Quantum physics

Physicists are investigating whether time itself can behave according to the rules of quantum mechanics, and not just serve as a fixed backdrop for events. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Physicists propose an experiment in which time itself would exhibit quantum behavior

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A new study proposes using ultra-precise atomic clocks to test whether the flow of time can be found in a quantum superposition. The researchers hope to measure for the first time a single clock “ticks” at multiple rates simultaneously.
Visualization of vortices and “dark spots” within a light field — the phenomena measured in new research from the Technion, confirming that they may move faster than the speed of light without violating the theory of relativity. Credit: Nature (2026), DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10209-z.

For the first time, “spots of darkness” within light waves — confirming a 50-year-old prediction of faster-than-light motion

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A new study from the Technion published in Nature has measured dark spots within light waves for the first time and confirmed that they may move faster than the speed of light without violating relativity.
Anthony James Leggett. Photo: University of Illinois

Anthony Leggett (1938–2026): Nobel laureate who worked at the forefront of quantum physics

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Avshalom Elitzur bid farewell to Anthony James Leggett, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics, and recalled his personal meetings with him, his contribution to the study of superconductors and superfluids, and his part in shaping the discussion on the foundations of quantum theory.
Edward Teller, 1958. From Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

Edward Teller: From Warning of a “Nazi Bomb” to Vision of the Hydrogen Bomb

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How did exiled scientists from Europe accelerate the Manhattan Project, and why does the “father of the hydrogen bomb” remain a controversial figure to this day?
Prof. Yigal Talmi, 2012. Photo: Weizmann Institute Spokesperson

The death of a scientist and pioneer. The Weizmann Institute bids farewell to Prof. Yigal Talmi

Satellite image of a winter storm in the American northwest. Source: CIRA

Pacific winter storm track moving north faster than forecast

Shifting storm tracks due to climate change is warming and drying out large areas of the American Northwest.
The quantum interference experiment as seen under an electron microscope. Using bilayer graphene, scientists controlled the trajectory of an anion in the material (in red). They made its wave go around an island containing a magnetic field and other anions (in green) and then brought it back together with the original wave to study its properties. The electrical gates (in dark gray) allow scientists to direct the anions along specific paths in the material and also determine the density of electrons in the island.

Weizmann Institute scientists identify quantum "memory particles" – a step towards a durable quantum computer

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists have found new evidence for the existence of a system of particles that "remembers" which quantum states it was in before, taking another step toward a fault-tolerant quantum computer.
Figure caption: Schematic illustration of the EAST tokamak operation during an electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH-assisted Ohmic start-up). Credit: Ning Yan.

China moves closer to igniting fusion thanks to breakthrough in high-density plasma

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Scientists working with China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) have succeeded in reaching a state long predicted by theorists, known as the "density-free regime."

Universal quantum coupler from Tel Aviv University could reduce the cost of a photonic quantum computer tenfold

Tel Aviv University's Quantum Pulse Ventures presents a universal quantum coupler for photonic quantum computing, which reduces error rates and hardware requirements – and could enable the construction of quantum computers for about 100 million
Diagram: Space-based search for ultralight bosons and a prototype quantum sensor. Including a gas-vapor chamber, multilayer magnetic shielding, fiber-optic gyroscope, and radiation shielding box. Credit: Science China Press

Chinese scientists turn Earth into a giant quantum sensor to uncover new physics

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Orbital quantum sensing, spin-sensing, SQUIRE, exotic interactions, axion halos

Nobel Prize in Physics 2025: Quantum tunneling, superconductors and quantum computers

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This year, three researchers from the University of Santa Barbara won for a series of groundbreaking experiments that established the superconducting qubit – the central component that scientists around the world are now using to build quantum computers. In the article
Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of quantum properties. © Johan Jarnestad/The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 "for the discovery of macroscopic quantum tunneling and the quantization of energy in an electric circuit"

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The Swedish Academy has announced that John Clark, Michelle Deborah and John Martinis have won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of quantum phenomena in hand-held electrical circuits.
When archaeology and physics meet, new depths are revealed. Illustration courtesy of Tel Aviv University

Breakthrough: Using Muons from Cosmic Radiation to Identify and Map Underground Spaces at Archaeological Sites

A multidisciplinary team at Tel Aviv University has developed the technology that will enable "X-ray imaging" of the underground for archaeological excavations.
Space-time. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Does space-time really exist?

