Quantum Mechanics

Quantum Mechanics

DUNE neutrino detectors
Nearly 100 years after being theorized, the strange behavior of the neutrino still mystifies us. They could be even stranger than we know.
9mins
“The universe clicks along in perfect accord with the laws of physics forever.”
Two illustrations: on the left, a ball bounces back after hitting a wall; on the right, inspired by quantum advances, the ball passes through—echoing breakthroughs honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics. A child throws the ball in both scenarios.
Quantum mechanics was first discovered on small, microscopic scales. 2025's Nobel Prize brings the quantum and large-scale worlds together.
A man in a suit sits on a chair against a yellow background with abstract blue and green wave patterns behind him.
1hr 26mins
“I like to say that physics is hard because physics is easy, by which I mean we actually think about physics as students.”
A 3D potential energy surface with a central peak and surrounding valley illustrates zero-point energy power; two blue spheres indicate positions atop the peak and within the valley. Axes labeled Re(φ), Im(φ), and V(φ).
Throughout history, "free energy" has been a scammer's game, such as perpetual motion. But with zero-point energy, is it actually possible?
There could be variables beyond the ones we've identified and know how to measure. But they can't get rid of quantum weirdness.
Amplifying the energy within a laser, over and over, won't get you an infinite amount of energy. There's a fundamental limit due to physics.
An older man in a suit and red tie sits on a chair against a white backdrop, with a colorful outer space scene in the background.
1hr 8mins
“An equation, perhaps no more than one inch long, that would allow us to, quote, 'Read the mind of God.'”
quantum particles
Realizing that matter and energy are quantized is important, but quantum particles aren't the full story; quantum fields are needed, too.
A visual simulation of two objects orbiting and merging, distorting a red-orange grid representing spacetime—illustrating gravitational waves once thought to be the worst prediction in science.
The measured value of the cosmological constant is 120 orders of magnitude smaller than what's predicted. How can this paradox be resolved?
Two colorful, semi-transparent spheres, one blue and one red, represent a possible top quark bound state, toponium, surrounded by small particles inside a cloudy, circular enclosure.
Can the top quark, the shortest-lived particle of all, bind with anything else? Yes it can! New results at the LHC demonstrate toponium exists.
A magnifying glass focusing on concentric circles against a plain teal background.
19mins
"It's a very, very beautiful calculation, but it's the best example I know of the relationship between these rather abstract quantities perhaps and something that you can look at in a telescope."