Spring 2018, Number 12 Department of Physics Newsletter PLASMA WAVES How exploiting the constructive interference of plasma waves could contribute to the next generation of particle accelerators

THIN FILM DEVICES Tracking defects in molecular semiconductors SPIN LIQUIDS Finding new materials FINDING NEARBY EXOPLANETS Space-based transit surveys

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Designer materials a) b) What is a good strategy for finding SPIN LIQUIDS spin liquid materials? We should avoid systems in which interactions favour FROM THEORY TO EXPERIMENT: FINDING NEW MATERIALS a limited number of regular, solid-like Prof John Chalker spin configurations. Instead we require A central aim in condensed matter physics is matter physics for almost half a century. As occurs in the so-called fractional quantum Hall frustration. Then there may be many to understand and classify possible phases of hinted at by the analogies, quantum fluctuations effect. In that instance, electrons (which are classical configurations that provide matter. Everyday examples of such phases are can be large enough in some magnetic systems indivisible particles from the viewpoint of high- equally good compromise solutions to gases, liquids and solids, and we know that nearly to maintain a liquid-like state of spins even at energy physics) break into pieces, each with a the problem of minimising the energy everything becomes solid at sufficiently low zero temperature, and we are now beginning to fraction (one third in the simplest case) of the of the system, and a quantum ground temperature. The sole exceptions to this rule are understand the properties of these spin liquid elementary charge. A second example arises in state that is a superposition of these the two isotopes of helium, in which quantum phases. Progress has been made by theorists using magnetic materials that have one-dimensional different configurations. fluctuations are so large that a crystalline lattice pencil, paper and computers to study simplified arrangements of spins. The geometry makes this Fig 2: Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice as described in the text. cannot form at ordinary pressures, even at the models, and by experimentalists who synthesise the easiest case to visualise, as explained in the Prof Radu Coldea A fruitful route to frustration is shown absolute zero of temperature. and characterise new materials. box below. We hope that spin liquids will give us in fig 2b. Consider first the interaction many more examples of fractionalisation. The between a pair of spins, and suppose For Ir4+ ions inside edge-sharing cubic additional interactions no longer The features that distinguish a solid from a liquid Spin liquids turn out to be even more interesting search for spin liquids is very much curiosity- that energy is minimised only when octahedra of oxygen ions, as shown in interfere, we expect a spin liquid or gas arise microscopically from the fact that than the remarkable superfluid phases of liquid driven basic physics. It sets out to employ the both are aligned along a specified fig 2a, the strong spin-orbit coupling with fractionalised quasiparticles as its atoms have a fixed arrangement in space. helium (at least in the doting eyes of condensed enormous scope offered by the periodic table axis, as shown in fig 2b (top). Then at the Ir site ensures that the magnetic theoretically predicted. Realising such Alternative phases of matter can be characterised matter physicists!). In particular, we expect of elements and materials science, as a way of either spoiling the co-alignment (fig 2b exchange interaction is firmly linked a phase experimentally would open up by degrees of freedom other than the positions some of them (we now know that there are realising some of the astonishing consequences middle) or aligning along a different to the direction of the electronic completely new avenues to explore and of atoms. In magnetic materials, the relevant many different types) to have what are known as of quantum mechanics. Oxford physicists have What happens axis to the specified one (fig 2b bottom) orbitals making up the Ir-O-Ir bond. manipulate fractionalised phases of degrees of freedom are the orientations of the fractionalised excitations. By this we mean that been at the centre of these international efforts. in a magnetic will cost energy. Frustration arises if Edge-sharing octahedra forming a quantum matter. The current research atomic magnetic moments, or spins. At sufficiently the microscopic constituents of the material – Prof Radu Coldea's group has been concerned material when we take a lattice of such spins, with honeycomb arrangement represent frontier in the field is the exploration of high temperatures, spins in these systems are spins or electrons – correlate their motion with with finding and studying new materials that interactions favouring different axes a very stable structural framework, the phase diagram of candidate Kitaev thermally disordered and the materials are in the one another so strongly that one can no longer quantum are candidate spin liquids [1, 2], while Prof John for different pairs. An example is the found in several layered honeycomb materials as a function of pressure- paramagnetic phase – the magnetic equivalent of a describe the collective behaviour in terms of fluctuations are honeycomb lattice shown in fig 2a, Chalker, Dr Dmitry Kovrizhin and collaborators materials, including Na2IrO3, α-Li2IrO3 tuning, bond-angle deformation via gas. At low temperature, many magnetic materials individual electrons or spins. In effect, the original large? During where the red, green and blue links have done calculations to predict what should be and α-RuCl3, where in the latter the doping or inter-layer intercalations, have ordered arrangements of spin orientations, particles dissolve into a quantum soup and are seen in experiments on these phases [3]. the last few years indicate three competing preferred magnetic ion is Ru3+. or magnetic field tuning, hunting for analogous to the regular positions of atoms in a lost. In their place, when we probe the material some answers directions. signatures of such a spin liquid. crystal. For example, the macroscopic magnetism (for example, using magnetic neutron scattering have taken The materials studied so far develop of a fridge magnet is due to a net alignment of its to make excitations) we find new particles with Models of this type were suggested solid-like magnetic order at low [1] R Coldea, D A Tennant and Z Tylczynski, Phys Rev B 68, shape to this by the Caltech physicist Alexei Kitaev atomic magnetic moments. quantum numbers corresponding to fractions of 134424 (2003). temperatures, thought to be stabilised the original constituents. question, which and they turned out to be exactly [2] A Biffin, R D Johnson, I Kimchi, R Morris, A Bombardi, by additional interactions that co- Fig 3 (below): a) Counter-rotating What happens in a magnetic material when J G Analytis, A Vishwanath and R Coldea, Phys Rev Lett 113, has loomed solvable. At first, they seemed simply exist with a dominant frustrated spiral magnetic order in the 3D quantum fluctuations are large? During the last At present, physicists have only a few fully 197201 (2014). over condensed to be theorists’ toys, amenable to a exchange. The ordering patterns are honeycomb lattice in -Li IrO few years some answers have taken shape to this certified examples of phases of matter that show [3] J Knolle, D L Kovrizhin, J T Chalker and R Moessner, beautiful mathematical analysis, but γ 2 3 matter physics rather unusual: see fig 3a. They give stabilised by Kitaev interactions question, which has loomed over condensed fractionalisation. Perhaps the most spectacular Phys Rev Lett 112, 207203 (2014). far from reality. Remarkably, however, for almost half a direct evidence that Kitaev interactions [2]. b) X-ray diffraction data on two it turns out that transition metal ions century. indeed exist in nature and stabilise different magnetic Bragg peaks with strong spin orbit interaction may unconventional magnetism. If we used to deduce the magnetic Fractionalisation: splitting the electron have the key ingredients to realise such can modify the materials or the structure in a) (solid lines are fits to physics. In some types of quantum matter, new excitations or quasiparticles experimental conditions so that the model). can emerge, which are quite different from the original building blocks. This is most easily pictured for a one-dimensional quantum antiferromagnet. Magnetic materials host atomic magnetic moments, a) b) which arise from orbital currents of electrons and from the intrinsic magnetic moments of electrons. In a one-dimensional version of such a material these moments – known as spins – are arranged in well- separated chains. Interactions between neighbouring spins within a chain favour opposite alignment, and interactions between spins in different chains are negligible. The ground state for a system of this type is shown (schematically!) as the top row of fig 1a. Adding energy to the system, we can reverse one of the spins, as depicted in the Fig 1: a) Ground and excited states of a spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic middle row of fig 1a. Contrary to the obvious expectation, this process chain. b) Inelastic neutron scattering from pairs of spin-1/2 spinons generates not one excitation, but two independent ones. These in Cs2CuCl4 [1]. excitations, known as spinons, are not the reversed spin (coloured red in fig 1a), but rather the domain walls between parallel spins row of fig 1a. These excitations have been observed in the material Fig 3 data were collected using instrumentation at (pink planes in fig 1a). Two of these are created when a single spin is Cs2CuCl4 using inelastic neutron scattering. Some of the resulting reversed; by inserting a segment of reversed spins, the two spinons data appear in fig 1b, which shows the response of the material as a the Diamond synchrotron can be separated without energy cost, as illustrated in the bottom function of the energy and momentum transferred to it. at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

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FINDING NEARBY EXOPLANETS THIN-FILM ELECTRONIC WITH TESS AND PLATO DEVICES Oxford astrophysicists gear up for the next generation of space-based transit surveys A New Method to Track Defects in Molecular Semiconductors

