UMD_CMNS_Physics_S1_CMYK

  • 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
  • Research News

    Nobel Prize Celebrates Interplay of Physics and AI

    On October 8, the Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton for their foundational discoveries and inventions that have enabled artificial neural networks to be used for machine learning—a widely used form of AI. The award highlights how… Read More
  • Research News

    High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory Sheds Light on Origin of Galactic Cosmic Rays

    HAWC observes Ultra-High Energy gamma rays confirming Galactic Center as a source of Ultra-High Energy cosmic ray protons in the Milky Way The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory, located on the slopes of the Sierra Negra volcano in Mexico, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone… Read More
  • Research News

    UMD Physicists Advance NASA’s Mission to ‘Touch the Sun’

    Those who say there’s “nothing new under the sun” must not know about NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission. Since its launch in 2018, this spacecraft has been shedding new light on Earth’s sun—and University of Maryland physicists are behind many of its discoveries.At its… Read More
  • Research News

    How Does Quantum Mechanics Meet Up With Classical Physics?

    In physics, there is a deep disparity between the quantum and classical perspective on physical laws. Classical mechanics is used to describe the familiar world around us. This is the physics that you may have been exposed to in high school or early college… Read More
  • Research News

    LZ Experiment Sets New Record in Search for Dark Matter

    Figuring out the nature of dark matter, the invisible substance that makes up most of the mass in our universe, is one of the greatest puzzles in physics. New results from the world’s most sensitive dark matter detector, LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), have narrowed down possibilities… Read More
  • Research News

    Particle Physics and Quantum Simulation Collide in New Proposal

    Quantum particles have unique properties that make them powerful tools, but those very same properties can be the bane of researchers. Each quantum particle can inhabit a combination of multiple possibilities, called a quantum superposition, and together they can form intricate webs of connection through quantum… Read More
  • Research News

    New Photonic Chip Spawns Nested Topological Frequency Comb

    Scientists on the hunt for compact and robust sources of multicolored laser light have generated the first topological frequency comb. Their result, which relies on a small silicon nitride chip patterned with hundreds of microscopic rings, will appear in the June 21, 2024 issue… Read More
  • 1 New Design Packs Two Qubits into One Superconducting Junction
  • 2 HAWC Finds High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emissions from Microquasar V4641 Sagittarii
  • 3 Nobel Prize Celebrates Interplay of Physics and AI
  • 4 High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory Sheds Light on Origin of Galactic Cosmic Rays
  • 5 UMD Physicists Advance NASA’s Mission to ‘Touch the Sun’
  • 6 How Does Quantum Mechanics Meet Up With Classical Physics?
  • 7 LZ Experiment Sets New Record in Search for Dark Matter
  • 8 Particle Physics and Quantum Simulation Collide in New Proposal
  • 9 New Photonic Chip Spawns Nested Topological Frequency Comb

Physics is Phun

Department News

  • Oct 15, 2024 Sasha Philippov Awarded 2024 Packard Fellowship Assistant Professor Sasha Philippov has been named one of 20 members of the 2024 class of Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering. Sponsored by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the $875,000, five-year award for early-career researchers provides “flexible funding and the freedom to take… Read More
  • Oct 4, 2024 Chacko Elected APS Fellow Professor Zackaria Chacko has been elected Fellows of the American Physical Society. APS Fellowship recognizes excellence in physics and exceptional service to the physics community. Chacko, who is a member of the Maryland Center for Fundamental Physics (MCFP), was cited for discovering two of the major theoretical scenarios for… Read More
  • Sep 16, 2024 William Douglass Dorland, 1965-2024 Bill Dorland, an esteemed plasma and computational physicist who last week received the American Physical Society’s James Clerk Maxwell Prize, has died at age 58. Since a 2004 diagnosis of chordoma, a rare cancer affecting the spine, he optimistically pursued emerging therapies while advocating for… Read More
  • Sep 11, 2024 Exploring the Mechanics of Life’s Tiniest Machines Maria Mukhina hopes to shine a new light on how the intricate machinery of life works at its most fundamental level.  With a background in physics, optics and nanotechnology, the assistant professor of physics who joined the University of Maryland in January 2024 studies how… Read More
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Upcoming Events

18 Nov
JQI Seminar - Alex Ruichao Ma
Date Mon, Nov 18, 2024 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
18 Nov
QuICS Special Seminar: Louis Paletta
Mon, Nov 18, 2024 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
18 Nov
Biophysics Seminar: Guosong Hong
Mon, Nov 18, 2024 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
18 Nov
PHYS838C Career Talk: Jim Carr, President & CEO of Carr Astronautics Corp
Mon, Nov 18, 2024 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
18 Nov
Space and Cosmic Ray Physics Seminar
Mon, Nov 18, 2024 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
19 Nov
CQN-QuICS-JQI Special Seminar: Isaac Harris
Tue, Nov 19, 2024 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
19 Nov
Physics Colloquium
Tue, Nov 19, 2024 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
20 Nov
QuICS Seminar: Stephen Jordan
Wed, Nov 20, 2024 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
20 Nov
Joint UMD/JHU Seminar (@ JHU): Giorgio Gratta, Stanford U
Wed, Nov 20, 2024 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Quantum Nature of the Big Bang in Simple Models

Details
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Abhay Ashketar, Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, Penn State
May 04, 2010

According to general relativity, space-time ends at singularities and classical physics just stops. In particular, the big bang is regarded as The Beginning. However, general relativity is incomplete because it ignores quantum effects. Through simple models, I will illustrate how the quantum nature of space-time geometry resolves the big bang singularity. Quantum physics does not stop there. Indeed, quantum space-times can be vastly larger than what general relativity had us believe. I will discuss illustrative consequences of this new Planck scale physics.

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Colloquia are held Tuesdays in Room 1410 at 4:00 pm (preceded by light refreshments at 3:30). If you have additional questions, please call 301-405-5946.