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Physics + Astronomy

photo of world's first quantum topological processor
Photo Credit
Used with permission from Microsoft
Majorana 1, the eight-qubit topological quantum processor unveiled at Microsoft Station Q's 2025 conference

Topological quantum processor marks breakthrough in computing

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US Physics Team trains at UC Santa Barbara
This artist’s impression shows two tiny but very dense neutron stars at the point at which they merge and explode as a kilonova.
Photo Credit
University of Warwick/Mark Garlick
Multi-messenger astronomy enabled scientists to observe merging neutron stars for the first time in 2017 (artist’s impression).

UC Santa Barbara and Las Cumbres Observatory partner to lead the future of multi-messenger astronomy
NASA simulation of binary black hole system
Photo Credit
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Noble; simulation data, d'Ascoli et al. 2018
The gravitational waves emitted by the merger of black holes, when lensed by massive objects as the waves travel toward Earth can be used to calculate the rate at which the universe is expanding

Astrophysicists propose a new way of measuring cosmic expansion: lensed gravitational waves
colorful image of the belly view of a small shrimp
Photo Credit
Damian Kao Alvina G Lai Evangelia Stamataki Silvana Rosic Nikolaos Konstantinides Erin Jarvis Alessia Di Donfrancesco Natalia Pouchkina-Stancheva Marie Sémon Marco Grillo Heather Bruce Suyash Kumar Igor Siwanowicz Andy Le Andrew Lemire Michael B Eisen Cas
The genome of the crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis, a model for animal development, regeneration, immunity and lignocellulose digestion. VijayRaghavan K, ed. eLife. 2016;5:e20062. doi:10.7554/eLife.20062.

Disorder lends robustness to the embryonic development of a tiny shrimp
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Professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen receives double honors for her work on organic photovoltaics
concept of subatomic particles from two lattices creating an exotic material
Photo Credit
sci-fig (https://sci-fig.com)
The negative electrons from one lattice and the positive "holes" from another together create a neutral exciton crystal

Physicists discover an exotic material made of bosons
Ray Adkins portrait
Photo Credit
Debra Herrick

New physics Ph.D. Ray Adkins is bound for Yale, prestigious award in hand, to apply his research to neuroscience
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Planetary defense project selected for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program
“Particle physics isn’t dead,” reads the blackboard behind an expressive physicist presenting to a packed audience.
Photo Credit
Harrison Tasoff
Although the LHC only discovered one new particle, “particle physics isn’t dead,” physicist Nima Arkani-Hamed exclaims in the program’s packed final talk.

Physicists gather to chart a path for the next kind of particle collider
Gary Horowitz wears glasses and a blue shirt in a dark room
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Gary Horowitz

Physicist Gary Horowitz receives 2023 Einstein Prize from the American Physical Society
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Two assistant professors in Department of Physics receive Sloan Research Fellowships
laser stabilization setup

Becoming a Quantum Mechanic
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