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Is time something that flows—or just an illusion? Examining space-time as a fixed or dynamic fabric reveals deeper questions about existence, change, and the true nature of reality.
This artistic rendering depicts small, primordial black holes. In reality, such tiny black holes would struggle to form the accretion disks that would make them appear as they do here. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Physicists: Within a decade, we may see a primordial black hole exploding

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New research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst indicates a probability of up to 90% for a primordial black hole to explode in the next decade – an event that could provide direct evidence of Hawking radiation and reveal the full list of all the universe's dark matter.

The measurement problem

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Does the wave function describe reality or only our knowledge of it? Three fundamental problems—the result, the statistics, and the effect—reveal that the issue of measurement is not just a philosophical question.
A laser beam strikes glass particles. Credit: Lorenzo Dania (ETH Zürich)

Room-temperature quantum breakthrough shakes physicists

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Scientists have achieved a breakthrough in quantum research by showing that nanoparticles can exhibit quantum rotational oscillations even at room temperature—without cooling them to near absolute zero.
Experimental diagram: Two single atoms act as cracks. The scattered light is recorded with a highly sensitive camera. Credit: MIT / Courtesy of the researchers

MIT refutes Einstein: Two-slit experiment in the most accurate quantum version

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Physicists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have succeeded in proving that it is impossible to simultaneously observe the wave and particle nature of light – using individual atoms and quantum photons, thereby confirming Niels Bohr's predictions.

Bell's Inequality – Not What You Thought

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Dr. Noam Hai debunks the myths surrounding Bell's inequality and clarifies what it really says – and what it doesn't. Does quantum mechanics put an end to determinism, or are we perhaps giving up too quickly?
Laser pulses induce electronic changes on the cuprate scale, creating long-lasting quantum states that last about a thousand times longer than normal. Credit: Brad Baxley / Part to Whole

Quantum time freezing: Lasers freeze quantum states a thousand times longer

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Using powerful laser and X-ray pulses, researchers from Harvard and the Scherrer Institute have succeeded in breaking electronic symmetry and trapping a long-lasting quantum state – a move that could lead to breakthroughs in information storage and optoelectronic devices.
Vials containing the new silicone copolymers, separated by chain length from longest to shortest, provide visual evidence of the changing energy gap in the new semiconductor silicon. UV illumination creates a rainbow of vials as the longer chains shift toward the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum, requiring less energy to absorb and emit light at lower energies. Credit: Zijing (Jackie) Zhang.

New material breaks the rules: Scientists turn insulator into semiconductor

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A team of researchers from the University of Michigan has discovered a new silicone copolymer that can conduct electricity and emit light – a breakthrough that could lead to flexible electronics, wearable solar cells and ultra-thin color displays.
Two atoms, trapped in laser beams, are shown in a special quantum state called "superentanglement." In this state, both their motion and their internal energy are linked, opening up new possibilities for quantum technologies. Credit: Artificial intelligence-generated visualization by Manuel Endres

Controlling quantum motion and superentanglement

Two atoms, trapped in laser beams, are shown to be in a special quantum state called “superentanglement.” In this state, both their motion and their internal energy are linked together, opening up new possibilities for quantum technologies.
Asher Yahalom presents a relativistic nano-engine at the Aerospace Technology Conference 2025, A Coruna University, India

Groundbreaking Relativistic Engines: From Theory to Practical Propulsion

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Ariel University Researchers Unveil Distributed, Quantum Mechanisms for Propulsion Without Rocket Thrust
The exterior of the Atlas experiment at CERN. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The prestigious Breakthrough Prize was awarded this year to the Atlas experiment at the Ceren particle accelerator, which involves about a hundred Israeli researchers.

