Latest news and comment Audience - Any Audience -AlumniIndustrySchools, prospective students and communityResearchUndergraduatesGraduatesInternational Year of QuantumDepartment of Physics (requires login) Research theme - Any Research theme -Accelerator physicsAstronomy and astrophysicsBiological physicsClimate physicsExoplanets and planetary physicsFields, strings, and quantum dynamicsFundamental particles and interactionsInstrumentationLasers and high energy density scienceParticle astrophysics & cosmologyPhotovoltaics and nanosciencePlasma physicsQuantum information and computationQuantum materialsQuantum optics & ultra-cold matter Sub-department - Any Sub-department -AstrophysicsAtmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary PhysicsAtomic and Laser PhysicsCondensed Matter PhysicsParticle PhysicsProfessional and support servicesRudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics Discovery of brightest OH maser Astrophysicists at the University of Oxford have discovered the brightest and most distant extragalactic hydroxyl maser from an untargeted survey with the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. 30 January 2024 Latest JWST images publicly released A set of highly detailed images of 19 nearby spiral galaxies from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have been publicly released today; the extraordinary images will provide several new puzzle pieces for astronomers and astrophysicists around the world. 29 January 2024 Professor Birkby Blavatnik Young Scientist Award finalist Professor Jayne Birkby has been recognised by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences as a finalist in the 2024 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists. 17 January 2024 Professor Ferreira recognised by RAS Professor Pedro Ferreira has been awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s Eddington Medal 2024 for investigations of outstanding merit in theoretical astrophysics. 12 January 2024 Most sensitive search for intelligent life beyond our galaxy to date Breakthrough Listen announce findings from the most sensitive search to date for ‘technosignatures’ – signs of intelligent life – beyond the Milky Way. 6 December 2023 Extraordinary new space phenomenon mystifies scientists Astrophysicists at the University of Oxford have helped to discover a spectacularly bright and unusual explosion in a galaxy 4.4 billion light-years away. The findings have been published in the journal Nature. 15 November 2023 First detection of heavy element from star merger Researchers from the University of Oxford's Department of Physics have contributed to an international effort to identify the neutron star merger responsible for an exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst. 25 October 2023 New Oxford HQ for Breakthrough Listen University of Oxford partners with Breakthrough Prize Foundation in search for life beyond Earth. 18 October 2023 Commentary: Sophia Vaughan on searching for an exo-rainbow DPhil student Sophia Vaughan comments on her work with an international collaboration on how the search for exo-rainbows could soon reveal an Earth-like planet. 31 July 2023 The dust of ages The James Webb Space Telescope detects interstellar dust grains in the first billion years of cosmic time 20 July 2023 Why we need to go back to the Moon Emeritus Professor Joe Silk on why we need to go back to the Moon 20 July 2023 Celebrating Professor Roger Davies On 30 June 2023, more than 100 people gathered in the Martin Wood lecture theatre to celebrate the contributions, achievements and career of Professor Roger Davies. 17 July 2023 Load More
Discovery of brightest OH maser Astrophysicists at the University of Oxford have discovered the brightest and most distant extragalactic hydroxyl maser from an untargeted survey with the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. 30 January 2024
Latest JWST images publicly released A set of highly detailed images of 19 nearby spiral galaxies from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have been publicly released today; the extraordinary images will provide several new puzzle pieces for astronomers and astrophysicists around the world. 29 January 2024
Professor Birkby Blavatnik Young Scientist Award finalist Professor Jayne Birkby has been recognised by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences as a finalist in the 2024 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists. 17 January 2024
Professor Ferreira recognised by RAS Professor Pedro Ferreira has been awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s Eddington Medal 2024 for investigations of outstanding merit in theoretical astrophysics. 12 January 2024
Most sensitive search for intelligent life beyond our galaxy to date Breakthrough Listen announce findings from the most sensitive search to date for ‘technosignatures’ – signs of intelligent life – beyond the Milky Way. 6 December 2023
Extraordinary new space phenomenon mystifies scientists Astrophysicists at the University of Oxford have helped to discover a spectacularly bright and unusual explosion in a galaxy 4.4 billion light-years away. The findings have been published in the journal Nature. 15 November 2023
First detection of heavy element from star merger Researchers from the University of Oxford's Department of Physics have contributed to an international effort to identify the neutron star merger responsible for an exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst. 25 October 2023
New Oxford HQ for Breakthrough Listen University of Oxford partners with Breakthrough Prize Foundation in search for life beyond Earth. 18 October 2023
Commentary: Sophia Vaughan on searching for an exo-rainbow DPhil student Sophia Vaughan comments on her work with an international collaboration on how the search for exo-rainbows could soon reveal an Earth-like planet. 31 July 2023
The dust of ages The James Webb Space Telescope detects interstellar dust grains in the first billion years of cosmic time 20 July 2023
Why we need to go back to the Moon Emeritus Professor Joe Silk on why we need to go back to the Moon 20 July 2023
Celebrating Professor Roger Davies On 30 June 2023, more than 100 people gathered in the Martin Wood lecture theatre to celebrate the contributions, achievements and career of Professor Roger Davies. 17 July 2023