Center for Particle Cosmology Spotlight
New stellar stream, born outside the Milky Way, discovered with machine learning
Finding this new collection of stars, named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of night, was made possible using machine learning tools and simulations of data collected by the Gaia space observatory.
OMNIA 101: Exploring The Unseen
Masao Sako, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and Mark Trodden, Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics, explain how dark matter and dark energy shape their work.
Knowledge by the Slice: Observing the Invisible
Bhuvnesh Jain, Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences, and Michael Weisberg, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, discuss the mystery of dark matter and the use of some of the world’s largest telescopes to search for it.
The search for Planet 9, 10, and beyond
Planetary scientists and cosmologists at Penn work together to find planets that might be hiding in the far reaches of the solar system. Researchers at Penn hosted a first-of-its-kind workshop by bringing together experts in planetary science and cosmology to develop a strategy for finding new planets and studying objects in the outer reaches of the solar system.
Dark Energy Survey completes six-year mission
A global research effort to map a portion of the sky in unprecedented detail is coming to an end, but the task of learning more about the expansion of the universe has only just begun.
Where do comets originate?
A new technique developed by team of Penn astronomers may allow scientists to measure radiation from celestial bodies that are only theorized to exist. Indeed, the team presents an intriguing detection of radiation that may well originate from the source of comets around nearby stars.
Physicist theorizes that dark matter is a superfluid
A hypothesis by Justin Khoury of the Department of Physics and Astronomy stands to shake up how scientists consider dark matter.
Beyond Einstein?: Gravity and the Search for New Physics
Physics professors Mark Trodden and Bhuvnesh Jain discuss recent astronomical measurements that have opened a window into fundamental physics.
Origin Stories: Mark Trodden
Mark Trodden’s research lies at the border of particle physics and cosmology. Using clues contained in cosmological data, his work addresses the fundamental physics underlying such phenomena as the nature of dark matter and dark energy and the physics of the early universe. He has focused in recent years on mapping out viable models of the accelerating universe, and he has proposed one of the most-studied approaches to the idea that a modification of general relativity may explain cosmic acceleration.
Testing Gravity With Light
Grad student Amitai Bin-Nun explores light bending around black holes.
"Black holes really represent the epitome of physics," says theoretical astrophysics doctoral student Amitai Bin-Nun. "They are very simple systems that result in all sorts of rich and deep mathematical structures and an unending chain of complications."