In This Issue
Message from the Chair
A Passion for Teaching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
As the fall semester comes to a close, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the accomplishments of the Physics & Astronomy Department in 2018.
Gamma Rays and the Origins of Lightning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
I’m very pleased to report that we had a successful hiring season last spring. Two outstanding new faculty members recently joined us: Claudia De Grandi has been appointed our first Assistant Professor of Educational Practice, and Assistant Professor Yue Zhao specializes in high energy theoretical physics. We are delighted to welcome them to the U and to the Department. You can read more about their exciting work in the accompanying pages.
Solving a Cosmic Mystery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Perovskites Show Promise in Spintronics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Exploring Dark Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Physics & Astronomy Awards in 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 U Emeritus Faculty Receive Top Physics Prizes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Mountain-Top Observatory Sees Gamma Rays from Exotic Milky Way Object. . . 12
Our faculty members continue to win accolades for their work and collect some of the world’s most prestigious prizes. Emeritus Professor Bill Sutherland was awarded the 2019 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics, one of the nation’s highest awards for physics—seven previous winners have gone on to receive a Nobel Prize. Distinguished Professor Emeritus Alexei Efros received the 2019 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize from the American Physical Society. This prize is the highest honor for theoretical condensed matter physics, with seventeen previous winners going on to receive a Nobel Prize. See more about these prizes, as well as the remarkable work being done by our talented faculty, in the newsletter.
Peter E. Trapa
In October, the Department hosted the annual meeting of the Four Corners Section of the American Physical Society. The Four Corners Section, which includes Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, supports the work of physics students and provides them with opportunities to present their research and meet physicists in the region. More than 300 people attended the event, which featured approximately 250 presentations. We continue to encourage faculty research, recruit new talent, and provide a worldclass educational experience for undergraduate and graduate physics students. To help us advance our work, we hope you’ll consider supporting the Crimson Laureate Society, established by the College of Science. The goal of the Society is to build a community of alumni and friends who are passionate about the advancement of scientific research and education at the U. For more information on how to support the Physics & Astronomy Department through the Society, please contact the College of Science at 801-581-6958, or visit https://science.utah.edu/cls. As always, we are grateful for your support. Sincerely,
The Crocker Science Center is housed in the historic and newly renovated George Thomas Building. The center serves as a world-class facility for science education with state-of-the-art teaching laboratories and flexible classroom spaces. The building also has integrated advising and tutoring centers.
Peter E. Trapa Chair Department of Physics & Astronomy 1
