LEGO CT scan The X-ray machine in the Department of Physics can be used to take X-ray images of small objects (including LEGO minifigures) as well as to conduct many materials science experiments. A computed tomography (CT) scan consists of many X-ray images taken from different angles and then used to produce a 3D model. Source Tiffany Summerscales
Artist’s impression of merging neutron stars This artist’s impression shows two tiny but very dense neutron stars at the point at which they merge and explode as a kilonova. Such a very rare event is expected to produce both gravitational waves and a short gamma-ray burst, both of which were observed on 17 August 2017 by LIGO–Virgo and Fermi/INTEGRAL respectively. Subsequent detailed observations with many ESO telescopes confirmed that this object, seen in the galaxy NGC 4993 about 130 million light-years from the Earth, is indeed a kilonova. Such objects are the main source of very heavy chemical elements, such as gold and platinum, in the Universe. Source ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser
Atomic force microscope A physics student places a sample in our department's atomic force microscope. This type of microscope uses a sharp probe to "feel" the surface of a material and can be used to sense the position of bumps as small as individual atoms! Source David Sherwin
5-year plan for upper-division physics courses
For a current list of course offerings click .
- Phone: 269-471-3430
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- Email: physics@andrews.edu