IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE Faculty of Physical Sciences The Blackett Laboratory Department of Physics Review 2001 Introduction The key event of the past year was the outcome of the Gr oup. An initiative to rei n f o r ce this area over the coming 2001 Research Assessment Exercise on which we had all years has been developed to start in 2002. Initiatives been working so hard. The Department gained the top started in previous years have come to fruition: Prof grade of a 5*A (the A meaning that 95-100% of staff were Steve Cowley and Dr Bill Dorland joined us to lead new entered), a score that was only achieved by three other di r ections in the Plasma Physics Group, and Prof Michael Physics Departments. This is a well-deserved recogni- Thompson joined our Space and Atmospheric Physics tion of the excellent work in the Department. We will Group. Dr John Tisch was appointed as a lecturer in the build on this strong base and continue our policy of Quantum Optics and Laser Science Group, and Dr Yvo n n e renewal and reinforcement of activities. Un r uh in the As t r ophysics Group. The new MSc in Optics and Photonics started in October 2001 supported by a Many of the department's research laboratories (about 20 major EPSRC training grant. per cent of our total floor area) are being upgraded through our 6 million pound share of the Strategic Members of the Department received recognition for Re s e a r ch Infrastruc t u r e Fund's award to Imperial College. their work in various ways during the past year. In The work will continue until the end of 2003, causing October 2001 Peter Knight was elected Vice-President of temporary disruption to the Department but creating a the Optical Society of America and becomes President of fine set of modern labs for future work. We have continued the Society in 2004. Professor D J Bradley FRS, former to upgrade the teaching space, and in 2001 we opened a Head of Department was awarded the Cunningham major enhancement of the undergraduate computing Medal of the Royal Irish Ac a d e m y , the recipients of which facilities and created a new suite of MSc labs for the new were described as ‘inspirational figures whose startling Optics and Photonics course. achievements have enhanced the world of learning and Ir eland's standing in that world.’ Professor Peter Dornan In August 2001 the Faculty of Physical Sciences came into was awarded the Institute of Physics's Rutherford Medal being as part of the college reo r ganization. The Department for 2002. Professor Arkady Tseytlin was awarded one of of Physics joined with the Departments of Mathematics the highly competitive Royal Society Wolfson Merit and Chemistry and the Centre for the History of Science, Awards, given to “individuals of proven outstanding Technology and Medicine to form the Faculty of Physical ability undertake independent, original research.” Sciences with Professor John Pendry FRS, previously Head of this department as Principal. The new Faculty P. L. Knight structure saw the transfer of the Biophysics Group from Head of Department the Physics Department to the Faculty of Life Sciences. April 2002 We continue with strategy discussions where each Group prepares and bids for resources for the coming 5 year period. These form the basis of bids to the Faculty for new investment in the Department. This past year we reviewed, with external advisors, the Theoretical Physics The cover: Image of a single laser cooled magnesium ion in a Penning ion trap, together with the dye laser used to generate the ultra-violet light required for laser cooling and the intensified CCD camera used to produce the image of the ion. Anovel technique called "axialisation" has been employed to cool the single ion to an equivalent temperature of less than 1 K and to shrink the radius of the ion's orbit to less than 50 microm e t e r s . 