News
Penn Physics Research makes the cover of the Biophysical Journal
A new paper co-authored by Penn Physics professor Philip C. Nelson has made the cover of the Biophysical Journal.
Meson-antimeson oscillations in the news
A 1956 paper with Professor Ken Lande as first author is the first reference for meson-antimeson oscillations in a just-published paper on D0-D0-bar oscillations. These oscillations are intimately related to the existence of three generations of quarks. The first observation of K0-K0-bar oscillations by K. Lande, E. Booth, J. Impeduglia, L. Lederman, and W. Chinowsky paved the way for a half-century of study of oscillations that has culminated with the observation of oscillations of mesons involving the charm quark.
Ernie Moniz Chosen as DOE Secretary-Designate
Ernest J. Moniz is Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, Director of the Energy Initiative, and Director of the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment at the MIT Department of Physics and a former postdoctoral scholar in the Penn Physics Department. He has been nominated by President Obama to lead the US Department of Energy in his second term.
CNT transistors detect disease biomarkers
Prof. Charlie Johnson's lab has produced new experiments demonstrating that carbon nanotube transistors can detect minute quantities of biomarkers of diseases like salmonella, lyme disease, and prostate cancer in less time than conventional methods.
Profs. Jain and Bernstein to search for dark matter with the Euclid telescope
Professors Bhuvnesh Jain (r) and Gary Bernstein (l), both of the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the School of Arts & Sciences, have major roles in the Dark Energy Survey, an international collaboration to study the mysterious force using a new imaging system recently installed at an observatory in the Chilean Andes.
Zhengqing John Qi Wins IBM Ph.D. Fellowship
Zhengqing John Qi, a doctoral candidate in Charlie Johnson's group in Physics and Astronomy, has won an IBM Ph.D. Fellowship.
Vijay Balasubramanian Named Lasry Professor
Dr. Vijay Balasubramanian has been named the Cathy and Marc Lasry Professor of Physics & Astronomy. His research focuses on basic questions concerning the nature of space and time. His other interests include string theory, particle physics, high energy physics and neuroscience. He teaches the capstone course for the computational neuroscience minor in the Biological Basis of Behavior program and, in addition to his appointment in the physics & astronomy department, is an associate professor of neuroscience in the department of neuroscience in the Perelman School of Medicine.
2012-2013 Dean's Scholars
Congratulations to our Physics Majors who have been named Dean's Scholars for the 2012-2013 Academic Year:
Priyanka Anand, Sarah Foster and Colin Fadzen
Penn Physics Research Enhances Studies of Human Perception
Two graduate students from the Living Matter lab of Dr. Vijay Balasubramanian have moved into research on human perception. John Briguglio examines whether our sensory apparatus is tailored to our natural environment-- specifically, the textures of the natural landsape of Botswana.
Penn Physics Professor Finds Light under the Sea
Penn Physics and Astronomy Assistant Professor Alison Sweeney's research on undersea biooptics may have implications for solar energy and the development of biofuels. As reported on the SASFrontiers website, Sweeney's research indicates that proteins in mollusc shells, called reflectins, help propagate solar energy underwater to optimize photosynthesis in algae colonies.