Matter & Energy

Recent studies of the Cosmos field

July 6, 2025 by

Dr. Caitlin Casey, an observational astronomer, has recently joined the physics department at UC Santa Barbara. She co-leads the C.O.S.M.O.S. collaboration — a project distinguished by its deep expl...
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AAPI Faculty Highlight: UCSB professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen’s path to pioneering chemistry

May 30, 2024 by and

Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, an award-winning researcher at UC Santa Barbara and Director of Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, has made significant contributions to modern organic electronic devices as a ...
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2023 annular solar eclipse visible from UCSB

October 26, 2023 by

The stars aligned over Goleta’s Camino Real Marketplace on Oct. 14, putting on a celestial performance that captivated both astronomy enthusiasts and curious onlookers.  The Santa Barbara Astronomi...
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UCSB alum oversees program achieving fusion ignition breakthrough

September 6, 2023 by

In December 2022, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a historic breakthrough in science by facilitating a successful fusion ignition — a game changer f...
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Europa: A new hope

March 9, 2023 by

NASA observes Europa, the smallest of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, and its great potential to harbor life beneath its surface.
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New UCSB Data Science Program Provides Support for Students Underrepresented in Field

March 9, 2023 by

As the technology within our society advances, the demand for data scientists continues to grow. Although this field is clearly advancing technologically, much growth is necessary in terms of societal...
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Ainissa Ramirez highlights African American contributions to science during Campbell Hall Talk

February 28, 2023 by

Award-winning materials scientist, science communicator and self-proclaimed “science evangelist,” Ainissa Ramirez spoke at Campbell Hall on Feb. 23, where she shared her journey to becoming a scie...
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Firefly’s Alpha rocket reaches orbit on second attempt

October 6, 2022 by

The Texas-based rocket company Firefly Aerospace successfully reached orbit last Saturday, Oct. 1, in its sophomore launch attempt out of Santa Barbara County’s Vandenberg Space Force Base.
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Weld Lab Makes Waves, Detects Quantum Boomerang Effect

May 2, 2022 by

The Weld Group at the UC Santa Barbara Department of Physics has recently published their results demonstrating the first observation of the “quantum boomerang” effect.
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Las Cumbres Observatory Searches for Supernovae

April 14, 2022 by and

The Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO), located in Goleta, California, is one of the many worldwide observatories where robotic telescopes are designed to collect astronomical data. There are many ongoing ...
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UCSB’s Young Lab Pioneers New Method of Inducing Superconducting State

February 9, 2022 by

For the UCSB researchers, having a superconducting ground state allowed them to subject the sample to a battery of experimental conditions without destroying the sample.
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UCSB Physics Professor Proposes New Planetary Defense System

November 14, 2021 by

The project proposes a way to break up incoming cosmic objects, instead of just deflecting them as past efforts have sought to do.
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Every Last Sun Drop: UCSB Researchers Increase Solar Cell Efficiency With Perovskite Crystals

May 20, 2021 by

“It may not be long before people are putting hybrid-perovskite-based solar cells on their roofs."
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The Physics Circus Travels To Cyberspace, a Detour Brought on by COVID-19

April 23, 2021 by

In response to the pandemic, the team had to rethink their methods of outreach to disseminate learning in a safer, yet still exciting and effective way. 
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UCSB STEM Disciplines Come Together To Study Cell Polarization

February 28, 2021 by

Banavar and her collaborators were interested in understanding how cells understand their own geometry and maintain polarity.
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