Posts Tagged Department of Physics and Astronomy

Scientists at the HAWC Gamma Ray Observatory have ruled out two pulsars as the source of an unexpectedly large presence of positrons in our corner of the galaxy. Could they come from something more complex and exotic: dark matter?

Using the strange rules of quantum mechanics, researchers were able to put a quantum bit in a superposition of two different energy states at the same time in order to speed up the accurate measurement of frequencies.

Institutions including Cornell, Michigan, Princeton, and Stanford will join Rochester in developing an instrument to produce and study matter that exists under pressures far higher than either on or inside Earth.

For more than 50 years, the Kardashev scale has been the gold standard for classifying hypothetical “exo-civilizations” by their ability to harness energy. A team of researchers led by Rochester astrophysicist Adam Frank have devised a new system that takes into account the impacts of that energy use.

Physics and astronomy professor Dan Watson will be experiencing Monday’s total solar eclipse from Tennessee, and he shares more eclipse answers and tips, as well as places at the University of Rochester where you can safely view the eclipse.

From near-Earth objects to quantum computing, physics students come to Rochester to get an early start on their research careers this summer, working on federally funded and University sponsored projects.

3-D displays, once only found in science fiction, are now closer to reality using a 3-D volumetric display where viewers can see images in three dimensions without the use of special glasses or filters.

When the clock strikes 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, iconic international venues such as Times Square, the Sydney Opera House, and the Taj Mahal all will become dark. So, too, will the River Campus’s Wilson Quad.

Alice Quillen and Andrew Jordan have been awarded prestigious Simons Foundation Faculty Fellowships to pursue their research in theoretical physics. “This is a great time to drop everything and go work on the galaxy!” says Quillen.

In 2013, a group of Rochester and NASA scientists proposed the NEOCam, or “Near-Earth Object Camera,” based on an infrared detector developed here in Rochester. This year, NASA announced extended funding for the program.