Testing large language models on scientific literature
Cornell physicists and Google researchers engaged a panel of 12 human experts to test the ability of six LLM systems to understand scientific literature at the level of a specialist.
The Cornell University Department of Physics, known for the versatility of its program, the breadth of its training, and Nobel Prize-winning work, is unsurpassed in many areas. The presence on campus of a particle accelerator, one of just a few of its magnitude anywhere in the world, contributes to Cornell’s reputation in particle and accelerator physics. The department has more than 40 active professors, approximately 180 graduate students and 65 undergraduate majors, and offers a full range of university-level work in physics, from general education courses for nonscientists to doctoral-level independent research.
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Physics Events
Mar
23
Monday
04:00 PM
Department of Physics Colloquium, Professor Abhay Deshpande, Stony Brook University
Rockefeller Hall
201, Schwartz Auditorium
Apr
06
Monday
04:00 PM
Department of Physics Colloquium, Dr. Jens Dilling, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Rockefeller Hall
201, Schwartz Auditorium
Apr
20
Monday
04:00 PM
Department of Physics Colloquium, Dr. Anna Grassellino, Fermilab
Rockefeller Hall
201, Schwartz Auditorium
Apr
27
Monday
04:00 PM
Department of Physics Colloquium
Rockefeller Hall
201, Schwartz Auditorium
May
04
Monday
04:00 PM
Department of Physics Colloquium, Professor Peter McMahon, Applied & Engineering Physics, Cornell University
Rockefeller Hall
201, Schwartz Auditorium
May
18
Monday
04:00 PM
Department of Physics Colloquium, Professor Leslie Schoop, Princeton University
Rockefeller Hall
201, Schwartz Auditorium
The Bethe Way: Department of Physics Magazine
The Bethe Way is the department's yearly magazine. In it, we share exciting highlights of faculty hires, research breakthroughs, staff changes, teaching reform, faculty awards, and alumni connections.
Physics News
Nine students advance to 2026 3MT finals
Neti Bhatt, physics is one of nine Cornell research degree students who will advance to the final round of the 2026 Three Minute Thesis competition (3MT).
Experts to examine the use of generative AI in science
The Assessing and Imagining the Impact of Generative AI on Science Symposium, March 3-5, will feature experts from across academia and industry engaging in discussions on the use and implications of generative AI.
Holding chaos at bay in the quantum world
Researchers have found that quantum systems in a frozen state can be stabilized long enough to be a useful strategy for preserving information before it disappears.
Five from Cornell named 2026 Sloan Research Fellows
Five Cornell faculty members are among 126 early-career researchers across North America who have won 2026 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
11 new researchers become Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellows
Cornell researchers interested in diverse topics ranging from peptide engineering and cellular metabolites to quantum physics and sustainable computing are among the newest cohort selected by the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellows program.
CTI’s ‘Art of the Lab’ faculty panel to highlight creative approaches to instruction
CTI’s “The Art of Teaching” series returns Feb. 11 with “The Art of the Lab.” Faculty panelists will share creative instructional approaches for designing student-centered laboratory experiences.
Four on faculty to receive DOE early-career grants
Four Cornell faculty members are among 99 researchers across the U.S. who have been awarded grants by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its Office of Science Early Career Research Program.
"On my first day after joining a research group in graduate school a professor said, I hear you’re interested in instrumentation.’ I didn’t know what that was, but I thought I’d better say yes. When people think about physics, they think about a guy with a pencil and paper, but physics is an experimental science.”
- Peter Wittich, Professor and Director, Laboratory of Elementary Particle Physics