Physical Sciences

How massive is supermassive? Astronomers measure more black holes, farther away
An artist's rendering of the inner regions of an active galaxy/quasar, with a supermassive black hole at the center surrounded by a disk of hot material falling in. Credit: Nahks Tr'Ehnl (www.nahks.com) and Catherine Grier (Penn State) and the SDSS collaboration
Four-dimensional physics in two dimensions
Illustration of light passing through a two-dimensional waveguide array. Each waveguide is essentially a tube, which behaves like a wire for light, inscribed through high-quality glass using a powerful laser. Many of these waveguides are inscribed closely spaced through a single piece of glass to form the array. Light that flows through the device behaves precisely according to the predictions of the four-dimensional quantum Hall effect. CREDIT: Rechtsman laboratory, Penn State University
Alien Megastructure not the cause of dimming of the 'Most Mysterious Star in the Universe'
This illustration depicts an uneven ring of dust orbiting KIC 8462852, also known as Boyajian’s Star or Tabby's Star. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Raymond Schaak Named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Raymond E. Schaak
Understanding enzyme cascades key to understanding metabolism
Like ants, one enzyme follows the trail left behind by the previous one. In this case, the initial substrate is acted upon by enzyme A, leaving a substrate suitable for enzyme B and on down the line. Credit: Ayusman Sen
Two discoveries by international collaborations involving Penn State scientists make list of Physics World Top Ten Breakthroughs of 2017
Physics World Top 10 logo. Credit: Physics World.
Squire Booker named Eberly Family Distinguished Chair in Science
Hilary Dellapenta to receive the Gerald Wendt Award for Excellence in Support of Research and Graduate Programs
Experiment Near South Pole Reveals How Earth Blocks High-Energy Particles Produced by Nuclear Reactions
This image shows a visual representation of one of the highest-energy neutrino detections superimposed on a view of the IceCube Lab near the South Pole. Credit: IceCube Collaboration
New quest to map stars and galaxies across the entire sky
This artist's impression shows a cutaway view of the parts of the Universe that SDSS-V will study. SDSS-V will study millions of stars to create a map of the entire Milky Way...and way far beyond. Credit: Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science/SDSS
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