Atomic, molecular and optical physics lies at the intersection of quantum mechanics and electromagnetic theory, providing the fundamental framework for our understanding of matter and light.

THE theory of atomic structure has, during the past few years, reached a stage of sufficient success and stability for it to be possible to describe many of its features in a simple manner. There is a ...

Many heavy atomic nuclei are shaped more or less like squashed rugby balls than fully inflated ones, according to a ...

Editor’s Note: Professor WERNER HEISENBERG, who was born in Duisburg in 1901, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1932 for his work on the quantum theory. A member of the faculty of the ...

Physicists have made one of the highest performance atomic clocks ever. ­­ Their instrument, known as an optical lattice atomic clock, can measure differences in time to a precision equivalent to ...

In 1980, Stephen Hawking gave his first lecture as Lucasian Professor at the University of Cambridge. The lecture was called ...

Researchers uncover how the surface structure of silver iodide at the atomic scale triggers ice formation in clouds, ...

Combined STM and MRI techniques resolve single atoms on a surface, providing potential for imaging larger molecules. Credit: Philip Willke et al. One of the quantum properties used to characterize ...

Gaby and Alex’s team developed a chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) that is a little larger than a peanut. Rubidium atoms in the atomic beam provide the microwave quantum transition that is used by the ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about physics, science, academia, and pop culture. This article is more than 5 years old. As I somewhat regularly note ...

Students use the terms isotope, atomic number, mass number, and atomic mass. Atomic Theory: Structure of the Atom: Students use the terms isotope, atomic number, mass number, and atomic mass to ...

Delve into the detail of atomic physics. As the basic units of matter, atoms are the building blocks for everything in the universe. Once thought to be indivisible, we now know they can indeed be ...