Physics Research Resources

Five celebrated physicists, including two Nobel Laureates, illuminate how black holes, once thought impossible and later considered highly improbable, are now an indispensable part of physics, from redefining our concept of information to observational astrophysics. Featured are: Nima Arkani-Hamed (IAS), David Politzer (Caltech), Roger Penrose (University of Oxford), Artur Ekert (University of Oxford & National University of Singapore), Scott Tremaine (IAS).

Four renowned theoretical physicists (Paul Steinhardt, Scott Tremaine, Justin Khoury, Rocky Kolb) give their unique perspective on why we believe today that “dark matter” exists and speculate on what might explain it.

Join astrophysicist and novelist Janna Levin on a mind-blowing voyage to the frontiers of black hole science, which is shining new light on the most powerful and mysterious objects in the universe.

Albert Einstein, the most famous scientist of all time, was a world renowned celebrity, greeted like a rock star when he appeared in public. An anti-war firebrand, Einstein also spoke out on issues ranging from women's rights and racism to immigration and nuclear arms control. But today, his image has been neutered into that of a charmingly absent-minded genius. He was, in fact, a powerful force for social change and a model for political activism.

In a blockbuster paper published in 1948, Claude Shannon introduced the notion of a “bit” and laid the foundation for the information age. His ideas have influenced such diverse fields as communication, linguistics, genetics, computing, cryptography, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and cosmology. Mixing contemporary interviews, archival film, animation and dialogue drawn from interviews conducted with Shannon himself, this documentary tells the story of an overlooked genius who revolutionized the world, but never lost his childlike curiosity.

A portrait of an esteemed physicist whose old world sensibilities and pure approach to his work kept him at the forefront of the cutting edge across the span of his long career. He was beloved and respected as a professor, and as a researcher, his work greatly advanced our knowledge of atomic science, earning him numerous awards and distinctions including a Nobel Prize. In working to help solve the energy crisis of the 1970’s, Bethe emerged as one of the country’s leading advocates for nuclear energy and established himself as one of the world’s authorities on this complex issue.

HAWKING tracks the physicist’s life story, told largely in his own words. It includes dramatic accounts of his life from childhood through university; intimate footage of Hawking today, including his home routine and his work life at the University of Cambridge; archival footage; and candid comments from family members, friends and colleagues. Computer-generated imagery illustrates some of Hawking’s remarkable discoveries, such as the nature of black holes and the so-called “Big Bang” theory that explains the origins of the universe.

This program tells the story of the pioneering scientists who transformed rural Santa Clara County into the hub of technological ingenuity we now know as Silicon Valley. The film spotlights the creativity of the young men who founded Fairchild Semiconductor, led by charismatic physicist Robert Noyce. Their radical innovations would include the integrated circuit that helped make the United States a leader in both space exploration and the personal computer revolution, transforming the way the world works, plays and communicates, making possible everything from the Apollo program to smart phones.

Imagine a world without the power to capture or transmit sound. Journey with Johnson to the Arcy sur Cure caves in northern France, where he finds the first traces of the desire to record sound — 10,000 years ago. He also learns about the difference that radio made in the civil rights movement and discovers that telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell thought that the best use for his invention was long-distance jam sessions. During an ultrasound on a pregnant dolphin, he realizes just how big a role sound has played in medicine. The unsung heroes of sound have had an impact on our working lives, race relations, saving lives and the radical alteration of cities.

The world today is obsessed by time. Johnson boards a submarine to discover what a lack of natural light means for a sailor’s working day and visits Heathrow, the world’s busiest airport, to try to get timings right at air traffic control. The story of getting a grip on time is full of curious garage tinkerers. One of them, railway clerk William F. Allen, was so exasperated by the chaos caused by the 8,000 local times zones in the U.S. that he fought tirelessly to standardize time into four zones. Learn how advancements in navigation, the way we work, technology and travel would have been impossible without the unsung heroes of time.

This intriguing 6-part documentary series explores the concepts of physics from familiar theories, such as Newton's Law of Gravity, to the latest in scientific research, like string theory and M-theory. By connecting all of this research with the medium of light, we can gain a deeper understanding not only of our immediate reality, but of the unseen realities that are hidden beyond our perception. Starting with Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Physics of Light explores the true nature of light, peers inside the atom, and looks ahead to the most cutting edge theories in physics.

This intriguing 6-part documentary series explores the concepts of physics from familiar theories, such as Newton's Law of Gravity, to the latest in scientific research, like string theory and M-theory. By connecting all of this research with the medium of light, we can gain a deeper understanding not only of our immediate reality, but of the unseen realities that are hidden beyond our perception. Starting with Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Physics of Light explores the true nature of light, peers inside the atom, and looks ahead to the most cutting edge theories in physics.