Department of Physics // University of Notre Dame

An artist's conception of the shock breaking out of a red supergiant star. The shock is caused by the collapse of the core of the star and initiates a type II supernova explosion.
Notre Dame logo constructed from 47 individual CO molecules arranged on a copper sheet, from the lab of Prof. Kenjiro Gomes. The logo is only 12 nanometers across. Orange regions are electron waves scattered off the dark CO molecules.
Geneva, Switzerland: Lowering of a completed segment of the CMS detector into its underground cavern. The completed instrument is now recording collisions at the Large Hadron Collider.
Image credit: J.C. Howk, K. Rueff (Notre Dame), NASA/ESA, LBTO

Notre Dame astronomers are using images of the spiral galaxy NGC 4302 to study the impact that exploding stars have on gas and dust in spiral galaxies.
High-temperature superconducting YBCO levitating above a magnetic track due to vortex pinning
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded 5 MV accelerator represents a major equipment upgrade for the nuclear research group.

News

Training the next generation of leaders in low-energy nuclear physics: August 08, 2018; Read More

Heavy Metals: The search for rare stars that could unlock a mystery of the universe: July 25, 2018; Read More

Summer comes to a close for REU and fellowship participants with over 80 students presenting at the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium: July 25, 2018; Read More

Events

More Summertime Stargazing: Fri Aug 17, 2018 • 9:30PM - 11:59PM; Read More

First day of fall semester classes at Notre Dame: Tue Aug 21, 2018; Read More

Nuclear Physics Seminar: Dr. Akram Mukhamedzhanov, Texas A&M University: Mon Aug 27, 2018 • 4:00PM - 5:00PM; Read More

Faculty Spotlight

Wiescher 2015

Michael Wiescher

Freimann Professor

Michael Wiescher has been elected into Academy of Europe.

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Dervis Vural Feature

Dervis Can Vural

Assistant Professor of Physics

Most research within the field of physics focuses on predicting the future. But how rapidly does our knowledge of the past deteriorate? Consider a sugar cube dissolving in water. “If you know the initial shape of the sugar cube, it is very easy to predict the concentration of sugar over time,” said Dervis Can Vural, assistant professor in the Department of Physics at Notre Dame. “But given the final state—a sweet cup of water—it is very difficult to ‘retrodict’ the original shape of the sugar cube. The process is irreversible and you’ve lost that information.”

Boldizsar Janko

Professor

Superconductors contain tiny tornadoes of supercurrent, called vortex filaments, that create resistance when they move. This affects the way superconductors carry a current.

But a magnet-controlled “switch” in superconductor configuration provides unprecedented flexibility in managing the location of vortex filaments, altering the properties of the superconductor.

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Umesh Garg 1200