Astrophysics

Sihao Cheng, Martin A. and Helen Chooljian Member in the Institute for Advanced Study’s School of Natural Sciences (2022–25), describes how he is mining a previously overlooked dataset in his ongoing search for a possible ninth planet in our solar system.

Digvijay Wadekar, Member in the School of Natural Sciences (2021–24), reflects on the evolving nature of problem-solving in modern physics and how the Institute for Advanced Study supports both interdisciplinary collaboration and individual inquiry.

Lia Medeiros, Visitor in the Institute for Advanced Study's School of Natural Sciences (2023–24), describes how she created a machine learning algorithm to produce new images of the black hole at the center of our galaxy, and how such images can be used to test Albert Einstein's theory of gravity.

The work of plasma fusion physicists may seem completely divorced from the realm of theoretical astrophysics, but, as Chris Hamilton, John N. Bahcall Fellow in the School of Natural Sciences, explains, the mathematical methods developed to exploit the power of the electrons, ions, and magnetic fields in fusion plasmas are precisely the same as those needed to describe the dynamics of stars, spiral arms, and dark matter in galaxies like the Milky Way. 

In the wake of the first image release, past Member Nadia Zakamska, whose research group has been involved with JWST since 2017, provides a deeper understanding of the telescope’s significance and reflects on her role in gathering and analyzing early release data.

Past Members in the School of Natural Sciences Robert J. Vanderbei (2019–20) and Michael A. Strauss (1991–95), along with Neil deGrasse Tyson and J. Richard Gott, have authored a unique journey into the cosmos titled Welcome to the Universe in 3D: A Visual Tour, the fourth in a series of astrophysical tours for Princeton University Press. 

Lia Medeiros, a Member and astrophysics postdoctoral fellow in the School of Natural Sciences, is interested in using astronomical objects and phenomena to test fundamental theories of physics. She is a winner of the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in...

“From the perspective of gravity, [a black hole] is the simplest object we know of, no more than a hole in space. At the same time, according to quantum theory, it is the most complex object, the most compact way to store matter and information.” Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director and Leon Levy Professor, discusses the paradoxical nature of black holes and their role in twenty-first-century physics.

On Einstein's birthday we mourn the passing of Stephen Hawking, an equally brilliant mind and inspiring human being. His ideas about black holes, spacetime and the Big Bang will live forever, only grow in importance, and permeate the universe.
—Robbert Dijkgraaf, IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor

The field of cosmology has come a long way toward understanding the universe as a physical system: we’ve mapped its history and structure in great detail, we know what it went through since a few seconds after its birth until today, we understand...