The top 10 breakthroughs in physics revealed

Physics World magazine has revealed the list of top 10 breakthroughs in physics including landing on a comet and nuclear fusion with lasers.

15:13 15 December 2014

A leading science magazine has released the list of top 10 breakthroughs in physics for the year.

The Philae spacecraft’s touchdown on the comet 67P has been chosen as the year’s most significant breakthrough.

Dr Hamish Johnston, editor of physicsworld.com, said: "As well as looking forward to the fascinating science... we also acknowledge the technological tour de force of chasing a comet for 10 years and then placing an advanced laboratory on its surface."

Others that made it to the list include nuclear fusion with lasers and a tractor beam.

Of the runners-up, Dr Johnston explained that each "represents an important step forward made by a team of creative and talented researchers".

The other nine breakthroughs chosen by Physics World are:

Light on the cosmic web – Using radiation emitted by a quasar as a “cosmic flashlight” researchers illuminated the hidden tendrils of dark matter that underlie the visible universe.

Neutrinos from the sun – An experiment in Italy discovered neutrino particles from the main nuclear reaction that powers the Sun.

Laser fusion milestone – In February, scientists at the National Ignition Facility in California managed to get more energy out of fusion reactions than was deposited in the fuel by NIF’s powerful laser.

Acoustic tractor beam – In May, physicists built a device that has the ability to pull objects from firing sound waves at them.

Supernovas in the lab –  Miniature star explosions were recreated at the Vulcan Laser Facility in Oxfordshire to try to explain and document some of the most previously unpredictable events in the cosmos.

Electron magnetism - Israeli researchers measured the very weak magnetic interaction between two separate electron particles which has never been measured before.

A better fibre for images – An effect entitled Anderson Localisation was developed by US scientists to increase the quality of images transmitted via optical fibre.

Holographic memory – Physicists from America and Russia teamed up to develop a new breed of holographic memory using magnetic ‘bits’.

Quantum compression – In September, physicists in Canada and Japan demonstrated the ability to compress quantum information for the first time.