when a planet passes in front of it. Many properties of crystalline materials, and internal strain can both contribute GOING BRIGHT CHEOPS AND ARIEL This study was the result of a close academic- Plato will have the sensitivity to find such as their mechanical strength and to changes in the shape and position of industrial collaboration between the Oxford Astronomers have only been able to CHEOPS is one of a sequence of ESA Earth analogues – planets with sizes electronic mobility, are coupled to the the diffracted X-rays along the observed Department of Physics, Kurt J Lesker Co, and detect and study exoplanets – planets and temperatures similar to the Earth, missions, which will greatly advance crystallographic axes. symmetry of their crystallographic unit Diamond Light Source, and was funded by which orbit stars other than the Sun in orbit around stars like the Sun – and our understanding of exoplanets over cell. Among organic small-molecule an STFC Challenge-Led Applied Systems – for a little over 25 years, but today these systems will be bright enough, the coming decade. Launching in late semiconductors, the 'molecular Programme grant focused on advancing the it is one of the most active and and near enough, that future 2018 or early 2019, CHEOPS uses a football' C60 fullerene is unique for TRACKING DOWN DEFECTS commercialisation of organic photovoltaics rapidly advancing research observatories might actually 30 cm telescope to obtain very high its high symmetry, face-centred cubic Prof Suzanne Aigrain Prof Moritz Riede In order to decouple the relative areas in astrophysics. be able to detect signs precision photometric observations of (FCC) unit cell – analogous to the (CLASP ST/L003309/1). For further reading @AirborneGrain contributions of these two effects, their Thanks to major If you want to be part of life in the planets’ individual stars. It will mainly search basic structure of metals such as gold about the experiment, visit AIP Publishing: analysis made use of a Williamson- surveys, including of the adventure, sign up atmospheres. One for transits of previously known planets and silver. FCC materials can suffer J F M Hardigree et al, In-situ observation of Hall model, commonly employed in the ground-breaking now at planethunters.org. major obstacle to constrain their composition and will from a particular kind of defect known stacking fault evolution in vacuum-deposited the study of FCC metals. Using this Kepler mission, we You can start right away with in finding these also help to confirm planets discovered as a stacking fault, in which atoms C60 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4995571; approach, the accumulation of stacking now know that most Kepler data; the first TESS planets is the by TESS which were only seen to transit – or molecules – layer in an order and C Nicklin and J F M Hardigree et al, faults and its effect on strain relaxation stars harbour at least data is expected in late intrinsic variability once. Finally, ESA just selected the that interrupts the FCC symmetry of MINERVA: A facility to study Microstructure and in the film could be quantified as a one exoplanet, and that 2018. of the host star, which UK-led ARIEL mission for launch in INterface Evolution in Realtime under Vacuum, the crystal. These faults are known function of film thickness (see fig 1). planetary systems are can easily swamp the 2028. ARIEL will obtain transit and https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4989761. Dr Josue F Martinez Hardigree to compromise the mechanical and The group's findings reveal a faulting more diverse than any of us transit signal. It’s not just a eclipse spectra of exoplanets found by electronic properties of inorganic FCC probability α as high as 68%, a value imagined. Only a small fraction question of looking for a needle PLATO and previous surveys. Unlike Left: Artist’s semiconductors, so understanding how significantly higher than that found for of the planets we know can be studied in a haystack: the haystack is shaking, JWST, ARIEL will be entirely dedicated @AFMD-Group impression of these defects evolve during the growth inorganic FCC systems. in detail though: most orbit stars that spinning and wobbling! To get around to exoplanet spectroscopy, making it planetary systems of C60 fullerene can reveal insights into are just too faint. The next generation this, we use novel machine learning possible to systematically survey the around other stars. the underlying electronic properties of Nevertheless, this quantity is consistent of exoplanet survey missions will find approaches to model the variability and full diversity of exoplanet atmospheres. © ESA – C. CARREAU vacuum-deposited organic thin films. with early theoretical work suggesting planets around brighter stars, which can the transits at the same time. a very low energy barrier for faulting Below: TESS at then be observed by instruments, both in C60 fullerene, supported by recent NASA’s Kennedy in space and on the ground. Our group is measurements carried out by other TESS-TING THE SYSTEM Space Center, where IN SITU STUDIES hard at work developing the algorithms groups in the field. These results Fig 1: Left: C60 fullerene molecule. it underwent final that will be used to sift through the data Our team will get an opportunity to put In the December issue of Applied Physics highlight the importance of probing Upper right: Evolution of grain checks before launch. size and strain with increasing film from these missions. the new techniques we are developing Letters, a team led by Dr Josué Martínez the microstructure of molecular films thickness. Lower right: Stacking for PLATO to the test very soon: in April Hardigree and Dr Moritz Riede from during fabrication using industrially- the department’s Advanced Functional fault probability relative to the {111} PLATO 2018 NASA launched the Transiting relevant processing conditions, one of Materials and Devices (AFMD) Group direction. Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). the major thrusts of the AFMD Group's IMAGE ADAPTED WITH PERMISSION FROM PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and TESS’s cameras are smaller than reported the first real-time observation ongoing research. AIP PUBLISHING Oscillations of stars) will be launched PLATO’s, and it won’t stare at a given of how stacking faults evolve in vacuum- by the European Space Agency (ESA) star for very long, so it will mainly find deposited C60 fullerene. To track the in 2026. Like Kepler, it will find planets planets that are too close to their star, defect evolution in the films, the team by looking for transits: tiny periodic and hence too hot, to be suitable abodes employed in-situ grazing-incidence dips in a star’s brightness, that occur for life. However, they will be bright, These results X-ray scattering during film growth, and ideally suited for atmospheric highlight the using a deposition chamber recently Design concept for PLATO characterisation using NASA’s James importance of developed at beamline i07 at Diamond Light Source, the synchrotron X-ray Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the probing the successor to Hubble, which will be facility outside Oxford. In the study, launched in mid-2020. microstructure the surface of a glass substrate was of molecular monitored during vacuum deposition as In addition to using machines to films during molecules nucleated on the surface and search for transits in TESS data, we fabrication using small grains converged into a full film of are teaming up with Prof Chris Lintott industrially- 15 nm thickness. By employing a very and the Zooniverse team to bring relevant shallow scattering angle for the X-ray the power of citizen science to bear processing beam, the measurement focused most of on TESS data. If you want to be part the beam on the upper 7.5 nanometres of the adventure, sign up now at conditions. of the growing C60 film, enabling the planethunters.org. You can start right tracking of strain and stacking faults away with Kepler data, the first TESS in the film as layers grew further away

© THALES ALENIA SPACE ALENIA THALES © from the underlying glass. Grain size data is expected in late 2018. CENTER SPACE KENNEDY NASA’S ©

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Fig 3: A snapshot of a laser wakefield produced in our PLASMA WAVES experiment, measured by How exploiting the constructive interference of plasma waves could contribute a holographic technique. The lower panel shows to the next generation of particle accelerators an image of the plasma wave generated by a single Harnessing the huge electric fields of which are designed for high energy DRIVING PARTICLE ACCELERATORS Prof Simon Hooker laser pulse travelling left formed in plasma waves driven by high- particle physics. Readers of the Autumn WITH LASERS to right; the top panel is intensity laser pulses has the potential to Newsletter may have seen that particle a lineout taken along the Physicists have turned to plasma to shrink particle accelerators by a factor accelerators can be used in applications laser propagation axis. The increase the strength of the electric of 1,000 or more. However, the lasers as esoteric as deciphering ancient scrolls x axis for both, ζ, is the time fields which can be used for accelerating used to date are very inefficient and (Making the invisible visible, Autumn 30,000 elapsed since the peak of can 'fire' only a few times per second. 2017), but the vast majority are used particles, not least because plasma (an PARTICLE the laser pulse. Our group has recently demonstrated a in medicine and industry, from the ionised gas) is already 'broken down' ACCELERATORS IN and hence can’t be damaged by intense new approach which could enable a new diagnosis and treatment of cancer to OPERATION TODAY 10 million volts across the diameter call the 'multiple-pulse laser wakefield multiple of the plasma wavelength, fields. If the ions and electrons in the generation of very compact, efficient increasing the shelf-life of food. In fact, it Chris Arran of a human hair. In recent years many accelerator' (MP-LWFA) (fig 1). If the and the amplitude was decreased for plasma accelerators able to operate at is estimated that every year accelerators plasma are separated, then huge fields groups around the world (including pulses are spaced correctly then each separations inbetween, as shown in fig 4. high repetition rates. These accelerators treat more than £350 billion worth of can be generated. In a 'laser wakefield our group) have used this approach to pulse drives its own mini plasma wave, The dashed line shows the expected could be used to drive very compact products. accelerator' a short, very intense laser 1% DESIGNED FOR generate electron beams with energies and these add constructively if the pulses variation for the case of two identical sources of femtosecond-duration X-ray pulse is fired into a plasma. As the comparable to those used in synchrotron are spaced by the wavelength of the laser pulses; this should be familiar – it Almost all of the accelerators used today laser pulse travels through the plasma HIGH ENERGY pulses, providing a new tool for ultrafast light sources – like the Diamond Light plasma wave. This change of approach, rely on radio-frequency (RF) cavities, a it pushes the plasma electrons out of PARTICLE PHYSICS has the same form as the interference X-ray imaging and medical diagnosis. Source (www.diamond.ac.uk) near delivering the total laser energy more technology developed nearly a century its way, separating the electrons and pattern generated by a pair of Young’s Oxford – but in an accelerator stage slowly, and storing it in the plasma ago. With RF cavities, technological the ions (which remain stationary), slits. For the case of a train of seven EVERY YEAR only a few centimetres long. oscillations, allows very different types limitations (such as electrical and setting up an electron density Rob Shalloo laser pulses, resonance behaviour is PARTICLE ACCELERATORS TODAY ACCELERATORS of laser to be used. Crucially, these are breakdown) restrict the electric fields wave which trails the laser pulse just observed; in this case the expected @rshalloo TREAT MORE THAN Unfortunately, however, the powerful much more efficient (around 10%) As physicists, the first particle accelerator which are used for particle acceleration as a wake follows a moving boat. The behaviour for a train of identical pulses lasers used (typically titanium-doped than the lasers which have been used we think of might be the Large Hadron to less than 100 MV per metre. This electric fields formed between the is the same as for a diffraction grating sapphire lasers) can only fire a few times previously, and they can operate at Collider at CERN. However, there acceleration gradient is a major factor peaks and troughs of the plasma wave £350bn of 7 slits. Undergraduate interference WORTH OF per second and have very low 'wall- multi-kilohertz repetition rates. are more than 30,000 other particle in determining the size (and cost) of are huge: of order 100 GV per metre, experiments, but with plasma waves! PRODUCTS plug' efficiencies (around 0.1%). Many The solid lines show the results of a more accelerators in operation today, only 1% the accelerator. equivalent to a potential difference of Recently we put these ideas to the potential applications of laser-plasma detailed numerical model, taking into accelerators require the accelerator to test in an experiment performed at Fig 1: A simulation account the fact that the laser pulses be operated many thousands of times the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory of laser wakefield were not identical; this agrees very well per second, and the low efficiency of the near Oxford. In this experiment, we acceleration with with the data. lasers would make it impossible to use measured the amplitude of the plasma a single pulse (left) waves excited by single laser pulses and and with the MP- this approach to build a future particle Having demonstrated the concept, we trains of pulses using the setup shown LWFA technique collider this way. plan to use higher laser energies to in fig 2. Fig 3 shows an image of the (right), with four drive larger amplitude plasma waves, plasma wave driven by a single laser weaker laser pulses and eventually to accelerate electrons. The vast pulse, showing clearly the peaks and separated by the If you'd like to read more MULTIPLE PULSE LASER WAKEFIELD We will also be working with experts in majority about the experiment ACCELERATOR troughs of the plasma wave. plasma wavelength laser physics to develop laser systems driving a plasma of particle you can read about our findings in PRL here: In an attempt to address these issues, For a train of two laser pulses we found tailored to driving a new generation wave. accelerators (https://journals.aps.org/ we recently suggested that the plasma that the amplitude of the plasma wave of efficient, high-rep-rate laser-plasma are used in prl/abstract/10.1103/ wave could be driven by a train of low- was enhanced when the driving laser accelerators with properties useful for medicine and PhysRevLett.119.044802), energy laser pulses – an approach we pulses were separated by an integer real-world applications. Fig 2: Schematic diagram of experiment industry, from or read a synopsis to measure plasma wakefields driven article here: (https:// by trains of laser pulses. A single, the diagnosis physics.aps.org/ Fig 4: The measured amplitude of frequency-chirped laser pulse is and treatment synopsis-for/10.1103/ the plasma wave as the plasma converted into a train of laser pulses of cancer to PhysRevLett.119.044802). wavelength λp is changed (by by passing it through a Michelson You can find out more changing the initial gas pressure), increasing the about our group and interferometer; the pulse train is then for a train of two pulses (left) shelf-life of food. other areas of research focused into a gas cell and drives a and seven pulses (right), each here: (https://lpax.web. separated by δt. The measured plasma wakefield. The amplitude ox.ac.uk/). of the wakefield is measured by profiles of the pulse trains are interfering a frequency-doubled (400 shown in the insets. The dashed nm) probe pulse with a reference pulse lines show the simple model of propagating ahead of the wakefield. adding together plasma waves Although separated in time when in created by identical pulses, the gas cell, the probe and reference whereas the solid lines show pulses interfere in the image plane of the calculated behaviour for the the spectrometer. measured, non-ideal pulse trains.

