Physical Sciences

Princeton’s John Hopfield receives Nobel Prize in physics
Oct. 8, 2024
Author
Written by Liz Fuller-Wright, Office of Communications

Princeton University professor John Hopfield has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics "for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks."

He shares the prize with Geoffrey E…

Common plastics could passively cool and heat buildings with the seasons
June 27, 2024
Author
Written by by the Office of Communications

Researchers at Princeton and UCLA have developed a passive mechanism to cool buildings in the summer and warm them in the winter.

In an article published June 27 in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, they report that by…

Rob Knowles named Ross Brown Investigator to fund his 'blue sky, out-of-the-box ideas'
June 11, 2024
Author
Written by Wendy Plump, Department of Chemistry

Robert Knowles has been named a Ross Brown Investigator, a relatively new honor that celebrates distinguished mid-career faculty and supports their curiosity-driven research in chemistry or physics.

Knowles is one of eight investigators named to the 2024 class. He receives the five-year grant for his proposal to explore a novel…

Using artificial intelligence to speed up and improve the most computationally intensive aspects of plasma physics in fusion
May 17, 2024
Author
Written by Rachel Kremen, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

The intricate dance of atoms fusing and releasing energy has fascinated scientists for decades. Now, human ingenuity and artificial intelligence are coming together at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics…

Chemistry’s new ssNMR instrument: “limitless” possibilities for campus researchers
May 16, 2024
Author
Written by Wendy Plump, Department of Chemistry

Marking a watershed acquisition for Princeton’s campus, the Department of Chemistry’s new solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (ssNMR) instrument—funded through an ambitious partnership with the Office of the Provost, Office of the Dean for Research, and Princeton Materials Institute (PMI)—is…

Princeton physicists reveal the microscopic basis of a new form of quantum magnetism
May 9, 2024
Author
Written by Tom Garlinghouse for the Department of Physics

Not all magnets are the same. When we think of magnetism, we often think of magnets that stick to a refrigerator’s door. For these types of magnets, the electronic interactions that give rise to magnetism have been understood for around a century, since the early days of quantum mechanics. But there are many different forms of magnetism in…

New associated faculty program fortifies institutional ties between PPPL and Princeton
April 30, 2024
Author
Written by Gwen McNamara, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has established a new associated faculty program with Princeton University, a transformative initiative that strengthens the partnership between both institutions while forging bonds for even more powerful research…

Quantum crystal of frozen electrons—the Wigner crystal—is visualized for the first time
April 10, 2024
Author
Written by Tom Garlinghouse for the Department of Physics

Electrons—these infinitesimally small particles that are known to zip around atoms—continue to amaze scientists despite the more than a century that scientists have studied them. Now, physicists at Princeton University have pushed the boundaries of our understanding of these minute particles by visualizing, for the first time, direct evidence…

Physicists discover a novel quantum state in an elemental solid
April 10, 2024
Author
Written by Tom Garlinghouse for the Department of Physics

Physicists have observed a novel quantum effect termed “hybrid topology” in a crystalline material. This finding opens up a new range of possibilities for the development of efficient materials and technologies for next-generation quantum science and engineering.  

The finding, published on 

Eclipse 2024: Insights from Princeton experts
April 4, 2024
Author
Written by Liz Fuller-Wright, Office of Communications

On Monday, April 8, the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun for about four hours. For a few precious minutes, the moon will completely block our view of our favorite star for people in the “path of totality.” Here in New Jersey, just outside that path, the eclipse will begin