The Physical Sciences Area seeks to understand the fundamental physics of the universe at scales ranging from the infinitely small, inside the world of subatomic particles and nuclei, to the infinitely large, in the structure and evolution of the universe. To tackle these two infinities, we develop cutting-edge tools and technologies, coupled with creative scientific insights, that advance scientific knowledge and ultimately benefit society.

 Compact S-filter at Bldg. 53

The Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics (ATAP) Division invents, develops, and deploys particle accelerators and accelerator-based photon sources to explore and control matter and energy.

 Engineer and intern inspecting blue tubing

The Engineering Division builds advanced scientific instrumentation that enables many of the research breakthroughs achieved by Berkeley Lab. These discoveries are the direct result of the integrated coordination and deployment of professional engineering and specialized technical resources.

 Solenoidal Tracker at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Time Projection Chamber, project field cage

The Nuclear Science Division conducts basic research aimed at understanding the structure and interactions of nuclei and the forces of nature as manifested in nuclear matter.

 ATLAS pixel detectors in clean room

Interactions between matter and energy shape our world and the universe around us. Physics Division researchers are studying these interactions from the innermost confines of subatomic particles to the outermost reaches of the cosmos.

 Aerial view of Berkeley Lab's Machine Shop floor. Credit: Make Magazine An artistic rendition of a data center where the components of a supercomputer are housed. (Credit: jamesteohart, Shutterstock) – ALT: A dark corridor with faint lights glowing from devices on the walls leads to an open doorway glowing bright white. GRETA Project Director Paul Fallon and Berkeley Lab's Deputy Director for Research Carol Burns stand in between GRETA's detector hemispheres to conduct the "ribbon cutting" ceremony while several key people involved in the inception, delivery, and future use of GRETA join the celebration. On the left side of the photo (from left to right) are Sergio Zimmermann (former project manager for GRETA from Berkeley Lab’s Engineering Division, now retired), Thomas Glasmacher (FRIB Laboratory Director), Marie-Agnes Deleplanque (a former Berkeley Lab senior staff scientist and Nuclear Structure Group lead, now retired), and Natalie Roe, Berkeley Lab's Associate Director for the Physical Sciences. On the right side (from left to right) are I-Yang Lee (a former senior staff scientist in the Nuclear Structure Group, now retired), GRETA Deputy Project Director Heather Crawford, and Nuclear Science Division Director Reiner Kruecken. Credit: Robinson Kuntz, Berkeley Lab Jacklyn Gates (Staff Scientist, Heavy Element Group) at the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator, BGS, in Building 88 on Monday, July 8, 2024 at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif. Experts in the Nuclear Science Division use the 88-Inch Cyclotron to test a new way to make superheavy element 116, livermorium. Photographer: Marilyn Sargent

In this short video, Nuclear Science Division researchers at Berkeley Lab’s 88-Inch Cyclotron show how they’ve successfully made superheavy element 116 using a beam of titanium-50, setting the team up to attempt making the heaviest element yet: 120.

 Brian Greene and Michael Levi - May 10, 2024, World Science Festival video

In this interview with Brian Greene, DESI Director Michael Levi discusses new observations that may change our understanding of dark energy and the expansion of the universe.

 Light from the city of Tucson can be seen behind Kitt Peak National Observatory at night on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. Photographer: Marilyn Sargent

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) now has an official YouTube channel, with videos about the experiment including updates on the collaboration’s new data analysis and public data release on March 19, 2025.