The Standard Model of particle physics (SM) and Einstein general relativity are extremely successful in describing almost all phenomena observed in Nature so far, spanning distances from a fraction of Fermi to thousands of megaparsec (Mpc). In this review article, the author deliberates on the question formulated in the title, given that the SM does not allow neutrino oscillations, does not have a candidate for dark matter in the Universe, and does not explain the observed cosmological dominance of matter over antimatter.

In this video article the author covers the history and current status of ground-based gamma-ray astronomy. The recent results in this field have brought important implications to various aspects in astrophysics, such as cosmic ray science and black holes and dark matters, and thus advanced our understanding of the dynamic non-thermal universe. The author also discusses the future prospects in this field, especially the possible imaging air Cherenkov telescopes in GeV energy range.

Complex phenomenon in quantum materials is a major theme of physics today.  As better controlled model systems, a sophisticated understanding of the universality and diversity of these solids may lead to revelations well beyond themselves. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), formulated after Einstein’s photoelectric effect, has been a key tool to uncover the microscopic processes of the electrons that give rise to the rich physics in these solids. Over the last three decades, the improved resolution and carefully matched experiments have been the keys to turn this technique into a leading experimental probe of electronic structures and many-body effects. 

Drawing upon examples spanning from novel superconductors and topological materials to magnetic and one-dimensional materials, we illustrate ARPES's pivotal role in testing ideas, benchmarking theoretical frameworks, uncovering unexpected phenomena, and elucidating the fingerprints of many-body interactions. Moreover, we demonstrate how the integration of modern ultrafast UV lasers and spin polarimetry has empowered photoemission spectroscopy to capture essential microscopic quantities of electrons—energy, momentum, spin, and temporal dynamics—yielding invaluable insights from a wealth of rich and precise information.

Soon after the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in the cuprates, Anderson proposed a connection to quantum spin liquids. But observations since then have shown that the low temperature phase diagram is dominated by conventional states, with a competition between superconductivity and charge-ordered states which break translational symmetry. We employ the "pseudogap metal" phase, found at intermediate temperatures and low hole doping, as the parent to the phases found at lower temperatures. We argue that the pseudogap is associated with a spin liquid, and that a particular spin liquid has the needed confining instabilities to resolve a number of open puzzles on the cuprate phase diagram.

Artificial intelligence (AI) may capture the properties and functions of materials better than previous theoretical/computational methods because it targets correlations and does not assume a single, specific underlying physical model. Therefore, it addresses the full intricacy of the numerous processes that govern the function of materials. However, the statistical analysis and interpretation of AI models require careful attention.
The review article started with a brief discussion of historical aspects of data-centric science. It then focused on the recently developed, explainable AI methods ^[8,10] and applications ^[2,11,12]. The identified "rules" determine the properties and functions of materials. The rules depend on descriptive parameters called "materials genes." As genes in biology, they are correlated with a certain material property or function. Thus, these materials genes help to identify materials that are, for example, better electrical conductors or better heat insulators or better catalysts.

Here we report a half-quantized Hall effect in a metal or semimetal. The Hall conductance is half quantized and the longitudinal conductance is nonzero. Consequently, the Hall resistivity is not quantized. The half quantization occurs when the parity symmetry or time reversal symmetry emerges near the Fermi surface or Fermi level while the symmetry is broken in the whole system. A recent experiment reports the observation of the half-quantized Hall conductance in a magnetically-doped topological insulator. We discover that a single gapless Dirac cone exists in the band structure and has half-quantized conductance when the Fermi level intercepts the gapless surface states in which the parity symmetry is invariant. As there are no localized chiral edge states in the gapless and metallic system, we find that the chiral edge current is carried by the gapless surface states. The current density peaks at the edge and decays in a power law rather than the exponential decay as in the conventional quantum anomalous Hall effect. The half quantized Hall conductance is a signature of parity anomaly in a single gapless Dirac cone on a lattice. We term the nontrivial quantum phase as “parity anomalous semimetal”. The work opens the door to exploring novel topological states of matter with fractional topological invariants.

The Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model provides a solvable theory of entangled many-particle quantum states without quasiparticle excitations. I will describe how its solution has led to an understanding of the universal structure of the low energy density of states of charged black holes, and to realistic and universal models of strange metals.

Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators (TIs) are special quantum conductors that possess an insulating bulk but metallic edge with quantized charge and spin conductance protected by electron band topology. The concept of topology and TI has not only renewed our fundamental understanding of electronic properties of solid materials, but also opened an exciting avenue towards potential applications of topological quantum devices with minimized heat dissipation and robustness against disorder. In this video article, I will first introduce and review the concept of TIs within the context of transport properties of solid-state materials. I will then use two examples, the organic 2D TIs and the surface-based 2D topological states, to recap the rapid theoretical and experimental developments made in this emerging field. The existence of quantized edge conductance and topological edge states of 2D TIs has been so far confirmed experimentally in several systems, such as semiconductor quantum wells, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, metallic overlayer of bismuth on a semiconductor surface.  However, discovery of high-temperature 2D TIs and construction of functional TI-based quantum devices remain largely elusive. At the end of this video article, I will offer briefly my personal perspective and possible future directions in low-dimensional topological materials.

We review the standard model of cosmology and gravity, namely LambdaCDM paradigm and general relativity. We mention their successes and we describe possible tensions that appear between theoretical predictions and observations, that may ask for modifications of the standard lore. Finally, we describe how gravitational wave observations and multi-messenger astronomy provides a new tool to investigate the universe.

Axions are hypothetical particles that were originally proposed in order to explain a key feature of fundamental physics – the remarkable accuracy of time-reversal symmetry – that the standard model, as presently understood, leaves mysterious. Later, we realized that axions also have the right properties to supply the “dark matter” needed in cosmology. Here, after very briefly reviewing the plasma haloscope idea (pursued by the ALPHA collaboration) that is brightening prospects for axion detection, I sketch three other recent developments in axion physics: the possible utility of photonic crystals for axion detection, the experimental study of emergent axions–that is, degrees of freedom whose interaction with electromagnetism is axion-like – in materials, and the design of emergent axions in metamaterials.