Detection of Gravitational Waves (2015): The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) made history by detecting gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime caused by massive objects like colliding black holes. This confirmed a prediction of Einstein's theory of general relativity and opened up a new way of observing the universe.
Image Credit: LIGO Caltech
Confirmation of the Higgs Boson (2012): The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson, a particle that gives mass to other particles. This discovery completed the Standard Model of particle physics and helped us understand the fundamental forces and particles in the universe.
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Observations of Dark Matter (Ongoing): Although direct detection of dark matter particles has not been achieved, various experiments and observations, such as galactic rotation curves and the cosmic microwave background, strongly suggest the presence of a mysterious form of matter that doesn't emit light but exerts gravitational influence.
Image Credit: SciTechDaily
Advancements in Quantum Computing: Progress in quantum computing has been significant, with demonstrations of quantum supremacy by Google's quantum processor, Sycamore, in 2019. This marked a major milestone in the development of computers that use quantum bits (qubits) to perform calculations far faster than classical computers for certain problems.
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Quantum Entanglement Experiments: Experiments have continued to explore the bizarre phenomenon of quantum entanglement, where particles become correlated in such a way that the state of one instantaneously affects the other, regardless of the distance between them. This challenges classical notions of causality and has implications for quantum communication and computing.
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Cosmic Microwave Background Observations: The Planck satellite and other experiments have provided detailed maps of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is the afterglow of the Big Bang. These observations have refined our understanding of the early universe, including its age, composition, and structure.
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Advances in Materials Science: The discovery and development of new materials with extraordinary properties, such as graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms with exceptional electrical and mechanical properties, have opened up new possibilities in electronics, energy storage, and more.
Image Credit: The Royal Society of Chemistry
Neutrino Oscillations (1998): Experiments studying neutrinos – elusive, nearly massless particles – discovered that they change from one type to another as they travel, implying that they have mass. This discovery challenged previous assumptions about neutrinos and has implications for our understanding of particle physics and the universe's composition.
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Exoplanet Discoveries: While not strictly a physics discovery, the detection of thousands of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) using methods like the transit and radial velocity techniques has expanded our understanding of planetary systems and the potential for extraterrestrial life.
Image Credit: NASA
Advancements in Astrophysics: Observations of phenomena like gamma-ray bursts, neutron star mergers, and black hole dynamics have enriched our understanding of extreme cosmic events, gravitational interactions, and the behavior of matter in extreme conditions.
Image Credit: MUN Gazette