{
  "id": 281701,
  "title": "Crossing into a mirror world: Particles turn to wisps of fog, and the magnetic monopole paradox dissolves",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/crossing-into-a-mirror-world-particles-turn-to-wisps-of-fog-and-the",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-07T20:40:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mirror-world-particles-wisps-fog.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The phenomenon of particles seemingly vanishing when they scatter off a magnetic monopole, a perplexing issue in high-energy physics, has now been resolved. Researchers from Ghent University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford have demonstrated how these particles actually pass through a topological barrier with a 100% probability, re-emerging as nonlocal objects attached to an invisible string. This discovery sheds light on the Kramers-Wannier duality transformation, mapping order to disorder, and provides a tangible interpretation of the abstract field theory argument. The experiment, which involves quantum spin chains, has the potential to be tested using current quantum simulator technologies such as cold atoms, trapped ions, and superconducting processors.",
  "summary": "This article explores a quantum physics phenomenon where particles appear to vanish when interacting with a magnetic monopole, but a new study demonstrates that they actually pass through the magnetic monopole and reappear as nonlocal objects. The research, conducted by physicists from Ghent University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford, resolves a longstanding puzzle in high-energy physics. By simulating the process using a chain of quantum spins on a computer, the study shows that the particle is never reflected and instead emerges as a twisted, string-like excitation on the other side of the duality defect. This finding offers a tangible resolution to a problem that has perplexed physicists for decades, illustrating the power of quantum entanglement and topological defects in explaining seemingly paradoxical phenomena.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}