SFU Physics

The Western Veil Nebula is a gauzy pink and blue nebula that looks like a scarf or veil blowing in the wind, but in space. Image taken by Joanna Woo at the Trottier Observatory

The Western Veil Nebula is the remnants of a supernova that exploded thousands of years ago. The blue light is oxygen which gets energized easily in supernova shock fronts and the pink is hydrogen. 📷 Joanna Woo. More from the @sfu.ca Trottier Observatory: ow.ly/YiQx50WyPz2 🔭 @sfuphysics.bsky.social

Josipa Kafadar in a blue taekwondo uniform kicking an opponent in red

Olympic athlete and @sfuphysics.bsky.social student Josipa Kafadar is once again representing Canada and kicking butt on the world stage, along with two other #SFU students. www.sfu.ca/science/news... #taekwondo

Artist's rendering of two entangled quarks with the sensor arrays of the Large Hadron Collider behind them. Overlaid text reads: Scholarly Impact of the Week: Matthias Danninger, Bernd Stelzer & Michel Vetterli

@sfuphysics.bsky.social physicists have been a part of the @atlasexperiment.bsky.social at @cern.bsky.social since 2001. ATLAS recently reported the 1st observation of quantum entanglement between top quarks—a discovery that provides new ways to test the Standard Model. www.sfu.ca/research/per...

Three people standing beside a telescope and in front of the SFU Trottier Observatory point and look up at the night sky

Starry Nights is ON tonight, 10pm to midnight at the #SFU Trottier Observatory! Join @rascvancouver.bsky.social and @sfuphysics.bsky.social for views of the Black Eye Galaxy, the Crab globular cluster and the Iris Nebula. 🔭 www.sfu.ca/science/comm...

Quantum Canada Open Doors Event at SFU SFU Physics took part in "Quantum Canada: Open Doors 2025" with its own event with activities open to all.

We are proud to have taken part in "Quantum Canada: Open Doors 2025" hosted by the Canadian Association of Physicists.
A big thanks to all our organizers, volunteers and visitors!
www.sfu.ca/physics/news...

Postdoctoral researcher Alaa Al-Shaer is wearing a beige coat and sitting beside an atomic force microscope

Collagen is unstable at body temperature and yet it plays a key role in holding our bodies together. @sfuphysics.bsky.social researchers Nancy Forde and Alaa Al-Shaer turned to new techniques to help unravel this mystery: www.sfu.ca/science/news...

SFU associate professor Stephanie Simmons is smiling widely as she shakes hands with with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the British High Commission, in Ottawa. The Canadian and UK flags are draped in the background.

.@photonicinc.bsky.social led by @sfuphysics.bsky.social prof Stephanie Simmons, has announced major plans to establish an R&D facility in the U.K., a big step for secure, scalable #quantum tech—and a boost to Canada’s leadership in the field. www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stor...

SFU Physics Shines at 2025 CAP Awards

Congratulations to all winners from SFU at the 2025 CAP Awards: Drs. Darren Grant and Nancy Forde, and graduate students Chris Kallio and Joshua Yu. A big haul for SFU Physics!
www.sfu.ca/physics/news...

Fun new paper by Callum @sfuphysics.bsky.social, on energetically efficient multi-parameter driving of our favorite molecular motor (shout out F1!).
doi.org/10.1103/bm3d...

Dr. Matthew Leighton receives Dean’s Convocation Medal 2025 recipient of the Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal from Faculty of Science. Thesis Title: Stochastic Thermodynamics of Multicomponent Molecular Machines

Congratulations to @sfuphysics.bsky.social Dean's Convocation Medal recipient Matthew Leighton. Thesis Title: Stochastic Thermodynamics of Multicomponent Molecular Machines ow.ly/a9pl50W5epx #MySFUGrad

tickets for this are in fact limited, so if you're on the fence about coming up the mountain, just do it.

Just Do It.

tickets to this, and all RASC Vancouver events, are free!

big ups to our pals at @sfuscience.bsky.social / @sfuphysics.bsky.social

#vancouver #events #free #yvr

@sfuscience.bsky.social in Vancouver seeks world-leading applicants in strategic areas that include Biophysics (featuring an internationally recognized and highly collaborative group of researchers centered in @sfuphysics.bsky.social).

Darren Grant awarded CAP Fellowship Dr. Darren Grant is the recipient of a 2025 Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) Fellowship.

Congratulations to Dr. Darren Grant, who is the recipient of a 2025 CAP Fellowship!
www.sfu.ca/physics/news...

