Physics and Astronomy

PHYSICS - College of Arts and Sciences astronomer Yvette Cendes spoke with the New York Times about a recent paper that documented waves coming from what seems to be an aurora at the poles of Beta Pictoris b, a planet that circles a star more than 63 light-years from Earth.

PHYSICS - In June, Professor Brian Smith’s team was awarded a two-year, $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a prototype quantum network on the UO campus. “We have our work cut out for us, but our research will transform communications, sensors and computers,” said Smith, director of the Oregon Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science.

Highlights from the June 15 University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremonies at Autzen Stadium and Matthew Knight Arena.

NEUROSCIENCE, PHYSICS - PhD candidate Saumya Keremane's research, conducted in the labs of Richard Taylor, a professor and head of the Department of Physics, and Dr. Bala Ambati, an ophthalmologist and research professor in the Department of Bioengineering, focuses on understanding and preventing neuron degradation to treat inherited blindness.

PHYSICS - Scientists led by a physicist at the College of Arts and Sciences have taken a major step in solving an enduring mystery that we encounter every time we look through a window or stare at a phone screen. The discovery could open the door to new kinds of glass materials with desirable properties.

PHYSICS -At the University of Oregon’s Institute for Fundamental Science, a growing number of faculty have earned prestigious honors from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, which signal both individual excellence and the institute’s positive research trajectory. The most recent winner is CAS physicist Tien-Tien Yu, who received an NSF CAREER Award followed by the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

PHYSICS - A supermassive black hole with a case of cosmic indigestion has been burping out the remains of a shredded star for four years — and it’s still going strong, new research led by University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences astrophysicist Yvette Cendes. Cendes and her team published findings about this one-of-kind black hole in the Feb. 5 issue of Astrophysical Journal Astrophysicists.

PHYSICS - A team of physicists in the College of Arts and Sciences are part of a $1.245 million US Department of Defense research project, along with the UCLA and MIT. The goal of the project is to improve the function of quantum computers. The work is being done in the Oregon Ions Group research lab, which is led by CAS’s 2012 Nobel Prize recipient and Philip H. Knight Distinguished Research Chair David Wineland and physics assistant professor David Allcock.