6 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 | 7 OXFORD PHYSICS OXFORD PHYSICS

and software; a microscope effective in any environment, including and include advanced cell imaging facilities, microbiologists working COMMERCIAL SUCCESS FROM SOLVING biochemistry labs, hospitals and quality-control industrial labs. on non-pathogenic and pathogenic E.coli, DNA nanotechnologists and synthetic biologists, researchers working on DNA-repair and gene PROBLEMS WITH PHYSICS The initial goal was to produce a desktop device that replaced unstable expression, and hospitals. There is also strong interest from industrial and cumbersome microscopes occupying labs, such as pharmaceutical companies and Dr Phillip Tait entire rooms and requiring laser interlocks THE NANOIMAGER IS POTENTIALLY biotech companies that require nanoscale and massive optical tables. By 2011, the group characterisation of surfaces and substrates. How does a physicist ensure their new invention benefits as these cases we create a 'spin-out' company A ‘GAME-CHANGER’ AS FAR AS completed a bench-top wide-field microscope, many people as possible? In the last edition we highlighted how by raising funds from private investors in ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS ARE The impact of single-molecule imaging is www.physics. but it was neither robust nor user-friendly. industrial collaboration enabled the commercial application of exchange for equity, a process managed Between 2013 and 2015, Mr Bo Jing, a DPhil CONCERNED. IT FILLS A SPACE vast and new applications keep on emerging at a rapid pace; for example, Prof Kapanidis high energy physics metrology instrumentation, by combining by Oxford University Innovation. Oxford ox.ac.uk/ student under Prof Kapanidis’ supervision, THAT IS CURRENTLY OCCUPIED BY academic and industry expertise to develop a product and bring Physics has so far founded seven spin-outs came up with several crucial innovations is currently investigating deploying the enterprise SYSTEMS THAT ARE EXPENSIVE it to market. In this edition, we show how we take forward an – all of which are still succeeding in their and a completely new design and built the Nanoimager to speed up clinical tests for antibiotic resistance performed in hospitals, invention when there is no relevant industry partner that can own field, from cryogenic technology to solar first successful 'Nanoimager' prototype and AND REQUIRE SPECIALIST to perform new types of DNA sequencing, support either the needs of the technology development or our photovoltaics to quantum computing. They are its software. TRAINING TO BE ACCOMMODATED and to detect viruses rapidly. The Nanoimager ambition for the research to reach the widest impact in society. In all UK-based, with many providing local employment. Rather than working with a large microscope IN MOST ACADEMIC OR CLINICAL can also serve as a platform for the staged company, who would control the commercial LABORATORIES. development of portable and hand-held development of the Nanoimager, they believed ultrasensitive microscopes. These microscopes that to achieve their vision of democratising Professor Ramesh Wigneshweraraj, Faculty of Medicine, will be coupled to software, services and assays Creating a new company to democratise super-resolution microscopy super-resolution microscopy, a new company Imperial College, London, 2015 for several applications, including academic Living cells carry thousands of nanomachines that assemble, disassemble, extending their existing lines to offer microscope options to the growing would be needed. So working with Oxford research, medical and animal diagnostics, transport or process biomolecules. Professor Achillefs Kapanidis studies numbers of biologists who wanted access to super-resolution imaging, a University Innovation, the intellectual property was patented and drug discovery, environmental and food testing, chemical and material the machines of gene expression (the path from genes on DNA to family of methods that allows images to be taken with a higher resolution together they consulted with businesses, technical and legal advisors analysis, and education. functional proteins) by observing single molecules of this machinery. The than the diffraction limit of light; the potential and impact of such methods and assembled the team that would form the spin-out company. Prof Research funded by: European Research Council and Joint Synthetic Biology Initiative main tool used is single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, a technique was recognised by the 2014 Chemistry Nobel Prize. Kapanidis presented the vision for the Nanoimager to many business that can measure nanometre distances, record ultrahigh resolution images angels and venture capital communities and persuaded several of them grant (co-funded by EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC and DSTL). of biological cells and study molecular interactions in real time; this is However, those options were largely inaccessible to most researchers in to invest in the project. In May 2016, Oxford Nanoimaging Ltd (ONI) done by recording ‘molecular movies’. The research is multidisciplinary, academia and industry due to their high cost (£250-500k), complexity, was born. As well as being co-founders, Mr Jing joined ONI as Chief combining optics, spectroscopy, biochemistry, molecular biology, and lack of necessary infrastructure or know-how for their operation. Scientific Officer and is now CEO of the company, while Prof Kapanidis molecular modelling and signal processing. Furthermore, apart from super-resolution imaging, these microscopes became a board director and consultant. did not offer many options for single-molecule detection (which is We always hoped that the Nanoimager will enable From 2000 to 2010 single-molecule fluorescence methods were ideal for biosensing and drug discovery due to its high sensitivity and The Nanoimager combines outstanding spatial-temporal resolution, the true potential and impact of single-molecule revolutionising biophysics and molecular biology but the only microscopes ability to monitor molecular interactions), limiting the appeal and extraordinary stability, and very small size – a shoebox-size microscope fluorescence, and it is enormously rewarding and available were found in a few world-leading physics labs and were impact of the new methods. Prof Kapanidis firmly believed that, for module and a desktop-tower-size module for lasers/electronics. The exciting to see the enthusiastic uptake and support notoriously difficult to operate, especially for non-biophysicists; data single-molecule detection and super-resolution imaging to achieve Nanoimager can localise individual molecules for a resolution of 20 nm, by the research community. This early success analysis was also very challenging, since it depended on unstable and their enormous potential, it was necessary to provide the industrial and can track single molecules and vesicles inside cells and in free solution, is also establishing ONI as a 'buzzing' place of poorly supported software. Large microscope companies responded by scientific community with a compact, robust and easy-to-use microscope and can enable use of 2-10 nm dynamic 'rulers' for specific molecular innovation in the field of microscopy worldwide. interactions and intra-molecular dynamics. As a new company, ONI has already received significant investment to support its growth and Prof Achillefs Kapanidis further develop the Nanoimager, and the substantial market interest Department of Physics, University of Oxford is fuelling a further expansion. The company operates here in Oxford, where it also manufactures the Nanoimager and has grown rapidly to 30 employees with sales across the world. Early adopters are diverse

Prof Achillefs Kapanidis Dr Bo Jing © JOHN CAIRNS JOHN © INVENTION, INNOVATION, IMPACT With new spin-outs in the pipeline we hope to enable more physics inventions to move beyond our laboratories to be used by different organisations around the world, whilst also supporting the local Oxford economy. For more information on the impact of Oxford Physics, please visit our website: www.physics.ox.ac.uk/enterprise. © ONI © © MICRON, OXFORD MICRON, ©

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Prof John Wheater, NOTES FROM THE Head of Department Oxford Physics Endowment for Graduates (OXPEG) Make a regular gift by Direct Debit HEAD OF PHYSICS OXPEG is an endowed fund that will provide scholarship support for I would like to make a regular gift of £ the most outstanding graduate students, regardless of their country of origin, to study for a DPhil degree in the Department of Physics. each month / quarter / year* (*delete as appropriate) starting on 1st of 20 PROFESSOR STEPHEN HAWKING PROF GAVIN SALAM I wish to support Oxford by giving to: Bank or Building Society With the passing of Stephen Hawking we have I am very pleased that Professor Gavin Salam, Bank or Building Society address lost one of the department’s most distinguished currently in the Theory Division at CERN, has been The Oxford Physics Endowment for Graduates (OXPEG) alumni, and surely the best known Oxford Physics awarded a Royal Society Research Professorship, to The Vice-Chancellor’s General Fund undergraduate. He made seminal discoveries in be held in Oxford. Prof Salam will join the Particle Postcode A college* gravitational physics and, together with Roger Theory Group in what I hope will be the precursor Name(s) of account holder(s) A faculty / department* Penrose, was the founder of a field which will of many outstanding appointments enabled by the Bank sort code become even more prominent in decades to state-of-the-art facilities in the Beecroft Building. A garden / museum / library* come. With the development of new generations His research is in quantum chromodynamics, which Another area* Account no. of gravitational wave detectors, we can envisage is the theory of the strong nuclear force. He focuses * Please specify Service User Number: 430475 being able to see back beyond the recombination on the analysis of the very complicated showers of All gifts are processed by the University of Oxford Development Trust Fund (OUDT). If your time to the very early universe, and with more particles that are typically the product of a collision wish is to support a college, OUDT will transfer your gift directly to the relevant college. In INSTRUCTION TO YOUR BANK OR BUILDING SOCIETY: Please pay Direct Debits to the all other cases, your kind income gift will be held in the specific OUDT broad-purpose fund University of Oxford Development Trust from the account detailed in this Instruction subject sensitive gamma ray detectors in space, perhaps at the Large Hadron Collider. This work underlies which most closely corresponds to the area you wish to support. Please see overleaf for further to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. 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THE AT ADDRESS THE TO POST AND HERE CUT PLEASE My details Make a single gift de force by Professor David Lucas’ group was THE NEW PHYSICS BUILDING reported recently in Nature. Graduate student Vera Title First name I would like to make a single gift of £ Schäfer and research fellow Dr Chris Ballance have The Beecroft Building was finally handed over to the Surname I enclose a cheque made payable to developed a new quantum gate that is at least 20 department on 19 March. As I write, the furniture Address University of Oxford Development Trust Fund. is being delivered, wireless internet is being set up, times faster than previous gates but does not lose An internal view of the new home for our I enclose a Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) voucher. coffee machines have been ordered, and removal fidelity. This has been done through close and Theoretical Physics academics: cutting Please debit my Visa MasterCard UK Maestro crates have just been delivered to the theorists in exacting attention to detail, both in understanding edge labs and wonderful meeting rooms. all the effects present in a quantum gate, and in 1-4 Keble Road. The move went smoothly and Postcode Telephone Card no the theorists are now at home in the new Beecroft designing devices that successfully control them. Email Quantum computing and quantum technology Expiry date Building. The contrast could scarcely be more stark. Alumni card number (if applicable) The Victorian terrace has narrow, pokey corridors; more generally will be a core activity in the Beecroft Start date (if applicable) Issue no. (if applicable) alternately unbearably hot and cold attic offices; and Building laboratories for the foreseeable future. Communication preferences almost no space to meet. The Beecroft Building is I do not wish to receive fundraising appeal communications from Name on card light and airy, with a carefully designed hierarchy FAREWELL FROM ME the Department of Physics. of informal and formal meeting spaces throughout In August I will stand down after eight years as Signature the building. Gift Aid declaration (UK tax-payers only) Head of Department so this is my last column. It Date Moving into the office accommodation is one has been a privilege and a pleasure to lead Oxford I would like the University of Oxford Development Trust Fund to treat Physics through what have been by any measure this donation (and any other donations I may make from the date thing, but occupying the below-ground laboratory of this declaration until I notify you otherwise) as a Gift Aid donation. I space will be quite another. This will only happen challenging times. Despite those challenges, the understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than slowly, pretty much one laboratory at a time; early ability and determination of the people who the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year, it occupants will be a mixture of new activities and work here has ensured that the department has is my responsibility to pay any difference. existing ones moving from unsuitable facilities in prospered and is well placed to continue to do so. Signature the old buildings. As laboratories are brought into I have particularly enjoyed re-establishing contact You can make a gift online now at use, we will progressively validate the building with alumni. I have learned much about the Please see overleaf Date www.campaign.ox.ac.uk/physics systems to ensure that the environment control contributions Oxford physicists have made to the for details. behaves as designed when many different rooms world at large, and I am deeply grateful for the way For office use only are generating different heat loads, and that energy you have supported the work of the department, My company will match my gift both through your enthusiasm for it, and through efficiency is optimised. The 'pods', as they are known, have quickly The appropriate form is enclosed. become excellent collaboration areas for your very substantial material contributions. My There will be ample opportunity to come and students and staff; they are well equipped successor will be Professor Ian Shipsey, who I wish see the Beecroft Building as part of forthcoming with blackboards and comfortable chairs the very best for his period in office; please support University of Oxford Development Office, alumni events. for those deep discussions. him as you have supported me. Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JD United Kingdom T +44 (0)1865 611530 F +44 (0)1865 611531 E [email protected] www.campaign.ox.ac.uk

