News
Prof. Vijay Balasubramanian featured in episode of Netflix series Explained
Vijay Balasubramanian, Cathy and Marc Lasry Professor, was featured in a recent episode of the Netflix series Explained. The episode, "Time", explores how humans experience time and how scientists understand it in relation to the universe. When discussing time as it relates to space, Prof. Balasubramanian explains that "matter and energy can bend space. And, even more dramatically, can bend time." At the individual level, Prof.
Rebecca Kamen draws new connections between science and art
Rebecca Kamen, Penn Artist-in-Residence and Department of Physics and Astronomy Visiting Scholar, hosted an exhibition of her work at American University titled "Reveal: The Art of Reimagining Scientific Discovery." In it she challenges visitors "to see the relationship between science, art, and their own creativity." Kamen, who works closely with Vijay Balasubramanian, Cathy and Marc Lasry Professor,
Research shows potential of 2D graphene in the future of quantum computing
Professor Charlie Johnson, Rebecca W. Bushnell Professor of Physics and Astronomy, along with collaborators from the University of Pennsylvania, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University, and Columbia University published new research showing the potential of various configurations of two dimensional bilayer graphene in the future of computing.
Prof. Marija Drndic reflects on 20 years of solid-state nanopores
Prof. Marija Drndic, Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics, wrote for Nature looking back at two decades of research into solid-state nanopores since the first use to detect individual DNA molecules.
NEID spectrometer fully operational with help from Prof. Cullen Blake
The state-of-the-art NEID spectrometer at the WIYN Observatory is fully operational thanks to a team of scientists including Prof. Cullen Blake, Associate Professor. NEID is a powerful new tool that will help "detect and discover new exoplanets." The precision of NEID is of particular note. Speaking with Penn Today, Prof. Blake explained that "for a long time, the state-of-the-art was about 1 meter per second, so about 10 times worse than the signal from Earth orbiting the Sun.
Penn researchers discover comet, "arguably largest discovered in modern times"
Pedro Bernardinelli, Astronomy postdoctoral researcher and recent department PhD graduate, and Gary Bernstein, Reese W. Flower Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, announced the discovery of a previously unidentified comet through their work on the Dark Energy Survey collaboration.
Prof. Bhuvnesh Jain talks about the past, present, and future of "big data" in astronomy and beyond
Bhuvnesh Jain, Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences and Co-Director of the Penn Center for Particle Cosmology, talked to Omnia, the magazine of Penn's School of Arts and Sciences, about what drew him to astrophysics as a child and the important role that big data and data analysis has played in cutting edge research in astronomy and cosmology today.
Department faculty, staff, and students contribute to global Dark Energy Survey effort
Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty, research staff, and students have been contributing to the global effort to better understand dark matter and dark energy.
Prof. A. T. Charlie Johnson presents promising results on Penn developed "e-nose" to catch certain cancers
A. T. Charlie Johnson, Rebecca W. Bushnell Professor of Physics and Astronomy, presented early results on his innovative, collaborative research with faculty and researchers from Perelman School of Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in early June. Together, Penn researchers are working to develop an "electronic nose" that can detect certain types of cancer. Prof.