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Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics , which uses experimental tools to probe these phenomena.
Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and observations, such as Galileo's experiments , to more complicated ones, such as the Large Hadron ...
There is a debate about the status of computation within the scientific method. [4] Sometimes it is regarded as more akin to theoretical physics; some others regard computer simulation as "computer experiments", [4] yet still others consider it an intermediate or different branch between theoretical and experimental physics, a third way that supplements theory and experiment.
On the other hand, theoretical physics emphasizes the links to observations and experimental physics, which often requires theoretical physicists (and mathematical physicists in the more general sense) to use heuristic, intuitive, or approximate arguments. [6] Such arguments are not considered rigorous by mathematicians.
Some of the major unsolved problems in physics are theoretical, meaning that existing theories seem incapable of explaining a certain observed phenomenon or experimental result. The others are experimental, meaning that there is a difficulty in creating an experiment to test a proposed theory or investigate a phenomenon in greater detail.
astrophysics, the physics in the universe, including the properties and interactions of celestial bodies in astronomy; atmospheric physics is the application of physics to the study of the atmosphere; space physics is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere (aeronomy) and within the Solar System
Thus thought experiments belong to a theoretical discipline, usually to theoretical physics, but often to theoretical philosophy. In any case, it must be distinguished from a real experiment, which belongs naturally to the experimental discipline and has "the final decision on true or not true", at least in physics.
Ultracold atom trapping in optical lattices is an experimental tool commonly used in condensed matter physics, and in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. The method involves using optical lasers to form an interference pattern , which acts as a lattice , in which ions or atoms can be placed at very low temperatures.