New Special Edition. The Quantum Realm Awaits.

What to know about alternative timelines, the multiverse, and more! ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

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New Special Edition: Into the Quantum Realm Read the Issue Dear Friend of Scientific American, Today quantum strangeness is no longer confined to theory. Researchers are entangling objects large enough to see, quantum computers are on the cusp of solving problems no classical machine can touch, and speculative ideas such as vacuum decay and alternative realities are serious science. The quantum era has arrived. Bizarre quantum dynamics underpin our view of reality: Time travels forward for us, but in the quantum world, it may flow in two directions. Gravity itself may follow quantum rules. Quantum mechanics supports the possibility of alternative universes, but even if they exist, we can't access them (and probably shouldn't anyway).    These insights are fueling tremendous scientific innovation. The strongest force in nature, which binds together quarks inside protons and neutrons, may be dictated by quantum interactions.  The universe seems stable, but an unlikely shift in the Higgs field, a quantum field that pervades all of space, could trigger a bubble that passes through the universe, annihilating all matter.   In a type of computing arms race, researchers are trying to build systems that can withstand the might of future quantum-armed hackers. Despite the hype and parade of press announcements from big tech, however, so far no company has achieved "quantum advantage"—that is, a quantum computer able to solve a problem no classical computer can.   I hope you enjoy our new special edition and all that the quantum realm has to offer.  To read the entire issue and support science journalism, consider an Unlimited subscription today! Best wishes, Andrea Gawrylewski Special Issues Editor

Issue Highlights In the Quantum Realm, Time's Arrow Might Fly in Two Directions Scientists studying a centuries-old mystery of physics suggest two "arrows of time" control the evolution of quantum systems. Read More Can Space and Time Exist as Two Shapes at Once? Mind-Bending Experiments Aim to Find Out Proposed experiments will search for signs that spacetime is quantum and can exist in a superposition of multiple shapes at once. Read More Alternate Timelines Can't Help You, Quantum Physicists Say The multiverse offers no escape from our reality—which might be a very good thing. Read More The Secret to the Strongest Force in the Universe New discoveries demystify the bizarre force that binds atomic nuclei together. Read More The Quantum Bubble That Could Destroy the Universe A freak particle physics process could wipe out all galaxies and life—but it's wildly unlikely. Read More Quantum Confusion Keeps Coming with Qubits Schrödinger's cat is scratching its head over the "topological" qubit that is causing a buzz in quantum computing. We should be, too. Read More Read the Issue Read the issue with Unlimited!

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