Skip to main content

Physics

Physics research drives the long-term arc of technology and our understanding of the universe. This hub covers quantum mechanics, particle accelerator results, fusion energy progress, condensed matter discoveries, and the intersection of physics with computing.

Latest on Physics

The Sun photographed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory — a glowing orange disk with surface granulation and an erupting prominence, a giant natural fusion reactor

ScienceComparison

Nuclear Fusion vs Fission: What's the Difference?

Fission splits heavy atoms; fusion joins light ones. Here's how the two nuclear reactions really differ — in energy, fuel, waste, safety, and which one powers the future.

Jul 14, 202610 min
Abstract visualization of light as discrete glowing packets travelling along a wave

ScienceComparison

Quantum vs Photon: What's the Difference?

A photon is a quantum — but not every quantum is a photon. Here's the real difference between the two, in plain English, and why people mix them up.

Jul 10, 202610 min
Inside the National Ignition Facility's preamplifier bay at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, glowing blue as laser light is amplified before the 192 beams converge on the fusion target

ScienceGuide

How Lasers Ignited a Star: The NIF Ignition Breakthrough Explained

On December 5, 2022, 192 laser beams fired at a target smaller than a peppercorn — and produced more energy than they carried. Here's exactly how the National Ignition Facility achieved the fusion milestone physicists had chased for 70 years.

Jul 2, 202612 min
A glowing digital padlock over a circuit-board background, representing encryption and cybersecurity

ScienceGuide

Will Quantum Computers Break the Internet's Encryption?

Quantum computers threaten the encryption that secures the internet — but it's more nuanced than the headlines. What actually breaks, what survives, why 'harvest now, decrypt later' makes it urgent today, and how the world is already fighting back.

Jun 24, 202610 min

Frequently Asked Questions

What is quantum computing?

Quantum computing uses the principles of quantum mechanics — superposition and entanglement — to perform certain calculations exponentially faster than classical computers.

What is nuclear fusion?

Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the Sun: two light atomic nuclei are forced together to form a heavier one, releasing enormous energy. Recreating it on Earth — as at the National Ignition Facility — is one of physics' biggest engineering challenges and a potential source of clean, abundant energy.

Why is light both a wave and a particle?

Experiments show light produces wave-like interference yet also arrives in discrete packets called photons. This wave–particle duality is a fundamental feature of quantum mechanics, not a limitation of our instruments — light genuinely behaves as both, depending on how it is observed.