Editing Physics World (section)

==Breakthrough of the Year==
{{overly detailed|section|date=July 2020}}
The magazine makes two awards each year. These are the ''Physics World'' Breakthrough of the Year and the ''Physics World'' Book of the Year, which have both been awarded annually since 2009.{{fact|date=March 2017}}

;Top 10 works and winners of the Breakthrough of the Year

'''2009''': "to August Jonathan Home and colleagues at NIST for unveiled the first small-scale device that could be described as a complete "[[Quantum computing|quantum computer]]"
*Top results from Tevatron 
*Spins spotted in room-temperature silicon 
*Graphane makes its debut 
*Magnetic monopoles spotted in spin ices 
*Water on the Moon 
*Atoms teleport information over long distance 
*Black-hole analogue traps sound 
*Dark matter spotted in Minnesota
*A 2.36 TeV big bang at the LHC 

'''2010''': "to ALPHA and the ASACUSA group at CERN for have created new ways of controlling [[antihydrogen]]"
*Exoplanet atmosphere laid bare
*Quantum effects seen in a visible object
*Visible-light cloaking of large objects
*Hail the first sound lasers
*A Bose–Einstein condensate from light
*Relativity with a human touch
*Towards a Star Wars telepresence
*Proton is smaller than we thought
*CERN achieves landmark collisions

'''2011''': [[Aephraim M. Steinberg]] and colleagues from the University of Toronto in Canada for using the technique of "weak measurement" to track the average paths of single photons passing through a [[Young's interference experiment]].<ref name="Physics World1">[http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2011/dec/16/physics-world-reveals-its-top-10-breakthroughs-for-2011 "Physics World reveals its top 10 breakthroughs for 2011"], ''Physics World'' 16 December 2011</ref>
*Measuring the wavefunction
*Cloaking in space and time
*Measuring the universe using black holes
*Turning darkness into light
*Taking the temperature of the early universe
*Catching the flavour of a neutrino oscillation
*Living laser brought to life
*Complete quantum computer made on a single chip
*Seeing pure relics from the Big Bang

'''2012''': "to the [[ATLAS experiment|ATLAS]] and [[Compact Muon Solenoid|CMS]] collaborations at [[CERN]] for their joint discovery of a [[Higgs boson|Higgs]]-like particle at the [[Large Hadron Collider]]".<ref name="Physics World2">[http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2012/dec/14/physics-world-reveals-its-top-10-breakthroughs-for-2012 "Physics World reveals its top 10 breakthroughs of 2012"], ''Physics World'' 14 December 2012</ref>
*Majorana fermions
*Time-reversal violation
*Galaxy-cluster motion
*Peering through opaque materials
*Room-temperature maser
*Wiping data will cost you energy
*Entangling twisted beams
*Neutrino-based communication
*Generating and storing energy in one step

'''2013''': "the [[IceCube Neutrino Observatory]] for making the first observations of high-energy cosmic neutrinos".<ref name="Physics World3">[http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2013/dec/13/cosmic-neutrinos-named-physics-world-2013-breakthrough-of-the-year "Cosmic neutrinos named Physics World 2013 Breakthrough of the Year"], ''Physics World'' 13 December 2013</ref>
*Nuclear physics goes pear-shaped
*Creating 'molecules' of light
*Planck reveals 'almost perfect' universe
*Quantum microscope' peers into the hydrogen atom
*Quantum state endures for 39 minutes at room temperature
*The first carbon-nanotube computer
*B-mode polarization spotted in cosmic microwave background
*The first laser-cooled Bose–Einstein condensate
*Hofstadter's butterfly spotted in graphene<ref>{{cite web |title=Graphene research lands one of 2013 top 10 physics breakthroughs |url=https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/graphene-research-lands-one-of-2013-top-10-physics-breakthroughs/ |website=Manchester University |access-date=7 February 2025}}</ref>

'''2014''': "to the landing by the [[European Space Agency]] of the [[Philae (spacecraft)]] on [[67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko]]", which was the first time a probe had been landed on a comet<ref name="Physics World4">[http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2014/dec/12/comet-landing-named-physics-world-2014-breakthrough-of-the-year "Comet landing named Physics World 2014 Breakthrough of the Year"], ''Physics World'' 12 December 2014</ref>
*Quasar shines a bright light on cosmic web
*Neutrinos spotted from Sun's main nuclear reaction
*Laser fusion passes milestone
*Electrons' magnetic interactions isolated at long last
*Disorder sharpens optical-fibre images
*Data stored in magnetic holograms
*Lasers ignite 'supernovae' in the lab
*Quantum data are compressed for the first time
*Physicists sound-out acoustic tractor beam

