Physics

Diagram shows the 'probability flux' of electrons, a representation of the paths of electrons as they pass through an 'invisible' nanoparticle. While the paths are bent as they enter the particle, they are subsequently bent back so that they re-emerge from the other side on the same trajectory they started with — just as if the particle wasn't there.

‘Invisibility’ could be a key to better electronics

MIT team applies technology developed for visual ‘cloaking’ to enable more efficient transfer of electrons.

October 12, 2012

Physics department head honored for diversity efforts

Bertschinger to receive honor from MAES-Latinos in Engineering and Science

October 9, 2012

Nuclear physicist Peter T. Demos dies at 94

Longtime faculty member guided MIT’s Bates Linear Accelerator from a groundbreaking idea to a globally renowned center for the study of nuclear structure and reactions.

October 9, 2012

The mathematics of leaf decay

A mathematical model reveals commonality within the diversity of leaf decay.

October 4, 2012

A dislocation in a crystal lattice, a disconnected region in its structure (represented by the array of atoms shown in blue) can separate from the rest of the lattice at a rate determined by the potential energy of the system, represented by the wavy surface. To the left, the higher potential energy (shown in red) prevents the defect from moving in that direction, but to the lower right (shown in ...

Probing the mysteries of cracks and stresses

Analysis of molecular-level fracture and stress mechanisms could have broad implications for understanding materials’ behavior.

September 28, 2012

Three-dimensional graphical representations of the way electrons respond to an input of energy, delivered by a pulse of laser light. The horizontal axis represents the electrons' momentum, and the vertical axis shows their energy. The time sequence runs from top left to bottom right, and the laser pulse arrives just before the second image, causing a sudden burst of higher energy levels.

Watching electrons move at high speed

New MIT system allows femtosecond-resolution movie of electrons in a topological insulator, a promising new electronic material.

September 18, 2012

Four from MIT win NIH grants

Brown, Gore, Ploegh and Zhang receive grants for innovative biomedical research.

September 13, 2012

Incoming freshman Kaylee de Soto got a head start at MIT, arriving in June to help the Plasma Science and Fusion Center update its fusion video game.

Kaylee de Soto: A game changer

Incoming freshman refreshes Plasma Science and Fusion Center outreach tools.

September 6, 2012

Elementary particles have a fundamental property called 'spin' that determines how they align in a magnetic field. MIT researchers have created a new physical system in which atoms with clockwise spin move in only one direction, while atoms with counterclockwise spin move in the opposite direction.

A one-way street for spinning atoms

Work correlating ultracold atoms’ spin with their direction of motion may help physicists model new circuit devices and unusual phases of matter.

August 30, 2012

Images of nanopatterned films of nano crystalline material produced by the MIT research team. Each row shows a different pattern produced on films of either cadmium selenide (top and bottom) or a combination of zinc cadmium selenide and zinc cadmium sulfur (middle row). The three images in each row are made using different kinds of microscopes: left to right, scanning electron microscope, optical ...

Patterning defect-free nanocrystal films with nanometer resolution

New process developed at MIT could enable better LED displays, solar cells and biosensors — and foster basic physics research.

August 20, 2012

An image (made with Raman spectroscopy) of a graphene layer on top of a patterned substrate shows the difference in chemical reactivity of the side opposite the substrate. The wide red stripe is an area over a silicon dioxide substrate, making the top surface of the graphene highly reactive. The narrow blue stripe is graphene over a layer of hydrocarbon (called OTS), and there is almost no reactiv...

Graphene’s behavior depends on where it sits

New findings show that the material beneath the thin carbon sheets determines how they react chemically and electrically.

August 13, 2012

To prevent microwaves passing through it from reflecting backward, a new 'metamaterial' uses antennas of alternating orientations (top) that are connected by amplifier circuits (bottom).

Riding herd on photons

A new ‘metamaterial’ prevents electromagnetic waves from reflecting backward, pointing the way toward computer chips that move data with light.

August 3, 2012

Alan Guth ’68, SM ’69, PhD ’72, the Victor F. Weisskopf Professor of Physics at MIT

Alan Guth wins $3 million Fundamental Physics Prize

MIT physicist among nine inaugural winners of prize awarded by Russia’s Milner Foundation.

July 31, 2012

An artist's conception shows how any number of incoming photons (top) can be absorbed by a cloud of ultra-cold atoms (center), tuned so that only one single photon can pass through at a time. Being able to produce a controlled beam of single photons has been a goal of research toward creating quantum devices.

Single-photon transmitter could enable new quantum devices

Long-sought goal for quantum devices — the ability to transmit single photons while blocking multiple photons — is finally achieved.

July 25, 2012

Artist depiction of a star with some planets orbiting

A far-off solar system

Researchers measure the orientation of a multiplanet system and find it very similar to our own solar system.