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Physics

Decoding a material’s ‘memory’
particles shown as gray dots with arrows and colored lines indicating their direction of movement

A suspension of particles of different sizes during shearing experiments conducted in the lab of Paulo Arratia, with arrows indicating particle “flow” and trajectories. In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers detail the relationship between a disordered material’s individual particle arrangement and how it reacts to external stressors. The study also found that these materials have “memory” that can be used to predict how and when they will flow. (Image: Arratia lab)

Decoding a material’s ‘memory’

A new study details the relationship between particle structure and flow in disordered materials, insights that can be used to understand systems ranging from mudslides to biofilms.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Uncovering unexpected properties in a complex quantum material
a close up of hands adjusting a lens on an optics table with green laser light in the foreground

A new study describes previously unexpected properties in a complex quantum material. Using a novel technique developed at Penn, these findings have implications for developing future quantum devices and applications.

Uncovering unexpected properties in a complex quantum material

Using a novel technique developed at Penn, researchers gained new insights into the properties of a proposed excitonic insulator known as Ta2NiSe5, with implications for future quantum devices.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Why some fluids flow slower when pushed harder

Why some fluids flow slower when pushed harder

Paulo Arratia of the School of Engineering and Applied Science commented on a study that explored how fluids flow under different pressures. “Visualizing flow inside a 3-D porous media literally gives a window into something that was impossible to see,” he said. “If you could actually see the molecules stretching and recoiling, that would be wonderful [to] connect the molecular point of view to the microscopic.”

Senior Erin Hayes named Gates Cambridge Scholar
student standing outside

Senior Erin Hayes has been named a 2022 Gates Cambridge Scholar. Hayes is graduating in May with her bachelor’s degree in astrophysics and master’s degree in physics in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Senior Erin Hayes named Gates Cambridge Scholar

Senior Erin Hayes, a Roy and Diana Vagelos Scholar in the Molecular Life Sciences, has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of Cambridge in England.
A ‘vibrant nexus’ for research and discovery in the physical sciences
the exterior of the david rittenhouse laboratory

As part of a $750M investment in science, engineering, and medicine, Penn has committed to constructing a new Physical Sciences Building and updating the David Rittenhouse Laboratory.

A ‘vibrant nexus’ for research and discovery in the physical sciences

With the construction of a new Physical Sciences Building and updates to the David Rittenhouse Laboratory, Penn will create a modernized physical sciences quadrant that integrates state-of-the-art research in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and engineering.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Understanding optimal resource allocation in the brain
a black and white landscape of rocky mountains

A processed image representative of the types of images used in this study. Natural landscapes were transformed into binary images, ones made of black and white pixels, that were decomposed into different textures defined by specific statistics. (Image: Eugenio Piasini)

Understanding optimal resource allocation in the brain

A collaboration between experimentalists and theorists shows how the brain processes information about textures, paving the way for better understanding of sensory perception efficiency.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Before geoengineering, some fundamental chemistry
chemicals representing geoengineering float over a city skyline.

Before geoengineering, some fundamental chemistry

Research led by Joseph S. Francisco of the School of Arts & Sciences examines the chemistry of a proposal to curb climate change’s effects—creating a sunshade in the upper atmosphere made of sulfuric acid—and finds that there’s more work to do to successfully pull off such a feat.

Katherine Unger Baillie

A new model for how the brain perceives unique odors
a diagram of a simplified brain created with string and pins

A new study from the lab of Vijay Balasubramanian describes a statistical model for how the olfactory system discerns unique odors. This work provides a starting point for generating new hypotheses and conducting experiments that can help researchers better understand this complex, crucial area of the brain.

A new model for how the brain perceives unique odors

Using statistical physics and insights from biology, this research can help inform new hypotheses and experiments towards understanding the olfactory system, a complex and crucial pathway of the brain.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Reimagining scientific discovery through the lens of an artist
a headshot of Rebecca Kamen in front of an abstract painting

Reimagining scientific discovery through the lens of an artist

The latest exhibition by Rebecca Kamen, Penn artist-in-residence and visiting scholar, at the American University Katzen Art Center explores curiosity and the creative process across art and science.

Erica K. Brockmeier