Check it out here: doi.org/10.1146/annu... or on arXiv: arxiv.org/abs/2406.10355.

Thanks to NSERC, the Canada Research Chairs program, and @sfuphysics.bsky.social for supporting our research!

SFU Physics professor Stephanie Simmons in a quantum lab. She is wearing a striped sweater and wearing protective shaded glasses and looking through a special eyepiece at the instruments in front of her.

Celebrate the International Year of Quantum with @sfuphysics.bsky.social this Saturday, May 3! Try hands-on activities, learn about quantum’s history and future, and how it affects your life every day. www.sfu.ca/physics/news...

Quantum Canada Open Doors 2025 - everybody is invited!

Come join us @sfuphysics.bsky.social #SFU on Burnaby Mountain this Saturday May 3rd for our Quantum Canada Open Doors 2025 event. There will be talks about our quantum research, hands-on activities and lab tours. #YVR 🧪 ⚛️ 🎢 🇨🇦

SFU Physics professor Nancy Forde gathers a stack of booklets from students in a classroom

Congratulations to @sfuphysics.bsky.social professor Nancy Forde who has received the @canadianphysicists.bsky.social Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, recognizing her innovative teaching methods, curriculum development and undergraduate research mentorship. cap.ca/programs/rec...

Last day to apply to #SFU for some grad programs. For #Physics @sfuphysics.bsky.social, you have until May 31st. ⚛️ 🧪🎢 👩‍🔬

I have openings for graduate students in
@sfuphysics.bsky.social, Chemistry, or MBB. Check out davidsivak.com for our research interests!

Lead the Way: Graduate Studies at SFU in Canada for Fall 2025 & Spring 2026 Select SFU graduate programs are opening their applications particularly for Canadian students choosing to remain and study in Canada as well as US students looking to study outside the US. Applicatio...

Applications are open for select graduate studies programs at #SFU, including biomedical physiology, chemistry, molecular biology and @sfuphysics.bsky.social. Canadian and US students encouraged to apply by April 25. www.sfu.ca/gradstudies/...

The research team poses for a group photo outside of a clean room where they are fabricating parts for CERN's Large Hadron Collider.

An @sfuphysics.bsky.social research team, with thousands of researchers worldwide has received the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded to the ATLAS Experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) alongside its sister experiments ALICE, CMS and LHCb. www.sfu.ca/science/news...

Congratulations to the ATLAS Collaboration for winning the Breakthrough Prize in Physics! We are proud that SFU Physics Professors Bernd Stelzer, Mike Vetterli, and Matthias Danninger are part of the team at ATLAS.

Starry Nights at the SFU Trottier Observatory. There are approximately one hundred people standing in the courtyard around the observatory dome, dimly lit by green lights.

This week we're celebrating ten years of sparking curiosity, engaging the public and hosting Canada's largest star party at the Trottier Observatory. We hope you'll join us April 4-5 for Starry Nights, special guest lectures, family-friendly activities and more! www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stor... 🔭

Reminder of our next Saturday Morning Lectures taking place on March 29 at SFU Surrey! Registration is free.
triumf.ca/about/public...

Discover Physics @ SFU is happening next Tuesday, March 25th! Spots are still available; register by noon Friday, March 21st.

A father and daughter point at an illuminated star chart in the SFU Trottier Observatory Science Courtyard after dark. Their faces are lit by starlight. Overlaid text reads: Trottier Observatory & Science Courtyard 10th Anniversary

This year the #SFU Trottier Observatory turns 10! Join us April 4-5 for two days of out-of-this-world celebrations, including special guest lectures, Starry Nights and an open house with free activities for all ages! www.sfu.ca/science/comm...

Attention SFU Physics community members! You’re invited to the upcoming event, “GeMini Physics Celebrates the International Day of Women". Read more here: www.sfu.ca/physics/news...

Reminder of the the Saturday Morning Lectures happening at SFU Surrey Tomorrow! Learn about detecting neutrinos from outer space and unsolved mysteries in particle physics.

Check out our new preprint by PhD student Michael Dobinson! We demonstrate the first electrically-injected single-photon source with silicon colour centres and opto-electrically prepare a spin qubit. arxiv.org/abs/2501.10597
Big thanks to the SQT team and our industry partners Photonic Inc.

Discover Physics @ SFU

Hey Vancouver High School Students! Discover Physics @ SFU 2025 is taking place on Tuesday, March 25th. Registration is FREE and there will be FREE pizza.
Join us to learn all about studying physics and hear exciting talks about quantum computing and biophysics.
www.sfu.ca/physics/outr...