Physics

Galileo revisited: How ribbons rollIn a twist on a classic experiment, MIT researchers discover how flexible cylinders behave when rolling down a slope.

Gates named MLK Visiting Professor in PhysicsSupersymmetry pioneer will conduct research this year at MIT’s Center for Theoretical Physics.

Walter Lewin on 20th century artMIT physicist gives art history lecture

Zwierlein a winner of DARPA’s Young Faculty Award competitionWill receive two-year research grant of approximately $300,000

New evidence that matter and antimatter may behave differentlySurprising neutrino finding could force physicists to rethink the foundations of particle physics.

Why saliva forms beads on a stringResearchers’ solution to longstanding mystery could enable better inkjet printing and drug-dispensing systems.

15 MIT students awarded DOE-funded Science Graduate FellowshipsAmong 150 students nationwide awarded fellowships in program's first year

Shining a light — literally — on diabetesDevice from MIT lab could help diabetic patients monitor their blood glucose levels without finger pricks.

Stringing together a picture of superconductorsMIT physicists use an offshoot of string theory to describe the strange behavior of superconducting materials.

Explained: the Doppler effectThe same phenomenon behind changes in the pitch of a moving ambulance’s siren is helping astronomers locate and study distant planets.

Silicon can be made to melt in reverseMaterial that shows melting while cooling might someday lead to applications in solar cells and other devices

Porkolab selected for Fusion Power Associates Distinguished Career Award

Explained: BandgapUnderstanding how electrons get excited is crucial to creating solar cells and light-emitting diodes

Explained: PhononsWhen trying to control the way heat moves through solids, it is often useful to think of it as a flow of particles.

New housemasters for East Campus, The Warehouse

Explained: Quark-gluon plasmaBy colliding particles, physicists hope to recreate the earliest moments of our universe, on a much smaller scale.

Explained: The Carnot LimitLong before the nature of heat was understood, the fundamental limit of efficiency of heat-based engines was determined

Mysterious quantum forces unraveledMIT researchers find a way to calculate the effects of Casimir forces, offering a way to keep micromachines’ parts from sticking together.

New project aims for fusion ignitionMIT-led Ignitor reactor could be the world’s first to reach major milestone, perhaps paving the way for eventual power production.

New phenomenon found in internal wavesMIT team shows that waves inside oceans, air and stars are filtered and reflected by layers.

Explained: ThermoelectricityTurning temperature differences directly into electricity could be an efficient way of harnessing heat that is wasted in cars and power plants.

Toward more efficient wireless power deliveryLatest research shows that efficiency improves when multiple devices are charged at once.

Michael S. Feld, physics professor, dies at age 69Made fundamental contributions in the field of laser science; applied physics to biomedical problems

Zwierlein named ONR Young Investigator

Charles Batterman, longtime MIT diving coach, dies at age 87A former national champion, he pioneered the use of physics principles in the analysis of dives.

Crossing a threshold of particle physicsScientists celebrate as the Large Hadron Collider achieves its highest-energy collisions yet.

Bacteria divide like clockworkMIT researchers show how circadian rhythms in bacteria control their rate of reproduction.

Insulators made into conductorsMIT team coaxes polymers to line up, transforming them into materials that could dissipate heat.