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First dysprosium MOT

The Lev research group at the University of Illinois has achieved the world's first magneto- optical trapping (MOT) of dysprosium.

Author: Celia M. Elliott

Published Date: June 29, 2009


Toxic molecule may help birds see magnetic field

Klaus Schulten and colleagues report that a toxic molecule may play a pivotal role in bird migration. The molecule is proposed as a key player in the process that allows birds to ?see? Earth?s magnetic field. Schulten holds the Swanlund Chair in Physics at the University of Illinois.

Author: Diana Yates, Life Sciences Editor, UI News Bureau

Published Date: June 22, 2009


Whole lotta building goin' on

A group of Physics graduate and undergraduate students are assembling nearly 10 tons of alumninum into giant detector wheels destined for the PHENIX experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Author: Celia Elliott

Published Date: June 12, 2009


Stelzer named UI Distinguished Teacher-Scholar

Timothy J. Stelzer, associate research professor of physics, has been named a University Distinguished Teacher-Scholar by the Provost. The designation "Teacher-Scholar" is the University's highest award to recognize scholarly contributions and excellence in the areas of teaching and learning.

Author: Celia Elliott

Published Date: June 08, 2009


MQT detected in nanowires

A team of researchers at the University of Illinois has demonstrated that, counter to classical Newtonian mechanics, an entire collection of superconducting electrons in an ultrathin superconducting wire is able to ?tunnel? as a pack from a state with a higher electrical current to one with a notably lower current, providing more evidence of the phenomenon of macroscopic quantum tunneling, first predicted by Tony Leggett more than 30 years ago.

Published Date: May 27, 2009


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