• Research News

    Time Crystal Research Enters a New Phase

    Our world only exists thanks to the diverse properties of the many materials that make it up. The differences between all those materials result from more than just which atoms and molecules form them. A material’s properties also depend on how those basic building Read More
  • Research News

    Mysteriously Mundane Turbulence Revealed in 2D Superfluid

    Despite existing everywhere, the quantum world is a foreign place where many of the rules of daily life don’t apply. Quantum objects jump through solid walls; quantum entanglement connects the fates of particles no matter how far they are separated; and quantum objects may Read More
  • Research News

    A New Piece in the Matter–Antimatter Puzzle

    aOn March 24, 2025 at the annual Rencontres de Moriond conference taking place in La Thuile, Italy, the LHCb collaboration at CERN reported a new milestone in our understanding of the subtle yet profound differences between matter and antimatter. In its analysis of large Read More
  • Research News

    Researchers Play a Microscopic Game of Darts with Melted Gold

    Sometimes, what seems like a fantastical or improbable chain of events is just another day at the office for a physicist. In a recent experiment by University of Maryland researchers at the Laboratory for Physical Sciences, a scene played out that would be right Read More
  • Research News

    IceCube Search for Extremely High-energy Neutrinos Contributes to Understanding of Cosmic Rays

    Neutrinos are chargeless, weakly interacting particles that are able to travel undeflected through the cosmos. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole searches for the sources of these astrophysical neutrinos in order to understand the origin of high-energy particles called cosmic rays and, Read More
  • Research News

    Twisted Light Gives Electrons a Spinning Kick

    It’s hard to tell when you’re catching some rays at the beach, but light packs a punch. Not only does a beam of light carry energy, it can also carry momentum. This includes linear momentum, which is what makes a speeding train hard to Read More
  • Research News

    Repurposing Qubit Tech to Explore Exotic Superconductivity

    Decades of quantum research are now being transformed into practical technologies, including the superconducting circuits that are being used in physics research and built into small quantum computers by companies like IBM and Google. The established knowledge and technical infrastructure are allowing researchers to harness quantum technologies in Read More
  • Research News

    New Design Packs Two Qubits into One Superconducting Junction

    Quantum computers are potentially revolutionary devices and the basis of a growing industry. However, their technology isn’t standardized yet, and researchers are still studying the physics behind the diverse ways to build these quantum devices. Even the most basic building blocks of a quantum Read More
  • Research News

    HAWC Finds High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emissions from Microquasar V4641 Sagittarii

    A new study in Nature, “Ultra-high-energy gamma-ray bubble around microquasar V4641 Sgr,"   has  revealed a groundbreaking discovery by researchers from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory:  TeV gamma-ray emissions from V4641 Sagittarii (V4641 Sgr), a binary system composed of a black hole and a main sequence Read More
  • 1 Time Crystal Research Enters a New Phase
  • 2 Mysteriously Mundane Turbulence Revealed in 2D Superfluid
  • 3 A New Piece in the Matter–Antimatter Puzzle
  • 4 Researchers Play a Microscopic Game of Darts with Melted Gold
  • 5 IceCube Search for Extremely High-energy Neutrinos Contributes to Understanding of Cosmic Rays
  • 6 Twisted Light Gives Electrons a Spinning Kick
  • 7 Repurposing Qubit Tech to Explore Exotic Superconductivity
  • 8 New Design Packs Two Qubits into One Superconducting Junction
  • 9 HAWC Finds High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emissions from Microquasar V4641 Sagittarii

Physics is Phun

Department News

  • Jade LeSchack to Speak at CMNS Commencement Jade LeSchack has been selected as the undergraduate speaker at the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Science Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025. The ceremony will be live-streamed at youtube.com/user/cmnsumd.  Adam Wenchel (B.S. ’99, Computer Science), Cofounder and CEO of Arthur will give the keynote address.  Read More
  • World Quantum Day "Capital of Quantum" illustration by Valerie Morgan Happy Quantum Day! If that’s a salutation you’re unfamiliar with, this might not be the last time you encounter it. Celebrated every April 14, World Quantum Day seeks to boost understanding and appreciation of quantum science and technology. Read More
  • Breakthrough Prize Awarded to CERN Experiments On April 5, 2025, the CMS, LHCb, ALICE and ATLAS collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN were honored with the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. The prize is awarded to the four collaborations, which unite thousands of researchers from more than 70 countries, and concerns Read More
  • Moille Awarded Distinguished Research Scientist Prize Associate Research Scientist Grégory Moille has received the Distinguished Research Scientist Prize from the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland. The award comes with a $5,000 prize and celebrates his research excellence.  “I'm deeply honored and grateful for this recognition,” Read More
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Upcoming Events

9 May
Friday Quantum Seminar: Beini Gao
Date Fri, May 9, 2025 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
12 May
JQI Seminar - Shimon Kolkowitz
Mon, May 12, 2025 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
14 May
HEP seminar
Wed, May 14, 2025 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
15 May
Nuclear Theory Seminar - Andrew Hanlon, Kent State U
Thu, May 15, 2025 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
13 Jun
JQI Special Seminar: Bankim Chandra Das
Fri, Jun 13, 2025 11:00 am - 12:00 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..