In the first fraction of a second following the Big Bang, matter existed as a trillion-degree plasma of quarks and gluons — subatomic particles that zinged around at close to the speed of light. This roiling soup lasted for just a few microseconds, before the particles coalesced into more stable […]

Quantum computing has the potential to transform everything from medicine to materials science — but what exactly is it, and why has building one proven so difficult? MIT President Sally Kornbluth sits down with quantum engineering expert Professor William D. Oliver to explore how quantum […]

With the Big Bang, the universe burst into existence as a hot and dense soup of electrons and subatomic particles. This primordial ionized plasma, initially smaller than a single atom, rapidly expanded and cooled. In the process, particles in the soup slowed enough to bind with electrons, forming […]

Building a nuclear power plant is one of the most complex construction projects in the world. It requires thousands of trucks to ship parts, often to remote regions, where huge teams of skilled workers like electricians and welders come together to assemble everything over many years. Financing […]

Follow your passion and make it your life’s work. Remain confident in your abilities and do not waver in the face of skepticism or adversity. And above all, should you come to be rewarded for your hard work and dedication, never forget your obligation to your family, to your university, and to […]

The Physics Department is very sorry to report that our colleague Jeffrey Goldstone, Cecil and Ida Green Professor Emeritus of Physics, died on October 12 at the age of 93. Jeffrey began his career as a nuclear theorist. He earned his PhD from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1958 and did postdoctoral […]

The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) has shown, for the first time, that it can detect the faint glow of hydrogen gas from deep in the universe’s past using only its own data. The breakthrough paves the way for a faster, less expensive method for scientists to study dark […]

The physicist Francesco Sciortino PhD ’21 grew up on a hazelnut farm near Viterbo, Italy, a small city north of Rome, but he’s since ventured far from the family business. As cofounder and CEO of the fast-growing Proxima Fusion—based in Munich—Sciortino is trying to harness the process that […]

Like Earth, most planetary bodies circle their star in stable, detached orbits. These companionable systems can suddenly change when a planet comes too close to its star. In such a close encounter, a star can pull the planet in and swallow it whole.  Across the galaxy, astronomers have seen plenty […]

Article summary: In a reflective profile published by Bethesda Magazine, NASA astronaut and MIT alumnus Dr. Christopher L. Williams (PhD ’12) shared how his formative experiences at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, set the trajectory for his career in science and space […]