Links between particle physics and gravitational-wave science are strengthening, both in the theory realm and on the ground. A prime example is CERN’s key role in the design of next-generation gravitational-wave observatories, in particular the vacuum tubes for the proposed Einstein Telescope in Europe (p45).
A second in-depth feature by CERN authors explores the potential of this and other gravitational-wave observatories to study high-energy processes in the early universe (p32). Among them are cosmological phase transitions, which are predicted to contribute to a stochastic gravitational-wave background. In late June, networks of radio telescopes around the world spotted tentative evidence for low-frequency waves consistent with such a background (p7).
Take a deep dive into the high-spec world of graphics processing units with the ALICE O 2 computing upgrade (p39), delve into a century of FCC physics (p20), survey the linear-collider marketplace (p23), zoom out on the vast landscape of accelerators in physics and industry (p19), and explore the long-term US vision for particle physics (p50).
This issue also takes a closer look at efforts to understand the wild variation in recent measurements of the W-boson mass (p27), the latest LHC results (p22), careers (p55), reviews (p52) and more.