Collision physics is a research area within atomic, molecular, and optical physics that investigates the fundamental processes occurring when particles such as atoms, ions, electrons, or molecules interact and scatter. It focuses on quantifying cross sections, differential scattering distributions, energy and momentum transfer, charge exchange, ionization, excitation, and recombination in two-body and few-body collisions over a wide range of energies. The field employs quantum scattering theory, semiclassical approaches, and sophisticated numerical methods, and relies on accelerator-based, crossed-beam, and trap-based experiments to test interaction potentials, probe short-range forces, and benchmark many-body and plasma models relevant to astrophysics, fusion, radiation physics, and materials modification.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists used simulations to understand the role disruptive impacts play on icy moons with subsurface oceans in our solar system. A recent paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy ...
Astrobiology
15 hours ago
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12
There are nearly 1 million pieces of debris larger than 1 centimeter (0.4 inch) in near-Earth orbit. As we continue launching spacecraft and telescopes to explore the universe, this debris poses a significant threat of high-speed ...
Space Exploration
20 hours ago
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New Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) modeling, conducted in collaboration with scientists at the University of Arizona, shows fundamental differences in how the moon may have formed from the giant impact that created the ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 1, 2026
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To date, close to 30,000 satellites have been launched into Earth's orbit, leading to mounting concerns over the debris created when they collide. In a new analysis posted to the preprint server arXiv, Hugh Lewis of the University ...
A drifting SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the moon after launching a pair of lunar landers more than a year ago.
Space Exploration
Jul 31, 2026
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45
Experimental atomic physicists have discovered there is a maximum amount of electrical resistance, or resistivity, that can result from collisions between electrons.
General Physics
Jun 16, 2026
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Southwest Research Institute, or SwRI, is studying impact flashes generated by high-speed collisions. One application of understanding impact flashes is to remotely identify what materials are involved in the collisions. ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 3, 2026
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6
Aerospace engineers have to consider numerous factors when designing a spacecraft, but one that comes up more and more often is the need to design against micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD). While most designers understand ...
Space Exploration
May 11, 2026
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21
Researchers have uncovered a counterintuitive phenomenon in collision dynamics: high-speed particles bounce back from wet walls much more strongly than expected. Integrating experimental observations with advanced numerical ...
General Physics
Apr 28, 2026
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15
Particle accelerators reveal the heart of nuclear matter by smashing together atoms at close to the speed of light. The high-energy collisions produce a shower of subatomic fragments that scientists can then study to reconstruct ...
General Physics
Mar 26, 2026
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