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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019

Introduction

This 2019 Yearbook brings together the highlights from the blog, and from our School’s press releases, to provide a Table of Contents record of our activities over the past twelve months. In fact, this edition will be packed full of even more goodies, Introduction ...... 2 spanning from October 2018 (the last newsletter) to School Events & Activities ...... 4 December 2019. We expect that future editions of the Yearbook will focus on a single calendar year. Science News ...... 13 As we look forward to the dawn of a new decade, we can Space Park Leicester News ...... 31 reflect on the continued growth and success of the School Physicists Away from the Department ...... 34 of Physics and Astronomy. Our Department has evolved to become a School. Our five existing research groups are Celebrating Success ...... 36 exploring ways to break down any barriers between them, Physics Special Topics: Editors Pick ...... 44 and to restructure the way our School works. The exciting dreams of Space Park Leicester are becoming a reality, with Comings and Goings ...... 46 incredible new opportunities on the horizon. Our foyer has been thoroughly updated and modernised, to create a welcoming new shared space that represents our A very warm welcome to the first School of Physics and ambitions as a School. Our website has been dragged, Astronomy Yearbook! We have moved away from the kicking and screaming, into the 21st century (SiteCore) to termly email news bulletins of the past, towards an online showcase the rich portfolio of research, teaching, and blog1 that celebrates all the successes of our School. The public engagement activities that we are involved in. Our blog allows us to easily share content with the wider world undergraduates remain happy and enthusiastic in their via social media, and is easier to “discover” for new home at Leicester, and the transformation of the members of our School. curriculum from Years 1 to 4 is now complete. Our

1 https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/news-2/

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019

Admissions team have risen admirably to the challenges Special thanks to those members of the Leicester Physics posed by demographics and the marketisation of Higher News Team, without whom this Yearbook would not have Education. And we bid farewell to one Head of School been possible. (Graham Wynn), and welcome the new (Emma Bunce). With all these changes, we feel the School is ready to take on the challenges of the 2020s.

This Yearbook is organised as follows. In “School Events” we highlight events and activities within the School over the past twelve months, including the successes of our undergraduates. “Science News” brings together some of our news-worthy scientific results, including some special anniversaries (15 years of Swift) and our engagement at conferences nationwide. “Space Park Leicester News” describes some of the recent activities on the path to realising Leicester’s ambitions at Pioneer Park. “Celebrating Success” looks back to the numerous awards and honours received by members of the School of Physics Commander of the International Space Station (ISS), Alexei and Astronomy this year. Finally, “Comings and Goings” Ovchinin posing with the University logo. The picture was welcomes news arrivals at our School, and bids a fond taken in the European Space Agency (ESA) Cupola module, the farewell to those departing. We hope you enjoy this multi-windowed viewing platform in which ISS crew can compilation of our “Greatest Hits” in 2019, and we observe docking and rendezvous with visiting cargo craft, encourage you to continue to submit news articles to the control the robotic arm and just take in the spectacular views editor (Leigh Fletcher) for inclusion in the 2020 Yearbook. (August 2019).

*Cover Image: Artist's impression of NGTS-1b, a Jupiter-sized planet which orbits NGTS-1, a red dwarf star of about half the mass and radius of the Sun. NGTS-1b holds the record as the largest planet compared to the size of its host star, and a team of Leicester astronomers played a key role in its discovery.

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019

School Events & Activities

The look of the entire foyer has been modernised, with wood Renovation of the Physics Foyer (November panelling and light colours opening up the entire space. The 2019) indoor accessibility ramp has been improved, with added handrails and renewed non-slip surfacing. The social seating Among the exciting new developments for 2019 were the area at the front of the foyer has also been updated, with renovations on our beloved foyer – by Manika Sidhu. comfortable new armchairs and tables.

The renovations were carried out over the summer, with the construction and design team working hard to ensure our ideas about the updated space were put in place before the start of the new academic year. Check out the before and after pictures below!

A big thank you to everyone involved in the foyer renovations

- your dedication and hard work is appreciated and has The wall between the back corridor and Starlink was knocked definitely paid off! down, to create a larger area at the back of the foyer. This has now been converted into a relaxing study and social area, with a ‘study bar’, comfortable chairs and booths. Undergraduate Student Success 2019

It has been another great year for our undergraduates – by Mervyn Roy and Simon Vaughan.

This summer 84% of students graduated with a 2.1 or above and this is testament to the students’ hard work and dedication. All physics degrees are good degrees! Well done to all our finalists.

The area around the Skylark rocket has changed and is now Particular congratulations should go to the winners of our home to our model of SWIFT after it was moved from its old student prizes. In no particular order: podium in the centre of the foyer. In these photos you can also Samuel and Rachel May prize for James Page see the backlit hexagonal panels that make up the new ceiling outstanding performance in the final design. year Airbus Space Science Prize Peter Selves Stewardson Essay Prize Beth Henderson Johanna Antonelli Physics Research Poster Prize Max Favaro- Bedford Physics Year 3 Research Project Prize Dylan Moles

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019

Physics and Astronomy School Prizes Paula Riojas Guijosa The tree planting was organised with the assistance of Adam Dean Haigh Tester, Gardens and Grounds Manager at the University of Rhys Williams Leicester. Adam Tester and his team used a carbon- Christopher Bell sequestering tool that was written by a maths graduate James Boyd, who was recently awarded a Green Gown Research with 2 We also award prizes to our current student cohort. Well done impact award for his work . It was calculated that 420 trees to third years Nora Drewes (college prize), Mahek Shah and were needed to offset the carbon released from travel taken Anastasia Polyviou (Photonis prize), Sarah Norman (Raymond from mission selection in summer 2015 until July 2019. The Hide prize) – and to Eleanor Morton the inaugural winner of trees were provided by the Woodland Trust, from their Wild our Physics Community prize. Students to watch in the future! Harvest mix consisting of species such as hawthorn, crab apple, blackthorn, and rowan. The vast majority of our graduates will go on to do great things – 82% are within graduate level employment within 6 months The carbon offsetting was based on air travel taken by the of graduating, a number well in advance of the government University of Leicester’s SXI team only. SMILE is a joint ESA- benchmark for physics and level with that of our Russell Group Chinese Academy of Sciences, as such, the SMILE mission competitors. involves hundreds of scientists and engineers. The launch of SMILE on a Vega-C rocket will also use considerable amounts We’re always looking to hear from our graduates – particularly of carbon, and this will be considered for future carbon- those who’d like to return to the University to speak to current sequestering calculations. We hope to roll-out the tree students. Last year at our annual careers day, we heard about planting as an annual event, and for other institutions the success of former students Fergus Wilson (BAE systems), involved in SMILE to do the same. The SMILE-SXI team Neil Popat (RBS), Katie Raymer (The Royal Society), SLt James understands that carbon-offsetting is not a solution to the Parker RN and SLt Elliott Spender (Royal Navy), and Robert carbon crisis, but it very much wants to take some sort of Garner (UK Space Agency). Many thanks to all of these proactive steps in mitigating the impacts of travel. graduates and – if you are a graduate who would like to get involved – please let us know.

On the staff side of things we have been working very hard to implement our new curriculum - which has now rolled through from year 1 all the way into year 4. The new curriculum covers all of the Institute of Physics core areas of physics, and enhances our focus on specialist electives and on transferrable skills. This is working well! Students like the new modules and returned NSS overall satisfaction results of greater than 90% - the second highest of any Department on campus. Perhaps most importantly, following a very successful visit the Institute of Physics recently re-accredited all of our degrees for the maximum possible term.

Carbon offsetting for SMILE

Leicester scientists plant trees to carbon offset their air travel Odd Socks for National Anti-Bullying Week for the SMILE mission – by Jenny Carter. (November 2019) In December, Jenny Carter and Steve Sembay from the Leicester SMILE Soft X-ray Camera (SXI) team planted some The School of Physics and Astronomy launches the "Odd Socks trees as part of a carbon-offsetting programme. SMILE is due Week" as part of National Anti-Bullying Week – by Darren for launch in 2023, and the University of Leicester is leading Wright the build of the SXI. As part of this work, team members travel to visit collaborators and sub-contractors, often overseas.

2 https://le.ac.uk/news/2019/november/27-green-gown- awards

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The School of Physics and Astronomy works hard to provide a pleasant and professional working environment for all staff and students, promotes the University’s Dignity and Respect Policy, and is committed to the prevention of bullying and bad behaviour.

In order to recognise and increase the visibility of this cause, the School announced the launch of Odd Socks Week, which celebrates the uniqueness of every individual amongst us. We encouraged all members to participate in this fun activity by wearing Odd Socks to work each day AND posting a photo of For Black History Month 2019, the School of Physics and them on the School’s social media accounts on Facebook and Astronomy showcased an exhibition of many eminent Black Twitter. Physicists across various fields from Astrophysics and Space Science to Theoretical Physics. The exhibition, created by In addition to the School’s Odd Socks event, the University Aneesah Kamran, was on display in the Physics foyer hosted the "Change Starts with Us" event: In 2017 as part of throughout October. the Standing Together initiative, for anti-bullying week, we pledged to challenge bullying and unacceptable behaviours As well as celebrating the achievements of many successful leading to the launch earlier this year of our Dignity and Black Physicists, it was also important to address the very clear Respect at Leicester framework. On Tuesday 12 November lack of representation of Black people within Physics. A 2019, members of the university were invited to a special display, created by Naomi Rowe-Gurney, showed the national pledge event in the Charles Wilson Park Lounge. statistics of Black people within various levels of academia ranging from PhD students to Professors, and was exhibited in the Physics common room throughout the month.

This year’s Black History Month culminated in a celebration where Oge Obioha, the President of the Students’ Union, and Tony Magaia, the Equality and Liberation Officer, were invited to say a few words on the importance of celebrating Black History Month, and ensuring that we are all committed to celebrating Black Physicists and Black History all year round.

Leicester Space Science at New Scientist Live (October 2019)

The School of Physics and Astronomy was represented at New Scientist Live at the Excel Centre in London.

Black History Month 2019 Celebrations (November 2019)

The School of Physics and Astronomy marked Black History Month 2019 with the celebration of many prominent Black Physicists, as well as highlighting the current stark lack of representation of Black Physicists within the United Kingdom – by Aneesah Kamran.

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Eleanor Morton’s Searching for Life on the Icy Moons New Scientist Live is an annual four-day event at the ExCel demonstration invited visitors to make their choice for Centre in London, hosted by the creators of New Scientist astrobiological targets, with the assistance of some evocative magazine. The enormous exhibition featured stands from smells from each location. Harsh Patel’s demo, Drilling for Life across science and engineering, all hosted in a gigantic hall on Mars, let members of the public extract their own bustling with the general public and large school groups. The “Martian” drill core, explaining the aims and ideas behind the University of Leicester once again provided a stand upcoming ExoMars rover mission. Michael McKee showcased showcasing our involvement in the Bepi Colombo mission, an impactful demonstration on Bepi Colombo and the Craters alongside some of the other exciting space science of Mercury, using a real meteorite to form colourful craters. opportunities at the University of Leicester, and staffed by a Sam Shingles used a striking demonstration of convection number of volunteers from the School of Physics and through coloured water to talk about Earth Observation, Astronomy. asking; what’s behind the weather?

The exhibition was adjacent to five stages, where audiences The Science Interpreter programme was established in 2016, could listen to presentations spanning a diverse range of and brings together the enthusiasm and expertise of Leicester scientific topics. Leicester was represented on the Cosmos Physics & Astronomy undergraduates with the outreach stage by Dr. Leigh Fletcher (presenting Juno’s latest findings in resources and experience of the National Space Centre. orbit around Jupiter) and Professor Nial Tanvir (discussing gravitational wave astronomy), with both talks being watched by packed audiences of several hundred attendees. Opportunities to present at the 2020 event are now open to Third European Space Agency Symposium on applications on their website. Space Educational Activities (September 2019)

Space education experts from across Europe gathered at the Leicester Undergraduates Demonstrate Solar University in September for the third European Space Agency System Science at the National Space Centre Symposium on Space Educational Activities.

(September 2019)

Leicester Physics undergraduates took part in an engaging outreach programme at the National Space Centre over the summer – by Donald Bowden.

This prestigious annual event provides an international stage for students and academics to discuss current and future Space Educational Activities in Europe and beyond, focusing on university level activities as well as opportunities for Leicester physics students took part in the National Space learners and educators at high school. Centre’s Science Interpreter programme this summer, engaging in a range of science outreach activities. As well as More than 120 students, young professionals, lecturers and interactions with visitors to the Space Centre, the students teachers gathered at the University’s Stamford Court also wrote blogs on their chosen science topics as well as conference facilities for three days of learning and sharing, visiting local libraries and the recent City Festival in order to with presentations, round table discussions, demonstrations engage with people outside the Space Centre’s site. The and visits, all on the topic of Space Educational Activities. programme culminated in a set of exciting demonstrations Talks showcased student projects, some involving real designed and developed by each of the science interpreters. missions in which students design and build satellites which are launched and operated in space. Other topics included:

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019

• technologies for training the next generation of space anything space related, and discussions varied from engineers and scientists, hypothetical sci-fi physics to science careers. Meanwhile, • how universities and employers can work together so some participants opted to pose questions to our scientists on that graduates have the skills needed by industry, a chalkboard rocket. • and improving the representation of women in the sector. There were some fantastic questions asked and it was brilliant to see so many young people enthusiastic about space. Maybe Previously held in Padua and Budapest, the choice of Leicester we’ll be welcoming some of them to the Department in a few for the third ESA educational symposium reflects the years! importance of space and space-related education to both the city and the University. Leicester is home to the National Space Centre and the forthcoming Space Park Leicester. The Space School celebrates 30 years since launch event included a talk by Dr Suzie Imber and a public lecture by (August 2019) author/presenter Dallas Campbell. Student Alondra said of the event: “I have learnt a lot over the last few days, and met Space School UK is celebrating its 30th anniversary in July many fantastic people. I especially enjoyed talking to students 2019, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 starting rocketry groups in Spain and all over Europe. Moon landings. Hopefully we'll be able to build new things as a result!”

