Longhorn Lab Report: Why Dark Matter Matters

March 23, 2018

Dark matter makes up as much as 68 percent of the universe, but we know barely anything about it — including if it exists at all. UT astronomy professor Michael Boylan-Kolchin talks about the implications of his newest research into the mysterious substance.

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UT researchers help search for theoretical particles

October 18, 2016

UT researchers are hunting for an elusive subatomic particle after unexpected experimental results left the physics community puzzled.

The particles in question are called neutrinos. They have no charge and very little mass, and they can pass through matter, including living tissue. These properties make neutrinos very difficult to detect.

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Alumnus lectures on gravitational wave detection

September 23, 2016

UT alumnus David Reitze, director of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, began his presentation by telling a story that started 1.3 billion years ago with the collision of two black holes that caused ripples through space-time.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to skip most of that 1.3 billion years and move forward to about a hundred years ago,” he said. “This is where the story gets interesting from the human perspective.”

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UT Researchers Receive Grant to Explore Strange Wave Properties

September 8, 2016

UT researchers are taking the concept of one-way mirrors to the extreme by manipulating light waves to make objects invisible.

UT Cockrell School of Engineering professor Andrea Alu and his research team are working on exploring the properties of light and sound waves that could make technologies like cloaking and one-way soundproof walls possible.

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