• Research News

    Time Crystal Research Enters a New Phase

    Our world only exists thanks to the diverse properties of the many materials that make it up. The differences between all those materials result from more than just which atoms and molecules form them. A material’s properties also depend on how those basic building… Read More
  • Research News

    Mysteriously Mundane Turbulence Revealed in 2D Superfluid

    Despite existing everywhere, the quantum world is a foreign place where many of the rules of daily life don’t apply. Quantum objects jump through solid walls; quantum entanglement connects the fates of particles no matter how far they are separated; and quantum objects may… Read More
  • Research News

    A New Piece in the Matter–Antimatter Puzzle

    aOn March 24, 2025 at the annual Rencontres de Moriond conference taking place in La Thuile, Italy, the LHCb collaboration at CERN reported a new milestone in our understanding of the subtle yet profound differences between matter and antimatter. In its analysis of large… Read More
  • Research News

    Researchers Play a Microscopic Game of Darts with Melted Gold

    Sometimes, what seems like a fantastical or improbable chain of events is just another day at the office for a physicist. In a recent experiment by University of Maryland researchers at the Laboratory for Physical Sciences, a scene played out that would be right… Read More
  • Research News

    IceCube Search for Extremely High-energy Neutrinos Contributes to Understanding of Cosmic Rays

    Neutrinos are chargeless, weakly interacting particles that are able to travel undeflected through the cosmos. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole searches for the sources of these astrophysical neutrinos in order to understand the origin of high-energy particles called cosmic rays and,… Read More
  • Research News

    Twisted Light Gives Electrons a Spinning Kick

    It’s hard to tell when you’re catching some rays at the beach, but light packs a punch. Not only does a beam of light carry energy, it can also carry momentum. This includes linear momentum, which is what makes a speeding train hard to… Read More
  • Research News

    Repurposing Qubit Tech to Explore Exotic Superconductivity

    Decades of quantum research are now being transformed into practical technologies, including the superconducting circuits that are being used in physics research and built into small quantum computers by companies like IBM and Google. The established knowledge and technical infrastructure are allowing researchers to harness quantum technologies in… Read More
  • Research News

    New Design Packs Two Qubits into One Superconducting Junction

    Quantum computers are potentially revolutionary devices and the basis of a growing industry. However, their technology isn’t standardized yet, and researchers are still studying the physics behind the diverse ways to build these quantum devices. Even the most basic building blocks of a quantum… Read More
  • Research News

    HAWC Finds High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emissions from Microquasar V4641 Sagittarii

    A new study in Nature, â€œUltra-high-energy gamma-ray bubble around microquasar V4641 Sgr,"   has  revealed a groundbreaking discovery by researchers from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory:  TeV gamma-ray emissions from V4641 Sagittarii (V4641 Sgr), a binary system composed of a black hole and a main sequence… Read More
  • 1 Time Crystal Research Enters a New Phase
  • 2 Mysteriously Mundane Turbulence Revealed in 2D Superfluid
  • 3 A New Piece in the Matter–Antimatter Puzzle
  • 4 Researchers Play a Microscopic Game of Darts with Melted Gold
  • 5 IceCube Search for Extremely High-energy Neutrinos Contributes to Understanding of Cosmic Rays
  • 6 Twisted Light Gives Electrons a Spinning Kick
  • 7 Repurposing Qubit Tech to Explore Exotic Superconductivity
  • 8 New Design Packs Two Qubits into One Superconducting Junction
  • 9 HAWC Finds High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emissions from Microquasar V4641 Sagittarii

Physics is Phun

Department News

  • Chandra Turpen Cited for Mentorship Chandra Turpen has been named a University of Maryland Graduate Faculty Mentor of the Year for 2025. The award recognizes faculty members who have made exceptional contributions to a student’s graduate experience. It both acknowledges outstanding mentoring provided by individual faculty and reminds the university… Read More
  • Brenda Dingus Elected to National Academy of Sciences Visiting Research Scientist and alumna Brenda Dingus (M.S. ’86, Ph.D. ’88, physics) has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for her pioneering work in gamma-ray astrophysics.  Dingus is one of 120 members and 30 international members elected by their peers in 2025, joining… Read More
  • Jade LeSchack to Speak at CMNS Commencement Jade LeSchack has been selected as the undergraduate speaker at the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Science Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025. The ceremony will be live-streamed at youtube.com/user/cmnsumd.  Adam Wenchel (B.S. ’99, Computer Science), Cofounder and CEO of Arthur will give the keynote address. â€¦ Read More
  • World Quantum Day "Capital of Quantum" illustration by Valerie Morgan Happy Quantum Day! If that’s a salutation you’re unfamiliar with, this might not be the last time you encounter it. Celebrated every April 14, World Quantum Day seeks to boost understanding and appreciation of quantum science and technology.… Read More
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Upcoming Events

