News

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Optical fiber

Switching fiber optic cables from round to rectangular shown to enhance data speeds

Tuesday, February 25, 2025
In a recent study, Henry Hammer and Ravitej Uppu from the University of Iowa discovered that an alternative fiber geometry — rectangular rather than the conventional circular cross-section — can significantly enhance information transfer rates. Their findings could improve not only telecommunications but also the emerging field of photonic quantum computing.
Ramachandra Bangari explains the cooling system for a infrared microscope

New microscope crafted by UI Physics researchers aids understanding material behavior

Sunday, February 23, 2025
This Daily Iowan story tells how a team of researchers led by Thomas Folland, a professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa created a new infrared cryo microscope. The homemade microscope was created to enable the recent study aimed at deepening the understanding of material behavior, particularly semiconductors at very low temperatures.

Undergraduate Students Awarded Scholarships

Monday, February 17, 2025
Eight undergraduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy were recently awarded scholarships. They include: Emerson Peters, Avi Kaufman, Eric Biedke, Mary Haag, Phillipe Jay, Aditya Venkatesh, and Zachary Piker.

Graduate Students Awarded Scholarships

Monday, February 17, 2025
Physics and Astronomy graduate students Rui Huang, Hossein Zandipour, Hassan Bukhari, Yuanzheng Wen, Jodie McLennan, Eudes Gomes da Silva were recently awarded scholarships.
Asst. Prof. Tom Folland in lab

UI team designs microscope to study interaction of light and matter in electronic devices

Monday, February 3, 2025
The infrared cryo-microscope, designed by a team led by Thomas Folland, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, uses off-the shelf components to make precise measurements of different materials’ properties.
Dustin Swarm Dare to Discover

Swarm Featured in 2025 Dare to Discover Campaign

Dustin Swarm, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is part of the 2025 Dare to Discover banner campaign, showcasing 80 undergraduate, graduate student, and postdoctoral scholars engaged in promising research, scholarship, and creative activities.
Chorus waves seen from ISS

Chorus Waves Detected in Deep Space

In this Scientific American article, Associate Professor Allison Jaynes discusses peculiar bursts of energy called chorus waves detected in deep space far from our planet. These waves could pose problems for long-distance space travel.
NASA’s four Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, satellites

Jaynes Comments on "Chirping" Cosmic Waves

In this article from the Associated Press, Associate Professor Allison Jaynes comments on chorus waves, which ripple at the same frequency as human hearing. When converted to audio signals, their sharp notes mimic high-pitched bird calls. Researchers have captured such sounds in space before, but now they have sensed the chirping waves from much farther away: over 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) from Earth, where they’ve never been measured before.
NASA Sky Chart

Jaynes Comments on "Parade of Planets"

Iowans who bundle up to brave the evening chill will be able to see a relatively rare event in the January night sky, what some are calling the Parade of Planets. Allison Jaynes, a physics and astronomy professor at the University of Iowa, says Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all shifting into near-alignment, and two more planets — Uranus and Neptune — will join the celestial conga line later this month.
Jun Wang Speaking at AGU

Wang Wins 2024 Joanne Simpson Medal

Jun Wang, University of Iowa’s Lichtenberger Family Chair in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, was awarded the 2024 Joanne Simpson Medal for mid-career scientists in recognition of significant contributions to Earth and space science. Wang has a secondary appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.