Department of Physics

Come curious. Leave inspired. We welcome you to connect with us this autumn quarter through an incredible lineup of more than 30 events, exhibitions, podcasts, and more. From thought-provoking talks on monsters to boundary-pushing performances by Grammy-nominated Mariachi ensembles, its a celebration of bold ideas and creative energy. ArtSci On Your Own Time Exhibition: Woven...

Physicists have floated numerous theories to explain what dark matter might be, but to date, no experiment has turned up compelling evidence to support any of them. An international team of physicists, including researchers from the UW, is now working on a new kind of dark matter detector with the goal of capturing the first direct observation of the puzzling material. Results from the detectors prototype have already ruled out one of the leading theories of how dark matter originated.

Basic research is critical to innovation, but to have a real impact, that innovation has to make its way out of the lab. Thats the reasoning behind the Activate Fellowship, one of the nations most prestigious awards for science-based entrepreneurship. Now Bingzhao Li, a postdoctoral scholar in electrical and computer engineering at the UW, has been named one of its latest recipients. Hes also the UWs first.Mo Li, professor of physics and of electrical and computer engineering at the UW, is quoted.

Meet the four graduating students selected by the College of Arts & Sciences as 2025 Graduate Medalists for their accomplishments. 

Adrienne Fairhall and David Hertzog are among 120 new members and 30 international members elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research."

The College of Arts & Sciences celebrates undergraduate and graduate students from across all four divisions, who are recognized for making the most of their time at the UW. 

On June 3, scientists working on the Muon g-2 experiment (pronounced "mew-on gee-minus-two") released the third and final measurement of the muon magnetic anomaly. This result agrees with the published results from 2021 and 2023 but with a much better precision of 127 parts per billion, surpassing the original experimental design goal of 140 parts per billion.

Using a powerful research telescope, astronomy and physics major Max Frissell identified a never-before-seen active comet. Now he’s hooked.

From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this May. Innovation Month April 30 | An Evening with Christine Sun Kim (Public Lecture)...

Admitted students and families can engage with the College of Arts and Sciences through several department and program specific events over the next few weeks.

UW professors Xiaodong Xu, Cynthia Vinzant, and Shayan Oveis Gharan have been honored by the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their research accomplishments.

Three exotic new species of superconductivity were spotted last year, illustrating the myriad ways electrons can join together to form a frictionless quantum soup. Matthew Yankowitz, associate professor of physics and of materials science & engineering at the UW, is quoted.

The College of Arts & Sciences is home to many distinguished researchers, faculty, and students. Their work and contributions have been featured in media outside of the UW and across the country. Take a look at some ArtSci features from this past Autumn Quarter. With everything from AI to Orca whales, ArtSci people and research in the media has something for everyone.

Three new species of superconductivity were spotted this year, illustrating the myriad ways electrons can join together to form a frictionless quantum soup. Matthew Yankowitz, assistant professor of physics and of materials science and engineering at the UW, is quoted.

Quantum science is poised to tackle problems of mind-boggling complexity, with UW faculty and students in Arts & Sciences and Computer Science & Engineering playing a key role in quantum research.