Leicester City Festival 2019 was “Out of this World” Space School UK is a residential summer school, held at the University of Leicester, for young people aged 13-18 with an Leicester physicists were on-hand to answer questions from interest in all things space, from astronomy to planetary the public about all things space at the City Festival this year – science and engineering to space medicine. by Rosanna Tilbrook. During the three week-long residential, students get the opportunity to hear lectures from space professionals and get hands on with laboratory experiments. Students also complete “astronaut training” through indoor skydiving and scuba diving challenges, compete in a rocketry competition, camp out under the stars, and visit the National Space Centre in Leicester.

Space School UK was founded in 1989 to support sixth form students in their space careers. In its first year, Sevenoaks School hosted 120 aspiring young space professionals from all over the UK in July 1989. In 1990, Space School moved to A group of PhD students, postdocs and academics from the Brunel University, opening its doors to younger students, aged School of Physics and Astronomy took part in Leicester’s City 13-15. In 2000, Space School UK moved to the University of Festival at the end of August, fielding questions from the Leicester, where it has been held ever since. The University of public on a range of topics from planetary aurorae to black Leicester now sees 180 young people visit the School of holes. Physics and Astronomy every year, across three week-long summer schools. During August 19th to 23rd, Jubilee Square in Leicester’s city centre was transformed into a celebration of all things space, Dr Tracey Dickens, the Director of Space School UK, said: “This with “aliens”, astronaut suits, meteorites and model rockets year marks the 30th anniversary of Space School UK, and the all housed under a giant dome. Activities were centred around University of Leicester will be home to 180 future astronauts, the theme of “Out of this World” to commemorate the 50th engineers, space scientists, and those who just have a love of anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, with the space. As we look back at the Apollo 11 Moon landings that Department’s staff and students taking part in the “Ask a happened 50 years ago, we are looking to the future. We Space Expert” event. Whilst the volunteers made their area of know that our students are the future of the space industry - expertise known with a relevant prop or image, festival many of our alumni already work in organisations such as the attendees were encouraged to ask their burning questions on European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019

“This year we are pleased to welcome leading space The first Therapy Dog visit was on 13 June 2019, and after the companies Lockheed Martin UK, Virgin Galactic, and The Air success of this one, another visit was planned for 1 Aug 2019. League as sponsors of scholarships for students across all In the future this could turn into a monthly event - here’s three weeks of Space School UK. hoping!

“Spending a ‘week in space’ gives students the platform to meet professionals working in the field, and stretch their understanding of space and future career paths. Space School UK is a fantastic opportunity for young scientists to fully immerse themselves in a topic they love, and to build friendships which will last them a lifetime.”

Mentors at Space School UK have all been students there multiple times themselves and all work or study in the space sector. Heidi Thiemann, Senior Mentor and alumna of the University of Leicester said: “Attending Space School UK as a teenager gave me the push to follow my dream of working in the space industry. I have fond memories of spending summer building rockets and getting stuck into lectures and astronomy. Now, as a mentor at Space School UK, I love encouraging young people to follow their space dreams.” Raising a Pint to Leicester Physicists (July 2019)

Over 30 years, Space School UK has seen over 3,000 students Leicester researchers organise the inaugural Leicester chapter pass through its doors. Space School UK’s alumni range from of the international Pint of Science Festival, a three-day Libby Jackson, Manager of Human Spaceflight at the UK Space celebration of local science –by Kier Birchall. Agency, to Dr Rhaana Starling, Associate Professor in Astrophysics at the University of Leicester. There are many space professionals in the UK’s space industry who can trace their inspiration back to Space School UK. It continues to ensure that there is a steady flow of talent joining the UK space industry.

Mental Health and Wellbeing – Visits from the Therapy Dog (July 2019)

University's Therapy Dog visits the Physics Department to promote mental health and wellbeing amongst postgraduate students - by Harneet Sangha.

Pint of Science is a three-day festival that sees thousands of For anyone working in academia, it can be easy to let work scientists bringing their research out of the lab and into the take over. PhD students especially, find it hard to be able to pub. Founded seven years ago by two UK researchers, the de-stress from the pressures they experience. Mental festival brings a unique line up of talks, demonstrations and wellbeing can greatly impact other parts of your life, so it is live experiments to the favourite locals of over 300 cities very important to look after your mental health and learn to across 24 countries. This year, Leicester joined their ranks by cope with the stresses of everyday life. hosting its inaugural Pint of Science festival. From Mon 20th –

Weds 22nd May, in bars across the city, University of Leicester For this reason, the Physics Postgraduate Research (PGR) scientists spoke on the themes of ‘Our Body’, ‘Beautiful Mind’ Representative for Mental Health and Wellbeing (Harneet and ‘Atoms to Galaxies’. Sangha) organised a day for the University’s Therapy Dog

(Velo) to come into the Physics Department for the PGR Researchers and students from the Department of Physics & students to play with her and to de-stress. There were six 10- Astronomy (Keir Birchall, Emma Dodd, Sam Frampton and Neil minute sessions, in which 4 students could book onto and Humpage) organised a sold-out ‘Atoms to Galaxies’ event, attend to spend time with Velo. with support from the city co-ordinators, Eloise Marais and

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Gonzalo Urcelay, and marketing and advertising by Emily system and the difficulty with which we observe such distant Richardson. planets when they were told that it would be 8 miles away, in Loughborough. In the cellar of Manhattan34, with bespoke space-themed cocktails in hand, the public paused to ponder the universe. Presenters from other University of Leicester departments On Monday, we studied the solar system with Simon Lindsay and other Universities showed-off their weird and amazing talking about Leicester’s role in BepiColombo, Gabby Provan science. From time-travelling water fleas to Leicester City demonstrating the physics of the northern lights, and Leigh related earthquakes, the day’s topics were as diverse as the Fletcher making the case for a mission to the Ice Giants. presenting scientists. Here is hoping that the day was one of Tuesday saw our horizons expanded out to the extragalactic, many first steps in making STEM subjects equally accessible to with Tamela Maciel (from the National Space Centre) all. uncovering black hole beasts and Rhaana Starling chasing cosmic explosions. Finally, on Wednesday, we returned home to Earth, with James Wheeler considering how we observe the crops we consume, Eloise Marais speaking on monitoring air pollution, and Neil Humpage giving us a hands-on perspective of Earth observations.

The wide range of fascinating talks provoked numerous engaging questions and conversations from the audience. It really showed what a fantastic time was had by the audience, speakers and organisers alike. Mark your calendars for the next Pint of Science Festival on 11-13 May 2020 when Leicester will repeat its success at taking science to the public and the pub.

Leicester Physics PhD Students at Soapbox Science (June 2019) Italy’s first astronaut talks to University of PhD Students Naomi Rowe-Gurney and Harneet Sangha Leicester, MSc Space Exploration Systems showcased their work at the Soapbox Science event at the students (February 2019) Leicester Riverside Festival in June 2019 - by Naomi Rowe- Gurney. Italy’s first astronaut to fly in space, Dr Franco Malerba, visited On a sunny Saturday at the beginning of June, the popular the University of Leicester to talk to MSc Space Exploration summer family event, Leicester Riverside festival, hosted a Systems students in our Department of Physics and new and very different exhibit this year: Soapbox Science. Astronomy. Founded by two female scientists, their goal was to engage the public about STEM subjects whilst also challenging the stereotype that most scientists are men.

The pathway in Castle Gardens was transformed into an arena of science. Female academics selected from all over the East Midlands were standing on soapboxes and talking enthusiastically to passers-by. Children and adults alike were listening, asking questions and taking part in experiments throughout the day.

Two Leicester physics PhD students (Naomi Rowe-Gurney and Harneet Sangha) were a presenting team. With the help of

Harneet, Naomi shared her research on the atmosphere of Uranus. Spectators were asked to guess how far away Uranus The talk was just one of a number of exclusive student-only would be if it was the size of a football and Earth was the size events that took place over three days (26-28 February) of an apple. They really got a feeling for the scale of the solar- organised by Dr Emily Jane Watkinson, Human Spaceflight

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019 half-module lead on our MSc Space Exploration Systems The WiP group also hosted a Soapbox Science session in the course. Students were able to hear a range of external common room on Wednesday 6 March 2019, where 7 people, speakers as they provide individual talks and partake in panel ranging from PhD students to staff, spoke about their research debates. Attendees will hear about Space Exploration, for 10 minutes and their talks ranged from planet formation International Scenarios and technology insights. to white dwarfs. They presented their talks to a great turnout of fellow PhD students and staff members. Speaking before the event Dr Emily Jane Watkinson said: “This is an incredibly exciting and inspiring opportunity for our MSc Space Exploration Systems students. “Before the workshop, the students learn about some of the challenges of being in microgravity and of the space radiation environment on the human body. This workshop is a fantastic opportunity for students to ask and speak with a number of experts with wide- ranging human spaceflight related expertise and experiences.

“It is not every day you are able to meet an astronaut or a trained astronaut instructor. It is also not every day you meet an expert who understands the importance of psychology in human space exploration and meet people who have been involved in designing technology and environments for astronauts to use and work in. This is without a doubt an Pride in Science Display in the Physics and inspirational event for our students, who are growing into our next generation of space exploration scientists and Astronomy Foyer for LGBT+ History Month engineers.” (February 2019)

The panel debate included experts Piero Messidoro, Dr Franco The Physics and Astronomy Department celebrated LGBT+ Malerba, Dr Iya Whiteley and Dr Suzie Imber. There was a History Month – by Naomi Rowe-Gurney. demonstration of a pressurisable space suit (which may be the only one of its kind in the UK) led by Professor Anu Ojha from the National Space Centre. Dr Franco Malerba discussed his real-life spaceflight experience on the STS-46 Space Shuttle mission in 1992.

International Women’s Day 2019 Celebrations (March 2019)

The Leicester Women in Physics (WiP) group marked International Women’s Day 2019 with a whole host of celebrations - by Aneesah Kamran

The United Nations have marked 8 March as the annual

International Women’s Day (IWD), a day to highlight and In celebration of LGBT+ History Month, in February of 2019 celebrate the contributions made by women across the world the Physics Foyer was covered in a colourful display of flags in the pursuit for all women’s rights. The University of and over 50 profiles of LGBT+ identifying scientists from Leicester’s Women in Physics group (WiP), consisting of PhD around the world. Five of the scientists featured were students Alexandra Fogg, Nicolle Finch and Aneesah Kamran, physicists from our very own University of Leicester. organised a week-long celebration from 4 - 8 March 2019.

In order to raise awareness and celebrate the achievements Dr. Cassandra Hall, a fellow of the Theoretical Astrophysics of women in physics, the WiP group created a presentation of group and member of the Physics and Astronomy Equality, prominent women from a wide variety of backgrounds and Diversity and Inclusion working group coordinated the display. disciplines. The presentation was available throughout the She had the help of many enthusiastic students and staff in week in the Physics foyer, as well as profiles being placed all the department. The aim of the display was to bring LGBT+ across the Physics department. scientists to the forefront, focusing on their science

achievements and highlighting the diversity in our community.

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Acknowledging the barriers that may be faced by our friends If you would like to show your support then please help to and colleagues helps to get everyone talking about how we increase the Leicester presence on the Astro and Physics can be inclusive and supportive of everyone. Out/Ally list by going to https://astro-outlist.github.io/ for astronomers and https://lgbtphysicists.org for physicists. People were certainly discussing these important issues over tea and coffee on the 8th of February during the busy launch of the display. The head of department, Prof. Graham Wynn, thanked Cass and the other organisers for their hard work and reminded us all of the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in our department.

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Science News

New Instrument for the Oadby Observatory star polarisation survey, Wiersema and Starling hope to better understand the interaction of light and dust in these regions. (December 2019) New space mission to find explosive transients Leicester astronomers are testing out a brand-new instrument for the observatory, made possible by a grant from the Royal in the universe (December 2019) Society - by Klaas Wiersema and Rhaana Starling Leicester physicists are leading the development of a revolutionary instrument to find explosive transients in the universe - by Paul O’Brien and Ian Hutchinson

The European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency are funding Leicester scientists designing an instrument for a new mission called THESEUS, which will dramatically increase the rate of discovery of explosive transients in the universe. Leicester leads the primary soft X-ray instrument (SXI) on THESEUS. The SXI is designed to detect the most distant, luminous transients – Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) – which typically last for only a few tens to hundreds of seconds.

Traditional X-ray telescopes have a small field of view, Most instruments on telescopes measure the brightness or comparable to the size of the full Moon. By cunningly adapting the colours (spectrum) of objects in the night sky. However, the way Lobsters view the world, scientists at Leicester have there is a third property of light that astronomers can use: the designed a focussing X-ray telescope with a field of view some polarisation of light from these objects. When light is 20000 times bigger than before! This extraordinary capability polarised, it means that there is a non-randomness in the will enable a GRB discovery rate far in excess of current plane of oscillation of light waves. An instrument called a facilities, and will find large numbers of other transient types. polarimeter can measure this directionality. Most stars are THESEUS will also carry a high-energy instrument and an not intrinsically polarised. However, thin clouds of dust in our infrared telescope to provide extended wavelength coverage Milky Way intercept some of the light of some stars. This dust and enable on-board distance determination. Professor Paul scatters the starlight, inducing polarisation. By measuring the O’Brien, the Principal Investigator for the SXI, said “Taking an polarisation of stars, we can then map out the properties of optics lesson from nature will allow us to find the first GRBs, dust clouds across the Milky Way. and will hence locate where the first stars were born. The SXI

continues Leicester’s long-standing role in innovative Recently, Dr. Rhaana Starling of the University of Leicester technology”. School of Physics & Astronomy received a grant from the

Royal Society to build such a polarimeter, for the large telescope at the University observatory in Oadby (maintained by Dipali Thanki). The instrument was named LE2Pol (LE2 is the first part of the observatory postcode). Dr. Klaas Wiersema designed the polarimeter and constructed it, using optical components manufactured for us in the UK and the

USA. On 29 November, LE2Pol was mounted on the telescope Figure 1 The soft X-ray imager is composed of four identical modules for the first time. It was the first time starlight entered the designed in the Physics & Astronomy Department. Left: a view looking instrument, a milestone called “first light”. A first inspection onto the X-ray optics for one module, made up of 64 microchannel of the data showed the instrument works as designed. plates which focus the light onto 8 large X-ray detectors.