'''2015''': "for being the first to achieve the simultaneous [[quantum teleportation]] of two inherent properties of a fundamental particle – the photon".<ref name="Physics World5">[http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2015/dec/11/double-quantum-teleportation-milestone-is-physics-world-2015-breakthrough-of-the-year "Double quantum-teleportation milestone is Physics World 2015 Breakthrough of the Year"], ''Physics World'' 11 December 2015</ref>
*Cyclotron radiation from a single electron is measured for the first time
*Weyl fermions are spotted at long last
*Physicists claim 'loophole-free' Bell-violation experiment
*First visible light detected directly from an exoplanet
*LHCb claims discovery of two pentaquarks
*Hydrogen sulphide is warmest ever superconductor at 203 K
*Portable 'battlefield MRI' comes out of the lab
*Fermionic microscope sees first light
*Silicon quantum logic gate is a first

'''2016''': "to LIGO's [[gravitational wave]] discovery".<ref name="Physics World6">[http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2016/dec/12/ligo-gravitational-wave-discovery-is-physics-world-2016-breakthrough-of-the-year "LIGO's gravitational-wave discovery is Physics World 2016 Breakthrough of the Year"], ''Physics World'' 12 December 2016</ref> 
*Schrödinger's cat lives and dies in two boxes at once  
*Elusive nuclear-clock transition spotted in thorium-229 
*New gravimeter-on-a-chip is tiny yet extremely sensitive
*Negative refraction of electrons spotted in graphene 
*Rocky planet found in habitable zone around Sun's nearest neighbour 
*Physicists take entanglement beyond identical ions 
*'Radical' new microscope lens combines high resolution with large field of view 
*Quantum computer simulates fundamental particle interactions for the first time
*The single-atom engine that could

'''2017''': "to First multimessenger observation of a [[neutron star merger]]".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/first-multimessenger-observation-of-a-neutron-star-merger-is-physics-world-2017-breakthrough-of-the-year/|title=First multimessenger observation of a neutron-star merger is Physics World 2017 Breakthrough of the Year – Physics World|date=2017-12-11|work=Physics World|access-date=2018-06-13|language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Physicists create first ‘topological’ laser
* Lightning makes radioactive isotopes
* Super-resolution microscope combines Nobel-winning technologies
* Particle-free quantum communication is achieved in the lab
* Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays have extra-galactic origins
* ‘Time crystals’ built in the lab
* Metamaterial enhances natural cooling without power input
* Three-photon interference measured at long last
* Muons reveal hidden void in Egyptian pyramid

'''2018''': "Discovery that led to the development of “[[twistronics]]”, which is a new and very promising technique for adjusting the electronic properties of graphene by rotating adjacent layers of the material."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/discovery-of-magic-angle-graphene-that-behaves-like-a-high-temperature-superconductor-is-physics-world-2018-breakthrough-of-the-year/|title=Discovery of 'magic-angle graphene' that behaves like a high-temperature superconductor is Physics World 2018 Breakthrough of the Year|date=2018-12-13|work=Physics World|access-date=2019-04-13|language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Multifunctional carbon fibres enable “massless” energy storage
* Compensator expands global access to advanced radiotherapy
* IPCC Special Report on 1.5 °C climate change
* EXPLORER PET/CT produces first total-body scans
* Combustion-free, propeller-free plane takes flight
* Quantum mechanics defies causal order, experiment confirms
* Activating retinal stem cells restores vision in mice
* Ancient hydrogen reveals clues to dark matter’s identity
* Superconductivity spotted in a quasicrystal

