Particle astrophysics is a research area at the interface of particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology that investigates fundamental particles and their interactions using astrophysical sources and environments. It focuses on high-energy messengers such as cosmic rays, gamma rays, neutrinos, and, increasingly, gravitational waves to probe processes in extreme settings like supernovae, active galactic nuclei, compact object mergers, and the early universe. The field seeks to constrain particle properties, test physics beyond the Standard Model, study dark matter and dark energy candidates, and elucidate acceleration and propagation mechanisms through multi-messenger observations and advanced detection techniques.
Since 2010, the IceCube Observatory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has been delivering groundbreaking measurements of high-energy cosmic neutrinos. It consists of many detectors embedded in a volume of Antarctic ...
General Physics
Feb 13, 2026
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Dark matter is a type of matter that is predicted to make up most of the matter in the universe, yet it is very difficult to detect using conventional experimental techniques, as it does not emit, absorb, or reflect light. ...
Ciaran O'Hare scribbles symbols using colored markers across his whiteboard like he's trying to solve a crime—or perhaps planning one. He bounces around the edges of the board, slowly filling it with sharp angles and curling ...
General Physics
Feb 5, 2026
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Cosmic rays are extremely fast, charged particles that travel through space at nearly the speed of light. The Amaterasu particle was detected in 2021 by the Telescope Array experiment in the U.S. It is the second-highest-energy ...
Astronomy
Feb 5, 2026
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In 2023, a subatomic particle called a neutrino crashed into Earth with such a high amount of energy that it should have been impossible. In fact, there are no known sources anywhere in the universe capable of producing such ...
Astronomy
Feb 3, 2026
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In a landmark discovery that bridges nearly a century of theoretical physics, a Chinese research team has successfully captured the first direct evidence of the Migdal effect, a breakthrough with profound implications for ...
General Physics
Jan 19, 2026
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They're called ghost particles for a reason. They're everywhere—trillions of them constantly stream through everything: our bodies, our planet, even the entire cosmos. These so-called neutrinos are elementary particles that ...
Astronomy
Jan 8, 2026
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Scientists are a step closer to solving one of the universe's biggest mysteries as new research finds evidence that two of its least understood components may be interacting, offering a rare window into the darkest recesses ...
Astronomy
Jan 7, 2026
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A scientific experiment aimed at detecting dark matter in space launched from Antarctica on December 15, with significant contributions from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Astronomy
Dec 19, 2025
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A professor at the University of Cincinnati and his colleagues have figured out something two of America's most famous fictional physicists couldn't: how to theoretically produce subatomic particles called axions in fusion ...
General Physics
Dec 18, 2025
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