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Physics

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A moderator and seven MIT faculty members sit on stage. Professor Anne White, in the center, is speaking while the others look on.

MIT faculty tackle big ideas in a symposium kicking off Inauguration Day

Ahead of the Institute’s presidential inauguration, panelists describe advances in their research and how these discoveries are being deployed to benefit the public.

May 1, 2023

4 panels, 3 in monochrome with the bottom right in full color. The top two show similar pixelated, fuzzy white ovals, with the top right having a slightly larger oval. The bottom left shows a pixelated white circle with some grey fuzzy rays slightly protruding from it. The bottom right panel shows a swirling blue galaxy with a white center in black space.

Astronomers detect the closest example yet of a black hole devouring a star

The event was spotted in infrared data — also a first — suggesting further searches in this band could turn up more such bursts.

April 28, 2023

A black hole, in center, has a swirling sherbet galaxy around it. Above and below, a jet of purple and white light emerges from both sides of the black hole.

New black hole images reveal a glowing, fluffy ring and a high-speed jet

The observations will help astronomers pin down the physics of the plasma around black holes.

April 26, 2023

Aerial view of the MIT campus shows the roofs of several buildings, including the Great Dome, with a glimpse of Mass Ave, the Charles River, and the Boston skyline in the background.

MIT graduate engineering, business, science programs ranked highly by U.S. News for 2023-24

Graduate engineering program is No. 1 in the nation; MIT Sloan is No. 4.

April 25, 2023

Student in white sweater, arms crossed, in front of picture wall in hallway

Exploring the bow shock and beyond

PhD student Rishabh Datta seeks further understanding of astrophysical phenomena.

April 24, 2023

A sunny day in Kilian Court. Groups of friends relax on the lawn or play frisbee. In the distance is the Boston skyline.

Eight from MIT elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences for 2023

The prestigious honor society announces more than 250 new members.

April 24, 2023

Several MIT students sitting at a narrow table collaborate in a classroom. Two have open laptops and there are snacks on the table.

Exploring new sides of climate and sustainability research

With the support of each other and MIT faculty, students in the MCSC’s Climate and Sustainability Scholars Program are making their impact on real-world climate challenges.

April 21, 2023

Understanding our place in the universe

Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar Brian Nord trains machines to explore the cosmos and fights for equity in research.

April 12, 2023

In black space, the accretion disk is represented as a flat swirling disk with blue, pink red colors, and in the middle of it is tiny, glowing white sphere, the neutron star. Behind the accretion disk is a large teal sphere, the sun-like star. A teal noodle flows from the star to the accretion disk, representing the material drawn away from the star.

Scientists map gusty winds in a far-off neutron star system

The 2D map of this “disk wind” may reveal clues to galaxy formation.

April 10, 2023

Juliana García-Mejía works in a white lab coat with instruments in lab.

MIT welcomes 2023 Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Fellow Juliana García-Mejía

The fellowship supports research contributing to the field of planetary science and astronomy.

April 4, 2023

Three MIT students stand side by side wearing MIT.nano t-shirts that say "10^-9." The student in the center is holding a small plastic case featuring the electronic device they fabricated. The student on the left holds a smartphone with the face of another student from the group on the screen.

Learning to design with atoms and molecules

A hands-on class teaches undergraduates the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and nanoscale science from inside MIT.nano’s cleanroom.

March 30, 2023

Guo, wearing a lab coat, sits at a desk in front of a computer inside a lab with large gas canisters and microscopes around him. The computer screen shows green and rainbow bars, and neon green circles.

How cell mechanics influences everything

Ming Guo seeks connections between a cell’s physical form and its biological function, which could illuminate ways to halt abnormal cell growth.

March 26, 2023

At right are wooden glasses with colorful stained-glass-style mosaic lenses. At left, a hand holds a wooden circle, inside of which appears a stained-glass style mosaic image of a human face and shoulders, with the word POLAGONS superimposed

A design tool to democratize the art of color-changing mosaics

Computational tool from MIT CSAIL enables color-changing cellulose-based designs for data visualization, education, fashion, and more.

March 23, 2023

MIT columns and blue skies, as seen from below in MIT’s Killian Court.

QS World University Rankings rates MIT No. 1 in 11 subjects for 2023

The Institute also ranks second in five subject areas.

March 22, 2023

Graphic illustration showing blue and purple lines in the likeness of auto tail lights captured in a long exposure against a purple background. Mountains made of geometric triangle shapes appear in the background.

MIT-led teams win National Science Foundation grants to research sustainable materials

The teams will work toward sustainable microchips and topological materials as well as socioresilient materials design.

March 21, 2023