2021
In step toward autonomous materials, researchers design patterns in self-propelling liquid crystals
February 19, 2021

New research shows that the movement in liquid crystals can be harnessed and directed, a step toward developing autonomous materials that can sense inputs, amplify signals, and even compute information.
A famous black hole gets an enormous update
February 19, 2021

Prof. Daniel Holz comments on new recalculation of Cygnus X-1’s mass in New York Times
Dark Energy Survey finds new evidence for emerging way to measure dark matter
February 19, 2021

Yuanyuan Zhang, an astrophysicist with the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, led a study with Dark Energy Survey data of how light from inside galaxy clusters may be linked with dark matter.
McMahon lab uses new metamaterials for studying the oldest light in the universe
February 19, 2021

Experimental cosmologist and Assoc. Prof. McMahon and his students developed a new metamaterials-based antireflection coating for the silicon lenses used in cameras that capture the oldest light in the universe.
New Scientist interviews Dan Hooper: What happened at the big bang?
February 15, 2021

New Scientist filmed an interview with Dan Hooper: What happened at the big bang? The search for dark matter, cosmic inflation, and other mysteries from the beginning of time.
Random twists of place: How quiet is quantum space-time at the Planck scale?
February 15, 2021

Random twists of place: How quiet is quantum space-time at the Planck scale? Prof. Craig Hogan shares an update on the reconfigured Fermilab Holometer.
Ceramic chips inside meteorites hint at wild days of the early solar system
February 10, 2021

Ceramic chips inside meteorites hint at wild days of the early solar system. Using complex equipment in Nicolas Dauphas' Origins Lab, including a one-of-a-kind patented purification system that the team developed, Justin Hu measured the isotopes for eight different elements inside the chips.
Four decades and millions of stars later, Sloan Digital Sky Survey co-founder retires
February 8, 2021

Prof. Richard Kron's legacy includes helping to conceive and lead one of the most influential projects to map the sky, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, as well as the creation of the astrophysics major at UChicago and the project to digitize and explore the scientific potential of 100-year-old photographic images of the sky from the Yerkes Observatory.
Computer scientist Marshini Chetty works to bridge the gap between science and humanity
February 3, 2021

Computer scientist Marshini Chetty works to bridge the gap between science and humanity
Physics student, Grace Chesmore, led optical measurements for Simons Observatory metamaterial tiles
February 2, 2021

A Physics student in the McMahon lab, Grace Chesmore, led the optical measurements of new metamaterial tiles to improve the sensitivity of large telescopes at SimonsObservatory. This discovery may yield insights into how the universe began.
New self-assembly method creates bioelectronics out of microscopic structures
January 27, 2021

New self-assembly method creates bioelectronics out of microscopic structures. Scientists in Prof. Bozhi Tian’s lab use a “bottom-up” approach to yield highly customizable bioelectronics.
Cosmologist Brian Nord on his coalition of physicists and computer scientists promoting algorithmic accountability
January 26, 2021

Cosmologist Brian Nord is interviewed by Gizmodo about building a coalition of physicists and computer scientists promoting algorithmic accountability. Nord is a machine learning expert at Fermi National Laboratory who studies strong gravitational lensing and deep learning.
UChicago CS team led by Prof. Nick Feamster receives $1.2M to map the digital divide in Chicago
January 26, 2021

UChicago CS team led by Prof. Nick Feamster receives $1.2M to map the digital divide in Chicago. Grant from data.org to fund ‘moonshot’ to bring high-speed internet accessible to all
PUEO mission led by Assoc. Prof. Abigail Vieregg chosen for NASA Pioneers Program
January 26, 2021

As part of its new Pioneers Program, NASA has chosen four small-scale astrophysics missions for further concept development, including PUEO, a balloon mission led by Assoc. Prof. Abigail Vieregg, that will launch from Antarctica and detect signals from ultra-high energy neutrinos.
PSD in the News - December 2020 and January 2021
January 22, 2021

There were 39 news articles featuring Physical Sciences Division research and accomplishments in December and January. Scientists created the first computational model of the entire virus responsible for COVID-19, pioneered measurements of electricity in cells, and charted the evolution of U.S. energy consumption. Several valued members of PSD were memorialized, including a Nobel lareaute and a graduate student. See highlights below and read the full list.