Department of Physics Department of Physics Review 2014/15 Department of Physics Review 2014/15 2 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 Contents Department of Physics Review 2014/15 5 Introduction 101 Technical Development, Intellectual Property & Commercial 7 Department Information Interactions 8 TEACHING 106 Outreach 13 Undergraduate studies 19 International exchange scheme 111 Alumni 27 Postgraduate studies 28 Highlighted Postgraduate Case Studies 116 Juno 33 Prizes awarded 119 Grants awarded Research in progress 126 Academic, Research and Support stafF 40 Groups 41 Astrophysics 46 Condensed Matter Theory 53 Experimental Solid State Physics 60 High Energy Physics 69 Photonics 74 Plasma Physics /ISP 82 Quantum Optics & Laser Science 88 Space & Atmospheric Physics 94 Theoretical Physics www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 3 4 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 Introduction Head of Departments Statement The Physics Department has continued to flourish during 2014-15 and inside you will find an overview over the past year across the considerable breadth of our activities. The department thrives as an environment where we can provide outstanding tEACHING delivered by world class researchers. WE also have a mission to engage the public with the excitement of our work to try and ENCOURAGE THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHYSICISTS. Inside this report you will find an overview of the world leading research, carried out by the nine research groups in the depart- ment. You will find a description of the activities of the staff members as well as a Professor Jordan Nash listing of a few of their key publications Head of the Department of Physics during this period. We have also listed the research grants which the department has received and which enable us to carry out our work, as well as the very many awards and prizes which members of staff have received. Overall we teach around 880 undergraduates and around 400 postgraduate students. Inside you will find an overview of our undergraduate programmes as well as an indication of the many destinations where our undergRAD- UATE STUDENTS CONTINUE AFTER GRADUATION. WE WERE ALSO DELIGHTED TO CONTINUE OUR UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER STUDENT exchanges with MIT, UBC and SNU allowing some of our top undergraduates to gain exemplary international research experiences. Postgraduate degrees are available as both taught Masters programmes as well as PhD programmes. You will find inside an overview of the degree courses as well as the topics of projects for the degrees which were awarded during the period of this review. Our Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) have continued to blossom and have allowed us to provide a great training programme across these multi-disciplinary centres. In addition, the report provides a summary of the destinations for our PG students. We have continued to provide opportunities for our students to interact with commercial partners through our Industry Club, and a particularly successful event is the annual postgraduate research symposium. Outreach remains an important fundamental part of our mission and many staff across the department participate in visits to schools, public science events and fairs and of course the Open day visits to the department. We have also been working to keep our graduates in contact with the work which is going on here by sponsoring events inviting alumni into the department to hear about our research. The department renewed its Athena SWAN silver award in 2015 and continues to work hard to maintain the various initiatives that it has instilled and introducing new activities as we progress with our action plans. Representatives from across the department sit on our JUNO committee to see how we can improve the workplace environment and improve the gender and racial imbalance across staff and student populations. The report inside will give you a sense of the strength of the department, which remains one of the top destinations worldwide for conducting research and studying physics and which is in an excellent position to continue to attract the best and brightest students and researchers internationally. Jordan Nash www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 5 June 2015 6 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 Department Information Head Associate Operations Research Operations of Department Head of Department Manager Manager Professor Jordan Nash Dr Kenny WEIR Linda Jones Louise Hayward Tel: 020 7594 7500 Tel: 020 7594 7501 Tel: 020 7594 7502 Tel: 020 7594 7679 Email: Email: Email: Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Executive Assistant to Head of Department Caroline Jackson TEl: 020 7594 7503 EMAil: [email