13 Jun
JQI Special Seminar: Bankim Chandra Das
Date Fri, Jun 13, 2025 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

The Large Hadron Collider: Entering a New Era of Fundamental Science

Rolf-Dieter Heuer, CERN
April 12, 2011

With the start of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, particle physics is entering a new era. The LHC will open up a new chapter in high-energy physics, providing a deeper understanding of the universe and any of the insights gained could change our view of the world. We expect revolutionary results about the origin of matter, the nature of dark matter and possibly glimpses of extra spatial dimensions. The talk will address the exciting physics prospects offered by the LHC, present first results since the start of data taking on 30th March last year and will have a forward look to particle physics at the energy frontier.

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Colloquia are held Tuesdays in Room 1410 at 4:00 pm (preceded by light refreshments at 3:30). If you have additional questions, please call 301-405-5946.

How symmetric is the electron? Looking for out-of-roundness of 10^-15 Femtometers

Eric Cornell, NIST
April 5, 2011

The electron's electric dipole moment (eEDM) will be sensitive to particle physics beyond the standard model. We make use of the extreme electric fields found within a molecular bond to pursue an experiment to set a new limit on eEDM at a level that should severely constrain supersymmetric models.

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Colloquia are held Tuesdays in Room 1410 at 4:00 pm (preceded by light refreshments at 3:30). If you have additional questions, please call 301-405-5946.

Our Changing View of the TeV Sky

Jordan Goodman, University of Maryland
April 26, 2011

The advent of ground-based atmospheric and water Cherenkov gamma-ray detectors, as well as, the Compton and Fermi satellites has revolutionized our view of the TeV sky. Twenty years ago there was only one known TeV gamma-ray source, the Crab. Today there are well over 100 detected sources - steady and variable, point-like and diffuse. We have also made great strides studying Gamma Ray Bursts, the most energetic processes in the Universe. Most recently, we have even discovered that charged TeV cosmic rays have unexpected anisotropies in their arrival directions suggesting the existence of local cosmic ray sources. The next generation detectors, CTA, HAWC and, IceCube will undoubtedly give us a better understanding of these exciting phenomena and almost certainly reveal more surprises. In this talk, I will review some of these results and show results from the Milagro gamma ray observatory. In addition, I describe our next generation HAWC observatory currently under construction at high-altitude in Mexico.



The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory

 

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Colloquia are held Tuesdays in Room 1410 at 4:00 pm (preceded by light refreshments at 3:30). If you have additional questions, please call 301-405-5946.

Cosmological Structure Formation and the Interpretation of Dark Matter Experiments

Savvas Koushiappas, Brown University
April 19, 2011

Cosmological structure formation gives rise to a distribution of dark matter that is set by the complex process of hierarchical assembly. Dark matter experiments are inextricably linked to the details of this cosmological structure formation. I will discuss how structure formation influences the interpretation of dark matter experiments by focusing on small-scale structure and its effects in direct, indirect and energetic neutrino experiments.

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Colloquia are held Tuesdays in Room 1410 at 4:00 pm (preceded by light refreshments at 3:30). If you have additional questions, please call 301-405-5946.

Chemical Patterns in Time and Space

Kenneth Showalter, West Virginia University
May 10, 2011

Chemical waves are propagating concentration disturbances, typically with constant velocities and constant concentration profiles, which arise from the coupling of autocatalytic reaction with molecular diffusion. Wave propagation is influenced by medium inhomogeneities and can be supported by imposed noise. Wave behavior can be controlled by imposing feedback-regulated excitability gradients to guide propagation in specified directions. We also describe dynamical quorum sensing and synchronization in populations of chemical oscillators.

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Colloquia are held Tuesdays in Room 1410 at 4:00 pm (preceded by light refreshments at 3:30). If you have additional questions, please call 301-405-5946.