Physics & Astronomy

Mar 6, 2020
On February 19, Professors Eric Rignot, Timothy Tait and Jenny Yang all received 2019-2020 Distinguished Faculty Awards from the UCI Academic Senate during an evening ceremony at the Newkirk Alumni Center. The professors swept the Senates’ research awards categories; Professor Rignot received the Distinguished Senior Faculty Award for Research, while Professors Yang and Tait received the Distinguished Mid-Career Faculty Award for Research and the Distinguished Early-Career Faculty Award for…
Mar 1, 2020
In February, Virginia Trimble, an astronomer in the UCI Department of Physics and Astronomy, became a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). This is the first time in its 121-year history that the AAS has given fellowships of any kind to its members, and, through its Legacy Fellows, the society is shining a light on members who sculpted astronomy into the field it is today.
Feb 20, 2020
Using the Habitable Zone Planet Finder instrument, a team of scientists – including UCI astronomer Paul Robertson – has confirmed that an object previously detected by the Kepler space telescope is an exoplanet, a planet orbiting a star outside our solar system.
Feb 5, 2020
(CNN) -- An ultramassive monster galaxy dating back to the early days of the universe lived fast and died young, astronomers say in a new study.
Feb 3, 2020
Had Superman had a better grasp of physics, he may have used a more delicate approach when swooping in to catch Lois Lane as she plummeted down from the sky at breakneck speed.
Jan 14, 2020
UCI astronomer Paul Robertson recently celebrated “first light” for NEID, a new exoplanet hunting instrument he helped develop.
Dec 17, 2019
Eight new faculty members join the School of Physical Sciences from universities across the world, bringing new research right from their Ph.D. programs and others bringing their established research ready to revamp. Here are the new faculty members:
Nov 27, 2019
What determines the climate of an Earth-like planet orbiting its host star? And how is that climate affected by the type of star the planet orbits? A new study explores how distant terrestrial worlds are shaped by their hosts.
Nov 26, 2019
Irvine, Calif., Nov. 26, 2019 — Nine University of California, Irvine researchers in areas ranging from neurodevelopment and chemical synthesis to labor economics and library sciences have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society.
Nov 23, 2019
(CNN)-- Physics centers essentially on four forces that control our known, visible universe, governing everything from the production of heat in the sun to the way your laptop works. They are gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force, and the strong force.
Oct 29, 2019
UCI has posted a new podcast episode featuring an interview with the recently appointed dean of the School of Physical Sciences, James Bullock.
Oct 28, 2019
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument aimed its robotic array of 5,000 fiber-optic eyes at the night sky for the first time recently to capture images showing its unique view of galaxy light.