- Sigma Pi Sigma induction ceremony 2024
- Physics Professor Nora Berrah Elected to National Academy of Sciences
- Nobel Prize Winner, Professor Gérard Mourou, Katzenstein Distinguished Lecturer.
- The Mirion Technologies Inc. - UConn Physics Partnership
- UConn STARs Visit Hartford High School
- The Milky Way Laboratory Contributes to Art Exhibit at the University of Hartford
- From right: Aslı Tandoğan, Sarah Trallero, Aislinn Daniels.
- UConn Physics Department members rest after ascent of Mount Monadnock near Jaffrey, NH 14-Oct-2023
News - research, teaching, outreach, other

UConn Students featured by Press Releases at the American Astronomical Society
Two UConn students presented press releases at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, held in Washington, DC on January 12-16, 2025. UConn undergraduate Danya Alboslani presented a new method to map the 3D structures of star-forming clouds using X-ray light echoes. This press release resulted from a paper submitted to the Astrophysical Journal […]
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UConn Celebrates National Academies Members
On August 27, 2024, scholars, trustees, and friends of UConn gathered at the University of Connecticut School of Law to honor members of the university community elected to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Established by an Act of Congress in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences was followed by the National Academy […]
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Department Head greeting
Dear Friends of UConn Physics, Last year, I wrote to you as a new Interim Head of Physics and only barely a month into my appointment. During the past year, we conducted a search for a permanent head and I was selected. For this, I am very grateful for the trust and support I received […]
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UConn Physics Department Hosting January 2025 CU*iP.
Every year, the American Physical Society (APS) sponsors CU*IP – Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics – at several locations around the country. This year, led by Prof. Nora Berrah, UConn Physics applied to host this national conference in Storrs and our proposal was accepted for January 24-26, 2025! The purpose of […]
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In Memoriam: Lawrence “Larry” Kappers
Lawrence “Larry” Kappers, passed away on Friday, August 2, 2024. Professor Lawrence (Larry) Kappers (aka “Kap”) retired in 2009, having joined the UConn Physics Department in 1973. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completing postdoctoral appointments at the University of Minnesota and Oklahoma State University, he developed an active research program […]
[Read More]Upcoming events
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Feb
11
Planetarium Shows 5:30pm
Planetarium Shows
Tuesday, February 11th, 2025
05:30 PM - 06:00 PM
Planetarium
We are hosting weekly shows, open to anyone who is interested in learning a bit about our universe in our newly-remodeled planetarium! Space is limited, so make sure to reserve a space through our Marketplace page: http://tiny.cc/uconn_planetarium
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Feb
14
UConn Physics Colloquium 2:30pm
UConn Physics Colloquium
Friday, February 14th, 2025
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Gant West Building
Dr. Dima Kharzeev, Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory
When Physics meets Quantum information
The interplay between physics and quantum information drives profound advancements in our understanding of nature, reshaping fundamental concepts and enabling groundbreaking technologies. In this colloquium, we will explore how quantum information and physics intersect, influencing and transforming each other.
I will discuss the role of entanglement in quantum matter (both in and out of equilibrium), quantum computation as a powerful tool for simulating complex physical systems, and the impact of information-theoretic principles on nuclear, high-energy, and condensed matter physics. By bridging the gap between these fields, we unlock new avenues for discovery and pave the way for technological breakthroughs.
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Feb
21
UConn Physics Colloquium 2:30pm
UConn Physics Colloquium
Friday, February 21st, 2025
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Gant West Building
Dr. John Arrington, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Title and abstract TBA
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Feb
24
Particle, Astrophysics, and Nuclear Physics Seminar 2:00pm
Particle, Astrophysics, and Nuclear Physics Seminar
Monday, February 24th, 2025
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Gant South Building
Dr. Ryan Abbott, MIT
Normalizing Flows for Lattice QCD
Normalizing flows have recently arisen as a potential tool for accelerating lattice field theory calculations. In this talk I will give an overview of how normalizing flows have been applied to field theories, in particular focusing on recent progress applying normalizing flows to lattice QCD as well as current efforts to scale flow models towards modern lattice field theory calculations.
