News
Dark Energy Survey makes public catalog of nearly 700 million astronomical objects
With the goal of understanding dark energy and the accelerating expansion of the universe, DES released six years of data, representing one of the largest galaxy surveys published to date.
Penn Physics and Astronomy Researchers Lead Effort to Publish Data About Hundreds of Millions of Astronomical Objects
In collaboration with The Dark Energy Survey, faculty and researchers in the Department of Physics and Astronomy contributed to the publication of catalog of nearly 700 million astronomical objects. Profs. Bhuvnesh Jain, Gary Bernstein, Masao Sako and researcher Mike Jarvis worked in collaboration with more than 400 scientists from 26 institutions "to understand dark energy and its role in the accelerating expansion of the universe."
Exciting study on atomic-scale apertures from graduate student Jothi Priyanka Thiruraman, postdoc Paul Masih Das, and Prof. Marija Drndić published
Researchers from the Drndić Lab have published an exciting new study that "shows the ionic transport properties of these pores, with promise for applications in water purification and desalination as well as for creating artificial pores that mimic ion channels in biology."
Cullen Blake on the upcoming "great conjunction" of Jupiter and Saturn
Cullen Blake, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, gives "four tips and takeaways for making the most of this end-of-the-year celestial spectacle".
Faculty Wellness Partners for Graduate Students
SAS is pleased to announce the creation of Faculty Wellness Partners for Graduate Students—a new program that provides graduate students with the opportunity to meet privately with select faculty members who have been trained to discuss the particular challenges of graduate school and to refer students to Penn’s many wellness resources.
Liang Wu awarded grant under Defense University Research Instrumentation Program
Liang Wu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, was announced as one of 150 researchers awarded grants totaling $50 million from the Department of Defense under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program. This grant will allow the acquisition of a Scanning Magneto-Optical Microscope for Topological Materials for Prof. Wu's lab allowing further cutting edge research studying light-matter interaction in topological materials.
Nadar Engheta selected for 2020 Isaac Newton Medal and Prize
Congratulations to our colleague Prof. Nader Engheta (SEAS, secondary appointment in Physics and Astronomy), who has been selected to receive the 2020 Isaac Newton Medal and Prize from the Institute of Physics (UK).
Liang Wu’s research on the relationship between topology and linear optics is featured in Penn Today
“The discovery of fourfold topological quasiparticles in this metallic alloy could be used to engineer topological materials with unique and controllable properties in the future.”
Congratulations to Prof. Eleni Katifori, who has been awarded the 2021 APS Early Career Award for Soft Matter Research!
This prestigious award was given “For the seminal use of physical principles in understanding living transport networks.”
You can read a little more about it here: