2023
PSD in the news: May 2023
May 31, 2023

This month PSD researchers have been recognized for their pioneering discoveries, the quality and innovation of their research programs, and their unique contributions to new fields of inquiry.
Prof. Vladimir Drinfeld wins 2023 Shaw Prize in the Mathematical Sciences
May 31, 2023

Vladimir Drinfeld, Harry Pratt Judson Distinguished Service Professor of Mathematics at the University of Chicago, wins 2023 Shaw Prize in the Mathematical Sciences for his contributions related to mathematical physics and to arithmetic geometry.
Evaluating Anti-Facial Recognition Tools
May 30, 2023

In a study presented on May 23-26th at the 44th IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, researchers at the University of Chicago developed a framework to systematically evaluate existing anti-facial recognition tools and describe how creators of similar tools can design them to be even more resilient to the evolving landscape of facial recognition.
Astronomers have spotted a once-in-a-decade supernova—and you can, too
May 25, 2023

The death throes of a massive star in the galaxy M101, located just 21 million light-years away from Earth, are entrancing professional and amateur astronomers alike
The Day Tomorrow Began: The first nuclear reaction
May 25, 2023

In 1942, Enrico Fermi and a group of scientists gathered beneath the football stands at the University of Chicago to feverishly work on a secret experiment—to achieve the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction—that would that would change the world forever.
University of Chicago joins global partnerships to advance quantum computing
May 22, 2023

$100 million from IBM to help develop quantum-centric supercomputer; $50 million from Google to support quantum research and workforce development.
Answering big questions at the South Pole
May 17, 2023

MyChoice extern and computer science graduate student, Kevin Bryson, writes about Prof. Bradford Benson's work to develop detectors and massive telescopes that enable the study of the origins of the universe.
Study finds fascinating link between photosynthesis, supercooling of atoms
May 16, 2023

University of Chicago professor David A. Mazziotti, and grad students LeeAnn M. Sager-Smith and Anna O. Schouten, explained how they discovered the link and what it could mean for the future of how we power our homes and cities.
Damage delays restart of Italy’s giant gravitational wave detector
May 16, 2023

Physicists will resume their hunt for astrophysical monsters: black holes and neutron stars going bump in the dark and emitting ripples in space called gravitational waves. But one of the three detectors that have spotted such waves—Virgo, near Pisa, Italy—has run into technical problems that will delay its restart, 3 years after all the facilities shut down for maintenance and upgrades.
Smart glove enhances your sense of touch in virtual reality
May 13, 2023

Stimulating nerves on the back of your hand makes it feel like you are grasping things in VR without needing to have your palms covered in material.
Balloon launches to search for particles coming from outer space
May 12, 2023

Update: NASA's super pressure baloon mission terminated due to anomaly - May 14
On May 12, NASA launched an experiment built by a PSD-led international team to send a scientific balloon to 110,000 feet above the Earth. The project, termed Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon or EUSO-SPB2, is searching for messengers from outer space: tiny, highly energetic particles that hit the Earth on their way from elsewhere in the universe.
Photo by NASA/Bill Rodman
Researchers get first up-close look at mysterious planet’s atmosphere
May 11, 2023

A team led by scientists from UChicago and the University of Maryland used the Webb telescope to observe GJ 1214b’s atmosphere by measuring the heat it emits while orbiting its host star. The exoplanet is too hot to be habitable, but likely contains water vapor.
Mirror-image supernova yields surprising estimate of cosmic growth
May 11, 2023

A new way to gauge the universe’s expansion rate has delivered a confusing result that may conflict with previous related measurements.
NSF awards $52M to upgrade Simons Observatory in Chile to explore origins of universe
May 9, 2023

The National Science Foundation has awarded $52.66 million to upgrade the Simons Observatory, a set of telescopes high in the Chilean desert that looks for traces of light from the earliest epochs of the universe. Improvements include upgraded receiver, solar panels to power the observatory and data processing pipeline
Mechanical backpack boosts the sensation of jumping in virtual reality
May 8, 2023

New Scientist features a mechanical backpack developed by Prof. Pedro Lopes and his colleagues. JumpMod can enhance the sensation of virtual reality by sliding a weight up and down.