1 For contact addresses see page 49 2 The Blackett Laboratory http://www.ph.ic.ac.uk General Departmental Information Head of Department Associate Head of Department Professor P. L. Knight FRS Professor R. W. Smith Tel: 020 7594 7500 Tel: 020 7594 7501 Fax: 020 7594 7504 Fax: 020 7594 7504 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Director of Facilities Director of Undergraduate Studies Dr. R. G. Burns Professor A. R. Bell Tel: 020 7594 7700 Tel: 020 7594 7505 Fax: 020 7594 7777 Fax: 020 7594 7509 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Senior Tutor (Undergraduates) : Director of Postgraduate Studies Dr K. Weir Dr J. Sedgbeer Tel: 020 7594 7524 Tel: 020 794 7512 Fax: 020 7594 7509 Fax: 020 794 7509 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Admissions Tutor (Undergraduates) : Schools Liaison Officer Professor W. G. Jones Dr J. Hassard Tel: 020 7594 7513 Tel: 020 7594 7792 Fax: 020 7594 7509 Fax: 020 7823 8830 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Undergraduate and Postgraduate Studies Undergraduate Teaching Page 37 (Queries about undergraduate admissions should be addressed to the Admissions Tutor) Schools Liaison http://www.ph.ic.ac.uk/ug/ugschoolshtm Page 40 Postgraduate Studies - Page 41 MSc Prospective postgraduate students interested in admission for an MSc course should contact the approp r i a t e course organiser listed below. MSc in Optics and Photonics Dr. K. Weir, Tel: 020 7594 7723, Fax: 020 7594 7714, e-mail: [email protected] MSc in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces Dr. J. Halliwell, Tel: 020 7594 7831, Fax: 020 7594 7844, e-mail: [email protected] PhD Those interested in admission for doctoral level research leading to the PhD degree should contact the Heads of Research Groups in subject areas of interest as listed opposite. The Director of Postgraduate Studies will be glad to advise on all general matters concerning the req u i r ements for admission as a postgraduate student. 3 Astrophysics http://astro.ic.ac.uk/ Head of Group: to this work is a new spectroscopic Professor M. Rowan-Robinson method for measuring the surface gravity and temperature of A stars Extragalactic Astrophysics and without the need for high resolution Cosmology spectroscopy. This produces uncont- M. Rowan-Robinson, S. Warren, aminated samples of remote halo T. J. Sumner, M. Haehnelt, A. Jaffe, horizontal branch stars, that are the A. Efstathiou, S. Serjeant, M. Graham, ta r gets for the measurement of radial N. Todd, S. Basilakos, M. Fox, S. Dye, velocities. The observational phase of D. Harrison, L. Mendes, M. Seigar, this work is complete and the theoret i c a l R. Priddey, D. Clements, C. Pearson, analysis is underway. Preliminary and T. Takagi Fi g u r e 1. Maps of the temperature of the CMB results agree in the mass estimate using the Boomerang balloon-borne instru - with previous analyses, but have The Group continued the science ment. These are the highest-resolution pictures reduced the uncertainties. This rein- analysis and follow-up of the Europ e a n of the CMB produced to date. forces the recent conclusions of the La r ge Ar ea ISO Survey (ELAIS), carried MACHO collaboration that compact out with ESA’s Infrared Space EC TMR Network, ‘Probing the halo objects make only a small con- Observatory at 6.7, 15, 90 and 175 mm. Origin of the Extragalactic back- tribution to the mass of the Milky Way . With our collaborators we have used ground radiation (POE)’, involving the NASAX-ray satellite CHANDRA 20 European groups. Preparations The Group welcomed Dr Andrew to search our infrared survey areas continue for the PLANCK and HER- Ja f fe, from the University of California for dust-shrouded quasars. About SCHEL missions, for which the at Berkeley, as a lecturer in September. 20% of 15 mm sources are found to be group has a leading data-centre role. He is a member of the MAXIMAan d X-ray sources, predominantly quasars, BOOMERANG teams measuring the consistent with the infrared emission in The Group is undertaking a new an i s o t r opy of the Cosmic Microw a v e these objects being from a dust-torus study of the mass of the Milky Way. Background (CMB). These CMB surrounding a massive black ho l e . This project aims to reduce the measurements, as in Figures 1 and 2, The remaining infrared source s are uncertainty of the measured mass of give us a picture of the state of the mainly starburst galaxies. We have the Milky Way within 50 kpc by a Universe when it was only a few used the SCUBAsubmillimeter array factor two, by increasing the number hundred thousand years old, and on the James Clerk Maxwell Tel e s c o p e of distant (r>30 kpc) tracers of the thereby allow us to determine the (JCMT) to study dust emission associ- halo potential with measured radial fundamental cosmological parame- at e d with hyperluminous infrared velocities by a factor four. The key ters controlling the evolution of the galaxies and high redshift quasars, Universe. probably from starbursts forming stars at over a thousand times the rate Galactic Astrophysics in the Milky Way . The Group has also, with its collaborators at Edinburgh and J. E. Drew , J. Vink, M. Pozzo and L.