Over the next years, LE2Pol will be used for a number of THESEUS is under Phase A study by ESA for the so-called science projects, in particular to map out the dust structure in ‘Medium-5’ mission, with a total budget in excess of 600 specific areas of the sky where large radio telescopes make million euros. If selected in 2021, THESEUS would be built by deep maps. By combining these radio data with the LE2Pol an international consortium for launch in 2032. The SXI

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019 instrument scientist, Dr Ian Hutchinson, said “Leicester has a supermassive black hole in the centre of a galaxy, showing key role in developing both optics and detectors for the SXI. how some of the highest energy particles in the Universe are These technologies also have multiple applications for other made. missions.” The great success of Swift results from its clever technology The Leicester THESEUS project team includes Paul O’Brien, Ian and its clever people. These are the skilled engineers who built Hutchinson, Hannah Lerman, Melissa McHugh, Andrew the instruments and the dedicated scientists working daily to Beardmore, Paul Drumm, Roisin Speight, Alexander Lodge, get the maximum possible discoveries from Swift by operating Charly Feldman, and Richard Willingale. the spacecraft, tuning the analysis systems, training the younger generations of Swift users, and developing new Swift capabilities. We all celebrate the new discoveries made by Celebrating 15 years of Swift discoveries in Swift, and hope for another 15 years! orbit (November 2019) First detection of a gamma-ray burst afterglow Leicester celebrates the great success of the Swift satellite in transient astrophysics on the 15th anniversary of its launch – in very-high-energy gamma-ray light by Julian Osborne (November 2019)

After a decade-long search, Leicester physicists are involved in the first detection of a gamma-ray burst in very-high-energy gamma-ray light – by Paul O’Brien

Launched from Cape Canaveral on Nov 20, 2004, the Swift satellite was designed to answer the many questions about the enigmatic cosmic explosions known as Gamma-Ray Bursts. It is a novel autonomous rapid-reaction spacecraft with a Extremely energetic cosmic explosions generate gamma-ray multi-wavelength payload of telescopes. The University of bursts (GRB), typically lasting for only a few tens of seconds. Leicester provided the CCD camera for the X-ray telescope, They are the most luminous explosions in the universe. The which has been used in all of the observations. Swift continues burst is followed by a longer lasting afterglow, seen mostly in to work perfectly today, typically making observations of the optical and X-ray spectral regions whose intensity more than 60 different sources every day. We provide the decreases rapidly. The prompt high energy gamma-ray calibration of the XRT and its on-line science data products emission is mostly composed of photons several thousands to which are used around the world. millions of times more energetic than visible light, that can only be observed by satellite-based instruments. Whilst these Swift has been fabulously successful as a discovery machine. space-borne observatories have detected a few photons with It finds and studies around 90 new GRBs each year, and its even higher energies, the question is very-high-energy (VHE) great observing flexibility means that it gets around 5 requests gamma radiation (at least 100 billion times more energetic to promptly study new and varying objects every day. Swift than visible light and only detectable with ground-based provided the first localisations of short GRBs, ruling out a telescopes) emitted, has remained unanswered until now. supernova origin; the detection of high redshift GRBs, reaching back into the re-ionisation era of the early Universe; On 20 July 2018, the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor and a and the discovery of new types of GRB behaviour in the early few seconds later the Swift Burst Alert Telescope notified the X-ray and optical/UV light curves, teaching us about the poorly world of a gamma-ray burst, GRB 180720B. Immediately after understood central engine. Most dramatically, in 2017 it made the alert, several observatories turned to look at this position ground-breaking first coincident measurements of the source in the sky. For H.E.S.S. (the ‘High Energy Stereoscopic of gravitational waves from colliding neutron stars, showing System’), this location became visible only 10 hours later and how the elements heavier than iron are formed, and of the revealed very high energy emission many hours after the first source to be identified with a cosmic neutrino, a flaring initial event, deep in the afterglow phase. The discovery of the

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019 first GRB to be detected at such very-high-photon energies is An annual DiRAC Day meeting allows researchers to share reported in a publication by the H.E.S.S. collaboration et al., their findings. Presentations at the 2019 event in Leicester, “A new very-high-energy component deep in the Gamma-ray attended by more than one hundred researchers and Burst afterglow”, in the journal 'Nature' on Nov. 20, 2019. computing industry representatives, range from the properties of subatomic particles to the evolution of clusters Before this H.E.S.S. observation, it had been assumed that of galaxies. such bursts are likely observable only within the first seconds and minutes at these extreme energies, and not many hours University of Leicester Astrophysicist Dr Rebecca Nealon, a after the explosion. Professor Paul O’Brien, the Leicester lead member of the organising committee for DiRAC Day 2019, on H.E.S.S., noted that “the shape of the H.E.S.S. spectrum, said: “The program for this year is really exciting, with updates and the energy range of the emission at such late times from all across the DiRAC community - showcasing recent presents a major challenge to emission models”. GRBs are a advances in quantum physics all the way through to the prime target for the new Cherenkov Telescope Array, formation of galaxies.” currently under construction and which includes cameras built at Leicester. Professor O’Brien noted “We can expect a future In late 2018, DiRAC took delivery of its latest hardware, with a great number of GRBs detections at very-high energies effectively doubling the computing power available. and with this, a deeper understanding of these exciting Professor Mark Wilkinson, the Director of the DiRAC Facility phenomena". and a member of the Theoretical Astrophysics Group at the University of Leicester, said: “As soon as the new computers were installed, we wanted to give some of our researchers the Annual Dirac Day in Leicester (September 2019) opportunity to do large-scale calculations that would give them a competitive edge internationally. I was delighted by Experts in astrophysics, particle physics, nuclear physics and the range of exciting projects that were proposed – it was a cosmology assembled at the University of Leicester to share really difficult decision on which ones to select.” the latest scientific advances which have been made possible by DiRAC, a multi-site supercomputing facility. One of the projects which used the new DiRAC computers was a study into the distribution of unusual galaxies called RELHICs (REionisation-Limited H I Clouds) which are thought to contain dark matter and gas, but no stars. At the other end of the scale, another project examined the decay rates of a subatomic particle called a ‘b-quark’ to find out why experimental results from the Large Hadron Collider appear to differ from theoretical predictions.

Professor Wilkinson noted that the impact of DiRAC extends much further than the scientific breakthroughs it delivers: “We are also contributing to the delivery of the UK’s innovation agenda. We work with our industry partners to

develop novel hardware and software solutions which can be Founded in 2009 and jointly hosted at the Universities of used in many other applications.” Leicester, Edinburgh, Durham and Cambridge, DiRAC (Distributed Research utilising Advanced Computing) is a Agreement with Korea Atomic Energy Research Government-funded super-computer facility, optimised for the specialist needs of scientists working at the cutting edge Institute on future space battery design of theoretical astrophysics, particle physics, cosmology and (September 2019) nuclear physics. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) pledges new areas The University of Leicester facility, DIal (Data Intensive at of cooperation on research on radioisotope thermoelectric Leicester) has more than 400 nodes with 192 gigabytes of power generators for use in space exploration. RAM each plus four large memory nodes, three with 1.5 terabytes of RAM and one with 6 terabytes of RAM. This gives The development of these technologies will enable space it the computing power needed for the massive calculations missions that can access ever distant, cold, dark and that underpin theoretical research at the largest and smallest inhospitable environments. The MoU also signs up to scales of physics. developing international standards and safety associated with these space systems. The University of Leicester and National

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Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) are leading the development of The 2019 SURE programme has now come to an end, with radioisotope thermoelectric generators and heater units as students engaged in cutting edge research projects from part of a European Space Agency (ESA) programme. This work across the School of Physics and Astronomy – by Leigh Fletcher is being carried out in collaboration with a host of industry and academic partners in the UK, France and Germany. Every summer, the School of Physics and Astronomy opens its doors to ~6 undergraduate physicists wanting to gain an experience of the research environment. These prestigious internships are awarded to third-year undergraduates after a nation-wide competition, providing an opportunity to work closely with leading researchers here at the university. The research projects represent the breadth of Leicester's research portfolio, and enable new and exploratory concepts to be tested during the six-week internship. The students get a flavour for what a career in research might be like, whilst using and developing their analytic and experimental skills. They work alongside PhD students at the university, and are required to give presentations and final reports on their projects to the research staff. Professor Iain Gillespie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research and Engineering, echoed by Professor Richard Ambrosi, who leads This year saw six exceptional candidates engage with projects the space nuclear power activities at University of Leicester spanning planetary science, human spaceflight, and earth said: "Missions using nuclear power offer greater versatility observation. Highlights included: in challenging environments. In many cases nuclear systems can enable missions that would otherwise be impossible. As • Using satellite observations of the Earth's atmospheric part of our efforts to support the global exploration roadmap composition to explore the chemistry of wildfires, we should strive for greater international cooperation. This focussing on the enhancement of trace species from approach is part of a broader strategy of space sector Canadian wildfires in 2018 using data from the IASI, innovation that embodies the Space Park Leicester TROPOMI and SUOMI satellites. programme.” • Developing experimental techniques to assess the efficiency of using algae to remove the excess carbon Dr Young Uk Jeong, Senior Vice President for Quantum Science dioxide produced during long-duration human spaceflight, Convergence at KAERI said: “This MoU will provide our for example on crewed missions to Mars. respective countries with opportunities to pursue new • Characterising the technologies needed for high- avenues of collaboration and to discuss ways of increasing resolution imaging of gamma rays in medical cameras, substantive cooperation in space nuclear power systems.” which will be important for the next generation of portable bed-side imaging cameras for radioactive tracers. • Using spacecraft imaging to understand the water history Summer Undergraduate Research Experience of the fractures and clays visible in Mars' Oxia Planum, the 2019 landing site for the ESA-ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, due to land on the red planet in 2021. • Explaining the origins of "radio blackouts" in Mars exploration missions, caused by solar energetic particles impinging on the Martian ionosphere. • Using Earth-based telescopes to characterise atmospheric changes on Jupiter, including an ongoing cloud-clearing event at the giant planet's equator.

These projects offer just a flavour of the world-leading research occurring in the School of Physics and Astronomy, and we are very grateful to our 2019 SURE interns for all their hard work and enthusiasm. Projects for 2020 will likely be announced in January.

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The Northern Lights at Green Man Festival Earth, within a vacuum chamber representing space. A current is passed between the two spheres, signifying the charged 2019 (August 2019) particles from the Sun, producing makeshift auroras on the polar regions of the Earth sphere. Leicester Physicists captivate the Green Man Festival with the Northern Lights – by Aneesah Kamran Finally, the journey culminated in Gabby providing the audience with a live demonstration of the auroras with the University of Leicester’s very own Planeterella – a replica of Birkeland’s original terrella experiment.

Launch of new STFC 21st Century Challenge Network+ in Cancer Diagnosis (July 2019)

University of Leicester physicists are involved in a new Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) initiative to establish

a 21st Century Challenge Network+ in Cancer Diagnosis –by Mesmeric, enchanting and awe-inspiring. The Northern Lights Sarah Bugby and John Lees have fascinated humankind for several millennia. They also happened to fascinate the Green Man Festival 2019, from 15 Funding has recently been provided by the Science and – 18 August, where the University of Leicester were invited to Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to establish a 21st Century recreate the first space experiment, to demonstrate the Challenge Network+ in Cancer Diagnosis. The Network+ will science behind the Northern Lights. host multidisciplinary challenge-led workshops to engage key stakeholders and provide funding for scoping studies and The Green Man Festival takes place annually in Brecon proof of concept projects to translate STFC innovations into Beacons, Wales, and showcases music, art, comedy and clinical impact, more details of which can be found at science of all kinds to all ages. Within the confines of the www.stfccancerdiagnosis.org. This new STFC initiative is being Omnitent located in Einstein’s Garden, Gabby Provan and led by University of Liverpool but both John Lees and Sarah Aneesah Kamran, of the Radio and Space Plasma Physics Bugby were heavily involved in the initial application and are group, took captivated audiences on a journey through space Co-Is on the project. John and Sarah are members of the and time. Leadership Team and will help drive the goals of the Network.

The journey began with legends and myths originating from The launch event took place at the University of Liverpool 9th ancient civilisations, where the Northern Lights were believed September 2019. The network aims to: to be omens signifying imminent war and death. In order to • Build a multidisciplinary community drawn from STFC demystify this phenomenon, audiences were guided through and non-STFC researchers, hospitals and the the Solar System beginning at the Sun, and learned how healthcare industry. charged particles from the Sun propagate through space, and • Develop novel and accessible technologies that how they interact with the Earth’s magnetic field to drive the promote earlier cancer diagnosis and more accurate auroras. staging in secondary care. • Fund proof of concept projects that can be Audiences learned of the man who discovered this process, developed into larger challenge-led multidisciplinary Kristian Birkeland, who was the first to embark upon proposals. important and often treacherous expeditions to an arctic • Provide training opportunities, placements and mountain in Northern Norway to understand the science of travel grants for early career researchers. the auroras. Despite his theories being shunned for decades, Birkeland was finally recognised for his work after his theory was proved using direct magnetic field measurements that Serac Imaging Systems to launch hybrid gamma were taken by space probes launched at the dawn of the space optical camera (July 2019) age. Serac Imaging Systems to launch hybrid gamma optical In order to show the world how auroras worked, Birkeland camera based on innovative space imaging technology produced the world’s first auroral ‘terrella’, a rare experiment developed by University of Leicester – by Sarah Bugby consisting of 2 magnetised spheres, representing the Sun and

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Serac Imaging Systems, based in Thames Ditton, is to launch designed to deliver, helping small companies access the an innovative, new hybrid Gamma Optical camera for medical expertise and technology available in universities, to develop applications. The new system is scheduled to be available and sustain their business, contributing to the growth of the from 2021 and will be portable, smaller, easier to use and space economy.” more cost effective than anything that exists on the market today. It will bring the huge potential benefits of molecular imaging to patients whether in operating room, an intensive care unit, a physician’s office or even a remote village in the Leicester Space Science in the lime-lights at developing world. NAM (July 2019)

The high-resolution imaging system is based on hybrid gamma Leicester physicists showcase their work at the 2019 National and optical imaging technology originally developed for space Astronomy Meeting – by Steve Milan and Harneet Sangha. observation applications by the University of Leicester. It was then further developed for the medical sector, with support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), in a collaboration between the Space Research Centre at the University of Leicester and the Queens Medical Centre at the University of Nottingham.

