School of Physics and Astronomy
School News
Pospelov named Solvay Chair in Physics
Professor Maxim Pospelov of the School of Physics and Astronomy and A.S. Fine Chair in Theoretical Physics, William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute has been named the 2027 Jacques and Mimi
University of Minnesota-led team helps explain what powers Jupiter’s brightest auroras
NASA’s Juno spacecraft reveals how locally generated Alfvén waves accelerate particles and heat the planet’s upper atmosphere
Skillman and Olive Measure the Early-Universe Helium
Evan Skillman, of the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, and Keith Olive of the Fine Theoretical Physics Institute, are part of The Large Binocular Telescope Primordial Helium Project which used
Lectures Series a Hit with Public
The Quirky Quantum Lecture series drew hundreds of newcomers to the University this summer, earning enthusiastic feedback from attendees who said it made quantum physics approachable and rekindled
Remembering William “Bill” Zimmermann Jr.
Professor Emeritus William “Bill” Zimmermann Jr. passed away in Minneapolis on July 12, 2026, at the age of 95.
Physicists go to extremes in the hunt for dark matter
In the hunt for one of nature’s most elusive substances – dark matter, which makes up 85% of all matter in the universe – scientists are going to extremes. Deep underground and chilled to near