Physics and Astronomy

Rice names new round of IDEA winners

Six teams of Rice researchers have won backing from the InterDisciplinary Excellence Awards.

'I feel like the science fiction movies are starting to come to life'

At our cores, we’re all strengthened by ‘dumbbells’

Scientists at Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics detail the structure of dumbbell-like sequences in DNA during interphase that suggest several unseen aspects of chromosome configuration and function.

A trillion turns of light nets terahertz polarized bytes

Nanophotonics researchers at Rice University, the Polytechnic University of Milan and the Italian Institute of Technology have demonstrated a novel technique for modulating light at terahertz frequencies with plasmonic metasurfaces.

New Nobel laureate has Rice on resume

Mathematician Sir Roger Penrose is now a Nobel laureate, but once upon a time, he was Rice's Edgar Odell Lovett Professor of Mathematics.

Gemini South's high-def version of 'A Star is Born'

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is still more than a year from launching, but the Gemini South telescope in Chile has provided astronomers from Rice University and Dublin City University a glimpse of what the orbiting observatory should deliver.

Karl Ecklund named American Physical Society Fellow

Karl Ecklund, a professor of physics and astronomy, has been named a fellow of the American Physical Society.

Shape matters for light-activated nanocatalysts

Points matter when designing nanoparticles that drive important chemical reactions using the power of light, according research from Rice University's Laboratory for Nanophotonics.

Boundaries no barrier for thermoelectricity

Rice researchers show how thermoelectricity hurdles some defects, but not others, in gold nanowires. The discovery has implications for making better thin-film electronic devices.

Quantum leap for speed limit bounds

Nature's speed limits aren't posted on road signs, but Rice University physicists have discovered a new way to deduce them that is better — infinitely better, in some cases — than prior methods.

Pope picks Rice professor for science academy

Rice University physicist José Onuchic has been appointed by Pope Francis to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Largest gift in Rice history establishes The Welch Institute

The Robert A. Welch Foundation announces the largest single gift in the history of Rice University, $100 million, to establish The Welch Institute for world-leading advanced materials research.

Rice physicist Ronald Stebbings dies at 91

Ronald Stebbings, a Rice University emeritus professor of space physics and astronomy, former dean of undergraduates and first vice president of student affairs, dies at 91.

Protein ‘chameleon’ colors long-term memory

Researchers model the binding structures of actin and associated proteins they believe are responsible for the formation of longterm memory.

Rice’s RAMBO-II: A sequel better than the original

First-of-its-kind spectrometer is getting stronger magnets, wider range of lasers.