While the very first detection of gravitational radiation occurred in 2015, a different, longer gravitational wavelength is needed to locate black holes. Burke-Spolaor is a leading member of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), which uses a network of stars called “pulsars” distributed throughout our galaxy to detect small ripples in the fabric of spacetime caused by the distant gravitational waves of SBHBs. Burke-Spolaor’s research in the field of low-frequency gravitational wave astrophysics has laid the foundation for the next generation of progress in pulsar timing array science and is paving the road to find the first....
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are one of the most exciting recent discoveries in the field of radio astronomy, and they were discovered by astronomers right here in West Virginia. Most FRBs happen faster than you can blink an eye, and in that time they blast out more energy than our sun produces in several days. In spite of this spectacular behavior, we still don’t know what they are.
For more than 30 years, the planetarium has given Morgantown and the surrounding
communities a glimpse into worlds beyond our own with the support of the
Department of Physics and Astronomy and the
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University.
She created the first three-dimensional diffusion model that
reproduces the strong enhancement of outer belt electrons during a
geomagnetic storm. The model is the first of its kind to incorporate
real-time information on the physical processes and thus accurately
model the radiation belt enhancement. In addition, Tu has developed the
first model to account for radiation belt dropouts and newly discovered
loss processes due to anomalous geometrics of Earth’s magnetic fields.
Understanding these electrons and processes are crucial in reducing the
hazardous radiative environment within which spacecrafts and
communication satellites currently operate.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Studying topics as varied as space science to sustainability, four West Virginia University researchers have been named Faculty Early Career Development Program award winners by the National Science Foundation.
The conference is an initiative of APS which works to encourage and promote women and gender minorities to enter and continue their interests in the world of physics and astronomy. The three-day conference (January 19-21, 2024) encourages undergraduate women to continue in physics by providing them with the opportunity to experience a professional conference, information about graduate school and professions in physics, and access to other women in physics of all ages with whom they can share experiences, advice, and ideas.
Mark Koepke, Robert C. Byrd Professor of Physics in the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy, was chosen as chair-elect of the American Physical Society's subdivision, the Gaseous Electronics Conference.
For Lorimer and McLaughlin, working at Arecibo set off a sequence of events including marriage, children, joining West Virginia University, an out-of-this-world scientific discovery and, now, a prestigious award described as the “Nobel Prize of the East.”
Finding and creating new materials with unique properties,
like superconductors and novel magnets, requires new methods and tools, but Lian Li, Robert L.
Carroll Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, said
the trial and error method employed by scientists takes too long to keep up
with technology in the quantum age.
