Featured Research
Featured Research
Launched on June 11, 2008, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope observes the cosmos using the highest-energy form of light. Vast amount of data on gamma ray sources in our galaxy, such as pulsars, as well as on extra-galactic sources such as active galactic nuclei and the even more mysterious gamma-ray bursts. It also enables us to search for signals from massive particles hypothesized to constitute the dark matter of the universe.
The Bolshoi Simulation is the most accurate cosmological simulation of the evolution of the large-scale dark matter structure of the Universe yet made. Calculated on one of the world’s largest supercomputers, its results are being made publicly available to the world’s astronomers and astrophysicists. This will allow astronomers to model the evolution of the large scale structure of the universe, including the evolution and distribution of galaxies and clusters, with unprecedented accuracy.
The Dark Energy Survey (DES) is an international, collaborative effort to map hundreds of millions of galaxies, detect thousands of supernovae, and find patterns of cosmic structure that will reveal the nature of the mysterious dark energy that is accelerating the expansion of our Universe.
Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSCs) consist of a waveguide coupled with photovoltaic cells. UCSC’s design, targeting greenhouses, utilizes fluorescent dyes that convert light unused by plants to wavelengths suitable for photosynthesis.
ATLAS is one of two general-purpose particle detectors performing experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). By colliding particle beams into each other, physicists can observe the intrinsic behavior of subatomic particles to help understand more about the Standard Model and to unlock valuable information about the origin and nature of our universe.
The Materials Synthesis Lab, includes molecular beam epitaxy, pulsed laser deposition, and sputtering thin film growth equipment. The Lederman group in the seeks to understand the fundamental properties of materials in reduced dimensions. Of particular interest are properties resulting from interfaces between dissimilar materials (e.g., magnetic, ferroelectric, multiferroic, and biological materials).
The Velasco Group: nanodevices, low temperature transport, and STM. At the nanoscale, quantum mechanical effects reign supreme and when disorder is subdued many-body physics emerges, leading to new and unexpected physical phenomena. Low temperature transport, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and the development of new nanofabrication techniques will be employed to perform these studies.
Physics News
Global physics conference comes to UC Santa Cruz for first time—and why it matters
Physicists from around the world will converge on campus to offer possible answers to some of the biggest and most vexing questions about the particle makeup of the universe and everything in it.
New theories on dark matter’s origins point to ‘mirror world’ and universe’s edge
Two recent studies speculate a natural emergence of the mysterious substance, offering ‘self-contained and calculable scenarios’
The Science Division announces recipients of Distinguished Alumni Awards
Gabriel Filippelli, Aradhna Tripati, and Seath Brook Ahrens are this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients for the Science Division