Theoretical calculations predict a complex excited state (0+) for helium-4 (4He) at the 20.21 MeV energy level. This state involves a coupling of three cluster configurations: hydrogen-3 and a proton, ...

Columnist Natalie Wolchover checks in with particle physicists more than a decade after the field entered a profound crisis.

From mysterious dark matter to the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei, the past 12 months have reiterated just how strange particle physics can be. When you purchase through links on our site, we may ...

Alpha decay represents a fundamental mode of radioactive disintegration wherein an unstable nucleus emits an alpha particle—a tightly bound cluster of two protons and two neutrons. This process not ...

Physicists have spent decades treating mass as something the universe simply hands to particles, a property encoded in equations rather than explained from first principles. A new proposal argues that ...

It’s the rarest particle decay ever discovered. Scientists have clinched the case for a special type of decay of subatomic particles called kaons. Further study of the rare decay could reveal a ...

"I am personally excited to have found a new mystery in science to solve." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Over the years, ...

Once in a very great while, an ephemeral particle called a kaon arises and then quickly decays away into three other obscure entities. Whether or not this happens in a particular way has very little ...

Discover the fascinating world of particle physics — the most fundamental building blocks of the universe and the forces that connect them. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...

Theoretical calculations predict a complex excited state (0+) for helium-4 (4He) at the 20.21 MeV energy level. This state involves a coupling of three cluster configurations: hydrogen-3 and a proton, ...