Oxford Physics Endowment for Graduates (OXPEG) - UK Giving Form - April 2017 10 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018

Physics (OXPEG) - UK Donation Form - April 2017 - re-spaced.indd 1 18/01/2018 17:52:10 DEPARTMENT NEWS & EVENTS

Thank you for supporting the University of Oxford MEETING MINDS EUROPE 2018 Vatican Observatory and Centro Fermi Direct Debit Guarantee Data Protection • This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that We want to ensure that we keep the details we hold about you up to accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. date and communicate with you fully in accordance with your wishes. Your data will continue to be used for the purposes of communication • If you request University of Oxford Development Trust (OUDT) to and marketing activities by post, email, telephone, fax or text message, collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date unless you indicate otherwise. We use tools to monitor the effectiveness will be given to you at the time of the request. of our communications with you, including email tracking, which • If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your records when an email from us is opened and/or how many links Direct Debit, OUDT will notify you ten working days in advance of are clicked within the message. The data from this tracking are generally used in an aggregated and anonymised form. If at any time

your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. CAIRNS JOHN © your details change or you wish to add to or remove from the list of • If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by OUDT or communications sent to you then please contact us. your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society. Your data are held securely in the University’s shared Development – If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back and Alumni Relations System (DARS), which helps ensure your details when OUDT asks you to. are up to date and improves our communications with you. The data may be used by colleges, faculties, departments, administrative units, • You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your international offices, recognised alumni societies, sports and other bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please entities associated with the University, and agents contracted by the also notify us. University in that capacity. Full details on how your data are held and used are set out in our Data Increase the value of your donation with Gift Aid Protection Statement at www.campaign.ox.ac.uk/data-protection or you can request a hard copy from our Database Team. Some sensitive If you are a UK tax-payer, you can declare that all donations made personal data may be held in DARS. If at any time you have any under your declaration should be treated as Gift Aid donations. Doing queries about the use of your personal data in DARS or wish to change @CENTROFERMI © so maximises your gift: currently we can reclaim 25p for every £1 you the content or extent of use of your personal data, please contact the donate at no further cost to you. If you pay less Income Tax and/or Database Team, quoting your alumni card number (if you have one), Meeting Minds Europe 2018 took place in Rome, Fr Paul Mueller S J (Vice Director) we heard a collaborations and improvements to the new Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all of your at the address given below, or email [email protected], or Italy, in March. The biannual event, organised by wonderful talk about the history and current museum dedicated to E Fermi. We were very lucky donations in that tax year, it is your responsibility to pay any difference. telephone +44 (0)1865 611600. the Central Alumni Office, was a great success works of the Observatory, and then had the unique to have our photo taken on the famous steps of Please consider a Gift Aid donation wherever possible. For details, with more than 400 guests from all over the world opportunity to visit the four telescopes on site: the historical building of Via Panisperma. please see: www.campaign.ox.ac.uk/giftaid. Charitable Status taking part. It was fantastic to see many younger Zeiss Visual Refractor, Zeiss Double Astrograph, Your declaration covers donations that you may make in the future. alumni attending the event. Schmidt and the ‘Carte du Ciel’ telescope. There To follow our hosts and their wonderful work on Other than gifts for colleges, all income gifts will be held in one of Please notify the University of Oxford Development Office if you are plans to refurbish the Carte du Ciel telescope, social media: @VaticanObserv and @centrofermi. the specific broad-purpose funds within OUDT. The gifts will then be Dr Alexy Karenowska (Physics) and Prof Andrew change your name or address while the declaration remains in force, and to create a museum and interpretation area, or if you cease to be a UK tax-payer. You may cancel the declaration applied in accordance with the purposes of the relevant broad-purpose Wilson (Faculty of Classics) gave the keynote For more photos of the overall weekend go to fund. Details of the broad-purpose funds and their purposes can be which will enable the general public to visit and by notifying the Development Office. The declaration will not apply to speech 'Rebuilding history: cultural heritage and Facebook and search for @oxfordalumni, then found at www.admin.ox.ac.uk/trusts/oudt. Gifts to endowment appeals appreciate this historic marvel. donations you make on or after the date of cancellation or any specified post-conflict reconstruction'. Our department go to ‘Albums’. later date. If you are unsure whether your donation qualifies for Gift will be held in the relevant endowment fund on the terms of the appeal. Aid, we will be pleased to advise you. Please contact the Development Wishes expressed on this form will not give rise to new trusts or other organised a couple of complementary events, to In the afternoon, our colleagues at the Centro L–R: Prof Rosario Nania, our host at Centro Office at the address below. legally binding obligations. Every gift will contribute towards the enhance the overall experience for alumni. Oxford Thinking Campaign (www.campaign.ox.ac.uk). Fermi received physics alumni and guests Fermi, talking to alumni; The whole group See what a difference signing and dating the Gift Aid box can make: The objects of OUDT are to promote, assist and secure the On 16 March there was a special event for (including Princess Elettra Marconi, daughter outside one of the telescopes; Dr Alexy advancement of education, learning, teaching, scholarship and members of the Henry Moseley Society, other of Giuglielmo Marconi, contemporary and Karenowska; Guests on the famous steps, Your gift each Value each Value after one Value after one research at or in connection with the University of Oxford, its colleges physics alumni and guests, at the Vatican friend of Fermi) for a fascinating talk about the including Elettra Marconi (centre, with green month month with year year with Gift and societies. The Trust Fund is administered by the University and Gift Aid Aid Observatory in Castel Gandolfo. Hosted by history of the Centro Fermi, including potential coat); Fr Mueller welcoming alumni. established for a special purpose in connection with the University. It £10 £12.50 £120 £150 is therefore an exempt charity for the purpose of charity legislation. £25 £31.25 £300 £375 As such, it has full charitable status; albeit it is exempt from the requirement to register as a charity with the Charity Commission, and £50 £62.50 £600 £750 therefore does not have a Charity reference number. QUANTUM MATERIALS GOES PUBLIC £100 £125 £1,200 £1,500 I’m Kathryn Boast, and I’m the outreach officer for the Quantum Materials group... If you would like to have an informal conversation with one of our dedicated team members, about gifts to the Department of Physics, please contact Caitlin Tebbit, Senior Development Executive: +44 (0) 1865 282596; or email [email protected]. She will be I’ve been developing resources to support the group in their able to give you specific details depending on where you reside, and your particular interests. efforts to engage the public with this work, ranging from the www.campaign.ox.ac.uk/physics department’s Christmas lectures on magnetism to a set of Thank you to all alumni who continuously support us! YouTube videos about crystals. We’re looking forward to taking some of this further afield over the next few months.

University of Oxford Development Office Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JD United Kingdom @Kathryn_EB QM Oxford T +44 (0)1865 611530 F +44 (0)1865 611531 E [email protected] www.campaign.ox.ac.uk www.physics.ox.ac.uk/qmoutreach

Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 | 13

Physics (OXPEG) - UK Donation Form - April 2017 - re-spaced.indd 2 18/01/2018 17:52:10 DEPARTMENT NEWS & EVENTS DEPARTMENT NEWS & EVENTS

Above: Clarendon Laboratory Staff Photograph, taken in 1962. This photo was generously donated to the Department by Prof Terence Meaden A MORNING OF THEORETICAL PHYSICS (St Peter’s, 1957: see his Alumnus Story on page 22). It will be on permanent display in the Clarendon Laboratory. To see who is featured in the photo, visit www.physics.ox.ac.uk/blog/alumni/2018/05/14/clarendon-laboratory-staff-photograph-1962. You can add your own comments The 15th Morning of Theoretical Physics took place and anecdotes if you were here, or knew any other people who were here, at the time. We love receiving photos/stories of you during your on 20 January 2018. Speakers included Prof John time at Oxford. Please help us to build a collection of stories from our alumni to pass on to future generations. Email: [email protected]. Wheater (HOD), Prof James Binney FRS, Dr John Magorrian and Dr Ralph Schönrich. More than 160 alumni and guests attended this popular ATMOSPHERIC, OCEANIC AND event, which takes place three times a year. OXFORD & CAMBRIDGE CLUB PLANETARY PHYSICS (AOPP) In April we hosted our annual event at the Oxford & Cambridge Club (Pall Mall, London). AT THE ROYAL SOCIETY After the morning break, Prof Wheater was Prof Sonia Contera was our guest speaker, and she gave a thought provoking talk about On 10 November 2017 alumni and their presented with the framed Clarendon Laboratory 'Physics at the interface of biology and nanotechnology: the converging sciences that will guests enjoyed an event at the Royal staff photo (above). Guests at the event spent some shape the future of medicine'. Guests covered a span of more than 50 years, from those Society London. Led by Prof David time looking for themselves or people they knew. who matriculated in the late '40s to those who graduated a couple of years ago. Drinks and Marshall (Head of AOPP) and a panel of canapés accompanied the fantastic evening of conversation and networking. Enjoy this small senior academics including Prof Philip To watch the video of this event, selection of photographs! Stier, Prof Ray Pierrhumbert, Prof Pat Irwin and see more photos, visit http:// and Dr Vivien Parmentier, guests had the saturdaytheory.physics.ox.ac.uk opportunity to hear about 'Cloudy with /events/galaxy-dynamics a chance of sapphires...from earth to exoplanets'. The next event in this series will take place on 30 June 2018 This is now a very well-attended annual event in London, in early November, so we hope to see many of you there this year.

