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Elementary particles are the building blocks of matter, but there is also a zoo of quasiparticles that are crucial for understanding how this matter behaves.
The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz “for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter”.
Although driven by the promise of almost limitless energy, fusion research touches on plenty of gripping, fundamental physics — and the wider scientific community has every reason to be supportive.
The history of physics publishing in the past century shows how the changing needs of the research community shaped the dissemination of knowledge through scientific journals.
Physicists have finally detected gravitational waves, in a triumph of ingenuity and perseverance. And now we need to explain them to the general public.
Emergent phenomena are common in condensed matter. Their study now extends beyond strongly correlated electron systems, giving rise to the broader concept of quantum materials.
With a dedicated monthly column, Nature Physics draws attention to metrology. And a set of Commentaries in this issue focuses on various aspects of thermometry.