Question 1

Which countries lead Physics and Astronomy research?

Accepted Answer

On research quality in 2022-now, the United States, China and Germany rank highest in Physics and Astronomy. By volume, China and the United States publish the most (117k and 100k works in 2022-now).

Question 2

Which institutions lead Physics and Astronomy research?

Accepted Answer

Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) ranks first in Physics and Astronomy on research quality in 2022-now, followed by Max Planck Society and Harvard University.

Question 3

Who are the leading researchers in Physics and Astronomy?

Accepted Answer

Counting only their work in Physics and Astronomy, M. Weber, M. Costa and L. Masetti have the most papers in the world top 10% for their subfield and year beyond the 10% expected.

Question 4

Where is Physics and Astronomy research done?

Accepted Answer

The largest centres of Physics and Astronomy research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Moscow (Russia), Paris (France) and Shanghai (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Laprida, Australind and Salerno.

Question 5

Where is the best place to study Physics and Astronomy?

Accepted Answer

Among universities, judged by research, Harvard University, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology score highest, combining standing in the field's ranking, excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

Question 6

Is Physics and Astronomy research growing?

Accepted Answer

Output in 2022-2025 was 2% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2023. The fastest-growing topics are Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics, Cosmology and Gravitation Theories and Black Holes and Theoretical Physics.

Question 7

What are the most cited papers in Physics and Astronomy?

Accepted Answer

The most cited paper in Physics and Astronomy is "Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple" (John P. Perdew, Kieron Burke, Matthias Ernzerhof, 1996), with 217,166 citations. Next come "Efficient iterative schemes for ab initio total-energy calculations using a plane-wave basis set" (123,939) and "Density-functional thermochemistry. III. The role of exact exchange" (104,174).