STAYING ON POINTE: PHYSICIST TWIRLS HER WAY TO Follow her work on SUCCESSFUL BALLET CAREER @physicsonpointe Physics graduate Merritt Moore was named in the Forbes 2018, 30 Under 30 Europe list for Art @sasters_squad (science art sisters) & Culture. Moore earned her doctorate in quantum optics from Oxford in December 2017 and is planning on a career combining her two passions: physics and dance. Moore is an internationally known ballerina, having danced professionally with companies all over the world. In the future, she’s aiming to explore artificial intelligence and machine learning with dance. 'I want to explore physics through dance,' she says. 'I don’t know what the path is going to be because I don’t take the conventional path.' Moore believes that, in some ways, physics research is easier to manage than dancing: 'If I have a 20 hour day in the lab, 3 weeks in a row, I’m like "At least my toes aren’t bleeding, so this is fine".' ADAPTED FROM: HTTPS://WWW.APS.ORG/PUBLICATIONS/APSNEWS/201803/BALLET.CFM?UTM_SOURCE=APS+PHYSICS+MAIN+GROUP&U TM_CAMPAIGN=43260B9BA0-NEWS+030918&UTM_MEDIUM=EMAIL&UTM_TERM=0_825303224B-43260B9BA0-106594405

14 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 | 15 DEPARTMENT NEWS & EVENTS DEPARTMENT NEWS & EVENTS

Particle Physics Christmas Lecture QUANTUM COMPUTING INDUSTRY DAY This annual event took place on 2 December, in the Martin Wood Complex, hosted by Prof Ian Shipsey (Head of Particle Physics) Hannah Rowlands, NQIT Hub Communications Manager This was followed by presentations about NQIT’s industry-academia partnership projects, such and Prof John Wheater (Head of the Oxford Physics Department). NQIT, the Networked Quantum Information as the collaboration between the University of Prof Sir Tejinder Singh (Jim) Virdee FRS was the guest speaker, talking Technologies Hub, held an Industry Day in Warwick and Bruker Gmbh to develop a new, high about 'The Large Hadron Collider Project: Interwoven Complexity of July 2017 in the beautiful precision magnetometer, a Scientific Project for Fundamental Discoveries’. A large number of surroundings of Rhodes House, NQIT IS A based on diamond colour alumni attended (matriculation years ranged from 1963 to 2016) in Oxford. It was a unique forum centres, to detect the tiny addition to staff and students. bringing together the national £38M magnetic fields emitted by 'I enjoyed hearing Prof Virdee's presentation, and speaking to a and global investment and the heart. number of other people over coffee and lunch. These breakout times business community with key © DAVID FISHER/NQIT DAVID © often seem to generate interesting discussions and provide a good 5 YEAR The session after lunch quantum computing scientists PROJECT complement to the main feature.' presented exciting and engineers from the UK- TO BUILD BY 2019 Get involved! wide research consortium. opportunities for quantum 'Once again a very interesting, stimulating and well run event!' A QUANTUM COMPUTING computing, such as We are looking for new partners TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR Together we explored the the launch of the Atos to participate in research and Below left: Prof Ian Shipsey, Prof Jim Virdee FRS and Prof John Wheater. BASED ON A commercial opportunities Quantum Learning Machine, development of what promises to be Centre: More guests; Right: Our common room was dressed for NETWORKED ARCHITECTURE of quantum computing and simulating up to 40 qubits. a technology of historic importance. Christmas Celebrations! informed the community WHICH IS Attendees also heard about There are opportunities to invest on important developments SCALABLE BY DESIGN the Science and Innovation within the UK and elsewhere Audit Oxfordshire and in quantum spinouts or to licence – such as the €1 billion Quantum EU Flagship the latest funding opportunities from the UK available IP for new products and NQIT’s progress towards the UK Quantum Government via Innovate UK. and services. Computer Demonstrator, the so-called Q20:20 The programme was rounded off with an industrial engine. If you would like to come to the next panel Q&A session on the topic: 'What is the Thirty-two organisations attended, including commercial future for quantum technologies?' NQIT Industry day or find out more multi-nationals, SMEs and start-ups from a On the panel were Jeremy Ward from Qinetiq, about NQIT then please get in touch: variety of sectors including manufacturing, Paolo Bianco from Airbus, Chris Doran from Email: [email protected] aerospace, finance, hi-tech, digital, telecoms, oil ARM and Charles Radclyffe from Deutsche Bank. www.nqit.ox.ac.uk and gas and IT. At the end of the event, Prof Winfried Hensinger, @NQIT_QTHub The day began with an overview of quantum University of Sussex, gave a public lecture entitled BEECROFT BUILDING OFFICIAL computing from Prof Simon Benjamin, explaining 'Quantum computers: the world’s most incredible FORTHCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS INAUGURATION DAY (BY INVITATION ONLY) the difference between adiabatic machines and machines' to a sold-out audience of industry All events are in Oxford, unless otherwise ALUMNI GARDEN PARTY universal fault-tolerant quantum computers. partners and members of the public. stated. Please check our website www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events for latest updates, full details and how to book. Alumni International Olympiads and their guests are always welcome. All our events are free, registration in advance is From 9–13 April 2018, the best AS and A-level mandatory. If you have any questions about students in the country competed for a place in the the events, please contact Val Crowder: International Olympiads – Physics; and Astronomy [email protected]. 30 June, 15:30 Mansfield College (following & Astrophysics – taking place in Portugal and China, the 'Morning of Theoretical Physics' event, for 17 September Beecroft Building respectively. The training and selection for both ALUMNI RECEPTION (PRIVATE RESIDENCE) those attending both). Prof Dame Jocelyn Olympiads took place at the Physics Department, THE HENRY MOSELEY SOCIETY SPECIAL EVENT Bell Burnell is our guest speaker. Lecture Oxford. During the camp, the students were taught key topics in and afternoon tea. This is a family-friendly 22 September The second HMS event physics, astronomy and astrophysics by volunteering physics teachers event, children are most welcome. of the year, we will host a special lecture, and academics from the department. Following two challenging tests, lunch and tours of the Beecroft for those two teams of five students were selected to represent the UK on the SAVE THE DATE! 2018 EVENTS... unable to attend the previous weekend. international stage. 22 June 18:30 Southbank, London For more information: http://www.bpho.org.uk ‘MEETING MINDS’ ALUMNI WEEKEND, OXFORD AOPP AT THE ROYAL SOCIETY SATURDAY MORNING OF THEORETICAL PHYSICS or email: [email protected] 14–15 September On Friday we will host November TBC Royal Society, London an Astrophysics Night, including telescope tours. On Saturday, alumni will have the PARTICLE PHYSICS CHRISTMAS LECTURE https://www.facebook.com/The.BPhO @TheBPhO or @kruksandor chance to see the new Beecroft Building December TBC (normally first Saturday of and meet the new Head of Department, the month) Above left: Dr Sandor Kruk, Astrophysics, Founder and Coordinator of the British Astronomy Prof Ian Shipsey. Prof Shipsey will give a and Astrophysics Olympiad. Right: Physics and Astronomy Olympians outside the Radcliffe brief talk followed by a drinks and canapés PHYSICS CAROLS Camera, Oxford. Bottom: The 2017 physics team at the International Olympiad in Thailand 30 June, morning and lunch (before the reception. December TBC St Mary’s University Church with their medals (1 Silver, 3 Bronze). Garden Party)

16 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 | 17 OUTREACH OUTREACH

Physics art fusion at the students became the teachers in ATLAScraft, I am extremely glad to have learnt how it works turning their new knowledge of the detector and now.' Oxford’s Curiosity Carnival particle physics into engaging activities for players. STARGAZING+ The Curiosity Carnival, which took place Maja Glogowska, a year 10 student from if needed. Each family was allocated a guide on on 29 September 2017, was a city-wide Didcot Girls’ School who was involved in arrival, who stayed with the family throughout programme of activities that allowed 9,400 the project, added: 'I have learnt a bit about their visit. A number of the activities were adapted the Standard Model, which has sparked a members of the public to meet researchers, Enter the world of particle physics with the for this audience. wider interest in physics.' ask questions and discover how research newly-launched ATLAScraft. Players can affects and changes all our lives. More explore the CERN campus, shrink down My daughters have already 'They did an incredible job in creating than 30 staff and students from across to the size of a particle, and even conduct fun, interactive games and simulations been Googling and talking the Physics Department were involved their own 'experiments' in educational that explain how we collect data from the about what they learned. in a variety of activities. The festival minigames. LHC's high-energy particle collisions using encouraged the fusion of arts and science the ATLAS detector,' says Mark Pickering, and allowed researchers to showcase their Built within the wildly successful game The feedback from this first ASN event was ATLAS physicist with creativity through activities such as dance, platform Minecraft, this new world extremely positive and led to us including a At the beginning of the project I Oxford University who song writing and even decorative cake recreates the laboratory using 3D blocks. Its dedicated hour at the Stargazing Oxford event had no knowledge of how the LHC liaised with the schools. baking. centrepiece is a stunning scale model of the ATLAS Year 11 Fitzharrys School pupil in January for children with ASN. The event also worked – I just passed it off as ‘too 'Now anyone can visit Our annual Stargazing Oxford events allow up experiment, complete with underground service Billy Burnham, one of the pupils hard for me’. I am extremely glad to contributed to Stargazing+ being recognised ATLAS, and learn to 100 researchers to showcase their work and caverns and tunnels for the Large Hadron Collider involved in the Minecraft build, have learnt how it works now. within the SEPnet Public Engagement Awards about particle physics interact with the public through a variety of (LHC). Players can slice open the experiment to said: 'At the beginning of the — Billy Burnham, Fitzharrys 2017 as an innovative project for engaging harder- from the comfort of activities including stalls, talks and hands-on reveal layers of subdetectors, watch particles meet School, Year 11 to-reach public groups. their own home.' activities. The events are a great success and attract at the ATLAS collision point, and play games that I have learnt a bit about the Standard around 1,000 people to the department each For more information about Stargazing+ please explain how each subdetector works. Model, which has sparked a wider year. However, we also recognise that the events interest in physics ­— Maja Glogowska, visit: www.physics.ox.ac.uk/stargazingplus. Explore the ATLAScraft world today! are largely accessed by members of the public This virtual world was created by UK secondary Didcot Girls’ School, Year 10 https://atlascraft.web.cern.ch/ who are already engaged with science. Through school students together with ATLAS physicists, Stargazing+ we wanted to look at engaging new, in a project funded by the UK’s Science and Share your creations with us: under-served, audiences with space-themed The Quantum Story Corner with Dr Helen Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the project I had no knowledge of how the LHC @OxfordPhysics #AtlasCraft research at Oxford. Chrzanowski (left) ATLAS Experiment. With the help of experts, worked – I just passed it off as "too hard for me".

