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Physics

Euclid Space Telescope launches exciting new possibilities
Shot of Falcon 9 Rocket launching from Cape Canaveral at Kennedy Space Center

The European Space Agency’s latest astrophysics mission, Euclid, lifted off on a Space X Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, at 17:12 CEST on 1 July 2023. Euclid has now started its month-long journey to Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, located 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, in the opposite direction from the Sun.

(Image: iStock / Robert Michaud)

Euclid Space Telescope launches exciting new possibilities

Professors of physics and astronomy Bhuvnesh Jain, Mark Trodden, and Gary Bernstein discuss the coming research findings from the European Space Agency’s Euclid Space Telescope.
Exploring the relationship between cooking and scientific discovery
Laser tomography of champagne glasses.

Laser tomography of champagne glasses: (left and right) counter-rotating convection cells self-organize at the air-champagne interface, and (center) stabilized eddies in a surface-treated glass.

(Image: Fabien Beaumont, Gérard Liger-Belair, and Guillaume Polidori)

Exploring the relationship between cooking and scientific discovery

Penn physicist Arnold Mathijssen and colleagues have authored a review article discussing the history of food innovations and the current scientific breakthroughs that are changing the way we eat.
On a different wavelength, Nader Engheta leads a community in light
nader engheta in his lab

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On a different wavelength, Nader Engheta leads a community in light

2023 Franklin Medal winner Engheta is one of the world’s biggest names in wave physics. The Penn Engineering professor is renowned for his unique approach to science, combining technical brilliance, creativity, and care.

Devorah Fischler

A grant to upgrade Simons Observatory
researching working in simons observatory

The Devlin lab are working on creating an extremely cold environment (nearly -460 degrees Fahrenheit) so that the new Simons Observatory can detect cosmic microwave background (CMB), the residual radiation left behind by the Big Bang. Work done at the High Bay is essential for keeping the project from falling further behind after shutdown delays.

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A grant to upgrade Simons Observatory

Mark Devlin and colleagues have been awarded an NSF grant to upgrade the prominent observatory in the high Atacama Desert in Northern Chile.
The Big Bang at 75
An image of a nebula, a giant cloud of dust and gas in space.

Where did the cosmos come from? This question has long been part of human speculation, says Vijay Balasubramanian. Today, thanks to scientists like Ralph Alpher and George Gamow, we have a rough picture: Some 13 billion years ago, the universe was a hot, dense state that cooled as it expanded. 

(Image: NASA via Unsplash.)

The Big Bang at 75

Theoretical physicist Vijay Balasubramanian discusses the 75th anniversary of the alpha-beta-gamma paper, what we know—and don’t know—about the universe and the “very big gaps” left to discover.

Kristina Linnea García

New neutrino detection method
Aview inside the SNO detector when filled with water.

A view inside the SNO detector when filled with water. In the background, there are 9,000 photomultiplier tubes that detect photons and the acrylic vessel that (now) holds liquid scintillator. The ropes that crisscross on the outside hold it down when the scintillator is added to prevent it from floating upwards. The acrylic vessel is 12 m wide, about half the width of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The detector is located in SNOLAB, a research facility located 2km underground near Sudbury, Canada.

(Image: SNO+ Collaboration)

New neutrino detection method

Research by Joshua Klein of the School of Arts & Science and an international team has found a way to detect distant subatomic particles using water.
New insights into the mechanisms of tumor growth
3d render of cells secreting exosomes.

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New insights into the mechanisms of tumor growth

A team of researchers led by the School of Arts & Science’s Wei Guo characterize the molecular pathways that play a major role in tumorigenesis, findings that could lead to better diagnostic tools for cancer and new targeted therapies.