Rice University Physics & Astronomy Department

Space weather getting stronger... If you live near the US/Canadian border, and it's dark where you are, go out and look! (and keep an eye out for the meteors). KP 6 conditions now, may be even stronger later. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast https://mms.rice.edu/forecast.html

MMS at Rice where v is the solar wind velocity in km/sec and B is the magnitude of the IMF, is a good predictor of the Polar Cap Potential drop for times when the solar wind is steady and the index is 160 kV or less. For the rare events where the Boyle index exceeds 160 kV, the polar cap potential generally sat...

Tonight! Meteors after 11 pm and maybe good auroras if you live in northern areas. Go outside if its dark and clear!

Rice researchers explore the effects of stellar magnetism on potential habitability of exoplanets.

Rice researchers explore the effects of stellar magnetism on potential habitability of exoplanets A new study by Rice’s David Alexander and Anthony Atkinson extends the definition of a habitable zone for planets to include their star’s magnetic field.

Rice Space Institute awards funding grants to propel ‘pioneering' space exploration research at Rice.

RSI awards seed funding grants to propel ‘pioneering’ space exploration research at Rice The Rice Space Institute has awarded $150,000 in seed funding to Rice researchers to further our understanding of the universe and humanity’s place in it.

Rice University’s Emilia Morosan has been selected as one of 11 scientists and engineers for the 2024 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) to support her work on correlated topological materials.

Rice’s Emilia Morosan awarded prestigious Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship Emilia Morosan has been selected as for the 2024 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship.

In a study published in Nature Communications June 19, a team of scientists led by Rice University’s Qimiao Si predicts the existence of flat electronic bands at the Fermi level, a finding that could enable new forms of quantum computing and electronic devices.

Researchers discover new flat electronic bands, paving way for advanced quantum materials A team of scientists led by Qimiao Si predicts the existence of flat electronic bands at the Fermi level.

Congratulations to Emma Codianne and David Wang for winning the Barry Goldwater Scholarship. This award recognizes pioneering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) undergraduates in the US.

Rice undergraduates win coveted Goldwater Scholarship Rice University students Emma Codianne and Daniel Wang have won the Barry Goldwater Scholarship , an annual award that recognizes pioneering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) undergraduates in the United States.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Megan Reiter on your NSF Career Award to investigate planet-forming environments.

Rice’s Megan Reiter wins NSF CAREER Award to investigate planet-forming environments Megan Reiter, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, has won a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to investigate the influence of neighboring stars on the formation of planets.

Rice University physicists have discovered a phase-changing quantum material — and a method for finding more like it.

Discovery points path to flash like memory for storing qubits Rice University physicists have discovered a phase-changing quantum material — and a method for finding more like it — that could potentially be used to create flash-like memory capable of storing quantum bits of information, or qubits, even when a quantum computer is powered down.

A team of physicists at Rice University led by Wei Li has been awarded a five-year, $15.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Physics, marking a significant leap forward in the realm of high-energy nuclear physics.

Rice nuclear physics team tapped to lead $15 million Large Hadron Collider upgrade project A team of physicists at Rice University led by Wei Li has been awarded a five-year, $15.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Physics, marking a significant leap forward in the realm of high-energy nuclear physics.

Rice University astronomer Andrea Isella and colleagues have reported the first observations of gaseous water in the portion of a protoplanetary disk where a rocky, Earth-like planet might be forming around a distant star.

Astronomers find water v***r in distant star’s habitable zone Rice University astronomer Andrea Isella and colleagues have reported the first observations of gaseous water in the portion of a protoplanetary disk where a rocky, Earth-like planet might be forming around a distant star.

NASA has released the first stunning images of the Orion Nebula from the James Webb Space Telescope in a study in the journal Science that shows with unprecedented precision how massive stars impact the formation of planetary systems.

The international research team includes Rice University astronomer Patrick Hartigan and was led by Olivier Berné, a research scientist in astrophysics at France’s National Center for Scientific Research.

Radiation from massive stars shapes nascent planetary systems NASA has released the first stunning images of the Orion Nebula from the James Webb Space Telescope in a study in the journal Science that shows with unprecedented precision how massive stars impact the formation of planetary systems.

Congratulations to assistant professor Yonglong Xie on your NSF Faculty Early Career Award!

Rice physicist earns NSF CAREER Award to revolutionize quantum technology Yonglong Xie, assistant professor of physics at Rice University, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The $888,555 grant over five years will support Xie’s research into harnessing magnons, quantum mechanical wavelike object...

Rice Physicists from the Extreme Quantum Materials Alliance (eQMA) are hosting a Spring School on “Electron Correlations and Topology”, to be held during March 12-15, 2024. Further details at https://eqma.rice.edu/school-electron-correlations-and-topology . Registration closes on Feb 26.