Joseph loved it and very proudly showed off his certificate AWARD WINNING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT to his class friends. Our staff and students’ commitment the data on penguinwatch.org via the the documentation, preservation, Most recently this has led to SPACE and YOU, to engaging the public with physics Zooniverse platform hosted at Oxford. and restoration of at-risk cultural was again recognised within the Vice- heritage sites across the world. a fun Stargazing-style event that took place in Dr Chico Camargo from the Rudolf Chancellor's Public Engagement with Working with the likes of UNESCO and Dr Alexy Karenowska October, to engage children with Additional Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics Research Awards. The awards took the Government of the United Arab @DigiArchaeo Support Needs (ASN) and their families. These We appreciated the thought that received an early career researcher place in June 2017 and recognised Emirates, Dr Karenowska developed families are often unable to access events such as had gone into making the activities award for his Portuguese-speaking those at the University who undertake the means to study, document and Stargazing Oxford due to difficulties in dealing engaging. It wasn't overwhelming, YouTube scientific outreach high-quality engagement activities preserve heritage materials through with large crowds. SPACE and YOU allowed was nicely spaced out, and there channels. This includes Top Models, and have contributed to building optical, radio-frequency and X-ray 15 such families to access activities in a relaxed were not too many people. where he engages people with the environment, with dedicated quiet areas provided capacity in this area. based approaches and the application mathematical models we use in of 3D printing and machining Penguin Watch, led by Dr Tom Hart science, and how they connect the technologies. Dr Chico Camargo Shine at Stargazing Oxford (Department of Zoology) and Prof natural and the social sciences. @evoluchico Chris Lintott (Department of Physics), The Department of Physics was Since 2015, installation artist Tim Fitzpatrick has been collaborating with Dr Anne-Marie Weijmans Dr Alexy Karenowska received an received a project award. Penguin also recognised in 2016 within the of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of St Andrews and the result has been early career researcher award and Watch collects time-lapse imagery 'building capacity' category for its the evolving art/science project, 'Shine'. also received the overall award, of penguin colonies to monitor the strategic work in supporting public Research bake off contestant Susie Wright chosen by the Vice Chancellor. Since engagement. Tim's fascination with the extraordinary level of timing and success rate of breeding 2015, Dr Karenowska has directed detail – and therefore information – contained pairs. Public volunteers then process a public science project focused on in a spectrum of starlight, has led him to tap into Prof Chris Lintott what he regards as the linguistics of the light of @chrislintott Left: Instruction screen from the universe and, by extension, how we read the penguinwatch.org story of the universe as contained in a series of codes. In January this year, Tim and Anne-Marie Help Chri were very pleased to be able to present a new s & Tom with version of the work as part of the stargazing their research! event at the Denys Wilkinson Building. www.penguinwatch.org Dr Tom Hart Learn more about them: Dr Neil Bowles (centre) performing the shine.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/people/ ‘Marsquake’ song [email protected]

18 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 | 19 PEOPLE PEOPLE

FIVE MINUTES WITH... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DR LAURA MARTÍNEZ MAESTRO Letters are welcome and should be addressed to [email protected] Condensed Matter Physics

can be broken down to a physics problem so, by Alexander Fleming. At the time, the potential Tell us a bit about your background Dear Editor, Following our article about the late studying physics, you are at the end, pushing application for superconductivity seemed to be I was born in Cuenca, a beautiful city in the Prof Michael Baker… Brendan Blake science to its limits. I thought you might be interested in the stocking up electricity. At the end of my thesis, centre of Spain, right in the mountains. I was (DPhil student at the Clarendon from provenance of the images of Cassiopeia A in the Martin rather diffidently asked me if I would be a really curious girl always asking questions 1965 –69) wrote… outreach article 'How to make a Supernova' in interested in a job with the Company. I politely and reading books to learn about everything. Could you explain the work/research you do? the latest Oxford Physics Newsletter. They come said no, luckily for OI as I am catastrophic in any As one of Michael Baker’s DPhil students, Then I moved to Madrid, to study Physics at In my group, we study the dynamics of the charge from a 1 million second observation made with business context! I would very much like to have attended carriers of different semiconductors and metal the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Then a the Chandra X-ray Observatory in 2004, for the memorial service. Unfortunately I am halide perovskite materials in order to improve Master's in Photonics followed by a PhD. During which I (together with my colleague Dr Una So I went to France, joined the CNRS, and have away, so have already sent my apologies to the performance and efficiency of solar cell my time as a PhD student, I had the opportunity Hwang of the University of Maryland) wrote been there mostly ever since, between Orsay and Timothy Baker (Michael’s son), with whom technology. As there are a lot of different variables to travel and visit a lot of different laboratories the proposal. I believe actual images shown in Montpellier. My first graduate student, Albert Fert, I am in touch. I did make it to Michael’s affecting this efficiency, my research focuses on (and countries). Finally, I came to Oxford as the article were reprocessed by someone else, successfully followed up his thesis work and as a funeral. Here are some photos I took back in a Postdoctoral Research Associate working in how the grain boundaries at atomic level can affect result was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2007. I am the late '60s of the lab […] Unfortunately I Optical set-up in the Johnston-Herz and not taken directly from our paper, but I am the Johnston and Herz groups, to continue my it. To do so, I study these materials by means of happily married, with three daughters and five never took a picture of Michael. laboratory, where Laura is a Post-Doctoral sure that Una and everyone else would agree that research on semiconductor materials. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission grandchildren. My personal reaction to the Brexit Researcher. writing the proposal that makes the arguments One amusing anecdote about Timothy was Electron Microscopy. disaster has been to ask for French nationality for 1 million seconds of telescope time (11 days that my wife and I met him when in Libya in When/how did you decide to become a if done continuously, but in fact it took about 3 (which I had never done before). This will finally March 2006, where we went to see a total physicist? What interests do you have besides physics? weeks because of the observatory duty cycle) is come through next week. solar eclipse deep in the Sahara desert. I always had a great curiosity for how things and What are your plans for the future? I have a lot of other interests... I love reading, I the real achievement! All my best wishes We were talking to members of our group, the world worked, from how a worm could live always have a book in my hands. I love science Being a scientist nowadays is a little bit like being and suddenly I realised who Tim (another Right now we are working on modeling and Ian underground to why the moon wasn't falling to fiction, fantasy and literature in general. I also a nomad, you need to move from university to member of the party) actually was. So I was analysing the infra-red emission from ejecta in the [email protected] the ground, so I always knew I wanted to study love travelling and visiting new places, learning university following the funding and researching able to announce, received with much mirth, remnant interior that has yet to be heated to X-ray something science-related. However, I didn't about other cultures and the history of these opportunities in different fields. This is great that I had once been one of his babysitters! emitting temperatures by the reverse shock. We decide if this was going to be Physics, Engineering places. When I travel, I always have my camera because you can experience new places, new will then have a complete census of the chemical Dear Editor, I have so much to be grateful to the or Medical Sciences until the last minute. In my with me, as I love photography, although I am work environments and you learn a lot of science. elements produced by the explosion. Due to Clarendon for – it was a wonderful time of opinion, Physics gives you the tools to understand just a beginner in this field. However, I guess at some point I will want to I was most interested to read about Sir Martin various circumstances, Cassiopeia is probably my life working there. a lot of processes and to solve problems in other settle, get established in a place and form my own Wood in the recent Newsletter. I started graduate the only core-collapse supernova remnant in the sciences, and that was the reason I became a group to carry out research. However, right now work with Michael Grace on nuclear orientation What scientific breakthrough would you like sky for which this can be done, and probably the physicist. to see in your lifetime? I am in the 'nomad' mode, so in a few months at about the same time that Martin joined the only supernova remnant at all (Tycho would be I'll be starting a new chapter, working in another lab under Nicholas Kurti to design the high It's not a scientific 'breakthrough', but what I'd like the best Type Ia candidate to try this on). Why is it important to study physics? to see is a rise in scientific culture in the general laboratory, carrying out physics research in a field magnets required for these studies. I recall Physics is a fundamental science in the sense that it public, and a reduction in all the 'alternative facts' different field. I believe there will be another press release from Martin testing various solenoids. The photographs helps you to understand how a lot of other sciences that are really harming science at the moment. the Chandra X-ray Center about Cassiopeia A brought back memories of the many times I work. From electric impulses in cell membranes I think this is something we, as scientists, really What are the main positives of working at coinciding with the American Astronomical started the motor generator – always after 7pm to corrosion on bridges, all the scientific problems need to fight against. Oxford? Society meeting the week after next (Jan 8–12), because of limitations on the electricity supply. Oxford Physics is a great place to work. I really so look out for that. While the magnetic field was on, we waited like the fact that all the people who surround you outside the room, then dashed in to arrange the Martin Laming gamma-ray detectors around the cryostat, then are the best in their fields; you feel really inspired (John) Martin Laming (Oxford BA Physics 1984, DPhil 1988) to work harder in this kind of environment. quickly back to the room where the counters were, before the isotope being studied had decayed. I Dear Audrey and Martin, mostly worked with John Hill, who operated the Any awards/hobbies/projects (personal or low-temperature set-up in the lean-to on the professional) that you want to share? I was fascinated to discover your story in the ground floor; but the nuclear counting apparatus recent Physics Department Newsletter. The photo I am the Regional Community Manager and was on the first floor – it must have kept me fit! of Martin plunging a coil into a cryostat is very Regional Press Officer in Oxford for the Spanish Many other incidents come to mind of those nostalgic for me. When I arrived at the Clarendon Researchers in the United Kingdom Society days long ago. (SRUK). At SRUK, we aim to increase social in September 1961, the first job I was given was awareness for Research and Development in both to wind a prototype coil with superconducting I also recall going with several others to visit British and Spanish Societies; looking to facilitate wire ( I cannot remember which alloy it was at Martin in his North Oxford home where he was scientific collaborations between both countries. the time). The wire was fragile and I had to keep experimenting in his garden shed – I think this If any of our readers would like to learn more repairing it by spot welding. I don't know what was where Oxford Instruments was really born. about SRUK, please get in touch! happened to that particular coil, which I think Clockwise from top left: Roger Anderson, was the very first in the lab? It was a coincidence that my wife had met Audrey Wood when they were undergraduates at Girton John Riley, Daniel Breen 2011, 1968 Endor About a year later you took me with you to a College Cambridge. apparatus, 1968 Endor varian magnet close demonstration that you were doing at the Royal up, Roy Davies, Geoff Copland. Dr Martinez Maestro hosting a neuroscience conference in the Physics Department last November @laurawendy Society, where I was very impressed to encounter Peter Dagley ALL PHOTOGRAPHS © BRENDAN BLAKE