As part of the ongoing development of the project, Serac Imaging Systems has signed up to the national SPRINT programme. SPRINT will provide Serac Imaging Systems with funded access to technology, expertise and support from programme partner, the University of Leicester to extend the performance of the system and to build a prototype for the This year the National Astronomy Meeting (NAM) was held at proposed applications. the University of Lancaster, from 30 June – 4 July 2019. With a broad range of topics being presented, it is no surprise that David Hail, CEO of Serac Imaging Systems said: “This we had such a large cohort of Leicester researchers in collaboration with the University of Leicester through the attendance, the final count giving us 18 attendees from SPRINT awards is a big step forward in our work to make the Leicester. huge benefits of molecular imaging more accessible to patients, wherever they are and so to fulfil the commercial The Leicester group presented talks in 10 separate sessions, promise of the current working prototype Hybrid Gamma four of which were invited talks given by Nial Tanvir, Gabby Optical Camera.” Provan, Phil Evans, and Mark Wilkinson, and a plenary lecture given by Steve Milan. The topics of these talks ranged from the John Lees, Emeritus Professor at University of Leicester importance of public engagement to electromagnetic signals commented: “We are very excited to work with SIS to of gravitational waves, and terrestrial auroral dynamics. commercialise our hybrid imaging technology, first pioneered for the EPIC and Chandra space missions, which will have Steve Milan’s plenary lecture revealed the current state-of- significant benefit for healthcare worldwide.” Prof Martin the-art in understanding the origin of the Earth’s Northern Barstow, Academic Lead for the SPRINT programme said: and Southern Lights, or the auroras. He described the use of “This is a wonderful example of the kind of project SPRINT was auroral cameras on spacecraft and ground-based ionospheric radars in to monitor the coupling between the solar wind and the terrestrial magnetosphere. He explained how this drives a circulation of plasma and magnetic field in near-Earth space and described the chain of events that leads to electrical currents that flow between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere, which in turn cause the atmosphere to glow.

The talk was rounded off with a discussion of outstanding questions that remain in the field, during which he emphasised the need in the future for a twin-spacecraft mission to observe the auroras in both northern and southern hemispheres simultaneously.

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He ended with a description of a new spacecraft mission, the Solar wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Link Explorer, or SMILE, due for launch in 2023 which is currently being developed by the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to image the plasmas of the magnetosphere in X-rays, and in which Leicester scientists are playing a leading role.

Along with all of these interesting talks, the University of Leicester also had 11 presentations at the poster session. The topics of these posters were also highly varied, including: ionosphere-atmosphere coupling at Jupiter and Saturn; spectroscopy of galaxies; auroral and field-aligned current signatures; shocks in outflows of detected neutron star mergers; and radar blackouts in Mars’ atmosphere.

The days of talks were accompanied by a range of evening activities such as the conference dinner and the pie and quiz Astronomers see “warm” glow of Uranus’ rings night, giving the opportunity to catch up with friends and (June 2019) network further. The week of NAM 2019 was great fun, we hope to see everyone in Bath for the next one! Observations by researchers at Leicester and UC Berkeley offer new insight into the rings of the ice giant.

First-Year PhD Students Present Their Research (July 2019)

Leicester's 1st-year Physics PhD students showcase their research projects – by Donald Bowden

PhD students from across the Department of Physics & Astronomy gave a series of talks on their research projects to a well-attended audience of fellow students and staff. Seventeen presentations took place over the course of three days (12th – 14th June 2019), drawing from all five research groups and highlighting the exciting range of work being carried out by the department’s research students. The rings of Uranus are invisible to all but the largest telescopes — they weren’t even discovered until 1977 — and A wide range of topics were covered, including next they stand out as surprisingly bright in new heat images of the generation detector technology, exoplanet observation, and planet taken by two large telescopes in the high deserts of detection of trace chemicals in the Earth’s atmosphere. As Chile. The two sets of telescope observations were led by well as forming part of the students’ probation review, the researchers from the University of Leicester and UC Berkeley, presentations provided an opportunity to discuss their respectively. research with the audience. Congratulations to all who presented on their progress during the year! The thermal glow gives astronomers another window onto the rings, which have been seen only because they reflect a little light in the visible, or optical, range and in the near-infrared. The new images taken by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) allowed the team for the first time to measure the temperature of the rings: a cool 77 Kelvin, or 77 degrees above absolute zero — the boiling temperature of liquid nitrogen and equivalent to -196 degrees Celsius.

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The new data were published this week in The Astronomical Journal. Imke de Pater and Edward Molter from UC Berkeley Magnetospheres of the Outer Planets in the US led the ALMA observations, while Michael Roman and Leigh Fletcher from the University of Leicester led the VLT Conference (June 2019) observations. Leicester Physicists travelled to Japan to showcase their Leigh Fletcher, Associate Professor in Planetary Science in the research on the Outer Planets at the Magnetospheres of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Outer Planets (MOP) Conference – by Aneesah Kamran Leicester, said: “The VLT observations probe shorter wavelengths than those from ALMA, and had been originally designed to explore the temperature structure of Uranus’ atmosphere. Given that no one had ever seen thermal emission from the rings before, we were astonished to see them jump out clearly when we reduced the data for the first time.

“This presents an exciting opportunity for the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, which will be able provide vastly improved spectroscopic constraints on the Uranian rings in the coming decade.”

The observations also confirm that Uranus’s brightest and This year the Magnetospheres of the Outer Planets densest ring, called the epsilon ring, differs from the other conference (MOP) was hosted by the University of Tohoku in known ring systems within our solar system, in particular the Sendai, Japan from 3-7 June 2019, where several researchers spectacularly beautiful rings of Saturn. from the Radio and Space Plasma Physics group at Leicester attended the conference and presented their most recent “Saturn’s mainly icy rings are broad, bright and have a range work. of particle sizes, from micron-sized dust in the innermost D ring, to tens of meters in size in the main rings,” said de Pater, Seven Leicester Physicists presented their work spanning all 4 a UC Berkeley professor of astronomy. “The small end is outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, with 2 missing in the main rings of Uranus; the brightest ring, epsilon, posters and 5 talks across 3 sessions. The 2 posters covered is composed of golf ball-sized and larger rocks.” the auroras at Jupiter to the rings of Saturn. The talks spanned out further into the Solar System to demonstrate Saturn’s By comparison, Jupiter’s rings contain mostly small, micron- infrared auroral emissions to the dynamics of Uranus’ sized particles (a micron is a thousandth of a millimeter). ionosphere. Neptune’s rings are also mostly dust, and even Uranus has broad sheets of dust between its narrow main rings. Rings The 5-day conference also included opportunities to visit could be former asteroids captured by the planet’s gravity, Matsushima Bay as well as a conference dinner with ample remnants of moons that crashed into one another and time for networking and exploring Sendai. The next MOP shattered, the remains of moons torn apart when they got too conference will be hosted by the University of Liege, Belgium close to Uranus, or debris remaining from the time of in 2021. formation 4.5 billion years ago.

“The rings of Uranus are compositionally different from The ‘Forbidden Planet’ has been found in the Saturn's main ring, in the sense that in optical and infrared, Neptunian Desert (May 2019) the albedo is much lower: they are really dark, like charcoal,” Ned Molter, a graduate student, said. “They are also An exoplanet smaller than Neptune with its own atmosphere extremely narrow compared to the rings of Saturn. The has been discovered in the so-called ‘Neptunian Desert’ by an widest, the epsilon ring, varies from 20 to 100 kilometers international collaboration of astronomers, including wide, whereas Saturn's are 100’s or tens of thousands of researchers from the University of Leicester. kilometers wide.” New research by an international group of researchers, The lack of dust-sized particles in Uranus’s main rings was first including Dr Matt Burleigh and Dr Emma Longstaff of the noted when Voyager 2 flew by the planet in 1986 and Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of photographed them. The spacecraft was unable to measure Leicester, has identified a rogue planet. the temperature of the rings, however.

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It was discovered by using the state-of-the-art Next- Dr Burleigh said: “At Leicester we have been leading a Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) facility, which is situated at campaign to follow-up and confirm NGTS’s exoplanet the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory in discoveries. Since this transit is so shallow, NGTS-4b wasn’t the heart of the Atacama Desert in Chile. It is a collaboration initially one of our top priority targets. But thanks to the led by the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the excellent facilities in South Africa, we were able to detect the University of Warwick, together with the University of transit and convince ourselves the planet was real.” Leicester, University of Cambridge and Queen's University Belfast in the UK, and the Observatoire de Genève, DLR Berlin and Universidad de Chile.

Dr Richard West, from the Department of Physics at the NGTS-4b, also nicknamed the ‘Forbidden Planet’ by University of Warwick, commented: “This planet must be researchers, is a planet 20% smaller than Neptune but three tough - it is right in the zone where we expected Neptune- times the size of Earth. It has a mass of 20 Earth masses, and sized planets could not survive. It is truly remarkable that we is hotter than Mercury at 1,000 degrees Celsius. It orbits found a transiting planet via a star dimming by less than 0.2% around its parent star in only 1.3 days. - this has never been done before by telescopes on the ground, and it was great to find after working on this project It is the first exoplanet of its kind to have been found in the for a year. We are now scouring out data to see if we can see ‘Neptunian Desert’, the region close to stars where no any more planets in the Neptune Desert – perhaps the desert Neptune-sized planets are normally found. This area receives is greener than was once thought.” strong irradiation from its star, meaning the planets do not retain their gaseous atmosphere – they evaporate, leaving just a rocky core. Notably, NGTS-4b still has its atmosphere of gas. NASA and European Space Agency visit Leicester for Mars workshop (May 2019) When looking for new planets, astronomers look for a dip in the light of a star. This shows that the planet is in transit - Planetary scientists from across the globe, including orbiting it and blocking the light. Usually only dips of 1% and representatives from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA and more are picked up by ground-based searches, but the NGTS European Space Agency, visited the University of Leicester last telescopes can pick up a dip of just 0.2%, which was essential week for a Mars Sample Return workshop. to the detection of NGTS-4b.

This discovery hinged on a crucial observation taken by University of Leicester astronomers, using a telescope at the South African Astronomical Observatory: Dr Burleigh and Dr Longstaff confirmed that the transit, and therefore the exoplanet, was real. This alerted the rest of the NGTS consortium to the exciting potential of this exoplanet, and prompted a rush to collect further data. Researchers believe the planet may have moved into the Neptunian Desert recently, in the last one million years, or that it was very big and its atmosphere is still evaporating.

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It was the second meeting of the Mars Sample Planning Group, which is organised under the auspices of NASA and ESA in order to plan sample analyses and contamination controls. The workshop, which ran from Wednesday 1 May to Friday 3 May, was organised by Professor John Bridges, Professor of Planetary Science and John Holt, Research Engineer, both of the Space Research Centre within the University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.

In this meeting they discussed technology – including that being developed at Leicester’s Space Research Centre – which can allow for examination of the drill core samples which will return with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover while still accommodating stringent planetary protection and The breakthrough means potential use of americium in cleanliness requirements. radioisotope power systems for missions which would use the heat from americium pellets to power spacecraft heading into The Mars 2020 rover is set to drill 500g of mudstone samples deep space or to challenging environments on planet surfaces when it reaches its landing site in an ancient delta in Mars’s where other power sources, such as solar panels, no longer Jezero Crater in 2021. The samples will subsequently be function. returned with a follow-up mission in 2026. Mars 2020’s sample collection activities follow the discovery of organics In this way, such space missions can carry on sending back vital within the rocks of Mars’s Gale Crater by the Mars Science images and data to Earth for many decades, far longer than Laboratory, a probe mission launched by NASA in 2011. would otherwise be possible.

Science Minister Chris Skidmore said: “This remarkable UK scientists generate electricity from rare breakthrough sounds like something from a science fiction element to power future space missions (May film but it is another brilliant testament to our world leading 2019) scientific and university communities and their commitment to keeping the UK at the very frontier of developments in space technology and research for energy requirements in Experts have generated electricity from a rare chemical difficult environments. It is on the foundations of such element for the first time which may mean future space discoveries that we can create the highly skilled jobs of the missions can be powered for up to 400 years. future, supported through our modern Industrial Strategy and record level of government investment in R&D.” The rare element americium is not found in nature but is a by- product of the decay of plutonium, which itself is produced The technical programme to deliver this world first has been during the operation of nuclear reactors. running for several years, supported by funding from the Government’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy A team of scientists led by the National Nuclear Laboratory department through the UK Space Agency and its ongoing (NNL), working with the University of Leicester, have participation in European Space Agency (ESA) programmes. extracted americium from some of the UK’s plutonium stockpile and used the heat generated from this highly Essential contributions to the project came from European radioactive material to generate enough electric current to Thermodynamics Ltd, who helped develop the thermoelectric light up a small lightbulb within a special shielded area in generator unit, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, NNL’s Central Laboratory in Cumbria. who permitted the use of plutonium from the UK stockpile.