'''2019''': "First direct observation of a black hole and its ‘shadow’ by the [[Event Horizon Telescope]]" <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/first-direct-observation-of-a-black-hole-and-its-shadow-is-physics-world-2019-breakthrough-of-the-year/|title=First direct observation of a black hole and its 'shadow' is Physics World 2019 Breakthrough of the Year|date=2019-12-12|work=Physics World|access-date=2020-02-10|language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Neuroprosthetic devices translate brain activity into speech
* First detection of a “Marsquake”
* CERN physicists spot symmetry violation in charm mesons
* “Little Big Coil” creates record-breaking continuous magnetic field
* Casimir effect creates “quantum trap” for tiny objects
* Antimatter quantum interferometry makes its debut
* Quantum computer outperforms conventional supercomputer
* Trapped interferometer makes a compact gravity probe
* Wearable MEG scanner used with children for the first time

'''2020''': "Silicon-based light with a direct [[band gap]] in [[microelectronics]]" <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/silicon-based-material-with-a-direct-band-gap-is-the-physics-world-2020-breakthrough-of-the-year/|title=Silicon-based material with a direct band gap is the Physics World 2020 Breakthrough of the Year|date=2020-12-17|work=Physics World|access-date=2021-12-30|language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Taking snapshots of a quantum measurement
* Quantum correlations discovered in massive mirrors
* Borexino spots solar neutrinos from elusive fusion cycle
* First observation of a ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal
* Thin-film perovskite detectors slash imaging dose
* Fundamental constants set limit on speed of sound
* Expanding twistronics to photons
* Mixed beams enhance particle therapy accuracy
* The first room-temperature superconductor

'''2021''': "[[Quantum entanglement]] of two macroscopic objects" <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/quantum-entanglement-of-two-macroscopic-objects-is-the-physics-world-2021-breakthrough-of-the-year/|title=Quantum entanglement of two macroscopic objects is the Physics World 2021 Breakthrough of the Year|date=2021-12-14|work=Physics World|access-date=2021-12-30|language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Restoring speech in a paralysed man
* Making 30 lasers emit as one
* Quantifying wave–particle duality
* Milestone for laser fusion
* Innovative particle cooling techniques
* Observing a black hole’s magnetic field
* Achieving coherent quantum control of nuclei
* Observing Pauli blocking in ultracold fermionic gases
* Confirming the muon’s theory-defying magnetism

'''2022''': "Deflection of a near-Earth asteroid by [[DART (satellite)|DART satellite]]" <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/deflection-of-a-near-earth-asteroid-by-dart-is-the-physics-world-2022-breakthrough-of-the-year/|title=Deflection of a near-Earth asteroid by DART is the Physics World 2022 Breakthrough of the Year|date=2021-12-14|work=Physics World|access-date=2021-12-26|language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Ushering in a new era for ultracold chemistry 
* Observing the tetraneutron
* Super-efficient electricity generation 
* The fastest possible optoelectronic switch 
* Opening a new window on the universe by JWST
* First-in-human FLASH proton therapy
* Perfecting light transmission and absorption
* Cubic boron arsenide is a champion semiconductor  
* Detecting an Aharonov–Bohm effect for gravity

'''2023''': "[[Brain–computer interface]] that allowed a paralysed man to walk" <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/brain-computer-interface-that-allowed-a-paralysed-man-to-walk-is-the-physics-world-2023-breakthrough-of-the-year/|title=Brain–computer interface that allowed a paralysed man to walk is the Physics World 2023 Breakthrough of the Year|date=2023-12-14|work=Physics World|access-date=2023-12-29|language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Growing electrodes inside living tissue
* Neutrinos probe the proton’s structure
* Simulating an expanding universe in a BEC 
* A double slit in time   
* Building blocks for a large-scale quantum network 
* First X-ray image of a single atom
* “Smoking gun” evidence of early galaxies transforming the universe
* Supersonic cracks in materials
* Antimatter does not fall up
* Fusion energy breakthrough

'''2024''': "[[Quantum error correction]] with 48 logical qubits; and independently, below the surface code threshold" <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.iop.org/about/news/physics-breakthrough-of-2024|title=Physics breakthrough of 2024 awarded to quantum computing innovators|date=2024-12-20|work=IOP |access-date=2024-12-22|language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Light-absorbing dye turns skin of live mouse transparent
* Laser cooling positronium  
* Modelling lung cells to personalize radiotherapy
* A semiconductor and a novel switch made from graphene 
* Detecting the decay of individual nuclei 
* Two distinct descriptions of nuclei unified for the first time 
* New titanium:sapphire laser is tiny, low-cost and tuneable 
* Entangled photons conceal and enhance images
* First samples returned from the Moon’s far side