Part VI — Chapter 19
Physics Today & Tomorrow
Frontiers of physics in the 21st century
19.1 Gravitational Waves
In 2015, LIGO detected gravitational waves from merging black holes — ripples in spacetime predicted by Einstein a century earlier. A new window on the universe had opened, leading to multi-messenger astronomy.
19.2 Quantum Computing & Quantum Information
Quantum computing exploits superposition and entanglement to solve problems intractable for classical computers. Companies and research labs worldwide are racing to build practical quantum processors.
19.3 The Search Continues
The greatest unsolved problems — the nature of dark matter and dark energy, the unification of quantum mechanics and gravity, the hierarchy problem — drive physics forward. From the Large Hadron Collider to space telescopes, the quest to understand nature's deepest secrets continues.