Tim Tinsley, NNL’s Account Director for the work, commented: “Seeing this lightbulb lit is the culmination of a huge amount of specialist technical work carried out by the teams from NNL and Leicester, working in collaboration with other organisations such as ESA and UK Space Agency. Leicester University’s capability in the development of the radioisotope power systems was complimented by NNL’s expertise in handling and processing americium in our unique lab facilities.

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It is great to think that americium can be used in this way, universities across the country in the design and development recycling something that is a waste from one industry into a of cutting-edge space science. significant asset in another.” “Space weather – such as solar wind – is a potential threat to Professor Richard Ambrosi, programme lead at the University our communications systems here on Earth so this research of Leicester was echoed by his colleague Chris Bicknell, who examining how the wind interacts with our planet’s worked on the power generator, in saying: “In order to push electromagnetic system is important. This £35 million of space forward the boundaries of space exploration, innovations in science funding is part of our ambitious Industrial Strategy, power generation, robotics, autonomous vehicles and boosting research investment and helping the UK’s space advanced instrumentation are needed. Radioisotope power sector to thrive.” sources are an important technology for future European space exploration missions as their use would result in more National funding for these missions is in addition to the UK’s capable spacecraft, and probes that can access distant, cold, regular contributions to the European Space Agency’s science dark and inhospitable environments. This is an important step programme. Chris Lee, Chief Scientist at the UK Space Agency, in achieving these goals." said: “The UK’s involvement in the instruments onboard both of these missions underpins our separate industrial Keith Stephenson, the programme lead from ESA for the work, investment in SMILE through our ongoing membership of the added: “The unrivalled energy density of nuclear power European Space Agency. SMILE is a prime example of sources enables a whole range of missions that would be scientific innovation underpinning the broader economy with otherwise impossible. This successful collaboration between real-world applications and our investment will ensure UK the nuclear and space sectors has created a brand-new scientists and engineers will be leading participants in all capability for Europe, and opens the door to a future of aspects of the mission.” ambitious and exciting exploration of our solar system.” The UK funding is to develop a Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) instrument, being led by the University of Leicester, with UK to tackle danger of the solar wind (March scientific mission leadership at UCL Mullard Space Science 2019) Laboratory, and support from the Open University, ahead of launch in 2023. New national space funding worth £7 million will ensure UK scientists play a leading role in a new space weather mission, Professor Paul Monks, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the Science Minister Chris Skidmore announced on the first day College of Science and Engineering, University of Leicester, of British Science Week (8 March). said: “We are delighted to be leading the development of the SXI instrument at the University of Leicester, building on our long heritage of cutting-edge space research and instrumentation. SXI will be the first instrument to provide true global imaging of the solar wind exchange process within the magnetosphere. The results of which will have meaningful implications for safeguarding our environment on Earth.”

Rare extreme space weather could disrupt modern technology by causing geomagnetic storms affecting satellite navigation, shortwave communications and power grids. A recent ESA study estimated the potential socio-economic impact in Europe from a single, extreme space weather event could reach €15 billion. Much of this disruption could be avoided through accurate forecasting.

Prof Graziella Branduardi-Raymont, SMILE mission Co- The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer Principal Investigator at UCL Mullard Space Science (SMILE) mission will study how the solar wind interacts with Laboratory, said: “Space weather remains one of the biggest the Earth's magnetosphere, which can impact on satellites, risks facing humanity and SMILE will make a fundamental power grids and communications networks integral to our contribution in furthering our scientific understanding to help modern lives. The new funding from the UK Space Agency mitigate its impact. I am thrilled that we have achieved this brings the total UK investment in the SMILE instruments to significant milestone in the development of SMILE and the £10 million and will build on the significant expertise found in mission is now incorporated in the ESA Cosmic Vision programme.

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that the naming of space projects is starting to catch up with “This is a crucial step for the UK institutes collaborating to the gender balance in our science teams.” make SMILE a success, and in particular its Soft X-ray Imager which is led by the University of Leicester, as adoption by ESA ExoMars is part of a wider worldwide drive to explore Mars, is a necessary step to secure funding from the UK Space and if the European mission is successful it will open up new Agency to support the development of SMILE to launch in opportunities to bring back samples from Mars, and one day 2023.” develop human missions.

ExoMars rover named after DNA pioneer High-speed supernova reveals earliest (February 2019) moments of a dying star (January 2019)

The European Space Agency has named its new ExoMars rover An international team of scientists, including astronomers Rosalind Franklin, after the DNA pioneer, it has been from the Universities of Leicester, Bath and Warwick, have announced. found evidence for the existence of a 'hot cocoon' of material enveloping a relativistic jet escaping a dying star. ExoMars (Exobiology on Mars) is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian space agency Roscosmos to search for evidence of life on Mars. The University of Leicester is involved in two of the instruments that will equip the Rosalind rover. The name was decided by a panel of experts from a list of possibilities suggested by nearly 36,000 members of the public.

A relativistic jet is a very powerful phenomena which involves plasma jets shooting out of black holes at close to the speed of light, and can extend across millions of light years.

Observations of supernova SN2017iuk taken shortly after its onset showed it expanding rapidly, at one third of the speed of light. This is the fastest supernova expansion measured to date. Monitoring of the outflow over many weeks revealed a In November 2018 over 100 delegates from academia and clear difference between the initial chemical composition and industry met at the National Space Centre in Leicester to that at later times. select the landing site for the ExoMars rover. After four years of careful study, The Landing Site Selection Working Group Taken together, these are indicators of the presence of the opted for Oxia Planum as their preferred site, because its fine much-theorised hot cocoon, filling a gap in our knowledge of sediments would be perfect for the rover’s drill. The decision how a jet of material escaping a star interacts with the stellar will be officially confirmed early this year. envelope around it and providing a potential link between two previously distinct classes of supernovae. Professor John Bridges, Professor of Planetary Science from University of Leicester's Department of Physics and The supernova signals the final demise of a massive star, in Astronomy, said: “The University of Leicester has a major which the stellar core collapses and the outer layers are commitment and a variety of roles in the exploration of Mars, violently blown off. SN2017iuk belongs to a class of extreme from studying landing sites and martian meteorites, to supernovae, sometimes called hypernovae or GRB-SNe, that developing the instruments the Rosalind Franklin rover will accompany a yet more dramatic event known as a gamma-ray carry, and Mars rovers’ operations. Our knowledge of the burst (GRB). At stellar death, a highly relativistic, narrow evolution of Mars has developed radically over the last 10 to beam of material can be ejected from the poles of the star 20 years and future missions will ensure that our University which glows brightly first in gamma radiation and then across stays at the forefont of international research. It is also good the entire electromagnetic spectrum and is known as a GRB.

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Until now, astronomers have been unable to study the earliest SN2017iuk also provides a long-sought link between the moments in the development of a supernova of this kind (a supernova that accompany GRBs, and those that do not: in GRB-SN), but SN2017iuk was fortuitously close-by – at roughly lone supernovae, high speed outflows have also been seen, 500 million light years from Earth – and the GRB light was with velocities reaching 50,000 kilometres per second, which underluminous, allowing the SN itself to be detectable at early can originate in the same cocoon scenario but escape of the times. Dr Rhaana Starling, Associate Professor in the relativistic GRB jet is somehow thwarted. Core-collapse University of Leicester’s Department of Physics and supernovae without GRBs are usually found much later after Astronomy said: "This immediately looked like an event worth their onset, giving scientists very little chance of detecting any chasing, as it happened in a grand-design spiral galaxy at very signatures of a hot cocoon, whilst cocoon features in GRB- close proximity, cosmologically speaking. When the first sets associated supernovae are usually hidden by the bright, of data came in there was an unusual component to the light relativistic jet. The rare case of SN2017iuk has opened a that looked very blue, prompting a monitoring campaign to window onto the earliest stages of this type of supernova see if we could determine its origin by following the evolution phenomenon, allowing the elusive cocoon structure to be and taking detailed spectra. observed. “The gamma-ray burst itself looked quite weak, so we could see other processes that were going on around the newly- formed jet which are normally drowned out. The idea of a Planetary astronomers identify cycle of cocoon of thermalised gas created by the relativistic jet as it spectacular disturbances at Jupiter’s equator drills out of the star had been proposed and implied in other (December 2018) cases, but here was the evidence that we needed to pin down the existence of such a structure.” Scientists at the University of Leicester and NASA’s Jet A coordinated approach using a suite of space- and ground- Propulsion Laboratory predict next parting of Jupiter’s veil of based observatories was required to monitor the supernova clouds for 2019 over 30 days and at many wavelengths. The event was first detected using the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Swift is a NASA space mission in which the University of Leicester is one of three partners, and hosts its UK data centre. Data obtained with the Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observatory (GOTO) helped to track the supernova light, while spectroscopy was obtained through dedicated observing programmes including initiatives by the STARGATE Collaboration headed up by Professor Nial Tanvir at the University of Leicester, which uses 8-m telescopes at the European Southern Observatory.

Professor Tanvir, Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy at the A regular pattern of unusual meteorological events at Jupiter’s University of Leicester said: “The relativistic jet punches out equator has been identified by planetary scientists at the through the star as if it was a bullet being fired out from the University of Leicester. Jupiter’s striped appearance of light inside of an apple. What we've seen for the first time is all the zones and dark brown belts provides breathtaking views apply debris that explodes out after the bullet.” through amateur and professional telescopes alike - but Jupiter’s stripes can change and shift over poorly-understood Speeds of up to 115,000 kilometres per second were timescales, sometimes expanding and contracting, sometimes measured for the expanding supernova for approximately one fading away entirely. hour after its onset. A different chemical composition was found for the early expanding supernova when compared with Using a large database of observations of Jupiter spanning the more iron-rich later ejecta. The team concluded that just more than four decades, scientists have been working to hours after the onset the ejecta is coming from the interior, understand the forces shaping these gargantuan weather from a hot cocoon created by the jet. changes on the Solar System’s largest planet. In research recently published in Geophysical Research Letters, the team Existing supernova production models proved insufficient to used data – telescopic infrared observations – to show account for the large amount of high velocity material evidence of unique events at Jupiter’s equator when the usual measured. The team developed new models which thick, white clouds appeared to be completely missing. incorporated the cocoon component and found these were an excellent match.

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Lead author Dr Arrate Antuñano from the University of Dr Orton said: “Peering beneath the clouds, Juno’s microwave Leicester’s Department of Physics and Astronomy said: instrument revealed a deep column of ammonia gas rising at “Jupiter’s equator is normally completely clouded over, the equator and condensing to form those white clouds at the appearing dark in the infrared because those clouds appear in equator. We’re excited to see whether that deep ammonia silhouette against Jupiter’s warm internal glow. Those thick plume is about to change during the new equatorial clouds make the equator look white through a visible disturbance event.” Indeed, the scientists suspect that the telescope.” accumulation of ammonia at the equator might help to explain the bizarre six-seven year pattern of the events. Co-author Dr Leigh Fletcher, also from the University of Leicester’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, said: Dr Antuñano added: “These long-term observations are the “Professional astronomers have been tracking Jupiter’s key to unlocking the secrets of these slow weather patterns infrared emission for decades, particularly using NASA’s and climate variations on Jupiter, and allow us to place the Infrared Telescope Facility on top of Maunakea, Hawai’i. findings of NASA’s Juno mission into the proper historical “Only by putting all of these observations together, from a context.” wide variety of instruments over more than three Jupiter years – a year on Jupiter lasts 12 Earth years – did we begin to spot a pattern.” Deck the halls with Christmas lights all the way

Dr Antuñano said: “Every six or seven years, we found to space (December 2018) examples of observations when the equatorial clouds had vanished completely, allowing us to see deeper into Jupiter’s University of Leicester students have calculated how many churning atmosphere. These cloud-clearing disturbances left Christmas lights are needed to decorate a house to be visible the equator looking very bright in the infrared, and dark from space. brownish in visible light. These disturbances lasted for 12-18 months, and we saw spectacular examples in 1973, 1979, 1992, 1999 and 2006.” With this pattern, the researchers expected to see events in 1985 and 2013, but although the brownish equatorial colours were apparent, the clouds didn’t clear completely.

Dr Glenn Orton, a Senior Research Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and one of the people responsible for the enormous database of ground- based Jupiter observations used in this study, explained: “As usual, Jupiter is reluctant to give up all its secrets at once. It seems that this six-seven-year pattern isn’t perfect, and sometimes we don’t see a complete cloud-clearing disturbance.” In the 2006 Christmas film Deck the Halls, Danny DeVito's character, Buddy Hall, sets himself a mission: to use Christmas None of these previous equatorial disturbances have been lights to make his house visible from space. Now, students in properly analysed by a visiting spacecraft. Dr Antuñano said: the Department of Physics and Astronomy have calculated “If we follow the pattern over the last 45 years, the really how many LED Christmas lights Buddy would have needed to exciting result of this work is that we expect to see a new achieve this feat. event very soon, perhaps as early as next year.” Buddy is inspired to undertake his mission when he discovers Jupiter is currently close to solar conjunction, meaning that it’s his house is not visible on MyEarth, a fictional version of hiding away behind the Sun, and won’t become visible to Google Earth that uses satellite images from space. The film Earth-based observers for the next few months. There are follows him as his display grows bigger – including live animals already tantalising hints that things are changing, with small and music – to try to make it visible using Christmas lights. breaks in Jupiter’s equatorial clouds apparent in the latest images. The new study, funded by the European Research University of Leicester physics students Ryan Bradley-Evans, Council and NASA, could have some surprising implications for Razzia Gafur, Ryan Heath and Matthew Hough have calculated Juno’s exploration of Jupiter. Juno has been orbiting Jupiter that Buddy’s house would have needed precisely 2,638 LED since July 2016, returning spectacular new insights into its Christmas lights in order for it to appear on MyEarth and be deep atmosphere and magnetosphere. seen from space.