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Mar
3
Particle, Astrophysics, and Nuclear Physics Seminar 2:00pm
Particle, Astrophysics, and Nuclear Physics Seminar
Monday, March 3rd, 2025
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Gant South Building
Dr. Masato Nagatsuka, KEK, the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Japan
Title and abstract TBA
Recent Events
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UConn Physics Colloquium2:30pm 2/7
UConn Physics Colloquium
Friday, February 7th, 2025
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Gant West Building GW-002
Prof. Victor S. Batista, Department of Chemistry, Yale University and Yale Quantum Institute
Simulating Dynamics on Bosonic Quantum Devices
Bosonic quantum devices offer a novel approach to realize quantum computations, where the quantum two-level system (qubit) is replaced with the quantum (an)harmonic oscillator (qumode) as the fundamental building block of the quantum simulator. The simulation of chemical structure and dynamics can then be achieved by representing or mapping the system Hamiltonians in terms of bosonic operators. In this talk, we review recent progress and future potential of using bosonic quantum devices for addressing a wide range of challenging chemical problems, including the calculation of molecular vibronic spectra, the simulation of adiabatic and nonadiabatic chemical dynamics, quantum machine learning applications for characterization of molecular systems, molecular docking of molecular graph theory problems, and the calculations of electronic structure
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Planetarium Shows5:30pm 2/4
Planetarium Shows
Tuesday, February 4th, 2025
05:30 PM - 06:00 PM
Planetarium Planetarium
We are hosting weekly shows, open to anyone who is interested in learning a bit about our universe in our newly-remodeled planetarium! Space is limited, so make sure to reserve a space through our Marketplace page: http://tiny.cc/uconn_planetarium
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Astronomy Seminar11:00am 1/31
Astronomy Seminar
Friday, January 31st, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Gant South Building GS-119
Brendan Cole, EcoTarium Museum of Science and Nature
Is Andromeda a Barred Spiral? What Planet is Shrek From?
Informal educators engage individuals in museums, libraries, and school assemblies–environments that are highly stimulating and lower-stakes than the traditional classroom. Interactively exploring and examining complex topics in these settings requires careful consideration of what is being shown and the language used to convey it. Brendan Cole, Manager of Museum Education at Worcester’s EcoTarium museum of science and nature will dive into the tips, tricks, and techniques for engaging a public audience with any scientific topic, including one that you may not have prepared for.
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Conference for Women and Gender Minorities in Physics2:30pm 1/24
Conference for Women and Gender Minorities in Physics
Friday, January 24th, 2025
02:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Gant West Building unknown
Check in registration starts: Friday, January 24, 2:30 pm
Conference ends: Sunday, January 26, 2:00 pm
Conference program: https://physics.uconn.edu/cuwip/program/
Conference website: https://physics.uconn.edu/cuwip/
Contact Information: no contact information was provided for this event
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Astronomy Seminar11:00am 1/24
Astronomy Seminar
Friday, January 24th, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Gant South Building GS-119
Dr. Jakob den Brok, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Unveiling Molecular Gas Conditions and their link to Star Formation with CO Observations in Nearby Galaxies
An intricate interplay exists between the molecular gas in the interstellar medium (ISM) and the onset of star formation. Gaining insight into the molecular gas’s composition and its physical and chemical conditions is crucial to comprehending how star formation is regulated, and how galaxies evolve. However, the most abundant molecule, H_2, is challenging to observe directly under commonly cold ISM conditions across nearby galaxies. Carbon Monoxide (CO) emission has become the most accessible tracer of the bulk molecular ISM distribution. I will present recent findings from multiple comprehensive astrophysical surveys mapping CO and isotopologue line emission across entire nearby galaxies. With these, I explore the CO excitation conditions from kiloparsec to 100s-parsec scales and show how it is possible to also assess the chemical enrichment of C and O elements. Furthermore, I present the analysis of variations in the CO-to-H_2 conversion factor, which is needed accurately translate the observed CO brightness into a H_2 mass surface density. I link these variations to different galactic environments across the entire molecular disk of iconic star-forming galaxies such as M51 and M101. In summary, my talk illustrates the use of CO line observations as diagnostics for accurately accounting and interpreting the variation of CO-derived properties of the molecular ISM from kiloparsec to 100s-parsec scales.