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The ATLAS experiment involves four groups from Israel, consisting of approximately 100 researchers from Tel Aviv University, the Technion, the Weizmann Institute, and Ben-Gurion University.
Infographic explaining the "Schrodinger's Cat" thought experiment. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Schrödinger's cat is heating up: A revolution in the concept of temperature in quantum physics

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Scientists have succeeded in producing quantum superposition states even at high temperatures, breaking the myth that only cold allows quantum phenomena to exist.
The metals region of the periodic table. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Quantum breakthrough could unlock the secret of strange metals – and the future of superconductors

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The strange metals are structurally close to high-temperature superconductors, which have the potential to conduct electricity without energy loss. Understanding them could revolutionize power grids and make energy transmission more efficient.
A green laboratory, two scientists researching optics, wearing lab coats with complex, computerized equipment.

Strong light and attoseconds: revolutionizing material properties using laser beams

Prof. Nirit Dudovich's lab reveals how strong light rapidly changes the properties of matter, breaking new ground for ultra-fast computing and communication capabilities.
Einstein's equation (E = mc^2) describes the relationship between mass and energy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

In honor of Albert Einstein's birthday: Light – waves or particles?

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From the chapter "The Year of Wonders" from Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund's book: Albert Einstein Creates a World Picture
Professor Erez Etzion. Photo: Tel Aviv University Spokesperson

Podcast: The Secrets of the CERN Particle Accelerator

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From the podcast series "Tel Aviv 360" (Hebrew)
Photo by research team: Tel Aviv University. Credit: Sayostudio

Electric memory slide

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A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University has succeeded in exploiting frictionless sliding to significantly improve the performance of memory components in computers and other electrical components.
The KM3NeT experiment uses an array of light sensor modules fixed to the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. This image shows the deployment process of one set of modules. Credit: INFN/A. Simonelli 

The highest-energy neutrino to date was discovered in an underwater facility in the Mediterranean Sea.

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A still partially operational underwater neutrino detection experiment has detected what appears to be the highest-energy cosmic neutrino measured to date.
A tesseract (a four-dimensional cube) and the "shadow" it casts on a plane - the quasi-crystal discovered by Shechtman. According to Prof. Bartel, "The fact that a quasi-crystal is a "shadow" of a high-dimensional periodic crystal is not new in itself. We discovered that the casting is not only of but also of topological properties such as holes, distortions or vortices." Illustration: Florian Sterl, Sterltech Optics

Greetings from the Fourth Dimension: Technion Researchers Unveil New Breakthrough in the Field of Quasi-Crystals

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New research reveals that the fourth dimension dictates not only the structure but also the topological properties of quasicrystals, offering a deeper understanding of a phenomenon that won Prof. Dan Shechtman the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Leopold Infeld in a photograph from 1938. Public domain photo from Wikimedia

In Search of the Homeland: Leopold Infeld

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Leopold Infeld's life journey: from the Krakow ghetto through collaboration with Einstein to protests against anti-Semitism and censorship in Poland
A graphic showing the lateral motion of a quark (the green ball) inside a proton whose spin is aligned with its direction of motion (the big yellow arrow). Credit: Valerie Lentz, Brookhaven Lab.

Groundbreaking calculations reveal the hidden motion of quarks inside protons

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A new theoretical method enables more accurate calculations of the three-dimensional motion of quarks, and leads to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the proton spin

The strange dance of ion and atom

A cold, strange and short molecule created in an experiment at the Weizmann Institute of Science following a collision between particles may shed light on chemical reactions at extremely low temperatures

Light alone cannot create a black hole

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Researchers from Canada and Spain have demonstrated for the first time that black holes cannot be formed from the compression of electromagnetic radiation alone. The reason for this lies in a quantum effect that converts energy into particles that scatter from the compressed area and prevent the light from collapsing
Comparison of the experimental measurement (above) and the theoretical simulation (below)

Scientists have discovered unexpected behavior in pairs of CO₂ molecules after ionization

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An international team of scientists has made a surprising discovery in the field of molecular physics, revealing unexpected symmetry breaking dynamics in carbon dioxide dimers after ionization. The study, published in Nature Communications, provides new insights on
The Xenon top array detector array of the XENONnT partnership. PR photo

The international XENONnT experiment: first measurement of nuclear recoil from solar neutrinos

