Department of Physics | April 6, 2026

Happy Monday! 🎉  As always, The Compton Chronicle newsletter is where you'll find department updates, upcoming events, exciting opportunities, and ways to get involved in our growing community. Have a great week! 

Spontaneously Broken Non-Invertible Symmetries in Transverse-Field Ising Qudit Chains with Kristian Tyan Kai Chung

TODAY at 3pm | Compton 241

Emergent Phenomena Under Pressure: Toward Hot Superconductivity with Russell Hemley

Wednesday, April 8 at 3pm | Compton 340
Coffee and refreshments at 2:30pm in Compton 245

Composite Quarks, Leptons, and Higgs: Flavor Signatures of a Preon Theory with Amartya Sengupta

Thursday, April 9 at 3pm | Compton 241

Condensed Matter / Biophysics Seminar with Alex Levchenko

Monday, April 13 at 3pm | Compton 241

Physics Colloquium with Liang Feng from the University of Pennsylvania

Wednesday, April 15 at 3pm | Compton 340
Coffee and refreshments at 2:30pm in Compton 245

Hints of New Physics from the KM3NeT and ANITA Anomalies with Dibya Chattopadhyay

Thursday, April 16 at 3pm | Compton 241

Extreme ionization from a single compact accretor: JWST spectroscopy of the ULX Holmberg II X-1 with Federico Fogantini

Friday, April 17 at 9am | Compton 241

Walter Massey is a physicist, educator and author whose career has included leadership roles in the public and private sectors, as well as academia and industry. He is currently chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization, chair of the City Colleges of Chicago Trustees, president emeritus of Morehouse College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and senior adviser to the president and emeritus trustee of the University of Chicago. Massey is a former director of the National Science Foundation and a strong advocate for educational access for underrepresented students, especially in STEM fields.

Ghostly particles: is dark radiation masquerading as neutrinos?

New research suggests that neutrinos in the early Universe may have transformed into a previously unknown form of radiation. A study from Bhupal Dev offers a new way to explain certain puzzling observations about how the Universe evolved.

Xi Wang wins NSF CAREER Award for research on programmable quantum materials

Wang aims to develop methods for programming quantum materials on demand, enabling scientists to explore new quantum phases and interactions. Insights from these systems could help guide future technologies based on quantum materials, including advanced sensing, electronics, and quantum information devices.

WashU researchers use quantum biosensors to peer into the inner workings of living cells

In a major advance applying insights from quantum physics to the inner workings of biology, a team of WashU researchers has successfully implanted quantum sensors in living cells to measure shifts in magnetism and temperature.

Hosted by the WashU Astro student group, students gathered in the Physics Library in Compton Hall last Tuesday to witness a rare and powerful moment in human history. 

As NASA's Artemis II launched successfully, the room filled with anticipation, awe, and collective pride. For many watching, it was not just a rocket leaving Earth, but a vivid reminder of what humans can achieve together, pushing beyond our limits and reaching toward the Moon once again. 

Moments like this connect us to something larger than ourselves. In Compton, students stood together, looking up as part of a global audience witnessing history in real time, united by curiosity, ambition, and the enduring drive to explore. 

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