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The Future Circular Collider is unduly risky – CERN needs a ‘Plan B’

Michele Dougherty steps aside as president of the Institute of Physics

IOP president-elect Paul Howarth will take on Dougherty’s responsibilities with immediate effect

Ion-clock transition could benefit quantum computing and nuclear physics

Deformed nucleus makes multi-ion design easier

Research updates

Einstein’s recoiling slit experiment realized at the quantum limit

Laboratory set-up of Einstein’s thought experiment

Uranus and Neptune may be more rocky than icy, say astrophysicists

Images of Uranus, a turquoise-coloured world with a large white spot at the top, and Neptune, which is a slightly darker blue and has a smaller white spot. They're both floating against a black sky.

String-theory concept boosts understanding of biological networks

Artist's impression of a biological neural network

Could silicon become the bedrock of quantum computers?

Australian spin-out Silicon Quantum Computing makes the case with a modality-leading 11-qubit processor

New sensor uses topological material to detect helium leaks

Device works by monitoring frequency of sound waves propagating through a kagome material

Encrypted qubits can be cloned and stored in multiple locations

“Elegant” result has implications for a quantum internet

Hot ancient galaxy cluster challenges current cosmological models

Observations of the thermal energy in a baby galaxy cluster 12.4 billion light years away suggest much more energetic early cluster growth than current theories assume

Modelling wavefunction collapse as a continuous flow yields insights on the nature of measurement

Quantum state diffusion framework makes it possible to characterize quantum measurement in terms of entropy production

NPL unveils miniature atomic fountain clock

Precision timekeeper is just 5% the size of a conventional clock

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Latest news

European Space Agency unveils first images from Earth-observation ‘sounder’ satellite

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Physicist Norbert Holtkamp takes over as head of Fermilab

Astronomer Daniel Jaffe named president of the Giant Magellan Telescope project

The latest opinion and reviews

Is our embrace of AI naïve and could it lead to an environmental disaster?

silhouette of figure in a hoodie holding a glowing red AI chip

The obscure physics theory that helped Chinese science emerge from the shadows

Robert P Crease reveals the curious twist in the development of Chinese physics in the 1960s

Mission to Mars: from biological barriers to ethical impediments

Emma Chapman reviews Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds by Scott Solomon

Physics World podcasts

AI-based tool improves the quality of radiation therapy plans for cancer treatment

Cosmic time capsules: the search for pristine comets

Small white dot with a blue halo. Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS observed by the Hubble telescope

Laser fusion: Focused Energy charts a course to commercial viability

Explore our two regular podcast series! Physics World Weekly looks at the latest events and headlines in physics, as well as featuring short interviews with scientists and our team of journalists. Physics World Stories takes a more in-depth look at a topic.

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The power of a poster

Kevin McGuigan highlights what a good poster can do for your research

Row of 3 posters on a wall next to an open office door

Fuel cell catalyst requirements for heavy-duty vehicle applications

Join the audience for a live webinar at 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. EST on 18 February 2026

Discover the realities and requirements of catalyst development for fuel cell applications

Ask me anything: Mažena Mackoit-Sinkevičienė – ‘Above all, curiosity drives everything’

Mažena Mackoit-Sinkevičienė works in quantum optics and technology and is vice-president of the Lithuanian Physical Society

Shining laser light on a material produces subtle changes in its magnetic properties

New use for photolithography could have applications for data storage

Photo of three researchers in white clean room gear, pictured in a laboratory

CERN accepts $1bn in private cash towards Future Circular Collider

Cash comes as Mark Thomson takes the reins at CERN

Polarization-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy reveals heart tissue health

Label-free imaging technique can distinguish diseased cardiac tissue from healthy tissue and identify different types of fibrosis

MIR-DS-PAM images of fibrotic and normal cardiac tissue

India turns to small modular nuclear reactors to meet climate targets

While SMRs could help meet climate targets there are concerns over their commercial viability

Gravitational lensing sheds new light on Hubble constant controversy

Astronomers calculate new value for the universe's expansion

A montage of eight time-delay gravitational lens systems. There is an entire galaxy at the centre of each image, and bright points in rings around them.

RFID-tagged drug capsule lets doctors know when it has been swallowed

A dissolvable drug capsule uses radiofrequency signals to ensure that people are taking their medication on schedule

Quantum state teleported between quantum dots at telecoms wavelengths

Frequency-converted photons are key to proof-of-principle experiment

A group of physicists gathered around an optical bench in a laboratory. They are variously studying screens, looking through an IR viewer, and adjusting equipment on the bench.

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Quantum metrology at NPL: we explore the challenges and opportunities

This podcast features Tim Prior and John Devaney of the National Physical Laboratory

Photonics West explores the future of optical technologies

SPIE Photonics West sees the global optics and photonics community come together to present and discuss the latest industry trends and research breakthroughs

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Featured employer

Physics World Jobs offers a range of opportunities for jobseekers with a background in physics or engineering. At all stages of your career, we can help find the job for you

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

For more than 60 years, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has applied science and technology to make the world a safer place. Its defining responsibility is ensuring the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent

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Featured webinar

Tune into online presentations that allow expert speakers to explain novel tools and applications

Reversible degradation phenomenon in PEMWE cells

Join the audience for a live webinar at 6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. EST on 4 February 2026

Sponsored by The Electrochemical Society, Hiden Analytical, Scribner Associates, Gamry Instruments

Investigate how voltage dips below 1.5 V trigger reversible PEMWE performance gains, driven by iridium oxidation dynamics and reaction kinetics

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Featured event

Stay up to date with the latest international conferences, symposia and exhibitions for interdisciplinary scientists working across academic research and industry

Food Physics 2026

4—5 February 2026 | Leeds, UK

Physics plays a crucial role in the design of delicious, healthy, and nutritious food and beverages. This annual conference, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2026, brings together academics and industry professionals to share the latest developments and explore opportunities for physicists to tackle multidisciplinary challenges. These challenges range from sustainability to food manufacturing and the design of multiphase microstructures.

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