Department of Physics and Astronomy News
The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers comprehensive programs on two of the most basic and fundamental sciences–physics and astronomy. Physics is the study of matter, energy, motion, and force. Its concepts help us understand how the universe behaves. Astronomy studies the universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere, including celestial objects and the formation and development of the universe.
Current Physics and Astronomy News
A collection of top headlines featuring UNLV faculty and students.
Updated LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA catalog features 161 gravitational wave events between April 2024 and January 2025, including evidence of second-generation black holes and the clearest-ever gravitational wave signal.
UNLV physics lab works on new research harnessing the power of X-rays to extend the lifespan of batteries in electric cars and cell phones.
A flowery collection of top headlines featuring UNLV faculty and students.
Some of the most vibrant headlines featuring UNLV faculty and students.
UNLV-led team of astrophysicists resolves decades-old conundrum with new theory on mechanisms driving periodic brightness variations in cataclysmic variable star systems.
Physics and Astronomy In The News
Researchers aim to extend battery life in electric vehicles, phones and laptops instead of sending packs to landfills
New research suggests that fleeting quantum forces leave lasting imprints on the brain, subtly influencing thought, intuition, and the choices we make.
A UNLV professor is looking to an unlikely source to extend the life of the lithium-ion batteries that have become a part of everyday life: X-rays.
Many people shy away from tackling the deep questions everyone has. Questions like “Why are we here?” “Where are we going?” and “What is the meaning of life?” UNLV Professor Dr. Michael Pravica is not one of those people. In fact, he’s spent much of his academic life attempting to answer those very questions with his background as a physicist providing a rational underpinning for his beliefs.
Stuck lithium ions, responsible for older batteries' loss in capacity, could be freed if gently encouraged by high-energy X-rays.
New UNLV-led research may prove the contrary, adding years to the lifespan of our beloved battery-powered electronic devices.
