Astronomers find possible hints of low-frequency gravitational waves

An international team of astronomers – including 17 Cornellians – report they have found the first faint, low-frequency whispers that may be gravitational waves from gigantic, colliding black holes in distant galaxies. The findings were obtained from more than 12.5 years of data collected from the national radio telescopes at Green Bank, West Virginia, and the recently collapsed dish at the Arecibo Observatory, in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

Center’s grants seed diverse research in the social sciences

New View of Nature’s Oldest Light Adds Twist to Debate Over Universe’s Age

From a mountain high in Chile’s Atacama Desert, astronomers with the National Science Foundation’s Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) have taken a fresh look at the oldest light in the universe. Their new observations plus a bit of cosmic geometry suggest that the universe is 13.77 billion years old, give or take 40 million years.

Data on armed conflict reveals patterns in violent chaos

Chaos and uncertainty are hallmarks of armed conflict. But new research that ties together multiple aspects of political violence reveals universal dynamics in how conflicts emerge and expand. The work provides a statistical framework that could one day help anticipate deadly violence.

2020 in review: COVID-19 was the story

The first mention of the word “coronavirus” in a Cornell Chronicle story in 2020 came on Jan. 29, when the university designated mainland China as an elevated-risk destination, and imposed travel restrictions on students, faculty and staff.

Physics without fear: a course for students across disciplines

Holmes hopes that students will take a positive, informed view of physics with them into their careers.

Physics professor advances breakthrough research on black hole paradox

Tom Hartman has discovered a mathematical technique for calculating the physics of a black hole.

Biathlon e-book aims for insight

Craig Wiggers grew up in Alabama. During his 25-year career in the U.S. Marines he served in Iraq and Afghanistan. So when he moved to Ithaca as a Cornell ROTC instructor in 2012, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with snow.

“At first my wife and I spent our winters staring at the walls and waiting for spring,” said Wiggers, now director of administration at the Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S).

Researchers trap electrons to create elusive crystal

Even though a crystal of electrons was first predicted in 1934, a method for achieving it had remained elusive.

Yuri Orlov memorial webinar held Nov. 18

Some of the world’s most prominent human-rights leaders honored the late Yuri Orlov, professor emeritus of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, in a webinar Nov. 18 at 10 a.m.