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Coastal physics: The mechanics of ocean waves
Light Illuminating Wave Crashing at Cape May, New Jersey

Image: Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography

Coastal physics: The mechanics of ocean waves

At the beach, waves are the whole point for many people—for surfing, jumping, and floating. But for Arnold Mathijssen, a physicist whose lab studies fluid dynamics and the ways creatures move through liquids, the motion of the ocean offers a window into the world of applied physics.

3 min. read

Reaching for the stars: Using light to sail into space
In this artistic illustration, Alpha Centauri A is depicted at the upper left of the planet, while the other Sun-like star in the system, Alpha Centauri B, is at the upper right. Our Sun is shown as a small dot of light between those two stars.

For mechanical engineer Igor Bargatin, space exploration is all about light-shaping ultrathin materials that fly, orient, and even accelerate on nothing but sunlight and lasers. Bargatin explains how his lab is testing featherweight fliers in the near-empty mesosphere, designing self-orienting satellite chains to power AI from orbit, and building the sails meant to carry a probe toward Alpha Centauri (illustrated).

(Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Robert Hurt (Caltech/IPAC))
 

Reaching for the stars: Using light to sail into space

Multiple projects trace mechanical engineer Igor Bargatin’s decade-long commitment to space exploration as they climb from the edge of the atmosphere to the stars—powered, almost every time, by light itself.

2 min. read

Geomimicry offers a new framework for engineering sustainable materials
A hand holding soil.

Penn Engineers are exploring whether the same principles that are used to design new materials could explain how natural soils acquire their remarkable properties. 

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

Geomimicry offers a new framework for engineering sustainable materials

In a new paper, Penn Engineers introduce geomimicry, a framework that explores whether the way soils, sediments, and other Earth-mediated substances behave—rather than what they are made of—may be useful for building sustainable materials.

2 min. read

Supersonic whale calls and special relativity
A humpback whale breaching.

Humpback whales, like the one pictured here off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts, are routinely located by analyzing when their calls reach underwater microphones. In a recent paper, oceanographer John Spiesberger and a colleague identified a theoretical wave-interference effect that can make energy from sound waves outrun fundamental speed limits without violating the laws of physics. Their findings could improve whale tracking.

(Image: Courtesy of Bryce Flynn / Getty)

Supersonic whale calls and special relativity

Researchers noticed a wave-interference effect that makes sound energy appear to outrun fundamental limits without breaking physics. Their findings could improve whale tracking.

3 min. read

What lies beneath
A scuba diver under water.

To better understand trade and economics along the Mediterranean Sea during Late Antiquity, second-year Ph.D. student Konstantinos Raptis dives deep into the ocean. Artifacts and shipwrecks remain preserved on the seafloor, offering a rare time capsule from a world long gone by.

(Image: Courtesy of Konstantinos Raptis)

What lies beneath

From uncovering ancient ways of life to addressing the pressing threat of climate change, scholars at Penn Arts & Sciences are finding an upside to looking down.

2 min. read

The hidden waves at the beach
Two people are standing at Avalon Beach in Sydney, Australia

Image: Jenny Evans / Stringer via Getty Images

The hidden waves at the beach

Electromagnetism researcher Nader Engheta explains the physics behind invisible waves washing over beachgoers at the shore.

3 min. read

Reto Gieré on energy systems, waste, and sustainability
Reto Gieré holding a map.

“Many people still think of waste as something disposable, rather than as a resource that still contains value,” says Reto Gieré, earth and environmental science professor in the School of Arts & Sciences.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Climate)

Reto Gieré on energy systems, waste, and sustainability

The earth and environmental science professor invites his students to view sustainability as integral to industry and to reconsider waste as a potential resource for reuse.

From Penn Climate

2 min. read

On the move: Water quality and antimicrobial resistance testing goes mobile
Arnav Lal collects water at Playa Baquerizo on San Cristóbal Island as a sea lion watches.

Arnav Lal collects water at Playa Baquerizo on San Cristóbal Island as a sea lion watches.

(Image: Lisa Mattei)

On the move: Water quality and antimicrobial resistance testing goes mobile

Penn researchers have developed a mobile field laboratory allowing them to test water quality and track antimicrobial resistance in and around San Cristóbal in the Galápagos.

4 min. read

How sea stars build materials that can see
Li holds the skeletons of two differently sized sea stars, both showing the calcium carbonate skeleton.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering

How sea stars build materials that can see

Researchers have discovered that the skeleton of the sea star Protoreaster nodosus contains specialized mineral structures capable of guiding and concentrating light, suggesting natural mechanical support and optical sensing in a singular system.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

Getting into the nitty gritty of sand  
Created materials in the lab.

Penn Engineering materials scientist Shu Yang and Weitzman School of Design architect Masoud Akbarzadeh teamed up to develop a 3D concrete printing system that captures carbon dioxide and boosts the structural performance of the building materials. The solution is based on diatomaceous earth and offers enhanced carbon capture and structural fortitude while using relatively fewer materials.

nocred

Getting into the nitty gritty of sand  

Materials scientist Shu Yang explains the hidden physics of a day at the beach, like why some sands scorch your feet, what makes the perfect sandcastle, and how the same humble grains end up in windows and smartphones.

3 min. read