• 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
  • 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
  • 1 Mysteriously Mundane Turbulence Revealed in 2D Superfluid
  • 2 A New Piece in the Matter–Antimatter Puzzle
  • 3 Researchers Play a Microscopic Game of Darts with Melted Gold
  • 4 IceCube Search for Extremely High-energy Neutrinos Contributes to Understanding of Cosmic Rays
  • 5 Twisted Light Gives Electrons a Spinning Kick
  • 6 Repurposing Qubit Tech to Explore Exotic Superconductivity
  • 7 New Design Packs Two Qubits into One Superconducting Junction
  • 8 HAWC Finds High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emissions from Microquasar V4641 Sagittarii
  • 9 Nobel Prize Celebrates Interplay of Physics and AI

Physics is Phun

Department News

  • 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
  • Sclafani Cited for Dissertation Work Post-doctoral Associate Stephen Sclafani has been selected for the American Physical Society’s Ceclia Payne-Gaposchkin Doctoral Dissertation Award, which recognizes doctoral thesis research in astrophysics and encourages effective written and oral presentation of research results.    Sclafani was cited for performing the first observation of diffuse high-energy neutrinos from Read More
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Upcoming Events

29 Apr
Gravitation Theory Seminar - Daniel Harlow, MIT
Date Tue, Apr 29, 2025 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
29 Apr
Physics Colloquium - Misner Lecture
Tue, Apr 29, 2025 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
30 Apr
RIT in Quantum Information Science
Wed, Apr 30, 2025 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
1 May
NT Seminar - Agnieszka Sorensen, Michigan State
Thu, May 1, 2025 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
1 May
QMC Colloquium: Ruijuan Xu, North Carolina State
Thu, May 1, 2025 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
1 May
Geometry and Physics RIT
Thu, May 1, 2025 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
2 May
Friday Quantum Seminar: Ben Eller
Fri, May 2, 2025 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
2 May
QuICS Special Seminar: Pradeep Niroula
Fri, May 2, 2025 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
5 May
JQI Seminar - Michael Knap
Mon, May 5, 2025 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

AI and Physical Sciences

 The AI and Physical Sciences research area unites faculty from diverse fields and programs, including physics, biophysics, chemical physics, chemistry, and applied mathematics, to drive innovation at the intersection of AI, machine learning (ML), and the physical sciences. This research area emphasizes the unique role of physics—particularly statistical physics, quantum mechanics, and nonlinear dynamics—in developing next-generation AI methods. Through this program, students can explore a broad range of application areas. UMD’s strength in these disciplines positions it as a leader in shaping an AI-first approach to the physical sciences, fostering advances that push both fields forward.

Personnel

Maissam BarkeshliMaissam BarkeshliVictor GalitskiVictor GalitskiMichelle GirvanMichelle GirvanChris JarzynskiChris JarzynskiWolfgang LosertWolfgang LosertPraytush TiwaryPraytush Tiwary

Research Areas 

  • AI approaches for next-generation molecular structure and dynamics prediction
  • Statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics approaches to AI 
  • Convergence of Neurophysics and AI (Biocomputing)

AI

The AI and Physical Sciences research areas unites faculty from diverse fields and programs, including physics, biophysics, chemical physics, chemistry, and applied mathematics, to drive innovation at the intersection of AI, machine learning (ML), and the physical sciences. This research area emphasizes the unique role of physics—particularly statistical physics, quantum mechanics, and nonlinear dynamics—in developing next-generation AI methods. Through this program, students can explore a broad range of application areas. UMD’s strength in these disciplines positions it as a leader in shaping an AI-first approach to the physical sciences, fostering advances that push both fields forward.

Personnel

AI People

  • Barkeshli, Maissam

    Barkeshli, Maissam

  • Girvan, Michelle

    Girvan, Michelle

  • Jarzynski, Christopher

    Jarzynski, Christopher

  • Losert, Wolfgang

    Losert, Wolfgang

  • Tiwary, Pratyush

    Tiwary, Pratyush

Research Areas 

  • AI approaches for next-generation molecular structure and dynamics prediction
  • statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics approaches to AI 
  • Convergence of Neurophysics and AI (Biocomputing)

Research Areas

With more than 30 research groups and centers, we are exploring an abundance of physics concepts. Our laboratories and theoretical centers consistently generate provocative results. And collaborations with peer institutions, government agencies and private industry open up even more opportunities for discovery. From College Park to the South Pole, the University of Maryland is impacting the field of physics worldwide. 

 

Quantum Science and Technology

Quantum researchers study systems that harness the rules of the low-energy microscopic world to process information in new ways, distinct from conventional digital logic. The field brings together theorists and experimentalists who study a variety of systems, from neutral atoms and ions to photonic chips and topological materials. Major future applications of quantum information science include quantum computers capable of finding speedy solutions to certain computational problems, machines tailormade for simulating quantum physics and high-precision sensors.

Personnel

Research Areas

  • Quantum computation, experiment and theory
  • Quantum networks
  • Quantum simulation
  • Quantum materials (superconductivity, magnetism, strongly correlated electron physics, and topological matter)
  • Quantum sensors
  • Theoretical condensed matter physics
  • Quantum optics
  • Atomic physics-based precision measurements
  • Strong field physics
  • Bose Einstein condensates and degenerate Fermi gases

Related Centers and Institutes:

Condensed Matter Theory Center

Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics 

Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS) 

Joint Quantum Institute

Quantum Materials Center

Quantum Technology Center

Physics Frontiers Center

Quarks, Hadrons and Nuclei

Research in nuclear physics has the goal of understanding and predicting the properties of atomic nuclei. Much of the current research in nuclear theory is directed toward finding the "missing links" between the fundamental QCD theory and nuclear physics.

Personnel

Related Centers and Institutes: 

Maryland Center for Fundamental Physics