protected] Senior Administrator Kalvinder Chana TEl: 020 7594 6113 EMAIL: [email protected] Undergraduate TEACHING Postgraduate TEACHING Director of Undergraduate Studies Admissions and Disabilities Officer Director of Postgraduate Studies Dr Bob Forsyth Ms Mery Fajardo Professor Stefan Maier Tel: 020 7594 7761 Tel: 020 7594 7513 Tel: 020 7594 7598 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email:[email protected] Senior Tutor Examinations and Information Officer Postgraduate Development Officer Professor Jing Zhang Mr Victor Urubusi Dr Andrew Williamson Tel: 020 7594 7954 Tel: 020 7594 7508 Tel: 020 7594 7631 Email: [email protected] Email: @IMPERIAL.AC.UK EMAIL: [email protected] Admissions Tutor (Undergraduate) Undergraduate Administrator Postgraduate Administrator Professor Juliet Pickering Ms Amira Hussain Mrs Loli Sanchez Tel: 020 7594 7763 Tel: 020 7594 7511 Tel: 020 7594 7512 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Examinations Co-ordinator Undergraduate Administrator Dr Julia Sedgbeer Ms Geetika TEWARI Tel: 020 7594 7811 Tel: 020 7594 7510 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Undergraduate Education Manager Mr Derryck Stewart Tel: 020 7594 7561 Email: [email protected] www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 7 Undergraduate Undergraduate TEACHING Director of Undergraduate Studies Dr. R. Forsyth Email: [email protected] Senior TUTOR Professor J. Zhang Email: [email protected] Admissions TUTOR Professor J. Pickering Email: [email protected] 8 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 Undergraduate In October 2014 we welcomed which although short of where we academic staff are associated 236 new students, making the would like it to be, is higher than with each group and act as total number of undergraduates the national average. Many of oUR personal tutors, remaining with 879, one of the largest Physics EXCEPTIONAL OVERSEAS STUDENTS ARE the group throughout their time at departments in the country. This female. Imperial. On each course in was the third cohort in which The basic structure of the degree Years 1 and 2 students have a home students were paying fees programmes is two years of core tutorial each week in addition to of £9000 per annum. Students physics and mathematics, lectures. Tutors encourage are enrolled initially onto one of followed by one or two years of discussion about other topics six programmes leading to an advanced options in selected within physics to help students MSci or BSc degree. TRANSFERS areas of physics. see the wider relevance of their are easy between most of the All students, including those on studies. programmes in the early years. theoretical physics degrees, do We have exchange agreements All three of our MSci degrees are about 6 hours/week of laboratory with 14 universities in western four-year programmes. The MSci work during the first 2 years. Europe. In 2014, 10 students in Physics is by far the most studied abroad in Year 3 of the POPULAR, while Physics with a All programmes include a Year in Europe programme and Year in Europe and Physics with research project. Many students we welcomed 34 visiting students Theoretical Physics supply more find that the project is the most to the department. This marked specialist needs. enjoyable part of their degree as downturn in the number of our We offer three-year BSc they are then able to get to grips students studying abroad programmes in Physics and in with a topic that may be at the coincides with the first cohort Physics with Theoretical Physics. frontier of research. paying higher fees and the The four-year BSc in Physics and In the third year students can reasons are not obvious given Music Performance, ofFERED choose from a wide range of that studying abroad under the jointly with the Royal College of physics options and can also Erasmus scheme is financially Music, is unique, and attracts take a Humanities or Business advantageous compared to small numbers of exceptional School course. Students on the remaining in London. We are candidates. In the summer of MSci degrees take advanced working hard to advertise the 2015 the third cohort of students physics options in their final year, benefits of the programme. graduated on our BSc in Physics alongside their major research Introduced for the first time in with Science Education, ofFERED project. 2012, we have begun to set up jointly with Canterbury Christ Changes to our lecture courses an overseas summer research Church University, which gives are made regularly to ensure that PROJECT SCHEME FOR UNDERGRADUATE students a Physics degree as they remain topical, but from students in their third year who well as a teaching qualification in October 2012 we have been are on a four year integrated 3 years. A 4 year MSci version of rolling out a revised programme.