20 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 | 21 PEOPLE PEOPLE

the study of Stonehenge a major aim. Additional Analyses were warranted at more locations, so research studies were judged essential, notably studies intensified as dozens more sites across ancient religions, surviving tribal religions Britain and Brittany were inspected. In Ireland ALUMNI STORIES and cultures, anthropology, mythology, there were Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth, We welcome stories from all alumni. Please email: [email protected] and symbology – subjects that most Fourknocks and the Loughcrew British archaeologists overlook. Have you seen the cairns of County Meath. From When disciplines overlap and fantastic photo Terence 1996, megaliths on the hills merge, the potential for gaining gave us of the Clarendon around Avebury were intensely TERENCE MEADEN, ST PETER'S COLLEGE, 1954–57 insights greatly improves. in 1962 on pages examined during hundreds of A lifetime odyssey in physics and archaeoastronomy 14–15? visits, and the preparation of a corpus of the principal surviving THE JOURNEY TO STONEHENGE megaliths initiated. In this period, undergraduate archaeology at Oxford Avebury [formerly Waledich] (via the uncommon Thus began a long period in which TO GRENOBLE AND CANADA Stonehenge and its landscape were visited and University was followed by a master’s degree grandparent surname Whale or Wale), he found Sky God/Earth Goddess drama known to the examined hundreds of times. One evening came in Applied Landscape Archaeology (ancient as a schoolboy in 1949 that leading archaeologists Terence then moved to the Centre de Recherches Classical Greeks much later as the hieros gamos. a eureka moment – what Alice Kober (in her Greek as a requirement to read archaeology at were unable to explain either monument. sur les Très Basses Températures in the University The same conception of divine hierogamy is case working on Linear B decipherment) called Oxford had long ago ended). Excavations in Some implied that the riddles were insoluble, of Grenoble, France ('to learn French properly what explains Avebury and Stonehenge – and the essential first step. 'When a scholar comes Wiltshire, Somerset, Oxfordshire and Cumbria complaining that no one can tell what the planners at last'), where he continued low-temperature Champollion had encountered dynastic-period upon this, either through fortunate inspiration were accompanying outcomes. were thinking all those millennia ago. Already solid state physics research and prepared the hierogamy when translating hieroglyphics. or by the careful use of the scientific method, aware that Samuel Johnson had said 'There is monograph The Electrical Resistance of Metals Fertility symbolism explains the religious elements or more probably by a combination of the two, no problem the mind of man can set that the [1965, reprinted 2013]. In 1965 he married Annie behind the culture of the farming communities others, using the same method, can come to the IRELAND mind of man cannot solve', Terence spent much Jacqueline Cheyroux of Grenoble. who were so dependent on the timely arrival same conclusions for themselves' (Margalit Fox In 2012 came another leap forward when time on prehistoric archaeology and astronomy of seasonal weather and the fertility of crops, Moving in 1967 to Dalhousie University, Halifax, 2013, The Riddle of the Labyrinth, 196–197). discovering that Drombeg Stone Circle – besides another main interest, meteorology livestock and women. – and developed the aim of going to Oxford to Canada – an advertised position for which there Terence was accustomed to the scientific method. in south-western Ireland stored a complete read archaeology. were 30 applicants – he was appointed Associate Here was the first clue: the core idea behind the encoded calendrical framework based on solar The first announcement in an academic publication Professor of Physics. Soon tenured, in the space planning of Stonehenge. Understanding the archaeoastronomy as to purpose of use that of the decipherment of the symbolism planned of six years with four PhD students he produced megaliths of Avebury followed. The pointer was was also applicable to the into Drombeg, Avebury and THE ODYSSEY BEGINS 20 papers, of which four were in Physical Review in spotting the key symbolism and interpreting it damaged Avebury circles and Stonehenge is in The Journal of Letters on critical point research of solid-state for these monuments. What he knew by 1992 was Stonehenge. Drombeg, having It is a universal truth – Lithic Studies (November 2017) A 68-year odyssey to academic publication properties of rare earth metals. convincing, but unequivocal supporting evidence suffered little destruction, its though largely ignored of the University of Edinburgh. (George) Terence Meaden, born 6 May 1935 on Stonehenge began. Alas, his schoolmasters was needed from other sites. A one-hour television inbuilt symbolic ‘codes’ were in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, is a professional soon learnt that Latin and Classical Greek were Subsequently, due to family and health reasons, by some diehard documentary filmed in 1998 for Channel 4 and more easily recognised and One could now predict physicist, meteorologist and archaeologist with the subjects needed for the Oxford entrance Terence returned to Europe and Oxford to pursue archaeologists – that Discovery Channel was supported by several became understandable with outcomes of future research undergraduate and doctoral degrees in physics examinations – and Greek was not taught at academic research on archaeology and physical British archaeologists. Terence was also the first the input of archaeoastronomy. there is no known culture in Scotland and Ireland. Every from Oxford University and a master’s degree Trowbridge Boys' High School. Although he to recognise the extent of prehistoric sculptural The calendrical occasions in the world without new discovery endorses its in applied landscape archaeology from Oxford loved translating Latin, buoyed by the trick of art at Avebury. depended on the horizon religious beliefs. validity, and some of the University. He has made significant contributions treating grammars and dictionaries as codebooks WHEN A SCHOLAR COMES points of the rising sun relative supporting evidence came to research in solid-state physics (1957–1973), for deciphering the set volumes of Virgil’s Aeneid UPON THIS, EITHER THROUGH to intelligently positioned from unexpected quarters. tornado climatology (1972–2014) and Neolithic and Caesar’s Gallic Wars, plans for academic FORTUNATE INSPIRATION OR standing stones of specific shapes. The re- Francis Crick, 1991: '...a theory will always and Bronze Age archaeology (1981–2018). archaeology as part of the quest towards tackling BY THE CAREFUL USE OF THE establishment of a lost Neolithic calendar was command more attention if it is supported by the problems of Stonehenge and other prehistoric SCIENTIFIC METHOD, OR MORE achieved – eight festival dates of the traditional unexpected evidence, particularly evidence of a His strongly argued explanation of Stonehenge, monuments were set aside – but Oxford remained agricultural year at intervals of 45–46 days different kind.' Karl Popper, 1959: 'The more tests recently announced, is the apogee of a lifetime’s the target. Physics was the choice, and in January PROBABLY BY A COMBINATION (if not maybe 22–23 days instead). No one which can be made of the theory, the greater its endeavour as regards that aim. As a schoolboy, 1953, age 17, scholarships were won. That same OF THE TWO, OTHERS, USING worked regular seven-day weeks in those days. empirical content.' Terence regarded Jean-Francois Champollion as a year, Michael Ventris announced he had solved THE SAME METHOD, CAN COME To obtain the photographic evidence required scholarly hero for his academic rigour, brilliance Linear B, the language of Bronze Age Mycenae TO THE SAME CONCLUSIONS So the research goes on. Professor Meaden, now for papers and lectures, expeditions to examine and perseverance in preparing himself for the task and Crete. That was impressive. 83, continues to be an active researcher and FOR THEMSELVES' Drombeg and other stone circles in County of deciphering the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt. lecturer on the cultures and monuments of the MARGALIT FOX 2013, THE RIDDLE Cork at sunrise on each of the eight festival Terence sought to do likewise with respect to lands of prehistoric Europe. OF THE LABYRINTH Stonehenge and other stone circles by discovering PHYSICIST occasions became necessary. This took several their core meanings and functions – a much easier years. The results are summarised in the 2016 task than solving hieroglyphics or Linear B, but The undergraduate years at St Peter’s College, monograph: Stonehenge, Avebury and Drombeg 1954–57 in physics, were followed by four years Stone Circles: The archaeological decipherment of testing nevertheless. So, after learning the basic meteorology (establishing the International as a graduate at the Clarendon Laboratory under their symbolism. facts of the known archaeology of Stonehenge, Tornado Intensity Scale, founding the Tornado Dr Kurt Mendelssohn and at the Plutonium the long-term objective evolved into delving and Storm Research Organisation, and editing The Research Division in the Atomic Energy Research To begin with, it is a universal truth – though ever more deeply into the culture of the period. Journal of Meteorology). This led to consultancies Establishment, Harwell, under Dr James A Lee. largely ignored by some diehard archaeologists – The route taken would depend on how chance, involving the mathematics of tornado risk The research was the low temperature properties that there is no known culture in the world without education and the uncovering of unexpected fresh hazards at new-build sites for the Nuclear Power of the radioactive actinide metals plutonium, religious beliefs. In fact, it was the persuasive knowledge would point the way. Industry. Although meteorology continued neptunium, uranium and thorium. A post- power of a well-loved religious narrative that got as another lifetime interest, nevertheless from Born a Wiltshireman with centuries of ancestral doctoral fellowship followed. This part of the the great stones moving. The Drombeg design Images: Opposite page: Terence Meaden, July 1981 archaeological research of the European genealogy from the villages near the stone circles story is related in the department’s Newsletter, plan is based on the quintessential cosmological 1961. This page left: Terence in 2014. Above: Neolithic and Bronze Ages commenced, with of Stonehenge (via the surname Meaden) and Autumn 2016, page 17. fertility drama of the Marriage of the Gods – a Terence speaking at Torro, 22 April 2017.

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I very quickly fell in love with blind tasting: I breadth and level of sensitivity we are aiming found it incredible that one should be able to for, all whilst staying completely non-invasive, deduce where a wine was from, and what grape is unprecedented. It’s certainly a challenge. ALUMNI STORIES it was made from, just by paying attention to Wine is second only to blood in its complexity. We welcome stories from all alumni. Please email: [email protected] one’s somewhat overlooked and untrained senses It is composed of around 85%–87% water and of taste and smell, like some sort of olfactory 12%–14% ethanol, and the remaining 1%–2% and gustatory detective. At the time, Dr Kuhn consists of around one thousand different organic @VeriVinLtd would jokingly ask me if I was doing a PhD in molecules which all look kind of similar. CECILIA MULDOON, KEBLE, 2006 physics or wine, which is funny, given that we now collaborate on applying physics to wine. I The problem for us is two-fold: very low The second reason for my alleged overachievement for results and fewer publications). Dr Kuhn’s have since then completed the WSET Diploma concentrations of many different molecules in is that I had über-dedicated overzealous parents. experiments were quite complex, full of things qualification and, even after the liquid phase, and the As a child and teenager, they made sure that I’d never seen before, and requiring skills I did two years of courses and fact that they lie behind I participated in all manner of after-school not have. To say it was a steep learning curve is exams, I am still amazed a piece of curved, tinted activities: there was ballet, piano, singing, life an understatement. at how much I don’t know glass. Interestingly enough, drawing, maths, French, German, Italian, theatre, My greatest accomplishment to date: having my about alcohol. we see the glass as less of running and tennis. I tried to keep up with most of a challenge than the fact it for as long as I could, but the addition of classic DPhil experiment do about 60% of what we set Here is how I managed to out to do, after 5 years. That sounds like a terribly that we are studying a cars and wine in my twenties forced me to narrow pull off mixing physics and liquid. Liquids are tough. it down. Now, I focus my energy on four things: pedestrian result, but believe me, we were being wine. This is one sales pitch I must admit that I was surprised by the request The whole quantum and physics, wine, ballet and classic cars (in the form decidedly overambitious when we started. Ten for VeriVin: that I contribute to this Newsletter, as my wine thing sounds nuts, of concours judging and, most recently, vintage years later, I find myself staring at an equally accomplishments pale in comparison with those but the physics is actually racing, which I am still terrible at). ‘VeriVin is an innovative of the many talented and dedicated individuals start-up developing a quite sensible – and at the end of the day, everything that usually grace these pages. Nevertheless, I was Physics didn’t enter the equation until I was 18 or THE WHOLE QUANTUM unique non-invasive told that the aim was to showcase the different is quantum, really. so, as an exchange student in Germany. I fell in AND WINE THING SOUNDS spectrometer to analyse career paths people take after an Oxford physics love with the notion of the double-slit experiment wine and spirits through degree, so I agreed: my career path has certainly and Schrödinger’s Cat, and after a degree in NUTS, BUT THE PHYSICS IS the glass, with no need to take the cork out. There’s one thing I really love about physics: been 'different'! physics and finance at Princeton University, ACTUALLY QUITE SENSIBLE We aim to create a database with the optical you never really feel like you’ve mastered it. It’s a constant challenge of ongoing learning and became senselessly obsessed with the idea of a – AND AT THE END OF fingerprints – and eventually, the optical tasting I have always been a little bit good at a lot of things quantum computer. I had half-accepted an offer notes – of millions of bottles of wine. Non-invasive it keeps you on your toes. Perfect for obsessive and not very good at any one thing in particular. to work at Goldman Sachs, when I turned around THE DAY, EVERYTHING IS characterisation, fault testing, monitoring and types like me. And it seems like I have found a I’m often told that I am an overachiever, but that’s and decided I wanted to go to graduate school, QUANTUM, REALLY. authentication leading to a powerful database of sufficiently difficult problem to obsess over. I’m a complete misconception. I’m simply the kind and wanted to do so in Europe. It took one visit to molecular ID tags. not sure I can really classify what I do as a career, of person who will have a go at anything and Oxford, on a beautiful June day when it happened but I do love my 'job' and my colleagues are great. never turn down a challenge, even if I’m terrified to be extra hot, to make me fall in love with the overambitious project, except this time it’s in the More broadly speaking, we are exploring the I get to do physics and drink wine in a start-up of the activity at hand. And I normally won’t be city I still live in. form of a start-up called VeriVin, with investors use of quantum-enhanced sensing techniques environment – what more could you ask for? terrible at it – I just won’t be great. I’ll simply and employees and an Innovate UK Quantum to investigate the chemical decomposition hammer away at it way past the point when any I was told that Dr Axel Kuhn had just arrived from Technologies grant. of complex liquids in sealed containers, in other normal human being would have given up. Germany and was starting a new research group; conjunction with the University of Oxford. This Incidentally, hammering away obsessively was that the upside of building an experiment from The good thing is that there are many parallels capability could have a truly disruptive impact how I got results out of my DPhil experiment, scratch was knowing what every single component between building a quantum optics experiment, on the wine and spirits industry and eventually but more on that later. did, and why (the downside being a longer wait and building a 'hard-tech' start-up like VeriVin. be applicable in other fields like defence or the You have to sell your unproven work-in-progress chemical industry.' to get more money. You have to be creative and put Below: VeriVin Team wine tasting at Blenheim. L–R: Edoardo Ceci Ginistrelli, Cecilia Muldoon, in countless hours to get a project off the ground We are certainly not the first to be applying Axel Kuhn, Paul Bertier, Joscha Gutjahr. and make it 'profitable' for those to come. You have optical spectroscopy to wine, but I think the to spend lots of money on Thorlabs. Moreover, no one – not even Google – has the answers.

