Physics

Swinburne University's Matthew Bailes has been recognised for his role in discovering fast radio bursts, which are now used by scientists to learn about the Universe.

Astrophysicist Matthew Bailes wins 2024 Prime Minister's Prize for Science.

Australia is making a billion-dollar bet on a "useful" quantum computer in the Queensland capital, but surprisingly few experts agree on what the nation will get in return for its investment.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is bright enough to be seen in the early morning sky with just your eyes. But only if you know when and where to look.

With NASA's crewed mission to the moon only a year away, first results from radiation experiments onboard Artemis 1 suggest short trips are within human limits, but longer missions or travel to Mars may be challenging.

Scientists have yet to find evidence of WIMPs — one of the main contenders for dark matter — in the most sensitive test yet made. We explain what the new results mean.

There's a 100-year-old conundrum in physics that we're still yet to untangle, and it has to do with the very nature of space-time itself.

While the weekend's incredible auroral display might be over, the Sun's antics may still be ramping up over the next few months. Here's what you need to know.

Dr Karl explains the physics behind the aurora australis that occurred over the weekend.

Astronomers have discovered the second-largest black hole known to be in the Milky Way, and it's located just 2,000 light-years from Earth.

Professor Peter Higgs, who is credited with one of the great scientific discoveries of modern times, dies peacefully at home aged 94. 

Melting ice in Greenland and Antarctica is changing Earth's spin, which may help experts with a tricky international timekeeping dilemma, a new study suggests.

Astronomers have discovered a surprising "signal" from outside of our galaxy after analysing 13 years of data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.

The Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory is about to become home to a "quantum refrigerator", in a first for physicists in the Southern Hemisphere.

Pre-eminent quantum physicist Professor Simmons has spent decades at the cutting edge of scientific discovery.

Quantum physicist Michelle Simmons has been awarded the 2023 Prime Minister's Prize for Science for her role as a world leader in the race to harness the power of atoms to build super-fast computers. 

To take just a few examples, Nobel Prize-winning physics has given us portable computers, efficient LED lighting, climate modelling and radiation treatment of cancer, writes Karen Livesey.

The field of research is currently more about furthering humanity's understanding of the universe than producing practical applications, but the hope is that further developments will lead to more advanced electronics and better disease diagnosis.

Attempts to understand why there is much more matter in the Universe than antimatter have been dealt a blow with an experiment ruling out one of the major explanations.

Astronomers have spotted two cosmic oddities that could be exceedingly rare polar ring galaxies in data captured by the powerful ASKAP radio telescope in WA's outback. They say the discovery could help shed more light on the secrets of dark matter.