Prof. Mersini-Houghton’s book “Before the Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe and what lies beyond” was reviewed by The Washington Post. Read the article here This excerpt sums it up: ”[A] riveting tour of the cosmos from one of … Continued

Before the Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe and What Lies Beyond, by Laura Mersini-Houghton, published July 19th, 2022. “A revolutionary new account of our universe’s creation—and a breathtaking exploration of the landscape from which we sprang—from one of … Continued

Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) experiments using linearly polarized γ-ray beams allow for the measurement of level energies and widths, spins, parities, multipolarity mixing ratios, and branching ratios, and, therefore, represent an important tool for probing nuclear structure. These properties are … Continued

Two new faculty members are joining UNC Physics and Astronomy: Wei Zhang and Carl Rodriguez. Welcome!   Wei Zhang received his B.S. in Physics from Peking University, China (2008) and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from University of Washington … Continued

Watch our student making a transistor in the clean room here! In our teaching laboratories, physics students are able to use UNC state of the art microfabrication equipment to pursue their individual research projects. They learn to manage time and … Continued

Effective July 1st, 2022, our very own Jonathan Engel became the “Phi Delta Theta/Matthew Mason Distinguished Professor.” Appointment to a distinguished professorship is one of the highest honors the University bestows upon its faculty members. The honor recognizes faculty who … Continued

NC Space Grant is excited to announce the recipients of the 2022-23 Undergraduate Research Scholarships and Graduate Research Fellowships. Joining the NC Space Grant family from universities across the state, these students will be involved in research spanning different science, … Continued

Beverly received the Manager of the Year award, presented by the University Managers Association (UMA). The award is presented at the UMA’s annual meeting. The Manager of the Year Award is sponsored by the UMA and is based on University … Continued

Newfound black holes in dwarf galaxies shed light on the origin of our galaxy’s supermassive black hole.    Adapted from EurekAlert news release posted 5/24/2022. Hiding in plain sight A team led by astronomers in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of … Continued

Congratulations to our Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 Phi Beta Kappa inductees: Max Kremer, Giovani Leone, Boyuan Li, Weston Murdock, Jeshurun Luke, Ravi Pitelka, Megan Pramojaney, and Nick Walton! Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most honored college honorary … Continued

A former Tar Heel was recently awarded an NSF Early CAREER Faculty Award, which is a prestigious grant recognizing faculty members’ leadership in research and education. Johannes Pollanen is a 2002 graduate of the UNC Department of Physics and Astronomy. … Continued

Presolar stardust grains found in primitive meteorites are believed to retain the isotopic composition of stellar outflows at the time of grain condensation. Therefore, laboratory measurements of their isotopic ratios represent sensitive probes for investigating open questions related to stellar … Continued