In a new study, UC Davis researchers and their colleagues in the South Pole Telescope (SPT) collaboration used observational data of this first light — collected from the SPT located at the National Science Foundation’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica — to explore the theoretical underpinnings of the Lambda-cold dark matter model, the standard cosmological model of the Big Bang.

Held every spring quarter, the the Department of Physics and Astronomy's Alumni Seminar Program features Aggie alums from the department discussing ways they’ve applied their degree post-graduation.

The Vaida Chair — the first endowed faculty position in the Department of Physics and Astronomy — was established with a $1.5 million estate gift from Michael L. Vaida, Ph.D. ’73, and his wife, Ester Vaida.