Exploring New Frontiers of Physics

The scientists who spotted it interpreted the feature as a super-massive black hole plowing through intergalactic space, triggering star formation in its wake. Now researchers from UC Santa Barbara and University of Texas at Austin have published a paper on the violent event that could have shot this behemoth from its host galaxy. Read more.

Established in 1979 with an originating grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), KITP is a facility for the theoretical physics community. Our major activities are programs and conferences, which convene more than 1,400 visitors at KITP for both prolonged stays (usually three weeks or longer) and four-day conferences. The institute also benefits from international participation, as over 40% of visitors come from outside the United States. KITP’s mission is to be “the place” where new research is initiated, collaborations are formed and new connections are made across disciplines. High demand keeps our facilities full 50 weeks out of the year!