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UConn Physics Colloquium3:00pm 12/6
UConn Physics Colloquium
Friday, December 6th, 2024
03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Gant West Building GW-002
Dr. Taran Driver, PULSE institute and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Linac Coherent Light Source
Probing Correlated Multi-Electron Dynamics on the Attosecond Timescale
The interaction of light with matter is a fundamental process for probing and engineering the quantum properties of a molecule or material. This interaction is mediated by electrons, and understanding the many-body dynamics of electronic systems in the first moments following light-driven excitation is a frontier challenge. The characteristic timescale for this electron motion is set by the splitting of the relevant energy levels, which results in motion on the attosecond (10-18 s) timescale. It is now possible to generate pulses of light lasting on the order of one hundred attoseconds, both on the tabletop in the laboratory and at large free-electron laser facilities. I will present recent work using attosecond x-ray pulses to probe the ultrafast dynamics of multi-electron systems. We measured the photoemission delay in the core-level ionization of a molecule. This is the delay between the arrival of a photon and the emission of an electron in photoionization, which was long considered an instantaneous process. In fact, this delay reveals strong modulations due to electron correlation. We also time-resolved the response of an aromatic molecule, para-aminophenol, to impulsive photoionization. By accessing the dynamics within the first femtosecond following the removal of an electron, we observed the interplay between the sub-femtosecond decay of shake-up states and coherent charge density oscillation on the few-femtosecond timescale. I will also touch on future directions which will harness these new methods to develop ultrafast probes of electron motion and exotic light-engineered states in quantum materials.
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UConn Physics Colloquium3:30pm 11/22
UConn Physics Colloquium
Friday, November 22nd, 2024
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Gant West Building GW-002
Prof. Lina Necib, Department of Physics, MIT
Mapping out the Dark Matter in the Milky Way
In this talk, I will explore the interfacing of simulations, observations, and machine learning techniques to construct a detailed map of Dark Matter in the Milky Way, focusing on the Galactic Center/Halo and dwarf galaxies. For the Galactic Halo, I will present a recent work that reveals a decline in the stellar circular velocity, inducing tensions with established estimates of the Milky Way’s mass and Dark Matter content. I will discuss how the underestimated systematic errors in such a common methodology necessitates a revised approach that combines theory, observations, and machine learning. In dwarf galaxies, I will present a novel Graph Neural Network methodology that facilitates the accurate extraction of Dark Matter density profiles, validated against realistic simulations. I will conclude with a discussion on the future trajectory of astroparticle physics, emphasizing the need for the integration of astrophysical probes with experimental Dark Matter research, potentially leading to a better understanding of the nature of Dark Matter.
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Astronomy Seminar2:00pm 11/22
Astronomy Seminar
Friday, November 22nd, 2024
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Gant South Building GS-119
Prof. Philip Mannheim, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Why there are dark matter, dark energy, and quantum gravity problems, and what we can do about them
We trace the origin of the dark matter, dark energy and quantum gravity problems to the extrapolation of the standard Newton-Einstein wisdom to beyond its solar system origins. We show that this same solar system wisdom can be obtained from the conformal gravity theory, with its extrapolation leading to a resolution of all of the dark matter, dark energy and quantum gravity problems.