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Accretion disc jets |
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Why do the accretion discs surrounding certain astronomical objects, such as the nuclei of active galaxies, emit relativistic jets along their polar axes? |
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Accelerating universe |
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Why is the expansion of the universe accelerating, as we have observed? What is the nature of the dark energy driving this acceleration? If it is due to a cosmological constant, why is the constant so small, yet non-zero? Why isn't it huge, as predicted by most quantum field theories, or zero for some yet unknown symmetry reason? What is the ultimate fate of the universe? |
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Amorphous solids |
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What is the nature of the transition between a fluid or regular solid and a glassy phase? What are the physical processes giving rise to the general properties of glasses?
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Arrow of time |
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Why did the universe have such low entropy in the past, resulting in the distinction between past and future and the second law of thermodynamics? Why does time flow in one direction at all, on macroscopic scales, when there does not seem to be an arrow of time on the scale of fundamental interactions? [ |
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Ball lightning |
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Are these glowing, floating objects real? How can they be explained? |
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Baryon asymmetry |
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Why is there far more matter than antimatter in the universe? |
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Cold fusion |
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What is the theoretical explanation for the apparent production of excess heat and helium in palladium metal when it is saturated with deuterium? |
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Corona heating problem |
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Why is the Sun's Corona (atmosphere layer) so much hotter than the Sun's surface? |
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Cosmological constant |
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Why doesn't the zero-point energy of vacuum cause a large cosmological constant? |
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Quantum gravity |
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How can the theory of quantum mechanics be merged with the theory of general relativity to produce a so-called "theory of everything"? Is string theory the correct step on the road to quantum gravity, or a blind alley? Is there any way to extract experimental information about the nature of physics at the Planck scale? |
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Quantum chromodynamics |
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(QCD) in the non-perturbative regime
The equations of QCD remain unsolved at energy scales relevant for describing atomic nuclei. How does QCD give rise to the physics of nuclei and nuclear constituents? |
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Proton decay |
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Many theories beyond the Standard Model predict proton decay. Do protons decay? If so, then what is their half-life? |
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Gravity |
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Is our universe filled with gravitational radiation from the big bang? From astrophysical sources, such as inspiralling neutron stars? What can this tell us about quantum gravity and general relativity? Does gravity behave as predicted at very small distance scales? |
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Electroweak symmetry breaking |
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What is the mechanism responsible for breaking the electroweak gauge symmetry, giving mass to the W and Z? Is it the simple Higgs mechanism of the Standard Model?
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