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Physics and Astronomy

A photo of Lin Hall lit up in the early evening twilight.

Welcome to the

Homer L. Dodge
Department of Physics & Astronomy

Since 1909 the Department has had a tradition of educating scientists, engineers, and teachers who have distinguished themselves as leaders in industry and academia.

Featured News

Alex Gleason and Alex Albright

OU Undergrads Win Access to World-Class Telescopes for Stellar Research

July 07, 2025

In a rare achievement, two University of Oklahoma undergraduate physics and astronomy students were awarded time to observe distant stars at the International Gemini Observatory. Their combined time represents approximately 4.5% of all available time allotted to U.S. astronomers from Aug. 2025 through Jan. 2026. Alex Gleason and Alex Albright, both seniors in the Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, are mentored by Mukremin Kilic, professor of astrophysics and cosmology. Their projects will utilize the Gemini North telescope in Maunakea, HI, and the Gemini South telescope in Cerro Pachón, Chile, depending on the time of year.

An artist's rendition of a white dwarf merger.

White Dwarf Discovery Highlighted by AAS Nova

February 28, 2025

A group of researchers, including OU professor Mukremin Kilic and graduate students Gracyn Jewett and Adam Moss, have discovered the most richly pulsating ultramassive white dwarf observed to date. The large number of pulsation modes, or vibrational patterns, observed in this ultramassive white dwarf may soon reveal information on its interior structure and chemical composition.

An artist's impression of a star-bursting galaxy with the surrounding CGM in white, blue, and purple.

OU Astronomy Professor Interviewed by News 9

September 11, 2024

Nikole Nielsen, an assistant professor of astrophysics and cosmology at the University of Oklahoma, was interviewed by News 9 about her research, which was recently published in the journal Nature Astronomy. Nielsen used the ten-meter telescope at the Keck Observatory to capture a galaxy 270 million light-years away. Studying the gas around this web of stars and planets will help build an understanding of how galaxies evolve over time.

Alisa Javadi

Alisa Javadi Receives U.S. Department of Energy 2024 Early Career Award

September 10, 2024

Alisa Javadi, assistant professor with a joint appointment between the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Physics, received an Early Career Award from the Department of Energy. Alisa’s project explores novel host crystals based on oxides that can serve as hosts for quantum bits, with the goal of overcoming limitations related to electron spin coherence. The project combines theoretical modeling and advanced material synthesis techniques to identify and produce high-quality quantum emitters. By leveraging materials with minimum magnetic interference, the research aims to unlock new possibilities for quantum technologies, such as more precise sensors and scalable quantum information systems.

An artist's depiction of a black hole

Graduate Student Badal Bhalla's Work Featured in New Scientist

August 23, 2024

A recent paper by Badal Bhalla and Tao Xu, both members of the Sinha group, written in collaboration with Benjamin Lehmann from MIT, has explored the possibility that primordial black holes could be locked into binaries with stars in our Galaxy. Titled “Dancing with invisible partners: three-body exchanges with primordial black holes”, the work has been featured in New Scientist as well as several popular media outlets.

An artist's depiction of a black hole

How huge black holes sprouted just after the Big Bang

June 19, 2024

The work of OU Postdoctoral Fellow, Marko Mićić, was recently published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and featured in Nature as a research highlight. This exciting research gives us a glimpse into how galaxy interactions may trigger black hole activity.


Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics


April 07, 2025

The Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics is a significant recognition of the pioneering studies conducted by the ATLAS Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), including significant contributions from the University of Oklahoma's experimental high-energy physics (HEP) group. This prestigious award, shared with the ALICE, CMS, and LHCb Collaborations, celebrates the extraordinary contributions of 13,508 international researchers who have significantly advanced the field of HEP. The prize specifically acknowledges the collaborative effort to establish the Brout-Englert-Higgs (BEH) mechanism of spontaneous electroweak symmetry breaking, test the Standard Model with remarkable precision, uncover rare and exotic particle interactions, and search for new physics phenomena that could reshape our understanding of the universe. As stated by Stephane Willocq, ATLAS Spokesperson, the prize is a "testament to the dedication and ingenuity of the ATLAS Collaboration" and highlights that "Run 2 was a transformative period for particle physics.”

The University of Oklahoma's experimental HEP group has actively participated in all aspects of the ATLAS program recognized by the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. Research topics within the group include studies of the top quark and Higgs boson, as well as searches for supersymmetry and long-lived particles.  The group also contributes to detector operation, detector upgrades, software development, and computing infrastructure.

Read the ATLAS article for more details

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