Physicists Detect the "Spooky Popcorn of the Universe"

For the first time, physicists measured fluctuations in the quantum realm.

By Stephen Ornes
Dec 13, 2020 4:00 PM
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Each of Advanced LIGO’s two detectors has a super-still 90-pound mirror at the end of a 2.5-mile-long tunnel. Here, a LIGO optics technician checks one of the mirrors.

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This article appeared in Discover’s annual state of science issue as “Big Excitement Over Tiny Fluctuations.” Support our science journalism by becoming a subscriber.

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