News & Events
Recent News
For more news about the Department of Physics and Astronomy, visit the University's Newscenter.
In an underground mine in South Dakota, researchers unravel mysteries of dark matter
Mon, 22 Jul 2019
The digital electronics designed, developed, delivered, and installed by Rochester researchers are an integral piece of the puzzle, as an international team of scientists works to finally detect dark matter particles.
Winning the ‘Olympics’ of the carillon
Tue, 16 Jul 2019
Recent physics graduate Alex Johnson ’19 had never played the bells before coming to Rochester. Now he is one of the best musicians in the world at the instrument, taking first place at the international Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition.
Researchers ‘stretch’ the ability of 2D materials to change technology
Mon, 10 Jun 2019
Moore’s Law predicts that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit will double every two years. As technology nears the limits of Moore’s Law, Rochester researchers have combined 2D materials with oxide materials in a new way, with new possibilities for computing power.
Researchers develop superconducting quantum refrigerator
Mon, 03 Jun 2019
Physicist Andrew Jordan and his fellow researchers harnessed superconductivity to conceive of a quantum refrigerator that could cool atoms to nearly absolute zero temperatures.
Carillon strikes a chord for senior physics major
Tue, 14 May 2019
With a major in physics and a minor in music, Alex Johnson '19 is heading to Belgium after graduation to learn more about "the bells” that inspired him in Rochester. “Lots of deciding to do. There isn’t a wrong decision.”
Rochester juniors receive Goldwater Scholarship for science achievement, research promise
Wed, 08 May 2019
Three members of the University’s Class of 2020 are recipients of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious award for undergraduate science majors.
Can the laws of physics untangle traffic jams, stock markets, and other complex systems?
Fri, 22 Mar 2019
Gourab Ghoshal is using the fundamental laws of physics to untangle the complex systems behind human behavior, urban planning, and social networks.
Nobel Prize recipient, alumna Donna Strickland to deliver 2019 College Commencement Address
Mon, 04 Mar 2019
Donna Strickland ’89 (PhD), pioneer in the field of pulsed lasers and a 2018 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics, will deliver the 169th College commencement address on Sunday, May 19.
The year of the laser
Fri, 28 Dec 2018
In addition to their Nobel noteworthiness, Rochester researchers continue to develop new ways to apply lasers in research, medicine, and everyday life in 2018. Because frankly, we’re big on lasers.
In the lab where it happened: Nobel science in pictures
Sat, 08 Dec 2018
Today's Rochester researchers are taking science developed at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics to develop the next generation high-power lasers and to better understand the fundamentals of high-energy-density physics.