2017

Penn Astronomers Contribute to the Most Accurate Measurement of Dark Matter Structure in the Universe

For the past four years, as part of a project called the Dark Energy Survey, a team of scientists from around the globe has aimed one of the world’s most powerful digital cameras towards the sky with the hopes of answering fundamental questions about the universe.

Primordial Black Holes May Have Helped to Forge Heavy Elements

Theoretical astrophysicists at UC San Diego’s Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences and UCLA have reported that tiny black holes could have produced the elements heavier than iron - by coming into contact with and being captured by neutron stars, then devouring the star from the inside out.

Seeking a Breakthrough on Catalysts

A new approach to developing catalysts spearheaded by Harvard researchers promises to revolutionize the speed, efficacy, and environmental impact of catalysis.

Purdue Researchers Explore New Chapter of Physics

Purdue University professor Alexandra Boltasseva works with optical metamaterials to create tiny objects: nanotweezers, metasurfaces, and other nanostructures, and studies light interaction in both natural materials and new metamaterials, such as transparent conducting oxides and transition metal nitrides.

Next-Generation Dark Matter Detector in a Race to Finish Line

The race is on to build the most sensitive U.S.-based experiment designed to directly detect particles of dark matter. Department of Energy (DOE) officials formally approved a key construction milestone that will propel the project named LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) toward its goal for completion by April 2020.

Scientists Make “Squarest” Ice Crystals Ever

An international team of scientists has set a new record for creating ice crystals that have a near-perfect cubic arrangement of water molecules—a form of ice that may exist in the coldest high-altitude clouds but is extremely hard to make on Earth.

Research Proposes New Theories About Nature of Earth’s Iron

New research challenges the prevailing theory that the unique nature of Earth’s iron was the result of how its core was formed billions of years ago.

A New Window into Electron Behavior

Scientists at MIT have found a way to visualize electron behavior beneath a material’s surface. The team’s technique is based on quantum mechanical tunneling, a process by which electrons can traverse energetic barriers by simply appearing on the other side.