Physics and Astronomy

Rice models moving ‘washers’ that help DNA replicate

Rice researchers model a key mechanism by which DNA replicates. The study could help identify new targets to treat disease.

Halas, Nordlander win prestigious Eni Energy Transition Award

Rice’s Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander have won the prestigious 2022 Eni Energy Transition Award.

Cherukuri named Rice University’s first vice president for innovation

Paul Cherukuri, the executive director of the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering, has been named Rice University’s first vice president for innovation. 

Ramesh named Rice University’s vice president for research

Ramamoorthy Ramesh, a condensed matter physicist and materials scientist with more than 25 years in academia, industry, national labs and government service, has been named Rice University’s vice president for research. 

People, papers and presentations for July 18, 2022

A paper by Rice physicist Edison Liang and colleagues titled “A scintillator attenuation spectrometer for intense gamma-rays” is featured on the cover of the June 2022 issue of Review of Scientific Instruments.

DOE backs Rice physicists’ collaboration

Rice nuclear physicists win a Department of Energy grant to research the fundamental properties of matter in extreme conditions.

An Owl’s-eye view of the Higgs boson at 10

Anniversary finds Rice physicists pushing forward as Large Hadron Collider reboots

Rice lab’s quantum simulator delivers new insight

A Rice University quantum simulator is giving physicists a clear look at spin-charge separation, a bizarre phenomenon in which two parts of indivisible particles called electrons travel at different speeds in extremely cold 1D wires. The research is published this week in Science and has implications for quantum computing and electronics with atom-scale wires.

People, papers and presentations for June 13, 2022

Zaochen Ye, a research scientist in the lab of Rice physicist Frank Geurts, received a prestigious Merit Award during the virtual annual users’ meeting of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory held June 7-10.

Doctoral alumna wins prestigious Schmidt Science Fellowship

Doctoral graduate Natsumi Komatsu has been awarded a prestigious Schmidt Science Fellowship

Rice physicist wins DOE early career award

Physicist Guido Pagano wins a prestigious Early Career Research Award from the Department of Energy.

People, papers and presentations for May 23, 2022

Alexander Dessler, an emeritus professor of physics and astronomy, has published a personal history of the early days of Rice’s Space Science Department in the journal Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists.

Spinning is key for line-dancing electrons in iron selenide

Quantum physicists at Rice have helped answer an important question at the forefront of research into superconductivity.

​​​​​​​Computational sleuthing confirms first 3D quantum spin liquid

Physicists have confirmed the first 3D quantum spin liquid, a solid material with a liquidlike magnetic state.

May 15 lunar eclipse promises outstanding views

Rice’s campus observatory will host a public viewing May 15 for a well-timed total lunar eclipse.