Research
Main Content
Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics
Experiments in atomic and molecular physics at Penn State include: Bose Einstein condensation; earth and space-based laser-cooled atomic clocks; the structure and dynamics of atomic and molecular clusters; laser cooling and trapping of atoms; tests of fundamental symmetries; quantum computation; quantum scattering of cold atoms; and optical lattices. Research programs within the condensed matter group are currently funded by the Army Research Office, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research and the Sloan Foundation.
Condensed Matter
Our condensed matter program spans a wide range of fundamental and applied phenomena, from superfluid helium, the fractional quantum Hall effect, high temperature superconductivity and quantum computation to surface science, ferroelectrics, polymers, scanning probe microscopy, clusters, nanoscale superconductivity, carbon nanostructures, spintronics and magnetic systems. The program was ranked 14th in the nation in the latest (2010) U.S. News & World Report rankings of graduate schools. We currently host an interdisciplinary National Science Foundation research center known as the Center for Nanoscale Science.
Particles & Fields
The goal of particle physics is to develop a thorough understanding of fundamental interactions of the smallest constituents of matter. The particle physics group at Penn State works on a variety of topics in particle physics phenomenology, strong interactions, neutrino physics, quantum field theory, mathematical physics, M/superstring theory and supergravity, and their connections with astrophysics and cosmology.
Particle Astrophysics
At the fertile interface between particle physics and astronomy, the field of particle astrophysics explores the cosmos using particle physics techniques and the subatomic world using astronomical observations. The particle astrophysics group at Penn State is helping to design, construct and analyze the data from vast detectors spread out on the South America pampas, buried in the South Pole icecap, and flown from enormous balloons in Texas and the Antarctic coast. These far-flung experiments will be used to study ultrahigh energy cosmic-rays, cosmological neutrinos, cosmic antimatter and many other astrophysical and particle physics phenomena.