Department of Physics

A small group of determined scientists can make big contributions to physics.

Two faculty members are among the leaders from academia, business, philanthropy, humanities and the arts elected as 2015 fellows of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

One of the longest-running and weirdest examples of a crowdfunded scientific experiment is finally reaching the end of the road.

When considering what makes up the universe, it’s surprising that scientists could focus on just one yes/no question. But that’s exactly what a group of researchers supported by the Heising-Simons Foundation is doing. 

University of Washington scientists have built a new nanometer-sized laser that is energy efficient, easy to build and compatible with existing electronics.

Scientists have developed what they believe is the thinnest-possible semiconductor, a new class of nanoscale materials made in sheets only three atoms thick.

Three major experiments aimed at detecting elusive dark matter particles believed to make up most of the matter in the universe have gotten a financial shot in the arm. Two of the projects are at large national laboratories; the other is at the University of Washington.

UW physics students build their own version of the Atlas particle detector, only much smaller - and using Legos.

In order to make predictions about the future of the ice sheet and the impact it will have, scientists across different departments at the University of Washington are conducting multifaceted research. Ian Joughin, a glaciologist at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory, explained that they used computer modeling to analyze the large Thwaites glacier, which has the potential for contributing two feet of sea level rise once it disappears completely.

The UW College of Arts and Sciences organized a town-hall meeting last night in Kane Hall in response to the request to halt the closure of the Physics-Astronomy Reading Room (PARR).

Seattlepi.com's science blogger adds a book to the summer reading list: "Einstein's Bridge," a science fiction novel published in 1998 by UW emeritus professor of physics John Cramer.

Nearly 800 students and supporters have signed a petition on Change.org hoping to halt plans to repurpose the Physics-Astronomy Reading Room (PARR) into an eScience Data Science Studio.

Robijanto Soetedjo, a neurophysiologist and research assistant professor at the UW Department of Physiology and Biophysics, was awarded $25,000 after coming in second place in the national Science, Play, and Research Kit competition (SPARK) for his prototype of a "Bioelectricity Toy Set." His invention could help lead the way in introducing children to neuroscience through play.

The same physics that gives stability to tornadoes lies at the heart of new UW research and could lead to a better understanding of nuclear dynamics in studying fission, superconductors and the workings of neutron stars.

A UW physicist who has been looking for evidence that causality can go backward in time says he's making progress on nailing down the theoretical foundations for such quantum weirdness.