LSU physicists work to improve astrophysical sensitivity of LIGO detectors for advanced discoveries.

Since the big bang, the early universe had hydrogen, helium, and a scant amount of lithium. Later, some heavier elements, including iron, were forged in stars. But one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics is: How did the first elements heavier than iron, such as gold, get created and distributed throughout the universe? A new answer has come from an unexpected place - magnetars.

When exploring the mysteries of the universe, Natalie Hinkel is at the forefront — right here in Louisiana.

For decades, quantum imaging has promised sharper images and greater light sensitivity than classical methods by exploiting the unique properties of quantum light, such as photon entanglement. But the approaches to do so rely on delicate, specially engineered light sources that are easily overwhelmed by real-world noise, and it is difficult to generate quantum light bright enough for practical use.

LSU Department of Mathematics professors Stephen Shipman and Daniel Massatt, along with LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy professors Justin Wilson and Ilya Vekhter, teamed up to discover a new way to trap electrons in materials, advancing quantum matter research.

In a collaborative research effort, LSU physicist Ahana Chakraborty is involved in the discovery of a novel pathway to manipulate the properties of materials using lasers, proposing an exotic non-equilibrium phase transition to an incommensurate spatio-temporal order in insulators of any symmetry. This breakthrough potentially opens new frontiers in ultrafast non-linear phononics.

On June 7th, 2024, the United Nations declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). In recognition of this historic proclamation, the LSU American Physical Society (APS) Chapter was proud to host the 2025 Q-Net Symposium, a one-day conference of talks and networking events focused on cutting-edge quantum science and technology.

The Physical Society of Japan, JPS, has awarded Dr. Hikaru Ueki, senior post-doctoral researcher in the Hearne Institute of Theoretical Physics at Louisiana State University, the Young Scientist Award for his research in the field of superconductivity and low temperature physics.

Data access, or the availability of new and archival data for use by other scientists and the public, is key to scientific advancement. How data is presented, searched, and formatted determines accessibility, and it can be difficult to find a solution that fits everyone's needs.

Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) has awarded LSU graduate student Aaron Trigg with a fellowship to design and perform research projects that contribute to the NASA Science Mission Directorate's science, technology, and exploration goals.

Explosive transients, such as supernova, are a key focus in astronomy and astrophysics. However, new understanding of these events requires synthesis of information across several domains of science. In order to foster multidisciplinary research in this area, LSU, the Department of Energy, NASA, and the National Science Foundation recently hosted the 'Multidisciplinary Science in the Multimessenger Era' workshop on the LSU campus.

LSU medical physics graduate student Hunter Meyer was presented with a 'Best in Physics Award' in the category of Imaging Scientific Session: Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine 66th Annual Meeting & Exhibition.

LSU physics graduate student Jacob Goudeau has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science for the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) award in response to the SCGSR program's 2023 Solicitation 2 cycle.

LSU's Medical Physics and Health Physics Program has announced Maxwell Cole as the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Charles M. Smith Superior Graduate Student Scholarship. Established from the estate of the late Dr. Charles M. Smith of Sulphur, Louisiana, the scholarship represents Dr. Smith's commitment to significantly enhance medical physics education and research programs by supporting graduate students to ensure a continued pipeline of highly qualified medical physicists.

LSU physics PhD Candidate, David He, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science for the Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) award in response to the 2023 SCGSR Solicitation 2 cycle in the Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics Physics Division. Through world-class training and access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources at DOE National Laboratories, the SCGSR Program prepares graduate students to enter jobs of critical importance to the DOE mission and secures our national position at the forefront of discovery and innovation.

Gabriela González, Boyd Professor of Physics, Louisiana State University Department of Physics & Astronomy, has been elected vice-president of the American Physical Society.

"Very few people know what they want to do when they get to college and, as a first-generation student, I was no exception," said Christian Foti.

Jeffery Blackmon, Russell B. Long Professor of Physics and Department Chair, is one of four LSU faculty members to be named a SEC Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP) Fellows. The SEC ALDP seeks to identify, prepare and advance academic leaders for roles within SEC institutions and beyond.

Fox Foley, a PhD student in the LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy, recently received the KC Donnelly Externship Award to do research at the Center for Nanoscale Materials Science at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Beatriz Elizaga Navascués, originally from Madrid, Spain, joined LSU’s Hearne Institute of Theoretical Physics last year to work with professors Jorge Pullin and Ivan Agullo and continue a promising line of research—using observations of extreme and enormous phenomena, such as the beginning of the universe and black holes, to improve our understanding of physical forces and matter on an atomic level.