physics

Klaus Honscheid on Unraveling the Mystery of Dark Energy

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Klaus Honscheid, Professor of Physics, talks about dark energy, dark matter, and his work on the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). He discusses the universe’s accelerating expansion, the unknowns of dark energy, and how working with cosmology has impacted his view on human life and history. Honscheid recently delivered the 16th Annual Biard Lecture, hosted by Ohio State’s Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics. Honscheid outlined his extensive contributions to DESI, and the questions these contributions are helping scientists answer about the universe.

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Sultana Nahar: Eye on the Sky

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Sultana Nahar, research professor in the Department of Astronomy and 2025 recipient of the William Fowler Award for Research from the Eastern Great Lakes Section of the American Physical Society, discusses her innovative research in atomic astrophysics, including her notable contributions to the NORAD atomic database and the book Atomic Astrophysics and Spectroscopy. She explores the interdisciplinary bridge between physics and astronomy, explaining how her work helps understand astrophysical plasmas and their applications. Profs Staley and Nahar review her work detecting extraterrestrial life through phosphorus spectroscopy, her unique method of using x-rays in medical applications derived from black hole studies, and the study of the sun’s opacity for better astronomical standards.

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Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin: Artisanal Quantum Research

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Professor of physics Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin studies quantum information science and engineering (QISE), a combination of quantum mechanics and information technology, and its applicability in computing, networking, and sensing. He describes the foundational concepts of quantum mechanics, magnetism, and the physical properties of materials to host David Staley. Halperin explains how classical electromagnetism cannot fully account for the behavior of magnetic materials, emphasizing the necessity of quantum mechanics. Halperin also describes his innovative research on quantum sensors and nanomaterials and a new technique his lab developed to integrate molecular systems with solid-state devices for quantum sensing applications.

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Are Your Political Views Hereditary? Skylar Cranmer’s Brain Scan Research Suggests It Is

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Skylar Cranmer, the Carter Phillips and Sue Henry Professor of Political Science, researches network science, such as forecasting the evolution of complex networks or exploring whether brain scans can predict political partisanship. He joins host David Staley on this week’s Voices of Excellence to discuss network science, which incorporates fields from political science to physics to mathematics to biology, among others.