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Matthew Hough explained: “Given our results regarding whether light from a house’s Christmas lights could reach the University of Leicester graduate discovers ISS, we have proven that for such a distance, it would be Saturn’s rings are dying (December 2018) possible to make your house bright enough to be seen from space.” New research published in Icarus confirms that Saturn is losing its iconic rings at a worst-case-scenario rate. Ryan Heath said: “Physics often stretches the limits of what is physically possible for entertainment purposes. By applying Dr Tom Stallard, Associate Professor in Planetary Astronomy known physics to these scenarios, we often get unrealistic at the University of Leicester and Dr James O'Donoghue, who answers. These values calculated are a rough approximation studied for his PhD at the University of Leicester, have found as we considered an ideal case based around the assumption that Saturn’s rings are dying at the maximum rate estimated of zero light pollution.” from Voyager 1 and 2 observations made decades ago. The rings of ice are being pulled into Saturn by gravity as particles This calculation was based on the following: of ice under the influence of Saturn’s magnetic field. • The point at which a house is visible in space is at the altitude of the International Space Station (ISS) Dr O’Donoghue, who now works at NASA’s Goddard Space • The house must have an apparent magnitude of at least Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland said: “We estimate that +6.5 (the minimum value detectable by the human eye) this ‘ring rain’ drains the equivalent of an Olympic-sized • The luminosity of a single LED is 4 lm swimming pool from Saturn’s rings in half an hour. The entire • The luminosity required for a house to be visible from ring system will be gone in 300 million years.” Dr O’Donoghue space is calculated to be approximately 10.6 X 103 lm believes that the rings could even disappear quicker than this: • This corresponds to 2,638 LEDs focused on a point. “Add to this the Cassini-spacecraft detected ring-material falling into Saturn’s equator, and the rings have less than 100 Razzia Gafur said: “As scientists, we’re always looking for new million years to live.” ways to engage people in STEM and this paper is a prime example of how we can make science relevant outside of the Although this sounds like a long time, it is comparatively short lab/office. It explores physical concepts in a more fun, compared to Saturn’s age of over 4 billion years. Dr Tom captivating way by relating it to a popular Christmas movie Stallard said: “The young age of the rings has some really and showcasing how knowledge of physics can help us startling implications. It is possible, in the age of the understand and answer some of the most exciting and dinosaurs, that Saturn’s rings were even larger and brighter complicated questions – even in fictional situations.” than we see them today. Something dramatic must have happened around Saturn to make them this large, long after Ryan Bradley-Evans said: “Although we oversimplified the the planet itself formed.” factors involved, it was great to see this beloved Christmas film hold up to the physics involved, as often this is not the The first hints that ring rain existed came from Voyager case. And who knows, maybe somebody reading this will observations of a seemingly unrelated phenomena. These actually try it someday!” include changes in Saturn’s ionosphere, density variations in Saturn’s rings, and three narrow dark bands circling the planet The students presented their findings in a paper for the 2017 at northern mid-latitudes. The three dark bands appeared in Journal of Physics Special Topics, a peer-reviewed student images of Saturn’s hazy upper atmosphere made by NASA’s journal run by the University’s Department of Physics and Voyager 2 mission in 1981. In 1986, Jack Connerney of NASA Astronomy. The student-run journal is designed to give Goddard published a paper in Geophysical Research Letters students practical experience of writing, editing, publishing that linked the narrow dark bands to the shape of Saturn’s and reviewing scientific papers. magnetic field. This suggested that electrically-charged ice particles from Saturn’s rings were flowing down invisible Course leader, Dr Mervyn Roy, a lecturer in the University’s magnetic field lines, and dumping water in Saturn’s upper Department of Physics and Astronomy, said: “The aim of the atmosphere. The influx of water from the rings washed away module is for the students to learn about peer review and the stratospheric haze, making it appear dark and producing scientific publishing. The students are encouraged to be the narrow dark bands captured in the Voyager images. imaginative with their topics, and find ways to apply basic physics to the weird, the wonderful and the everyday.”

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individual planets directly is impossible because of the overwhelming brightness of the host star, the team made calculations to understand the kinds of planets that might be forming in the Taurus star-forming region.

By analysing the data, the team evaluated possible mechanisms that could cause the observed rings and gaps. When the researchers created images of 32 stars surrounded by protoplanetary disks, they found that 12 of them had rings and gaps. These rings and gaps are best explained as traces created by young planets in the making.

Dr Dipierro said: “Our results suggest that gaps and rings are common in protoplanetary discs, as a result of ubiquitous New research discovers 'super-Earths' forming processes in the disc evolution. Although their origin is still debated, our analysis shows that these structures can be around young stars (December 2018) related to the presence of new-born planets, allowing us for the first time to connect the properties of young planets with New research by a team of international astronomers, the exoplanets statistics.” including a University of Leicester researcher, has found that ‘super-Earths’ and Neptune-sized planets could be forming Moreover, according to the findings, so-called super-Earths or around young stars in much greater numbers than previously Neptune-sized gas planets of up to 20 Earth masses should be thought. the most common. Previous research has suggested that the rings and gaps may be created by ice lines caused by changes in the chemistry of the dust particles across the disc. However, the researchers performed analyses to test this hypothesis and could not find any correlation between ice lines and the patterns of gaps and rings they observed.

Dr Dipierro said: "Analysing the morphologies of gaps and how they relate with the star and disc properties we rule out the idea of ice lines causing the rings and gaps. This strengthens the idea that new-born planets are the main cause for the origin of these structures.” The paper’s lead author, Feng Long of Peking University, Beijing, China said: "This is fascinating because it is the first time that exoplanet statistics, which suggest that super-Earths and Neptunes are the most

common type of planets, coincide with observations of The results, published in the Astrophysical Journal, will help scientists better understand how our own solar system came protoplanetary disks.” Going forward, future research will use to exist 4.6 billion years ago. Dr Giovanni Dipierro, these data to predict how planetary systems are constructed.

Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Dr Richard Alexander, Reader in Theoretical Astrophysics, Leicester’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, along with University of Leicester, said: “ALMA is providing us with a team of international astronomers, measured the properties exquisite new views of protoplanetary discs, and this new of rings and gaps observed using the Atacama Large study essentially allows us to watch young solar systems as Millimeter Array (ALMA). Considered as the world’s most powerful observatory for studying the universe at millimetre they are forming. In the coming years, we will combine this and submillimetre wavelengths, the ALMA is located on the new data with precision models and computer simulations, in order to build up a comprehensive picture of how planetary Chajnantor Plateau in Chile’s Atacama Desert and made up of systems are built." 45 radio antennas.

The team, which also includes Nathan Hendler and Ilaria Pascucci at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL), performed a survey of young stars in the Taurus star-forming region, a vast cloud of gas and dust located 450 light years from Earth. Since detecting the

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before his untimely death in March 2014 and mastermind behind the novel optic design. This ground-breaking optic is BepiColombo mission launches to Mercury the key piece of equipment that allows MIXS to work, for the (October 2018) first time offering an X-ray optic that is light enough for inclusion in an interplanetary mission. As the BepiColombo spacecraft sets off on its seven-year journey to explore the strange world of Mercury this week, it Professor Emma Bunce, who is the University of Leicester will be carrying a piece of cutting-edge technology developed Principal Investigator on the BepiColombo mission, said: “The and built by UK scientists - and will represent a first for data from our instrument and from the wider payload will planetary science. revolutionise our understanding of Mercury. By measuring fluorescent X-rays from the dayside surface, MIXS will provide a detailed analysis of the surface elemental composition of Mercury that will help us understand the planet’s evolution and formation processes. The MIXS data set will also provide information on surface-exosphere-magnetosphere interactions by measuring the X-ray emission produced by particle impact with the surface on the nightside of the planet.”

Dr Adrian Martindale, who is the MIXS Instrument Scientist, said: “Working with an amazing team here in Leicester and with our partners across Europe we have produced a truly incredible instrument. As we approach such a big milestone of getting MIXS into space, we are grateful to all of our technical staff who have dedicated a significant fraction of their careers The BepiColombo mission is a two-spacecraft mission, and a to making MIXS work and I can’t wait to see what new things partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and their skill and dedication will allow us to discover when we get the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). With £6.2 to Mercury.” million of funding from the UK Space Agency, researchers from the University of Leicester have led the design, development and build of the Mercury Imaging X-Ray Revisiting Holst’s Jupiter a hundred years later Spectrometer (MIXS), an innovative space instrument that will (October 2018) fly on the European spacecraft. The main goal is to produce a global map of Mercury’s surface atomic composition in Reworking of Holst’s Planets suite benefits from insights from unprecedented detail and thus help to provide the most Leicester planetary scientist, Dr. Leigh Fletcher complete exploration and study of the planet to date, as part of the BepiColombo mission.

MIXS is also the first true imaging X-ray telescope to visit another planetary body. It will observe the surface of Mercury from the Mercury Planetary Orbiter known as Bepi, which launched in the early hours of Saturday 20 October 2018 from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana.

The University of Leicester has led the development of MIXS as principal investigator. We have led a consortium of partners from across Europe who have delivered cutting-edge technologies for inclusion in the instrument. Our role includes: development, production and calibration of the optics, design and production of the front-end electronics and calibration of the focal plane detector. We were also responsible for the One of the greatest works of classical music has been design, construction and calibration of the MIXS flight reimagined for the 21st century with the help of Dr Leigh instrument and will lead in-flight data analysis. Fletcher, who was asked to work alongside British composer Richard Bullen to help produce an audacious new version of The instrument represents a lasting legacy to Professor Gustav Holst’s Jupiter from his famous Planets suite. George Fraser, who was the original Principal Investigator

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Holst’s The Planets was premiered in 1918. Shaped by an astrological understanding of the planets, this ground- “When I was first asked to participate in this project in the breaking piece became a mainstream classic. Live Music spring, I felt this was a totally unique opportunity to engage Sculpture and Sound UK mark its centenary by asking: what with a new audience,” explains Dr Fletcher. “Richard and I would music inspired by current planetary science sound like spent a number of hours, over coffee and online, exploring in the hands of today’s composers? how our understanding of Jupiter has evolved since 1918. For example, the four Galilean moons went from being mere Reflecting developments in astronomy and music, The Planets points of light to being fully-resolved and enticing worlds, 2018 commissioned eight leading composers, spanning from volcanic Io, to Europa’s deep hidden ocean, to giant contemporary classical, electronica and jazz, to create new Ganymede’s magnetic field, and to battered and ancient works inspired by the science of our solar system, to be Callisto.” performed in planetariums. Each created a new 5-minute piece for string quartet that responds to both their chosen The Planets presents 8 distinct sound worlds, with each new planet and the unique design of these full-dome venues. piece of music introduced by the recorded voice of comedian and University of Leicester honorary graduate Jon Culshaw To inform and inspire them, each composer was matched with (Dead Ringers, Newzoids and Spitting Image), a lifelong one of the UK’s leading scientists, working at the forefront of astronomy enthusiast and part of The Sky at Night team. The astronomy and passionate about widening its audience. Dr concert can be heard here: Fletcher was speaking at the final, sold out, performance of https://soundcloud.com/sounduk/sets/the-planets-2018 the new compositions by the Ligeti Quartet at the Thinktank Planetarium in Birmingham on 2 October. Internationally renowned for pushing the possibilities of the string quartet, the Ligeti Quartet has been performing The Planets 2018 in quadraphonic sound, alongside live visuals, in full dome planetariums across the UK.

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Space Park Leicester News

estimated benefits to regional economy are £715 million and 2,500 jobs in the wider supply chain.

The first phase will focus on space data, applications and services. The building will consolidate the University’s Earth Observation capability in one physical location and will create a new home for Leicester’s Institute for Space and Earth Observation, one of the University’s flagship research institutes. The building will also contain first class teaching and laboratory facilities; and house commercial partners, both large and small. It is anticipated that 150 businesses will be active participants within the first five years.

Designed by architects Shepheard Epstein Hunter, the building is striking and contemporary in style with two wings set around a central atrium space. It has been designed to be 2019 has seen a wide range of exciting new developments for flexible, equally able to accommodate informal meetings, Space Park Leicester, the pioneering project to establish an encourage high-tech work and function as a venue for ambitious new industry-academic cluster focused on space exhibitions and events. and space-enabled industries. Space Park Leicester will be located on Pioneer Park, the site of the former John Ellis Phase one will be funded through a £12.88 million grant from School on Leicester’s Waterside, in close proximity to the the Government’s Local Growth Fund via the Leicester and popular National Space Centre, and within the Loughborough Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), a £1.5 million and Leicester Science and Innovation Enterprise Zone. July contribution from the Natural Environment Research Council 2019 saw the approval of planning permission for the first and up to £13 million from the University. These contributions phase of construction, and Space Park Leicester is due to open are just the start of an estimated £80 million+ aim to in late 2020. transform the site into a world-leading centre for space.

