Physics and Astronomy

Faculty in the USC Dornsife College’s Department of Physics and Astronomy observe the most elemental forms of nature and how they behave in both inner and outer space. From electrons to galaxies, faculty scientists explore the structure of matter and how it organizes itself.

Encompassing both the smallest and the largest objects in the universe, the faculty’s research interests are necessarily broad, ranging from atomic physics, elementary particle theory, quantum optics, and laser physics to solar systems, self-organizing systems, and stellar structure. Other prominent scholars study high-energy physics, and how string theory resolves the contradiction between theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics.