Scattering amplitudes are fundamental objects in quantum theories. Traditionally, one hypothesizes physical requirements such as locality and unitarity. The amplitudes are computed by summing over all physical processes that lead from the initial to the final state. The paper proposes the concept of the Amplituhedron, which eschews these for a platonic ideal of an underlying geometric construct. Physical principles are argued to follow as a corollary. The framework captures the basic essence of quantum dynamics and distills it into fundamental building blocks ,which are not particles or their associated fields. By abstracting the essential features, the authors argue that they can write down a simpler theory, maintaining all the symmetries and simplifying computations.

Physics & Astronomy esteemed staff member Bill Tuck is one of this year’s recipients of the new Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award! Bill was recognized for his exceptional initiative and positive impact. One of Bill’s seven nominators(!), Lloyd Knox, had this to say about Bill: “The support he provides is excellent because he is both highly competent and he cares. He is on a mission to provide excellent support. It is not just a job.”

Give Day Challenge For UC Davis Give Day this year Professor Lloyd Knox and Chair Richard Scalettar have put up a $5,000 challenge. To encourage students and alumni to give, they will add a $50 gift of their own to the first 100 Give Day gifts to the Odyssey Graduate Fellowship endowment. Can you help us to reach our goal of 100 gifts? Even a $5 gift will trigger a $50 match.

Physics undergraduate student Andrea Lopez Arguello has been selected as a recipient of the Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Diversity and Community for 2023-24. This prestigious award recognizes Andrea’s contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion in support of our campus and great community. The award comes with a $500 monetary prize. Congratulations to Andrea for this well-deserved honor!

UC Davis Physics and Astronomy postdoctoral researcher Eduardo Ibarra-García-Padilla generalizes theory of magnetic patterns to higher numbers of fermion colors

The Michael and Ester Vaida Endowed Chair in Cosmology and Astrophysics has been awarded to Professor Lloyd Knox for a period of five years. There are 21 endowed chairs across the College of Letters and Science. This is the first one in Physics and Astronomy.

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) lab, which our department members have been involved with since 2006, has now been fully excavated at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota.

Professor Crutchfield and colleagues have developed the "hydroambiphone," a device for 3D recordings of whale songs. They claim "this is a new tool for marine biology that promises to greatly expand the human appreciation of the three-dimensional acoustic world of marine animals.” For more, see this Discover Magazine article, "First 3D Recordings of Whale Songs Reveal Fascinating New Behaviors."