John McGreevy is Professor of Physics at the University of California, San Diego. He is a theoretical physicist with interests in quantum matter, string theory, and ...

Quantum gravity and field theory represent a frontier where the principles of quantum mechanics are reconciled with Einstein’s description of gravity. Researchers are seeking a consistent framework ...

Quantum mechanics is perhaps the most unintuitive theory ever devised. And yet it’s also the most successful, in terms of sheer predictive power. Simply by following the math of quantum mechanics, ...

At long last, a unified theory combining gravity with the other fundamental forces—electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces—is within reach. Bringing gravity into the fold has been the ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it. If you wanted to answer the question of what's truly fundamental in ...

What is a quantum field and how does it interact with matter? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the ...

Mean-field theory and semiclassical methods constitute vital frameworks in contemporary quantum mechanics. By replacing the intricate web of particle interactions with an average or “mean” field, mean ...

For decades, physicists have faced one of science’s greatest puzzles: merging quantum mechanics, which describes tiny particles, with general relativity, which explains the universe’s vast structures.

The recent confirmation of gravity waves observed by the LIGO project represents a huge breakthrough in physics, verifying Albert Einstein's predictions regarding the effect of mass on space and time ...

String theory unifies all the forces of nature. Forces that seem very different, such as gravity and electricity, are deeply ...

Quantum field theory marries the ideas of other quantum theories to depict all particles as “excitations” that arise in underlying fields. The British physicist Paul Dirac started the ball rolling in ...