Loop quantum gravity (LQG) is a non-perturbative, background-independent approach to quantising spacetime that seeks to merge the principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity. In this ...

Repulsive gravity at the quantum scale would have flattened out inhomogeneities in the early universe First light The cosmic microwave background, as imaged by the European Space Agency’s Planck ...

Quantum gravity remains one of the foremost challenges in theoretical physics, seeking to reconcile the principles of quantum mechanics with the geometric understanding of spacetime envisaged by ...

In a bold step toward solving one of science’s most puzzling problems, researchers have proposed a new way to bring gravity into the same mathematical language as the other forces of nature. While the ...

What if the mysterious substance holding galaxies together is made of leftovers from a universe that existed before our own?

Large masses – such as a galaxy – curve space-time. Objects move along a geodesic. If we take into account that space-time itself has quantum properties, deviations arise (dashed line vs. solid line).

A key question in physics is whether gravity follows quantum rules, but testing this is difficult because gravitational ...

Physicists have spent a century trying to reconcile the smooth fabric of spacetime in general relativity with the jittery quantum fields that govern particles, and gravity has stubbornly resisted ...

In quantum physics, objects can exist in multiple states at the same time—a phenomenon known as quantum superposition, where ...

There is no question that quantum theory is correct. It’s been proven over and over, both in the lab and through practical achievement. But the question remains: is it always correct? Quantum ...

Quantum theory and Einstein's theory of general relativity are two of the greatest successes in modern physics. Each works extremely well in its own domain: Quantum theory explains how atoms and ...