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News & Events
Check back often for the latest news from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Recent News and Updates
When sophomore Mia Burgener approached Professor Jennifer Hoffman after a talk on binary stars, it sparked a mentorship that turned curiosity into confidence. Through hands-on research and “multilevel mentoring” in Hoffman’s lab, Burgener discovered that real science is collaborative, empowering her to see herself as a scientist long before graduate school. See full story here: Link
Dr. Davor Balzar is retiring after 24 years as a professor and 19 years as department chair. Students, faculty, alumni, and friends gathered to celebrate his remarkable career. Thank you, Davor, for your exceptional leadership!
Graduate Student Ryan Greening, from Prof. Xin Fan's group, successfully defended his PhD thesis today. Congratulations, Dr. Greening. He will soon start his job at the Army Research Lab.
DU Physics & Astronomy hosted more than 30 high school students and teachers for a World Quantum Day celebration that included quantum talks and hands-on demonstrations of quantum physics. Thanks to the Society of Physics Students (SPS) for helping with some demonstrations and to our alumni speakers for sharing their research.
Steven Iona, Teaching Professor at the University of Denver, has been selected to join the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) in Washington, D.C. Congratulations!
Prof. Dacen Waters and his collaborators at the University of Washington, University of British Columbia, and Johns Hopkins University discovered an exotic electronic state in twisted graphene called a topological electron crystal. The paper is published in Nature (Link). The newly discovered state is a unique phenomena where electrons freeze into a regular pattern, but around the edges of the twisted graphene, electrons can freely flow with absolutely no energy dissipation. The existence of topological electron crystals is not only of fundamental interest for scientists but also has potential implications for future quantum computing technologies.
DU graduate student Emma Lieb, supervised by Prof. Jennifer Hoffman, measured the expansion speed of the carbon-rich dust shells produced by winds from two massive stars, which may "seed" new stars and planets. This result was recently presented by Emma Lieb (middle) at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Maryland, and published in Astrophysical Journal Letters. Their work is featured on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Researchers at CU Boulder recently made headlines (link) by measuring how time flows differently at high altitudes, conducting experiments at DU's Meyer-Womble Observatory high atop Mount Blue Sky. This historic observatory, which DU has operated since the mid-1990s, no longer operates as an astronomical facility. Instead it now provides a mountaintop setting for other kinds of research, including this groundbreaking quantum physics experiment. DU’s stewardship of the facility highlights the university’s longstanding contributions to advancing discovery in the sciences.
