European Strategy for Particle Physics: community input received
Substantial contributions to the 2026 update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics set the stage for discussions that will define the next flagship collider at CERN
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Energy compression of a laser-plasma accelerated electron bunch in an active radiofrequency cavity: High-energy electrons at the beginning of the pulse are decelerated while low-energy electrons at the end of the bunch are accelerated. Image: Science Communication Lab for DESY
A milestone for laser plasma acceleration
Laser plasma acceleration is a potentially disruptive technology: It could be used to build far more compact accelerators and open up new use cases in fundamental research, industry and health. However, on the path to real-world applications, some properties of the plasma-driven electron beam as delivered by current prototype accelerators still need to be refined. DESY’s LUX experiment has now made significant progress in this direction: Using a clever correction system, a research team was able to significantly improve the quality of electron bunches accelerated by a laser plasma accelerator.
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From left to right: Andreas Hoecker, former ATLAS spokesperson; Patricia McBride, former CMS spokesperson; Marco Van Leeuwen, ALICE spokesperson and Vincenzo Vagnoni, LHCb spokesperson (courtesy of Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)
The LHC experiment collaborations at CERN receive Breakthrough Prize
This weekend, the ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN were honoured with the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. The prize is awarded to the four collaborations, which unite thousands of researchers from more than 70 countries, and concerns the papers authored based on LHC Run-2 data up to July 2024. It was received by the spokespersons who led the collaborations during that time.
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Professor Beate Heinemann. Photo: DESY, Jörg Müller
Beate Heinemann to lead DESY’s Board of Directors
Professor Beate Heinemann is to become the new head of the research centre DESY. On 1 April 2025, she will take over as the Chairperson of DESY’s Board of Directors, to which she already belongs in her capacity as Director for Particle Physics. Beate Heinemann will be taking over from Helmut Dosch, who has presided over the centre for more than 16 years. This will make her the first woman to head the research centre.
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View of the LHCb experiment in its underground cavern (image: CERN)
A new piece in the matter—antimatter puzzle
Yesterday, at the annual Rencontres de Moriond conference taking place in La Thuile, Italy, the LHCb collaboration at CERN reported a new milestone in our understanding of the subtle yet profound differences between matter and antimatter. In its analysis of large quantities of data produced by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the international team found overwhelming evidence that particles known as baryons, such as the protons and neutrons that make up atomic nuclei, are subject to a mirror-like asymmetry in nature’s fundamental laws that causes matter and antimatter to behave differently. The discovery provides new ways to address why the elementary particles that make up matter fall into the neat patterns described by the Standard Model of particle physics, and to explore why matter apparently prevailed over antimatter after the Big Bang.
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DESI maps distant objects to study dark energy. The instrument is installed on the Mayall Telescope, shown here beneath star trails.(Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Tafreshi)
New DESI Results Strengthen Hints That Dark Energy May Evolve
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument used millions of galaxies and quasars to build the largest 3D map of our universe to date. Combining the DESI data with other experiments shows signs that the impact of dark energy may be weakening over time — and the standard model of how the universe works may need an update.
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DESI observes the sky from the Mayall Telescope, shown here beneath the Milky Way.(Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R.T. Sparks)
DESI Opens Access to the Largest 3D Map of the Universe Yet
A new data release from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument is now available for researchers to explore. The collection contains information on 18.7 million galaxies, quasars, and stars — the largest dataset of its kind ever shared.
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2018 winner 1st place – Simon Wright, STFC Boulby Underground Laboratory, UK
Global Physics Photowalk 2025
Several of the world’s leading science laboratories will open their doors to amateur and professional photographers as they join together to host the Global Physics Photowalk competition.
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The CLOUD experiment at CERN (Image: CERN)
CLOUD experiment resolves puzzle of new aerosol particles in upper troposphere
In a paper published today in the journal Nature, the CLOUD collaboration at CERN reveals a new source of atmospheric aerosol particles that could help scientists to refine climate models.
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DESI observes the sky from the Mayall Telescope, shown here during the 2023 Geminid meteor shower.Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Sparks
New DESI Results Weigh In On Gravity
Researchers used the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument to map how nearly 6 million galaxies cluster across 11 billion years of cosmic history. Their observations line up with what Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts.
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2018 winner 1st place – Simon Wright, STFC Boulby Underground Laboratory, UK
2025 Global Physics Photowalk
Several of the world’s leading science laboratories will open their doors to amateur and professional photographers as they join together to host the Global Physics Photowalk competition.
The Photowalk will give participants a rare opportunity to visit and photograph physics facilities in Asia, Europe and North America — and to get a behind-the-scenes look at where the world’s most exciting science is being carried out today.
Follow the Photowalk on social media with #PhysPics25
