UPCOMING EVENTS

Jul15

Tuesday 12:00 pm

Jul22

Tuesday 12:00 pm

Jul29

Tuesday 12:00 pm

DEPARTMENT HEADLINES

Prof. Laura Mersini-Houghton interviewed Prof. Brian Keating

Prof. Laura Mersini-Houghton’s interview with Brian Keating, Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at UC San Diego and host of Into The Impossible, in a series that explores the frontiers of science, technology, and philosophy with some of the world’s most … Read more
Party, set, go! Rubin Observatory is here, Chapel Hill can’t wait

The first stunning images from Vera Rubin Observatory were unveiled on June 23! About 80 astronomy enthusiasts joined us for this historic First Look Watch Party at UNC, hosted by CoSMS. The room was buzzing with excitement as we viewed … Read more
Rubin Watch Party

Mark your calendars! Rubin First Look – Event Day Schedule Date: Monday, June 23, 2025 All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) 10:00-10:30 Coffee & refreshments 10:30-11:00 Introduction to Rubin and invited talks 11:00-11:40 Live stream from … Read more
Pa Chia Thao Receives 2025 Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award

Pa Chia Thao, a PhD candidate in Physics & Astronomy at UNC, has been named one of four recipients of the 2025 Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Awards. Presented annually by The Graduate School at the UNC Chapel Hill, this prestigious award … Read more

Neutrinos Are Shrinking, and That’s a Good Thing for Physics

On Thursday, researchers unveiled the most precise measurement yet of a neutrino, scaling down the maximum possible mass of the ghostly specks of matter that permeate our universe. The result, published in the journal Science, does not define the exact … Read more
UNC Research Predicts Rare Cosmic Event in Night Sky: Brilliant Nova Expected Soon in Northern Crown

T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), also known as the Blaze Star, is a recurrent nova with documented outbursts in 1866 and 1946, as well as possible earlier outbursts in 1217 and 1787. It is expected to erupt again in 2025 … Read more
New spin-wave microscopy highlighted by an Editors’ Suggestion and a featured story in Physics Magazine.

Researchers at UNC (Zhang, Tsui group in Physics) and Cahoon group (Chemistry) recently developed a new method for imaging spin waves in magnetic materials uses flash-like intensity variations in a laser beam to capture the wave motion at specific moments … Read more
Unveiling a Lightweight Giant: JWST Reveals the True Nature of a Young Exoplanet

A recent study led by graduate student Pa Chia Thao has unveiled exciting new findings on a 17-million-year-old exoplanet, HIP 67522 b, using cutting-edge data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Originally classified as a “hot Jupiter” due to … Read more