Researchers in the Physics Department are involved in observations, simulations, and theoretical studies of the structure and evolution of our Universe. We are searching for dark matter, probing the expansion of the Universe, and developing new instruments for the next generation of telescopes.
For further information, see the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Wright Lab, the Yale Department of Astronomy, and the Yale Center for Research Computing.
Experiments and Experimental Facilities
- ALPHA (Axion Longitudinal Plasma HAloscope)
- CHIME (Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment)
- CMB-S4
- COSINE-100
- DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument)
- HAYSTAC (Haloscope At Yale Sensitive To Axion CDM)
- HIRAX (The Hydrogen Intensity Mapping and Real-time Analysis eXperiment)
- IceCube
- The La Silla-QUEST Variability Survey
- Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Mission
- NANOGrav
- Simons Observatory
- Sloan Digital Sky Survey
- W.M. Keck Observatory
- 200-inch Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California
National and International Facilities
Yale astronomers are routinely awarded time on NASA and ESA space-based telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, Kepler, the X-ray telescopes CHANDRA and RXTE, the infrared Spitzer and Herschel telescopes, and the gamma-ray telescope Fermi. There is significant scientific synergy between these space-based missions and Yale’s ground-based telescopes. In addition, Yale astronomers frequently utilize the facilities available at the national and international optical and radio observatories, including Kitt Peak, Gemini, ALMA and Arecibo.
Yale astrophysicists are also routinely awarded computing time on the High-Performance Computing (HPC) Facilities provided by DOE, NASA, and NSF. Yale astrophysicists conduct theoretical and computational research by using both national and local HPC resources provided by the Yale Center for Research Computing. There is also significant scientific synergy among physicists, astronomers, computer scientists, data scientists, and applied mathematicians on computation, modeling, and data analyses.