Matter is a substance that makes up everything in the universe, having mass and occupying space by exhibiting volume. It is composed of atoms or the subatomic particles that constitute atoms: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Matter exists in various states, primarily solid, liquid, gas, and plasma, each distinguished by different physical properties and behaviors under various conditions of temperature and pressure. The interactions and combinations of atoms lead to the formation of molecules and compounds, which can exhibit a wide range of physical and chemical properties. Matter can change from one state to another through physical processes such as melting, freezing, vaporization, and condensation, or transform chemically through reactions that rearrange atomic connections. The study of matter is a fundamental aspect of physics and chemistry, providing insights into the composition, properties, and transformations of materials.
Research reveals a new method of establishing order in quantum systems, potentially benefiting quantum technology advancements. Researchers Kazuaki Takasan and Kyogo Kawaguchi from the University…
In 1960, Luttinger proposed a universal principle connecting the total capacity of a system for particles with its response to low-energy excitations. Although easily confirmed…
A study led by Brown University scientists begins to address a longstanding question in condensed matter physics on whether disorder mimics or destroys the quantum…
A recent study, which holds significant implications for addressing one of the most important unresolved questions in physics—the disparity between matter and antimatter in the…
Researchers from EPFL have discovered a new way to create a crystalline structure called a “density wave” in an atomic gas. This breakthrough can help…
JILA physicists make record-breaking measurement of a key electron property. In the first moments of our universe, countless numbers of protons, neutrons, and electrons formed…
New findings from Jefferson Laboratory shed light on the process of forming strange matter from ordinary matter. Nuclear physicists have made a groundbreaking discovery through…
Scientists are investigating how matter gets its mass by confining quarks. A novel method for investigating quarks, the fundamental particles that make up the protons…
Physicists invoke the cosmological collider to demonstrate why matter, not antimatter, dominates the universe. The universe was filled with equal numbers of matter and “antimatter” –…
Even if you’re not a physicist, phases of matter … really matter. They’re the distinct physical forms taken on by all the “stuff” in the…
The option to measure the gravitational waves of two merging neutron stars has offered the chance to answer some of the fundamental questions about the…
The universe consists of matter. Matter is everything we see around us. That’s strange – but why? In theory, there should also be large amounts…
An international team of physicists has managed for the first time to experimentally observe a transition between two different states of matter: a propagating polariton-soliton…
A new study from the LHCb collaboration at CERN details the first observation of matter-antimatter asymmetry in the decays of the particle known as the…
A newly published study, which examines how energy is shared between the different species of matter and how it is transferred from strongly heated electrons…
A newly published paper details the findings made by physicists while measuring the coherence and spin of excitons in a refrigerated system. The team discovered…
Physicists at the University of California, Riverside, have set forward lab experiments to determine if antimatter behaves differently in gravity than baryonic matter. This could…
Experiments carried out at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory allowed scientists to control a 2-million-degree piece of matter. Researchers used…