Theoretical physicists use machine-learning algorithms to speed up difficult calculations and eliminate untenable theories—but could they transform what it means to make discoveries?
For more than 20 years in experimental particle physics and astrophysics, machine learning has been accelerating the pace of science, helping scientists tackle problems of greater and greater complexity.
In the coming weeks, Symmetry will explore the ways scientists are using artificial intelligence to advance particle physics and astrophysics—in a series of articles written and illustrated entirely by humans.