News

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.

Congratulations to our 2021 Physics & Astronomy graduates!

Christopher Kehayias
Lia Papadopoulos
Thomas Rochaias
Nandita Chaturvedi
Stephen Hackler
Davis Varghese
Wei-Shao Wei
Ian Dyckes
Zhurun Ji
Matthew DeCross
Pedro Bernardinelle

Congratulations to Justin Bracks on receiving an inaugural Presidential Ph.D. Fellowship!

President Amy Gutmann, Provost Wendell Pritchett, and Deputy Provost Beth Winkelstein today announced the recipients of the inaugural class of Presidential Ph.D. Fellows. Drawing from the most accomplished and diverse Ph.D. trainees, the 2021 Presidential Ph.D. Fellows come from across the nine schools at Penn that offer Ph.D. programs.