In November 2019, Bowmer + Kirkland (B+K) were appointed The Space Park Vision to construct Phase 1 of Space Park Leicester. Bowmer + Kirkland, established in 1923 and have grown to become one The University of Leicester is working with Leicester City of the UK’s most successful and financially secure, Council, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership independent construction and development groups. The 25 (LLEP) and the National Space Centre on the plans, which will companies within the Group specialise in construction and support the Government’s strategy to capture 10% of the construction-related activities. B+K’s exceptional credentials £400 billion global space market by 2030, creating an will enable the University to bring Space Park Leicester to life. international hub combining research, teaching and Formalities for the land purchase from Leicester City Council innovation. and construction contract were completed with support from Innes England (property acquisition), Excello Law (property Space Park Leicester will be home to some of the UK’s leading legal) and Weightmans LLP (construction legal). space research, businesses and world-renowned academics. It will create a highly collaborative commercial and academic East Midlands Manufacturing Zone community, and will have flexible state of the art accommodation to cater for established multi-national businesses right through to the smallest start-up company. In January 2019, it was announced that Space Park Leicester, together with three other projects, would benefit from a total From developing satellite technologies to enabling the of £500,000 funding to develop their plans. The projects will detailed analysis of space-enabled data, Space Park Leicester form the new and innovative East Midlands Manufacturing will help transform sectors such as international Zones, which aim to reduce planning restrictions to allow land communications, resource management, environmental to be used more productively and provide certainty for monitoring and disaster relief. When completed, the business investment. In securing Manufacturing Zone status, the University of Leicester will receive £50,000 to support the

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019 design of the Low-Cost Access to Space facility at Space Park will leverage a further £50 million of investments in space and Leicester, to ensure it is attractive and accessible to space- Earth observation (EO) research in Leicester. focused manufacturers in the area and meets their business needs. METEOR will be a key part of Space Park Leicester, a new, world-leading research, innovation and teaching hub that will The proposal for creating an East Midlands Manufacturing bring together academic research, including from the Zone pilot was first set out in the 2017 Autumn Budget. University of Leicester, and industrial space and Earth Following a funding call from the Midlands Engine to put observation R&D. This internationally unique approach to forward proposals for Manufacturing Zones, the Leicester and understanding and delivering space capabilities will position Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) responded and the city of Leicester at the cutting edge of UK space successfully secured funding to bring forward the Space Park technology. Leicester site and develop its plans. The Centre will revolutionise how satellites are conceived, The East Midlands Manufacturing Zones announcement came designed, operated and produced, as well as how data derived as the Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, from them is interpreted and used to solve real world also the Government’s Midlands Engine Champion, visited problems. It will: organisations including the National Space Centre and the site for Space Park Leicester today to hear how they are • Get to grips with the research challenges and barriers contributing to a thriving region at the heart of the UK’s to adoption of modern industrial processes for rapid, economic success. higher volume satellite production and so bring down costs and democratise space • Create digital systems and IT infrastructure to support the processing of big data to revolutionise space technology and Earth observation services here on planet Earth • Enable novel EO research methods, technologies and applications to deliver high spatial and multispectral resolution so we can see the presently “unseeable” from space

Industry partners will be able to develop new services and technologies with the support of academic researchers, with invaluable access to a flow of talent and a vibrant innovation community. These applications and services will support a variety of sectors beyond space, including agriculture, environment, transport and logistics, retail, financial services, March 2019 saw another high-profile visitor to the Space Park energy and health. site, as Minister Chris Skidmore MP was in Leicester at the start of British Science Week, visiting the University of The UKRPIF award is the largest funding award made to the Leicester to see first-hand how the University and the region University in its history, and Leicester is the only university in is at the cutting edge of life sciences and space research and the Midlands to be awarded UKRPIF funds in this round. innovation. Mr Skidmore discussed the University’s plans to UKRPIF requires double-match funding from non-public transform Leicester into a major UK space city through the sources, and the funding for METEOR has leveraged co- creation of Space Park Leicester. investment from a range of project partners, including Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Thales Alenia Space and a host of other UK Research Partnership Investment Fund companies large and small. (UKRPIF) Grant from European Regional Development Major news arrived in July 2019, as the university announced Fund (ERDF) that its new Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology and Earth Observation Research Centre (METEOR) has received In November 2019, Space Park Leicester was awarded a grant nearly £14 million in funding through Round 6 of Research of just over two million pounds from the Leicester and England’s flagship capital investment scheme, the UK Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership’s (LLEP) European Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF). This funding Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to match the University of Leicester’s investment of just over £2.4m to establish the

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Space Technology Applications from Research (STAR) Hub of the University of Leicester, Omnidea Ltd is expected to Accelerator. be the first tenant at the new Space Park currently under development. Omnidea Ltd are bringing basic research and The three-year STAR project is aiming to engage with SME development projects to the UK and will also focus on businesses across all sectors to provide help, support and manufacturing, with innovative processes (e.g. additive expertise in designing and developing products to meet the manufacturing), and testing of spacecraft propulsion short timescales demanded in modern production. It will also elements, such as pressure tanks and xenon resistojets. assist industry in assessing modern manufacturing Recently the UK Space Agency announced its formal support technologies and their applicability to those businesses. The to Omnidea Ltd, specifically aiming at developing and testing project will include approaches for rapid development, their innovative Plasma Focus Thruster at Leicester. With an iterative design, fabrication and fault finding. Prior to opening expected improved overall performance of up to 30% over of the new Space Park facilities in 2021, STAR will be housed existing thruster technology, the equipment could in buildings on the main campus of the University of Leicester. revolutionise small satellite propulsion.

Formally launched on 1 November 2019, STAR will ramp up Finally, the Satellite Applications Catapult has announced from early 2020 with all manufacturing and test facilities that it will grow its presence in the East Midlands, supporting expected to be operational by the summer. The equipment the Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology and Earth and expertise being offered to businesses will include a suite Observation Centre (METEOR) at Space Park Leicester over for 3D printing, in metal, plastic, wax and composites, offering the next five years. Since its inception, the Catapult has businesses the opportunity to re-evaluate and optimise recognised and supported the growth of the burgeoning space conceptual designs and allow demonstration of methods to sector across the UK through its Regional Centres of reduce production time. The STAR offering will also include: Excellence Programme. Its East Midlands Centre of Excellence computer aided design; precision machining; design and in Satellite Applications (EMCoE) was established in early production of electronics; and integrated design, prototyping 2014, and current partners include the University of Leicester, and coating of micro-fabricated devices such as sensors. These the National Centre for Earth Observation and the British facilities will allow STAR to support a wide range of products Geological Survey. With strong relationships with businesses, developed by SMEs. LEPs and universities across the region, EMCoE actively supports business growth by connecting businesses with The grant funding was gained via a competitive ERDF bidding research experts and through the formation of new process, and awarded by the Ministry of Housing, commercial and collaborative partnerships. The Catapult Communities and Local Government (MHCLG); the grant announced its commitment to support METEOR as part of our funding enables the expansion of the University’s world-class future ambitions for our regional programme. It will use the scientific research capability and enables even wider centre to expand its approach to supporting engagement and co-working with industry for enhanced local commercialisation of EO data, and foster collaborations economic impact. between academics and companies in the region and across the nation to turn research concepts and outcomes into commercial ventures. As the regional centre of excellence Fostering New Partnerships programme continues to grow, the Catapult will also explore opportunities to contribute to the proposed manufacturing A number of high-profile partners have announced their base at Space Park Leicester, using the skills and experience relocation to Leicester to be a part of the Space Park Leicester developed through the Catapult’s Disruptive Innovation for initiative. Airbus Intelligence announced plans to relocate Space Centre (DISC) at Harwell. their Leicestershire-based Earth Observation expert team to Space Park Leicester when their current lease expires. This will attract students to study in Leicester and, afterwards, to pursue their professional career here. Colin Paynter, UK Managing Director, Airbus Defence and Space Ltd, said: “Airbus has a long relationship with the University, collaborating on a range of activities. We hope to see a number of benefits from our involvement with the Space Park, from capturing research outputs which will seed our product and process innovation to increasing the scale and quality of researchers and talent in the EO & Data Analytics domain."

Omnidea Group announced that its UK subsidiary – Omnidea Ltd – has established in Leicester. Currently at the Innovation

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Physicists Away from the Department

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Celebrating Success

Physics in the Images of Research Competition • Dipali Thanki, Winner of the inaugural Technician’s Award 2019 • Emma Bunce, Winner of the Research Excellence Award • Merv Roy and Simon Vaughan, Finalists for the Student Congratulations to PhD student Soheb Mandhai, runner-up in Experience Champion Award the People's Choice award. • Suzie Imber, Finalist for the Impact Champion Award

This year a record number of nominations underlined the Soheb’s entry “The Cosmic Dance of Two Neutron Stars” is sheer volume of excellent work taking place across our based on his PhD work in the School. He was placed second University. With such a high number of nominations, nearly from a very strong field in the people’s choice award. 400 in total, just being a finalist was already a huge achievement. We were able to shine a light on colleagues who The image caption is: "A depiction of a binary neutron star often go unrecognised. We have discovered staff who have system. The inward spiral of these stellar remnants generates secured huge amounts of research funding, who have ripples in the fabric of space and time known as gravitational provided life-saving support for our students, and who have waves. Eventually, the two objects will coalesce to form a used their ingenuity and creativity to develop world-changing single, heavier object known as a stellar mass black hole. This ideas. interaction is highly energetic and may lead to the emission of energetic jets of light, known as gamma-ray bursts. The first Judges drawn from across the University had the unenviable observed neutron star binary merger to have a joint detection task of choosing from the many deserving nominees. From of a gravitational wave (GW170817) and a gamma-ray burst tackling the health challenges faced by today’s society to (GRB 170817A) was discovered during the summer of 2017." giving students the opportunity to build their confidence outside the classroom, and from research with an interstellar impact to the largest grant ever awarded to the University, our Staff recognised at the Discovering Excellence winners have made a huge difference to the University as a Awards (November 2019) whole.

Staff from across the University of Leicester celebrated the Breakthrough power source scoops Engineer innovation, creativity and dedication of our fantastic colleagues at the fourth annual Discovering Excellence Staff Award (November 2019) Awards. Congratulations to Professor Richard Ambrosi and colleagues Presented by President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Nishan in our School of Physics and Astronomy who have won the Canagarajah, and friend of the University and TV legend ‘Aerospace, Defence and Security’ category in The Engineer Maggie Philbin, the awards covered the whole scope of staff magazine’s annual awards. excellence in a celebratory event.

The School of Physics and Astronomy is delighted to congratulate our winners and finalists in the Discovering Excellence Awards last night:

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through educational tasks linked to Physics, Mathematics, Geography and Computer Science.

Each of the units was co-designed in collaboration with three partner organisations. Working in collaboration with The Skill Mill, a department at Northdale Horticulture in Northallerton, North Yorkshire that focusses on mental health rehabilitation, the Institute of Physics award will see 5 RadEOT units deployed from December 2019 to improve the educational opportunities of those recovering from mental health problems through the use of novel technology. Meanwhile, the STFC Spark award will see 11 units deployed with partners at the National Space Academy in Leicester and Formby High School in Southport, Merseyside to improve educational Working with the National Nuclear Laboratory and European attainment and STEM opportunities. Thermodynamics Ltd, the Leicester team broke new ground by generating electricity from americium, a by-product of plutonium decay.

Although it’s just one lightbulb for now, this has potential usage in deep space missions. The work was praised by Science Minister Chris Skidmore who called it “another brilliant testament to our world leading scientific and university communities and their commitment to keeping the UK at the very frontier of developments in space technology and research for energy requirements in difficult environments.”

Public Engagement Grants awarded to Leicester Physics Researcher to Develop Educational Technology (November 2019)

Dr Jamie Williams has been awarded Public Engagement awards from the Institute of Physics and the Science and Technology Facilities Council to develop Educational Technology EGU Award for Leicester Planetary Scientist (October 2019) Dr Jamie Williams from the Space Research Centre in the School of Physics and Astronomy has been awarded an IOP Dr. Beatriz Sánchez-Cano has been awarded a prestigious Public Engagement award and a Science and Technology award by the European Geophysical Union. Facilities Council (STFC) Spark Award to develop a total of 27 purpose built handheld scientific tools for education. Each Congratulations to Beatriz Sánchez-Cano, who has been educational unit, called RadEOT (Radio Educational Outreach awarded the Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Early Career Tool), is an open source technology using commercial off the Scientists by the European Geophysical Union shelf components and based on a Raspberry Pi. It has been (EGU). Dr. Sánchez-Cano is a postdoctoral researcher in space developed in the School of Physics and Astronomy with the plasma physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy, help of undergraduate and SURE project students and currently specialising in the exploration of the Martian Research Assistants. Each RadEOT unit uses Software Defined ionosphere via a synthesis of measurements from multiple Radio (SDR) technology to acquire and process freely available visiting spacecraft. radio data from a variety of sources, including local and national radio, aircraft transponders, the Milky Way galaxy In October the EGU named the 49 recipients of next year’s and weather satellites. Data from each source is then utilised Union Medals and Awards, Division Medals and Division within a custom open-source graphic user interface (GUI) Outstanding Early Career Scientist Awards. These individuals are honoured for their important contributions to the Earth,

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019 planetary and space sciences. They will receive their prizes at the EGU 2020 General Assembly, which will take place in Vienna on 3–8 May 2020.

The course was an incredible experience from start to finish – we learned about the basics of spacecraft design from scratch, explored logical fallacies, and discovered what it takes to operate a satellite worth millions in an environment where Leicester Student Wins Place on ESA’s anything can happen (and you might be blamed if it does). I “Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations” learned that ‘I’m Alaskan’ and ‘I’m from Leicester’ apparently (September 2019) sound similar in my accent and spent three days bemusedly fielding questions about wolves. I personally feel fortunate to Leicester Physics Undergraduate George Holyoak writes about have met thirty like-minded and rather brilliant students from the Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations, held at the ESEC- across Europe – not only was this a great opportunity to Galaxia training facility in Belgium. connect with potential future colleagues, but also for cultural exchange. For example: I was frequently reminded that my In early September, I had the privilege of attending the method of making coffee would be considered a punishable Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations Training Course, held offence in Italy and that there are people on this Earth who by ESA at their ESEC-Galaxia training facility in Belgium. This enjoy the taste of sparkling water. trip was made possible by the support of Dr Fletcher in preparing my application and a €200 travel grant from ESA. As ground-breaking as these revelations are, they aren’t the As the name suggests, the course focused on teaching the most important ways in which my horizons were broadened. principles of spacecraft operations. This was largely done Although the course was intense and packed a huge amount through case studies delivered by the pre-eminently of information into a few short days, I think its true value lies impressive instructor David Evans, who – on top of speaking in how it presents a section of the space industry few people for eight hours a day without notes – had a personal would ever consider in a way that is engaging and accessible connection to many of the examples. We were given an even to someone with no engineering experience. I went to afternoon off for a trip to the ESEC-Redu ground station, Belgium with a vague sense of curiosity inspired by my third- where the tour took us inside the control centre and one of year project, and left feeling like I had been exposed to a the enormous antennae, but without a doubt the highlight of whole new world of possibilities for applying my degree. the entire trip was the team simulation. £1.3 million grant for global atmosphere Split into teams, we were tasked with designing a mission to Pluto using everything we had learned. David then took our research (October 2019) designs and gave us a scenario in which telemetry was lost at a critical moment, based on real space missions. Our job was Dr Eloise Marais from our School of Physics and Astronomy has to work together in a simulated operations exercise to secured a European Research Council (ERC) grant of more than diagnose the problem and get telemetry back. Even though £1 million to advance her crucial research into the global upper the setting was a lecture theatre with nine other students, and troposphere. nothing was at stake, the simulation is one of the most exciting, most stressful, and most entertaining things I have Dr Marais’ research will focus on the global upper ever done. troposphere, 8 to 10 km overhead, which has profound

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019 influences on the global atmosphere. Large knowledge gaps in this field lead to errors in climate change estimates and application of Earth observations as constraints on air quality and precursor emissions.