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Prof. Rani Bodnik from the Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics at the Weizmann Institute of Science is a partner in this research, and among other things built the control and calibration systems and took part in the data analysis
Simulation of a collision event corresponding to the formation of a Higgs pair measured in 2017. Credit: ATLAS/CERN collaboration

Physicists combine several observations of Higgs boson pairs and discover clues about the stability of the universe

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Remember how hard it was to find a single Higgs boson? Try to find two at the same place and time. This fascinating process, called Higgs pair production, can provide scientists with information about the self-interaction of
Finally the DOM experiment in the South Pole Telescope detector system is starting to give results. Credit: Mark Krasberg, IceCube/NSF

Bending reality: Einstein meets quantum mechanics in Antarctic ice

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Researchers examine the interface between these two theories, using ultra-high-energy neutrinos detected by a particle detector placed deep inside the Antarctic ice sheet at the South Pole
The Large Hadron Collider LHC is down for an upgrade. Photo: CERN

Why is the mass of the Higgs particle lighter than expected?

Researchers have built a model according to which the mass of the Higgs boson, which helps produce the mass of elementary particles, changed in the early universe, and is therefore much smaller than the standard model of particle physics describes
Photon Multiplier Tubes - A multiplier will detect flashes of energy produced when neutrinos interact with matter. Credit: Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

A huge facility in China will study the neutrino particles - mainly those generated from nuclear power plants

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The facility, named JUNO, consists of a huge tank that surrounds an array of detectors. The container contains a substance that causes a scintillation which is recorded in the detectors and thus allows to identify a neutrino event, its type and mass, since the neutrino particles change
A Stratasys printed materials experiment that will fly to the moon to examine the radiation environment there. PR photo

NASA will test Stratsys' printed components on the moon

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The purpose of the mission is to test the materials' resistance to radiation and the potential for the compatibility of printed parts in future space missions
Photo: Tel Aviv University spokesperson

Scientific discovery: researchers have seen phenomena from quantum mechanics in the movement of pendulums

The new system makes it possible to observe the phenomena that occur inside special "topological" materials by photographing the movement of pendulums using a normal camera
The three-body problem. The figure was prepared with the help of DALEE artificial intelligence software for illustration purposes only and should not be considered a scientific image

A breakthrough in predicting chaotic results in the three body system

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New research from the Larkach Institute of Physics reveals a significant advance in chaos theory, by confirming in detail the flux-based statistical theory that predicts chaotic outcomes in non-hierarchical Newtonian three-body systems. This breakthrough lies

Non-grieving anions observed for the first time - a new technology for quantum computing?

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The non-Abelian anions are quasi-particles with fascinating statistical and topological properties. Until recently, these particles were only theoretical, but now a research group from Harvard University has created them for the first time in the laboratory. The discovery is made
The interference experiment

A new radical theory unites Einstein's theories of gravity with quantum mechanics

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Two articles by University College London researchers have been published in Nature Communications and Physics Magazine in which the researchers offer an elegant way to reconcile the contradiction between the two theories, each of which affects on a different scale
Prof. Ado Kaminer in his laboratory. Photo: Nitzan Zohar, Technion Spokesperson

Towards the discovery of quantum phenomena that have not yet been observed: Prof. Ado Kaminer of the Technion won an ERC Consolidator grant

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"The observations will be made possible through the control we have developed over the wave nature of free electrons," explains Prof. Kaminer
From the left, Prof. Franz Krause, and Prof. Anne L'Ollier during the ceremony of receiving the Wolf Prize from the President of Israel Yitzhak Herzog. Photo courtesy of the Wolf Foundation

Nobel Prize in Physics for 2023 to researchers who managed to measure tiny and fast processes in electrons

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The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three researchers: Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier for "the development of their methods that produce short attosecond pulses
DALEE 2's interpretation of the matter of floating anti-matter atoms.

For the first time, the free fall of antihydrogen atoms was measured and the effect of gravity on antimatter was discovered

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"This is the first measurement ever made of the free fall of antimatter (antihydrogen) atoms that directly shows that they really fall down," explained Prof. Eli Sherid from the Physics Department at Ben-Gurion University
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