Physical Sciences

Penn State on Stage at the LIGO Announcement
France Cordova and Gabriela Gonzalez
Person-to-person: Amber Stuver
Amber Stuver
Gravitational Waves Detected
Artist impression of gravitational waves generated by binary neutron stars. Credit: R. Hurt, Caltech/JPL
Penn State scientists share in Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
Aerial view of the LIGO gravitational wave detector in Livingston, Louisiana. Credit: LIGO.
Discovered: Why warm galaxies stop birth of new stars
An artist's rendition of the galaxies: Akira (right) and Tetsuo (left) in action. Akira's gravity pulls Tetsuo's gas into its central supermassive black hole, fueling winds that have the power to heat Akira's gas. The action of the black hole winds prevents a new cycle of star formation in Akira. IMAGE CREDIT Kavli IPMU
Record-breaking ultraviolet winds discovered near black hole
Artist's impression of a high-velocity wind (white) being launched from the surface of an accretion disk (red/yellow) around a supermassive black hole (black central dot). To set the scale, the black hole's size in this image is comparable to that of the inner Solar System. Distinct absorption in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum is produced when light from the accretion disk passes through the wind. Credit: NASA/CXC and Nahks Tr'Ehnl.
Quinnan Receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Melissa Quinnan
Under Pressure: New technique could make large, flexible solar panels more feasible
High pressure deposition inside rolled up, flexible substrates allows for extremely large area, uniform thickness hydrogenated amorphous silicon films useful for applications such as flat panel displays and solar cells. CREDIT: Hiu Yan Cheng, Penn State University
Four synchronized planets reveal clues to how planets form
This animation illustrates the Kepler–223 planetary system, which has long-term stability because its four planets interact gravitationally to keep the beat of a carefully choreographed dance as they orbit their host star. CREDIT: W. Rebel (license granted for free worldwide public-domain use)
Mauricio Terrones receives Faculty Scholar Medal
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