The research, funded by the £1.3 million grant, will focus on the development of a unique global dataset to address these uncertainties. It will be developed using a long record of NASA aircraft observations, space-based instruments that monitor the chemical composition of the atmosphere, and the complex GEOS-Chem chemical transport model.

Professor Paul Monks, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Science and Engineering said: “This is a critical part of our atmosphere under sampled and not well understood. This work will give critical insight into climate change as well as the impact of, for example, air transport and pollution in The University of Leicester held a university-wide poster this region. The award Eloise has won is one of the most competition for postgraduate research students from 18 to 22 competitive in Europe and a testament to the impact of the March 2019, to celebrate Doctoral College Week. science she conducts.” There were an impressive number of entries (over 79) from all of the different colleges – including a number of our very own The grant provides five years’ funding which will enable the Physics and Astronomy PhD students. growth of a research group and the development of an independent research portfolio at the University of Leicester. Once the posters had been submitted, they were presented at Dr Marais is recruiting PhD students and postdocs to join her a poster fair, with each college presenting theirs separately. research group. The poster fair was open to all members of the university – which was a great opportunity for undergraduates, other postgraduates and staff alike, to experience and see the research that is being done around them all year long.

A panel of judges assessed the posters at the fair. A handful of the highest rated posters from each set of college semi- finalists went through to the final, and presented their work again.

Congratulations to Samuel Frampton, from the Physics and Astronomy group, with his poster Novel Spacecraft Mission Concepts to Uranus, who was the overall winner for the College of Science and Engineering, against so many other

great finalists!

Creating the Double Walled Isolator (DWI) for Science and Engineering Poster Competition Mars Sample Return (August 2019) Winner (September 2019)

The University of Leicester is working closely with NASA and Congratulations to Leicester scientist Samuel Frampton on the European Space Agency to determine the age-old winning the University’s postgraduate poster competition question, is there life on Mars? 2019 for the College of Science and Engineering – by Harneet

Sangha.

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University of Leicester is the UK’s only formal co-investigator on the Juno mission, a connection built by Professor Stan Cowley since the inception of the mission. Members of the Radio and Space Plasma Physics group have been involved in some of the magnetospheric and plasma studies, and with the world-wide campaign of supporting observations with ground- and space-based telescopes.

In 2018, NASA put out a call for interest in Participating Scientist roles, which enable direct data access and a much closer connection with the Juno instrument teams. Dr. Fletcher proposed a joint analysis of Earth-based infrared observations with Juno’s microwave measurements, allowing

us to connect what we see at the jovian cloud tops with the Mars Sample Return is happening with the launch of NASA’s hidden circulation patterns at great depths. This was one of Mars 2020 rover next year. With several sub-missions in- twelve proposals selected in July 2019, and the only UK-based between, it is planned to return to earth in 2031. The Participating Scientist. Fletcher is now formally part of the European Space Agency (ESA) is a partner in the mission and Microwave Radiometer team, and presented his planned one of the support technologies being developed is the analysis at a Juno team meeting in San Antonio, Texas, in Double Walled Isolator (DWI). September 2019.

Mars Sample Return is going to be one of the biggest scientific projects of the 21st century and the end goal is to bring Mars to Earth……or 500 grams of it!

Scientists want to analyse pristine Mars rock in specialist labs around the World and conduct research that cannot be done by rovers and robots on the surface of the red planet.

Big questions about life on Mars demand high calibre science and equipment and instruments that can guarantee the integrity of such analysis. Identifying signals that give a positive answer to this investigation will be one of the most profound discoveries in the history of humanity.

DWI is an enabling technology to support this scientific endeavour and has been developed at the University of Leicester. And it is students who are making decisions about Professor Martin Barstow to lead UK Space where to study today, that will be the ones who discover if Agency’s Science Programme Advisory there really ever was life on Mars. Committee (July 2019)

We recently had a visit from East Midlands Today who Following a call for nominations for a new Chair of the UK interviewed one of our students, Alan Norbury who is working Space Agency’s Science Programme Advisory Committee, on the life on Mars project. Professor Martin Barstow, Director of the Leicester Institute

of Space and Earth Observation was chosen and has accepted

the position. Juno Participating Scientist Position for Dr Leigh Fletcher (July 2019) The role is significant as Martin will work with UK Space Agency scientists to lead the UK Space Science Strategy,

putting our academic expertise at the very forefront of Dr. Leigh Fletcher has been awarded “Participating Scientist” decision making in the country. status on NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter.

Martin is a former President of the Royal Astronomical Society NASA’s Juno mission has been orbiting the giant planet Jupiter and has led the development of our Space Park Leicester since July 2016, returning a wealth of new discoveries about project, which was recently awarded £14 million for the next the planet’s interior, atmosphere, and magnetosphere. The phase of its development. He was awarded a PhD in Physics

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019 from Leicester in 1993 and has been one of our leading and gamma-ray data from satellites such as Swift will test academics for many years. He specialises in the study of hot model predictions for the origins of this emission. White Dwarfs and coronally active stars through the analysis and interpretation of ground and space based observations in optical, UV, EUV and X-ray wavebands. Physics students take off (May 2019)

This appointment once again underscores the University of Three of our Physics students spent a week at a Norwegian Leicester’s credentials as one of the leading Space Science space centre after winning places through a European Space universities with this high profile appointment. Leicester has Agency competition. been a leading centre for study and research in Space Science since 1960, with involvement in missions including Gaia, the BepiColombo mission to Mercury and the James Webb Space Telescope.

David Jessop, Jamie Macquillin and Lewis Jackson were selected for the trip alongside 20 other students from across Head of Science Programme for the UK Space Agency, Chris Europe. Competing for places against students from all 24 ESA Lee said: “I look forward to working closely with Martin in member and associate states, for three Leicester students to shaping the UK space science strategy. This is a time of be selected underlines the sheer quality of our Physics considerable activity for UK scientists and we are looking degrees. forward to the coming years with missions such as Solar Orbiter soon to be operating and the future ESA programme The opportunity was advertised to all our second year Physics to be developed.” students and formed part of their experimental physics assessment, which usually includes a group experiment. They Martin said: “I am pleased to have been appointed to this role. had to submit applications for the competition and show how Space Science in the UK has an exciting future and I will look the ESA opportunity is relevant to their education and forward to working the Agency and the space science ambitions. community to deliver this.” The lucky winners spent the time at the Andoya Space Centre in Northern Norway learning about rocketry and Congratulations to Dr. Rhaana Starling on instrumentation, while working towards building and testing Visitng Fellowship at ASTRON their own rocket payload. Part of the application process was a proposal for their rocket launch. Leicester Astronomer selected for Visiting Fellowship at the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy. The three students had to take part in an online training course before joining the workshop in Norway from 7 to 13 Dr. Rhaana Starling has been selected for the Helena Kluyver April 2019. During the workshop they built, verified, and Visitor Programme, to study radio emission from explosive finally, at the end of the week, launched their own rocket. events in the Universe. They also attended lectures and tours to learn more about European and Norwegian efforts in space. Rhaana will spend 6 weeks at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, this summer collaborating with Programme Director Dr Simon Vaughan said: “This is a Dutch astronomers to observe the emergence of relativistic fantastic achievement, and once again shows the ambitions jets from gamma-ray bursts with the LOFAR low-frequency and capabilities of our students. I’m incredibly proud of them, radio array. Combining radio signals with high energy X-ray

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SCHOOL OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY – YEARBOOK 2019 to have three students chosen for this programme is just origin of the majority of elements like gold and platinum in the superb.” universe.

Dr Tanvir said: "It was a wonderful surprise to hear that I am Prestigious awards for Tom Stallard and Nial to be awarded the RAS Herschel medal. The projects I have Tanvir from the Royal Astronomical Society worked on take years to come to fruition, and involve the (January 2019) efforts of many people. I'm very honoured to receive this recognition from my fellow astronomers." University of Leicester academics recognised for their work in planetary and space science Professor Mike Cruise, President of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: “Astronomy and geophysics are disciplines led

by an extraordinarily talented group of people. The Royal Two University of Leicester academics, Dr Tom Stallard and Dr Astronomical Society recognises the achievements of the very Nial Tanvir, both from the University’s Department of Physics best of these men and women with our medals and awards. and Astronomy, have received prizes announced today (Friday Our prizes are won by researchers at all stages of their careers, 11 January) by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). studying the core of the Earth, the distant universe, and

Dr Tom Stallard, Associate Professor in Planetary Astronomy, everything in between. My congratulations to them all!” receives the Chapman Medal in Geophysics for his The awards were presented at the National Astronomy contributions to understanding planetary upper atmospheres Meeting in Lancaster in July. and their interactions with their associated magnetospheres. Professor Tanvir, world-leading expert in explosive-universe studies, and Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy, Department Congratulations to Professor Emma Bunce, of Physics and Astronomy, receives the Herschel Medal. Winner at East Midlands Women’s Awards Dr Stallard’s observations have led to the detection and (October 2018) characterisation of wind systems in Jupiter and Saturn’s auroral/polar regions. Dr Stallard has also discovered Professor Emma Bunce was recognised for her inspirational evidence of major energetic processes and events such as research at the East Midlands Women’s Awards. signatures of magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, ion vertical profiles, and key temperature and density changes. Taking place on Friday 28 September, the ceremony saw Professor Emma Bunce win the ‘Outstanding Achievements in His latest contribution is the discovery of Jupiter’s magnetic Science, Space and Astrophysics’ award for her research in equator signatures. This work is typical of his insight, patience, solar system science. and the way in which his work contributes to and supports space missions. The story behind this discovery is explained by Professor Bunce works on multiple international space Dr Stallard on Nature Research communities. missions and has conducted research at Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury. In October 2018, the BepiColombo mission to Dr Stallard said: “I am delighted and deeply honoured to have Mercury - a joint mission between the European and Japanese been awarded the Chapman medal. I am immensely grateful space agencies - will be launched from French Guiana. for the support I’ve received over the years from friends and collaborators worldwide and especially my colleagues at the University of Leicester and previously at University College London. My work as part of both the astronomical and planetary science communities has benefitted incalculably through the diligence and patience of the staff and fellow researchers at telescopes like Keck, VLT (Very Large Telescope) and IRTF (Infrared Telescope Facility), as well as space missions like Cassini and Juno, and so I also extend my heartfelt thanks to them.”

Dr Tanvir has been at the forefront of searching for explosions created by mergers of extremely dense stars, also known as neutron stars. These events are of particular interest as they create gravitational waves. They are also thought to be the

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Aboard the spacecraft is the Mercury Imaging X-ray field is due to the fantastic work of that whole team over many spectrometer (MIXS) instrument developed at the University years. of Leicester. Professor Bunce is Principal Investigator on the instrument, which will observe the surface of Mercury from The East Midlands Women’s Awards is a prestigious gala the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter in order to ceremony to recognise and celebrate the regional determine the surface composition and the complex contribution of women across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, interaction between Mercury and its environment. Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, and Northamptonshire; raising awareness, giving recognition and Professor Emma Bunce said: “It is really wonderful to have acknowledging the hard work and valuable contribution of been given this special award. The work that I have been women from all cultures, communities, and sectors. recognised for is part of a wider team effort, and the fact that the University of Leicester is an international leader in this

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Physics Special Topics: Editors Pick

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Comings and Goings

We’ve Welcomed…. …and said Goodbye to….

Doug Satterford Teaching Fellow Roland Leigh Academic Roisin Speight Senior Mechanical Jonathan Sykes Technical Engineer Alan Wale Technical Marcin Semczuk Research Associate Tony Forryan Technical Patrick Neunteufel Research Associate Sophie Hebden Technical Thomas Elsden Research Associate Barbara Villa Marcos Technical Jan Vatant d'Ollone Research Associate Barry Chester Technical Ivan Reading Research Associate Chris Rudge Computer Alexander Smyth Research Associate Giovanni Dipierro Research Associate Simon Preval Research Associate Karoly Keresztes Research Associate Antonio Di Noia Research Associate Nicole Reindl Research Associate Dongxu Yang Research Associate Rosie Leigh Research Associate Alison Young Research Associate Val Aslanyan Research Associate Andrew Winter Research Associate Gary Corlett Research Associate Ranvir Dhillon Research Associate Frederic Tridon Research Associate Melissa McHugh Research Associate Matthew Bainbridge Research Associate Hannah Lerman Research Associate Adam Higgins Research Associate Rikesh Panchal Research Associate Sam Turnpenney Research Associate Enrico Ragusa Research Associate Sarah Gibson Postgraduate Researcher Harrison Grossman Technician Phil Peterson Postgraduate Researcher David Shaw Technician Roger Leyser Postgraduate Researcher Cassiopeia Lakin Electronic Technician Gary Horn Teaching Laboratory Technician Philip Downing Apprentice Engineering Technician Aleisha Hogan Postgraduate Researcher Beth Henderson Postgraduate Researcher Gemma Bowers Postgraduate Researcher Emma Thomas Postgraduate Researcher Sachin Dias Postgraduate Researcher Lukas Adams Postgraduate Researcher Emily Baldwin Postgraduate Researcher Joseph Mayes Postgraduate Researcher Jack Delaney Postgraduate Researcher Nana Wei Postgraduate Researcher Alessandra Barco Postgraduate Researcher Dan Orr Postgraduate Researcher

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