing the way toward hackproof global communications
The Coolest Physics You’ve Ever Heard Of
Ultracold atoms can simulate all sorts of quantum behavior
The Quantum Internet Is Emerging, One Experiment at a Time
Breakthrough demonstrations using defective diamonds, high-flying drones, laser-bathed crystals and other exotica suggest practical, unhackable quantum networks are within reach
Beyond Quantum Supremacy: The Hunt for Useful Quantum Computers
With decades still to go until the first general-purpose quantum computers, the race is on to make today’s systems useful
The Quantum Gold Rush
The science is immature, and a multipurpose quantum computer doesn’t yet exist. But that isn’t stopping investors from pouring cash into quantum start-ups