Research, teaching and public engagement in Physics at UW–Madison
Congrats to Prof. Dan McCammon for earning the Distinguished Career Award from The American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) High Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD) for his pioneering work on the development of microcalorimeters that has led to breakthroughs in X-ray astronomy and on soft diffuse X-ray background. The HEAD Distinguished Career Prize is awarded at the time …
Melinda Soares-Furtado, an observational astronomer, joined the UW–Madison faculty this fall on a joint appointment in the astronomy and physics departments. She earned her undergrad degree at UC-Santa Cruz, then her doctorate in astrophysical sciences at Princeton. In 2020, she began a postdoc apppointment in UW–Madison astronomy, where she subsequently was awarded a NASA Hubble …
This post is modified from the original news story from Northwestern University A large multi-institutional collaboration— led by Northwestern University and including UW–Madison physics professors Keith Bechtol, Kyle Cranmer, and Moritz Münchmeyer — has received a $20 million grant to develop and apply new artificial intelligence (AI) tools to astrophysics research and deep space exploration. Jointly …
Congrats to Prof. Baha Balantekin on winning the American Physical Society’s 2025 Hans A. Bethe prize! The Bethe prize is awarded to recognize outstanding work in theory, experiment or observation in the areas of astrophysics, nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics, or closely related fields. Balantekin won “for seminal contributions to neutrino physics and astrophysics — especially …
Elements are the building blocks of every chemical in the universe, but how and where the different elements formed is not entirely understood. A new paper in The Astrophysical Journal by University of Wisconsin–Madison physics professor Baha Balantekin and colleagues with the Network for Neutrinos, Nuclear Astrophysics, and Symmetries (N3AS) Physics Frontier Center, shows how …
Five members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty, including astronomy and physics professor Ellen Zweibel, have received Hilldale Professorships. Hilldale Professorships are given to faculty members who excel in scholarly activity, have records of outstanding research or creative work, and show promise of continued productivity. Recipients receive a salary increase in addition to funding that may …
This story is adapted from one published by University Communications Ke Fang, assistant professor of Physics and WIPAC investigator, is among 126 scientists across the United States and Canada selected as Sloan Research Fellows. The fellowships, awarded annually since 1955, honor exceptional scientists whose creativity, innovation and research accomplishments make them stand out as future …
By Alex Lazarian, Yue Hu, and Ka Wai Ho Galaxy clusters, immense assemblies of galaxies, gas, and elusive dark matter, form the cornerstone of our Universe’s grandest structure — the cosmic web. These clusters are not just gravitational anchors, but dynamic realms profoundly influenced by magnetism. The magnetic fields within these clusters are pivotal, shaping …
A team of astronomers have discovered a planet closer and younger than any other Earth-sized world yet identified. It’s a remarkably hot world whose proximity to our own planet and to a star like our sun mark it as a unique opportunity to study how planets evolve. The new planet was described in a new …