News
Purdue-led team watches a “frictionless” quantum fluid freeze into a solid-like state
Superfluids are the showoffs of the quantum world: Once they start moving, they are expected to keep flowing without resistance. But a team of physicists that includes Purdue University has now observed something stranger, an exciton superfluid that can freeze into an ordered, solid-like phase.
The discovery, led by Yihang Zeng, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Purdue University, is reported in Nature in the paper “Observation of a superfluid-to-insulator transition of bilayer excitons.”
Manfra appointed Purdue’s chief quantum officer
Purdue University announced Tuesday (March 3) that quantum computing expert Michael Manfra has been appointed chief quantum officer, effective Jan. 1, 2026. He is currently director of the Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute (PQSEI).
Will clouds block the red moon of Tuesday's lunar eclipse near Lafayette?
Journal & Courier — Cloud cover over Indiana will turn Tuesday morning's lunar eclipse into something more akin to watching car headlights flicker across the window shade. Physics and Astronomy's Assistant Professor Abigail Polin was interviewed in this article about lunar eclipses.
Purdue Engineering professors Du, Pol named NAI senior members
The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has elected Purdue Engineering Professors Shengwang Du and Vilas Pol to its 2026 class of senior members. Professor Shengwang Du is also a faculty member in Physics and Astronomy.
National Academy of Inventors Fellows at Purdue - David Nolte
The latest highlighted fellow in the Purdue Research Foundation National Academy of Inventors Fellows series is David Nolte, the Edward M. Purcell Distinguished Professor of Physics & Astronomy in the College of Science. Nolte is an internationally recognized researcher in holography and laser interferometry. He’s known for pioneering the BioCD, creating inexpensive diagnostic tools used in the companion-animal veterinary marketplace.
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