As for wine, I got interested in that treacherous substance during my DPhil, when I joined the Oxford University Wine Circle, and eventually ended up running it. Back then, the OUWC comprised the blind tasting team, which, amongst other things, trained a group of students for the yearly Varsity Match against Cambridge (the oldest organised blind tasting competition in the world, which Oxford always wins).

Above left: Dr Axel Kuhn and Dr Cecilia Muldoon. Left: Varsity blind tasting match.

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Professor Stephen Hawking On 13 March 2018, physicists awoke COMINGS, GOINGS & AWARDS... to news that Prof Stephen Hawking, surely Oxford’s best known physics COMINGS... JOHN WHEATER STEPS DOWN AS HOD undergraduate (Univ. 1959), had died peacefully in his sleep at the age of We wish to thank Prof John Wheater, who is stepping 76. He leaves behind a monumental down as Head of Oxford Physics at the end of August, legacy. The Oxford Foundry after eight years at the helm. Under John’s leadership the department has thrived, in large part due to his vision, The full obituary is available on our website: The Oxford Foundry is a new tireless efforts and unparalleled dedication. www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news entrepreneurial centre for the University of Oxford. The aim is John has been instrumental in setting up the Alumni Relations to create a diverse, student-led Programme, aimed at bringing the wider community of Oxford physicists community where innovation back together, to ensure that the 'Oxford experience' remains truly rich and creativity lives and breathes, and nurturing for alumni when they graduate from the department. More and to support students across than 7,000 alumni are now in contact with us through this Newsletter, DR MYRIAM ARNAL RODRIGUES is a PDRA in Astrophysics and is the University in becoming and thousands attend our events every year. working on the HARMONI integral-field spectrograph, one of the first more entrepreneurial, through light instruments chosen for the European Extremely Large Telescope education, engagement and The Oxford Women in Physics Group started, supported by John, to (E-ELT). acceleration. provide a friendlier and welcoming space for young students and staff DR CHRIS BALLANCE is a Senior Researcher in Atomic & Laser Physics. to share their experiences and empower each other through meetings, Located on Hythe Bridge Street, workshops and other events. In addition, John initiated and supported in a building that was once the DR HANNAH CHRISTENSEN is a NERC Research Fellow in AOPP. a number of internal activities to bring the department’s staff closer: Oxford Ice Factory, the building DR LUCIAN HARLAND-LANG is an STFC Fellow in Theoretical Physics. Research Away Days, a summer BBQ and picnic in the park and the is a large, easily accessible Christmas party, fostering better communication and sharing within space (very close to the railway DR ADAM INGRAM is a Royal Society Research Fellow in Astrophysics. our place of work. © JOHN CAIRNS JOHN © CROWDER/UNIVERSITY OXFORD OF VALERIA © station) that includes a café and MRS NICOLA SMALL is our new Head of Administration, a new role that Above: Prof Stephen Hawking at the Inaugural Roger Penrose lecture, held at the Mathematical Institute, lounge area, and facilities for co- The Beecroft Building was dreamt up, planned and realised following replaces the old Senior Admistrator one. October 2017. This was his last lecture in Oxford. Prof Roger Penrose, his long-time collaborator and working, socialising, workshops, a thorough and focused fundraising effort led by John, including many friend, is pictured to his left. events and more. DR ROBERT SMITH is an Associate Professor in Atomic and Laser Physics. long-haul trips, meetings and social events. He has worked relentlessly within the University, with colleagues, and with the contractors and There is a café with hot and MRS LOUISE SUMNER is our new Head of Student Administration. engineers to deliver the world-class building that we have today: this is cold snacks where you can chill a true legacy and testament to John’s vision and leadership. Professor Sir Roger Elliott FRS out on comfortable sofas, a GOINGS... It is with sadness that we announce that Professor Sir Roger Elliott FRS, died on 16 April co-working area with desks and It is for all of this, and much, much more, that we give our thanks to you DR GLENN CHRISTIAN was a Departmental Lecturer in 2018, aged 89. Roger was appointed to a University Lectureship in Theoretical Physics free wifi, and a stage area for John, and wish you all the very best during your sabbatical and future Particle Physics at the John Adams Institute, working and a Tutorial Fellowship at St John’s College in 1957, was promoted to Reader in 1964, pitching practise. academic years. mainly in the FONT group on the development of fast and held the Wykeham Professorship of Theoretical Physics from 1974 to 1988. He was beam-based feedback systems for future particle colliders. elected FRS in 1976 and knighted in 1987. He was Physical Secretary and Vice-President The Foundry is open to current He is now working in the Controls group at the Diamond of the Royal Society from 1984 to 1988, and served as chief executive of Oxford students and researchers as well Light Source, as a Senior FPGA Development Engineer. University Press from 1988 until 1993. as alumni. If you would like to DR LAURA CORNER was a PDRA for Particle Physics. find out more, visit www.oxfordfoundry.ox.ac.uk

PROF PAUL EWART leaves his post as University Lecturer If you have any ideas about after more than 30 years (he has also been Head of Atomic entrepreneurial activities/ & Laser Physics). start-ups that would benefit from liaising with our physics students, please DR AMIR HAGHIGHIRAD is an Experimental Condensed get in touch with us. Email: Matter Physicist. While at Oxford he collaborated with [email protected]. Profs Radaelli, Coldea and Snaith. In 2017 he took up a position as a group leader at the Karlsruhe Institute of We can help find suitable Technology in Germany. candidates and/or introduce you to the our colleagues at DR KIERAN O'BRIEN was a Senior Researcher in Above: Prof Elliott (far left) talking to members of the department the Foundry. Astrophysics working on the HARMONI spectrograph for during an event to honour Prof Brevis Bleaney in 2015. the ELT. Dr O' Brien has taken up a position as Associate Right: Some of his publications. Professor in the Department of Physics, Durham University.

As the sad news reached us just before going to print, an extended obituary will appear in the Autumn issue. Did you know? The Careers Service is for life…not just during your time in Oxford! For more information contact Dr Michael Moss: [email protected] or visit www.careers.ox.ac.uk. 26 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2018 | 27 PEOPLE

AWARDS... TRIPLE PHYSICS WIN AT IMPACT AWARDS DR FERNANDO DE JUAN was awarded the Royal Spanish The annual MPLS Impact Awards aim to foster and raise awareness of impact by Physical Society prize 'Investigador Novel en Física rewarding it at a local level, and prepare the ground for the impact case studies that Teórica' for his work on the theory of two-dimensional will be needed for REF 2021, and future similar exercises. This year’s awards were conducting materials, especially their topological presented at the MPLS Winter Reception on 6 February at Mansfield College, with the properties. winners receiving a pay award of £1,000.

JESSICA BOLAN (DPhil student) was awarded the PROF ARMIN REICHOLD Awarded for his contribution Institute of Physics 2017 Jocelyn Bell Burnell Medal and to the industrial application of fundamental physics Prize for her work developing novel techniques for instrumentation. characterising the charge carrier dynamics of lpax.web.ox.ac.uk semiconductor nanowires, and demonstrating how terahertz based technology can be used for ultrafast wireless communication. PROF KATHERINE BLUNDELL OBE Awarded for her contribution to the engagement of schoolchildren, DR CHICO CAMARGO is one of four shortlisted finalists especially girls, with physics. for the 2017 Institute of Physics Early Career Physics @Prof_Katherine www.globaljetwatch.net Communicator Award.

DR JENA MEINECKE Awarded for her contribution to the promotion of women in physics. DR REBECCA BOWLER received the Royal Astronomical @Jena_Meinecke Society 2018 Winton Award for Astronomy. Dr Bowler studies galaxies in the very early universe using facilities such as the Hubble Space Telescope, ALMA and the VLT. PROF IAN WALMSLEY BECOMES PRESIDENT OF DR KERRI DONALDSON HANNA was awarded the Royal THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Astronomical Society 2018 Winton Award for Geophysics. Dr Donaldson is a planetary scientist who specialises in Professor Walmsley took up the role of President of the study of the surface compositions of rocky, airless the Optical Society of America (OSA) on 1 January bodies through infrared remote sensing. this year, having been elected to the role of Vice- President in 2016. Since 1916, the OSA has been PROF HENRY SNAITH FRS, was the recipient of the 2018 the world’s leading professional society for optics Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists. The announcement and photonics, uniting and educating scientists, of the award and details of Henry's work can be found at engineers, educators, technicians and business leaders worldwide www.blavatnikawards.org/honorees/profile/henry-snaith to foster and promote technical and professional development.

Have you registered on our website? Would you like to host an Do you have a photo from your By registering as an alumnus or friend, you event for physics alumni? time in Oxford? A story or anecdote will receive advance notice of events and It could be a drinks reception or dinner, a that you would like to share? other news, before it is published on the visit to your company for a small or large The alumni office is making the archives web. There is also a short questionnaire, group…the possibilities are endless. Please more accessible and interactive. Send your which will enable us to plan events and get in touch for an informal conversation, contributions, no matter how big or small, to services to your liking. we’d love to hear from you! Val Crowder, Alumni Officer: www.physics.ox.ac.uk/alumni/connect [email protected]

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We hope you enjoyed reading this issue of the Physics Department’s Newsletter. To contact the Newsletter editor, Prof Dimitra Rigopoulou, please email [email protected]. For latest news on developments at the Oxford Physics Department, see www.physics.ox.ac.uk/about-us. To contact the alumni office, email [email protected]. For events and lectures, www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events.

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