• Research News

    New Laser Experiment Spins Light Like a Merry-go-round

    In day-to-day life, light seems intangible. We walk through it and create and extinguish it with the flip of a switch. But, like matter, light actually carries a little punch—it has momentum. Light constantly nudges things and can even be used to push spacecraft.… Read More
  • Research News

    The Many Wonders of Uranium Ditelluride

    In the menagerie of exotic materials, superconductors boast their own vibrant ecosystem. All superconductors allow electricity to flow without any resistance. It’s their hallmark feature. But in many cases, that’s where the similarities end. Some superconductors, like aluminum, are conventional—run-of-the-mill, bread-and-butter materials that are… Read More
  • Research News

    Simulations of ‘Backwards Time Travel’ Can Improve Scientific Experiments

    If gamblers, investors and quantum experimentalists could bend the arrow of time, their advantage would be significantly higher, leading to significantly better outcomes. Adjunct Assistant Professor and JQI affiliate Nicole Yunger Halpern and her colleagues at the University of Cambridge have shown that by… Read More
  • Research News

    Embracing Uncertainty Helps Bring Order to Quantum Chaos

    In physics, chaos is something unpredictable. A butterfly flapping its wings somewhere in Guatemala might seem insignificant, but those flits and flutters might be the ultimate cause of a hurricane over the Indian Ocean. The butterfly effect captures what it means for something to… Read More
  • Research News

    Advocating for Quantum Simulation of Extreme Physics

    The Big Bang, supernovae, collisions of nuclei at breakneck speeds—our universe is filled with extreme phenomena, both natural and human-made. But the surprising thing is that all of these seemingly distinct processes are governed by the same underlying physics: a combination of quantum mechanics… Read More
  • Research News

    Novel Quantum Speed Limits Tackle Messy Reality of Disorder

    The researchers and engineers studying quantum technologies are exploring uncharted territory. Due to the unintuitive quirks of quantum physics, the terrain isn’t easy to scout, and the path of progress has been littered with wrong turns and dead ends. Sometimes, though, theorists have streamlined… Read More
  • Research News

    UMD Researchers Study the Intricate Processes Underpinning Gene Expression

    A new study led by University of Maryland physicists sheds light on the cellular processes that regulate genes. Published in the journal Science Advances, the paper explains how the dynamics of a polymer called chromatin—the structure into which DNA is packaged—regulate gene expression. Through… Read More
  • Research News

    UMD Scientists Help Discover the Highest-Energy Light Coming from the Sun

    Sometimes, the best place to hide a secret is in broad daylight. Just ask the sun. A new paper in Physical Review Letters details the discovery of the highest-energy light ever observed from the sun. The international team behind the discovery also found that… Read More
  • Research News

    Crystal Imperfections Reveal Rich New Phases of Familiar Matter

    Matter—all the stuff we see around us—can be classified into familiar phases: our chairs are solid, our coffee is liquid, and the oxygen we breathe is a gas. This grouping obscures the nitty gritty details of what each molecule or atom is up to… Read More
  • 1 New Laser Experiment Spins Light Like a Merry-go-round
  • 2 The Many Wonders of Uranium Ditelluride
  • 3 Simulations of ‘Backwards Time Travel’ Can Improve Scientific Experiments
  • 4 Embracing Uncertainty Helps Bring Order to Quantum Chaos
  • 5 Advocating for Quantum Simulation of Extreme Physics
  • 6 Novel Quantum Speed Limits Tackle Messy Reality of Disorder
  • 7 UMD Researchers Study the Intricate Processes Underpinning Gene Expression
  • 8 UMD Scientists Help Discover the Highest-Energy Light Coming from the Sun
  • 9 Crystal Imperfections Reveal Rich New Phases of Familiar Matter
  • Advanced Physics Camp

 

 

 

             

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Department News

  • Mar 1, 2024 Jamie Raskin to Give Milchberg Lecture on March 28 Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland’s 8th Congressional District will give the fourth Irving and Renee Milchberg Endowed Lecture on Thursday, March 28 at 1 p.m. in the lecture hall (1412) of the John S. Toll Physics Building. Rep. Raskin will discuss Democracy, Autocracy and the… Read More
  • Mar 21, 2024 Sullivan Named Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Professor Greg Sullivan has been named a University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teacher. The Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Program, established in 1978, honors a small number of faculty members each year who have demonstrated notable success in both scholarship and teaching. Sullivan received his Ph.D. from the University of… Read More
  • Mar 21, 2024 Charles Tahan Brings His Research Expertise to Thriving UMD Quantum Enterprise Charles Tahan, who recently stepped down as director of the National Quantum Coordination Office (NQCO), is now bringing his expertise as a quantum physicist and a leader in the quantum research community to the University of Maryland. After leaving NQCO this month, he is taking… Read More
  • Feb 20, 2024 Philippov Awarded Sloan Research Fellowship Assistant Professor Sasha Philippov is one of 126 scientists in the United States and Canada to receive a 2024 Sloan Research Fellowship. Granted by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the $75,000 award recognizes scientists who have made important research contributions and have demonstrated “the potential to… Read More
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Upcoming Events

28 Mar
Irving and Rene Milchberg Lecture: Rep. Jamie Raskin
Date Thu, Mar 28, 2024 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
28 Mar
QMC Colloquium: Pascoal Pagliuso, Unicamp Brazil
Thu, Mar 28, 2024 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
28 Mar
Nuclear Theory Seminar
Thu, Mar 28, 2024 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm
28 Mar
QuICS Special Seminar: Nicolas Delfosse
Thu, Mar 28, 2024 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
29 Mar
Friday Quantum Seminar: Gautam Nambiar
Fri, Mar 29, 2024 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
29 Mar
HEP / Particle Astro seminar
Fri, Mar 29, 2024 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
1 Apr
JQI Seminar: William Oliver
Mon, Apr 1, 2024 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
1 Apr
Biophysics Seminar: Brian Shoichet
Mon, Apr 1, 2024 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
1 Apr
EPT Seminar
Mon, Apr 1, 2024 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Richard E. Prange: 1932 - 2008

Prof. Richard E. Prange, a superb condensed matter theorist and great friend to many of us, died suddenly on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 24, of an apparent heart attack. This is a great loss to our community, where Prof. Prange spent virtually his whole professorial career; he joined the department in 1961.

On September 23--his 76th birthday--he attended the physics colloquium; afterward he and Sankar Das Sarma had a vigorous discussion about that day's topic, the physics of graphene. Richard was his usual incisive self.

On Wednesday morning, he left Washington to drive to Philadelphia where his wife, Prof. Madeleine Joullié, is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. They maintained homes in both cities. En route, he stopped for an errand at a store in suburban Philadelphia. While at the store, he collapsed, and efforts to revive him were not successful.

Richard Prange loved the Department of Physics passionately, and was instrumental in its growth and strength during the past five decades. His cross-disciplinary intellectual breadth was a key to UMD physics becoming a top department in all areas of physics. His generosity and unfailing support were inspiring.

The Department hosted a memorial Tuesday, November 18, at 3:00p.m. in the West Chapel.

For more information please contact Anne Suplee at 301-405-5944 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Condolences may be sent to Dr. M.Joullié, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6323 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Plans are being formulated for a lasting tribute in Richard's memory, perhaps a fellowship or scholarship or some other means to support the department that he loved (and its students). Donations may be sent to the Physics Department, with checks made out to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation and designated for the “Department of Physics/in memory of Dr. Richard Prange". For inquiries, please contact the chair's office, 301-405-5946 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..