New Scientist - Physics

1. Light has been seen leaving an atom cloud before it entered
   Particles of light can spend "negative time" passing through a cloud of extremely cold atoms – without breaking the laws of physics
2. We physicists could learn a lot by stepping beyond our specialisms
   A recent atomic physics workshop was outside my dark matter comfort zone, but learning about science beyond my usual boundaries was invigorating, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
3. Freak waves may be more dangerous than we thought possible
   Experiments in a state-of-the-art wave tank suggest we have underestimated the potential size and power of rogue waves and the risk they pose to offshore infrastructure
4. Why the words we use in physics obscure the true nature of reality
   Simple words like "force" and "particle" can mislead us as to what reality is actually like. Physicist Matt Strassler unpacks how to see things more clearly
5. Our reality seems to be compatible with a quantum multiverse
   Even though the strange behaviour we observe in the quantum realm isn’t part of our daily lives, simulations suggest it is likely our reality could be one of the many worlds in a quantum multiverse
6. Hopes for new physics dashed by ordinary-looking W bosons at CERN
   In 2022, physicists were excited by hints that something was wrong with our understanding of the universe - but new results have put that in doubt
7. Cause and effect may not actually be muddled in the quantum realm
   The direction of cause and effect was brought into question for quantum objects more than a decade ago, but new calculations may offer a way to restore it
8. How the most precise clock ever could change our view of the cosmos
   Forget atomic clocks. Nuclear clocks, which only drop a second every 300 billion years, can test whether nature's fundamental constants are constant after all
9. Can we solve quantum theory’s biggest problem by redefining reality?
   With its particles in two places at once, quantum theory strains our common sense notions of how the universe should work. But one group of physicists says we can get reality back if we just redefine its foundations
10. Quantum holograms can send messages that disappear
    Entangled particles of light can transmit holographic images that can be selectively erased, allowing for secure communications that can also be deleted