Scientists detect gravitational waves from a new kind of nova, sparking a new era in astronomy

The Washington Post publishes its report on the news that the LIGO Scientific Collaboration has detected a kilonova, the collision of two neutron stars. The burst rippled the fabric of space-time and sent gamma-rays and gold flying through the cosmos. School of Physics Professor Laura Cadonati, who is also LIGO's deputy spokesperson, is quoted in the article as saying that scientists feel like "we have hit the motherlode."

 

AAAS Honors Cola, Fox and Weitz as Fellows

The organization known as the "world's largest general scientific society" has elected three Georgia Tech researchers as fellows for 2017. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has singled out Joshua Weitz, professor in the School of Biological Sciences; Baratunde Cola, associate professor in the George W.

Breakthrough of the Year 2017: Two Neutron Star Collide and Drive Physicists Wild

Yes, last year's detection of neutron stars colliding was indeed "kind of a big deal," especially here at Georgia Tech. Seventeen of our faculty members, researchers, and students were part of the international Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory team that detected the first-ever observation of a kilonova, or neutron star mashup.

Air Force acquisition nominee a champion of commercial technology

A Georgia Tech honors graduate who was both a Rhodes and Truman Scholar may have a chance to impact the purchase of new technologies for the Air Force. William Roper, currently founding director of the Pentagon's Strategic Capabilities Office, is President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisitions.

On Second Thought For Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Georgia Public Broadcasting radio host Celeste Headlee replays her 2015 interview with Patricia Yang, a doctoral student and co-winner of an Ig Nobel Award, an honor presented by Improbable Research given to science projects that "make you laugh, then make you think." Yang's award was for a study

10 Reasons You Should Go Camping Right Now

Look up at the winter sky on a clear night. The brilliance of the stars is breathtaking. James Sowell, an astronomer in the School of Physics, weighs in on why stargazing is so beautiful in the winter. "There are more brighter stars in the quarter of the sky that we call the winter sky. Plus, cold air holds less moisture than the warmer summer air, making the nights clearer. So, faint stars that may go unseen during the summer nights may be more visible," Sowell says.

New kilogram could have mass appeal, say scientists

You won’t feel it happen, but the kilogram, used to measure the mass of electrons, galaxies, and everything in between, is about to be transformed. The General Conference on Weights and Measures is set to meet to redefine the kilogram in terms of a physical constant, Planck's constant. Ronald Fox of the School of Physics, an early advocate of redefining the kilogram, is very pleased.

Quantum mechanics provides new insights into active fluids

School of Physics researchers Paul GoldbartBenjamin Loewe, and Anton Souslov have made a breakthrough in fluid dynamics. They've derived hydrodynamic equations describing active fluids, something that had proven very difficult to do in the past. Their research was published in the New Journal of Physics.

Smart Swarms Seek New Ways to Cooperate

The latest discovery from Georgia Tech physicists may seem like something straight out of Black Mirror. But don't worry, it's not that sinister.

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