School on Electron Correlations and Topology Located in an urban environment on a 300-acre tree-lined campus, Rice University seizes its advantageous position to pursue pathbreaking research and create innovative collaboration opportunities that contribute to the betterment of our world.

Rice University scientists have discovered a first-of-its-kind material, a 3D crystalline metal in which quantum correlations and the geometry of the crystal structure combine to frustrate the movement of electrons and lock them in place.

Rice scientists pull off quantum coup Rice scientists have discovered a first-of-its-kind material, a 3D crystalline metal in which quantum correlations and the geometry of the crystal structure combine to frustrate the movement of electrons and lock them in place.

https://news.rice.edu/news/2024/rice-research-opens-new-arena-study-quantum-interactions

Rice research opens new arena to study quantum interactions Rice scientists along with collaborators at Durham University prolonged quantum behavior in an experimental system nearly 30-fold by using ultracold temperatures and special laser wavelengths to generate a “magic trap” that delays the onset of quantum decoherence.

Rice astronomer Megan Reiter helps find evidence of an accretion disk around a young star outside the Milky Way.

Disc around star observed in another galaxy for the first time Astronomers have uncovered evidence of an extragalactic accretion disk for the first time.

Rice physicists find evidence of exotic charge transport in material.

‘Strange metal’ is strangely quiet in noise experiment Rice experiments have provided the first direct evidence that electricity seems to flow through “strange metals” in an unusual liquid-like form. The first “shot noise” experiments on a strange metal from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) are detailed this week in Science by physi...

Congratulations to Kaden Hazzard and Andriy Nevidomskky for being elected fellows in the American Physical Society. https://t.co/e6XHOx18oC

Interdisciplinary Rice team tackles the future of semiconductors.

Interdisciplinary Rice team tackles the future of semiconductors An interdisciplinary team of Rice University scientists has won a $1.9 million National Science Foundation grant for research on materials that could serve as the basis for next-generation energy-efficient computing devices.

Congratulations to Gregory Szypko on winning a NASA Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) award, which include merit-based grants designed to prepare future leaders in the field.

Rice graduate students win NASA Future Investigator awards Rice graduate students Aindrila Pal and Gregory Szypko have won NASA FINESST Awards, merit-based future investigator awards that include three-year grants to conduct research in Earth and space sciences.

A team of Rice University researchers have won a 4-year, $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate the strengths and limitations of different physical systems used to build quantum computers.

Rice helps lead national quantum computing research efforts A team of Rice University researchers have won a 4-year, $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy to evaluate the strengths and limitations of different physical systems used to build quantum computers and inform strategies for achieving near-term advances in quantum computing.

Ok gang here is your quiz for the day. How is the supermoon related to the annular eclipse?

Rice physicists have shown that immutable topological states, which are highly sought for quantum computing, can be entangled with other, manipulable quantum states in some materials.

When D turns to F, quantum matter is A-plus In a potential boon for quantum computing, Rice physicists have shown that topologically protected quantum states can be entangled with other, highly manipulable quantum states in some electronic materials.

Congrats to Chloe Liebenthal for her outstanding poster award today!!

Congratulations to Professor Qimiao Si for earning a prestigious Vannevar Bush faculty fellowship from the Department of Defense.

Rice researchers earn prestigious Defense Department grants Rice professors Qimiao Si and Jeffrey Tabor are recipients of prestigious 2023 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowships from the Department of Defense.

Frank Geurts named co-spokesperson of the STAR collaboration.

Rice U. physicist to lead world’s longest-running nuclear collider experiment Rice U. Frank Geurts has been named co-spokesperson of STAR, the world’s longest-running particle collider experiment.

https://news.rice.edu/news/2023/physicists-discover-stacked-pancakes-liquid-magnetism Modeled behavior consistent with results from helical magnet experiments

Physicists discover ‘stacked pancakes of liquid magnetism’ Physicists from Rice and Ames National Laboratory have discovered “stacked pancakes of liquid magnetism” in layered helical magnetic materials.

Please join us in congratulating two of our very own professors who have been honored at our annual ice cream social. Dean Killian made the announcements. Patricia H. Reiff, "Excellence in Outreach" in recognition of exemplary outreach and community engagement in the promotion of STEM and Stan Dodds for "Outstanding Faculty Service."

Rice physicists and their collaborators have discovered dramatically different excitations called "spin excitons"

Physicists find unusual waves in nickel-based magnet Rice physicists and collaborators have discovered “spin exciton” excitations can ripple through a nickel-based magnet as a coherent wave.