Spring 2020, Number 16 Department of Physics Newsletter

COVID Physics researchers and alumni join the race to help understand more about the SARS-CoV-2 virus

THE FUTURE OF INERTIAL FUSION A STEP CLOSER INNOVATION NOBEL PHYSICS TO BUILDING – THE NEXT LAUREATE VISITS THE FIRST MUON GENERATION OXFORD COLLIDER www.physics.ox.ac.uk PROUD WINNERS OF: SCIENCE NEWS SCIENCE NEWS www.physics.ox.ac.uk/research www.physics.ox.ac.uk/research

be shown that to create those 2 x 1016 currently undertaking will soon be that propagates through the fuel. The neutrons, a process known as ‘alpha able to address this question. burn-wave converts the kinetic energy burn’ must be taking place – that is of the imploding fuel capsule into the THE FUTURE OF to say the alpha particles produced by fuel’s thermal energy by the time the fusion are themselves starting to heat TO RELEASE ENERGY, FUSION wave reaches stagnation at the capsule COMBINES TWO NUCLEI; FISSION up surrounding colder deuterium and SPLITS A NUCLEUS centre. Commercialising inertial fusion tritium nuclei, causing them in turn to energy requires repeated injection of INERTIAL FUSION fuse. It is as though the target is starting All approaches to nuclear fusion must fusion pellets and the deployment of Prof Peter Norreys This March, at a Hooke Discussion Meeting at The Royal Society, Peter Norreys, to ‘fizz’, or ‘glow’, but not yet fully ignite. satisfy a criterion, memorised by high-repetition (5–10 repetitions per of Inertial Fusion Science at Oxford University’s Department of Physics, brought together INDUSTRIAL fusion scientists, which states that the second) burn-wave drivers. A further reason for excitement is product of the density, temperature nearly 100 leading fusion scientists from around the globe. They met to discuss the future SPIN-OFFS the sheer neutron flux itself, and the of producing net electrical power from the nuclear reactions that take place inside igniting and confinement time of the fusion OFTEN applications that the result brings. fuel must exceed a certain threshold WELL-TIMED TECHNOLOGICAL ASPIRATION nuclear fuel at the extremes of compression, heat, and electromagnetic radiation. The goal ACCOMPANY These huge numbers of neutrons are value for the energy gain to be positive produced from a tiny compressed core of this initiative was an internationally endorsed roadmap that could assess the viability of a instead of negative. To maintain the If achievable, the realisation of IFE TECHNOLOGICAL about 100 microns in diameter, and potentially ‘transformative’ technology. fuel’s required ultra-high temperature, could be transformative for humankind Prof Gianluca Gregori the fusion reaction is over in about 100 ADVANCES, AND all fusion devices must prevent the because it allows us to envisage strategies The motivation and objectives for nucleus. This process takes place during fusion research has been impressive picoseconds. As such, the neutron flux FUSION BREAK- fusion fuel from coming into thermal for minimising the human causes of this international collaboration arose compression and stagnation before relative to its modest government- emanating from the core at the time of contact with the surrounding reactor climate change. There are no long- from an Enabling Research grant from the fuel eventually expands from the provided research budget, especially THROUGHS ARE implosion (neutrons per second per vessel. lived radioactive by-products if the EUROFusion, part of EURATOM, increasingly high pressure. While two in areas related to the assembly and unit area) is not very far off that which NO DIFFERENT reactor chamber materials are carefully awarded in January 2019 to Professor hydrogen nuclei are sufficiently close, understanding of the high-energy- exists when a supernova explodes! There To reach the fuel’s required ultra-high selected. An inertial fusion energy Norreys. The funding supports even for this short duration, the strong density conditions in the compressed are thus already a wealth of ground- density and temperatures, all fusion reactor must be compatible with the preparations for experiments on the but short-range nuclear force dominates fuel, as well as in the enabling breaking scientific discoveries, ranging devices must inject energy into the fuel. existing electricity infrastructure PETAL/LMJ facility in Bordeaux, over the tendency of ‘like charges’ to technologies required for inertial fusion from stellar to quantum Magnetic confinement fusion uses strong Prof Justin Wark distribution and generation grid. The France, and focuses on advancing repel, inherent to the hydrogen pair’s energy applications. These technologies electrodynamics, that can be unleashed confining magnetic fields over ultra-long process is inherently safe from nuclear inertial fusion energy science and positive electric charge, that dominates include high-repetition-rate lasers, by studying physics related to the pursuit time-scales at intermediate energy meltdown, each nation can have security engineering using high-power laser when separation exceeds the nuclear heavy-ion beam drivers, pulsed-power of IFE, even before (or if) it is realised density. This research is now underway of abundant long-lasting fuel supply, and facilities across the European Union. The force’s range. magnetic-compression generators, and as an eventual goal. That is to say, we at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy helium-exhaust emission is friendly to project’s consortium comprises fifteen high-reproducibility cryogenic-target can undertake extremely exciting with experiments at the Joint European the environment. laboratories in nine nations, including During each fusion event, a sudden and ‘assembly and qualification’. We believe fundamental research whilst at the Torus (JET), the spherical tokamak the United Kingdom. intense release of energy occurs because that the work done by hundreds of same time furthering our understanding MAST and StEP programmes at Culham Industrial spin-offs often accompany the rest mass of the fusion products (a scientists in this field has brought us The project’s of what a potential fusion power plant and the International Thermonuclear technological advances, and fusion helium nucleus and a free neutron) is closer to the point where controlled may look like. Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France. breakthroughs are no different. For COULD INERTIAL FUSION MAKE AN less than the combined masses of the fusion reactions can be attained in a consortium Research underway at the Lawrence example, investment in the laser- IMPACT IN EFFORTS TO COMBAT The latter, however, still remains a very deuterium and tritium ions. (Remember repeatable manner, although still not at comprises Livermore National Laboratory in related photonics industry will generate CLIMATE CHANGE? challenging task, with many hurdles that energy equals mass multiplied the repetition rate and cost that would be the USA (as mentioned above), and many new spin-offs and highly skilled fifteen yet to overcome. In addition, honest For many years, fusion energy has been by the square of the , ie necessary for a reactor. For example, the the Laser MegaJoule facility in France jobs. The (IoP) 2 assessments are needed to ascertain described as the holy grail of the world’s E=mc .) If these fusion reactions occur international facility closest to achieving laboratories in (figure 1) uses inertial confinement estimates that the photonics industry whether any potential technologies energy problems – a limitless and clean at a sufficient rate, then more energy is ‘breakeven’ is the National Ignition over ultra-short time-scales at high in the UK contributes £13B annually nine nations, could impact on the timescales relevant energy source that would address the generated than is expended to drive the Facility (NIF) – a giant laser at Lawrence energy density. to the economy. The IoP has recently to the current pressing climate issues, ever-increasing demands, free from compression in the first place. This heat, Livermore Laboratory in California, including pointed out that the industry’s status or whether they might instead form In the inertial fusion approach, the carbon emissions. This is an aspiration if captured in a surrounding blanket, that holds the record for the largest the United as an enabling technology for multiple part of a second wave of clean energy energy is injected by suddenly impacting that has stimulated the minds of great as in a conventional power plant, can number of neutrons produced in a single uses across numerous sectors means 16 Kingdom technologies. The research we are a fuel capsule with a fusion burn-wave scientists, but the path towards an drive a steam turbine that generates laser-driven fusion event (2 x 10 ). To that it still lacks a singular champion economically viable fusion power plant electric power. put this in the context of IFE, this vast of the importance of photonics. The is an arduous one. number of neutrons has an energy of Figure 1. The 10 m IoP’s recent report (https://beta.iop. However, the reality is that controlled only a few percent of the close to 2MJ diameter target org/health-photonics) by the photonics Inertial fusion energy (IFE) requires the thermonuclear fusion has not yet been laser pulse that created the reaction that chamber installed community has appeared online. It thousand-fold compression of matter to proven. Indeed, the idea of laser-driven produced them. Furthermore, the NIF in the laser bay of provides a powerful insight into the ultra-high densities and temperatures fusion was first put forward by John can only fire shots to achieve such fusion the Laser MegaJoule forthcoming photonics revolution. In to mimic the compressional effect Nuckolls in 1972, close to half a century reactions about twice a day – for a power facility, Bordeaux, the longer term, the UK government of gravity in the sun, ’s very ago, and despite enormous progress plant this would need to happen ten France. The target is committed to significantly increased effective nuclear fusion reactor. By over that time, getting more energy times per second. In addition, the fusion chamber weighs spending on research and development, irradiating and imploding a small out of a target from fusion than is put targets are exquisite pieces of technical about 140 tons. It as outlined in the 11 March 2020 budget. spherical shell containing isotopes of in by the laser to create the reaction has a 10 cm thick engineering, costing many thousands Light-based technologies will be crucial hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) in in the first place has still not yet been aluminium wall of dollars apiece: an IFE power plant in tackling the challenges laid out in the the laboratory (either directly using demonstrated. As such, IFE is not, as of and is covered by a would require every shot to cost only a nation’s industrial strategy. 40 cm thick layer of intense laser beams or by first converting today, a realistic replacement solution few US cents to be commercially viable. the laser energy into soft X-rays) the to the world’s greenhouse-gas problems. boronated concrete In addition, inertial fusion-related fuel’s own inertia, eg the tendency of Nevertheless, significant enthusiasm for Whilst the NIF has yet to achieve to ensure the research promises further significant matter to resist sudden acceleration, the pursuit of IFE remains because the ‘ignition’, and net energy gain, the radiological safety improvements in thermal neutron permits a sufficient fraction of the scientific and technological progress results coming from the facility are of scientists and source brightness, even beyond isotope pairs to fuse into a helium in exploratory inertial confinement still hugely impressive. Firstly, it can engineers.

© CEA © those expected from the European

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Spallation Source (ESS) when it is fully So while it is true that sustained net- goal of a clean, safe, and abundant Below: Figure 2. commissioned in 2025 (https://science. energy gain has not yet been achieved, source of nuclear energy will remain. We NIF Target Bay. This sciencemag.org/content/315/5815/1092. we would argue that sufficient progress thus believe that such a facility should dramatic image full). Thermal neutron scattering has has been made in understanding laser- aim for net energy gain, termed ‘proof of NIF beamlines THE FIRST DEMONSTRATION found applications across the natural driven burning plasmas to advance of principle’ or ‘physics break-even’, or entering the lower sciences, from condensed matter physics an energy development programme even move towards higher gain, known hemisphere of the through to biochemistry and the life involving a next-generation facility, as ‘engineering break-even’. NIF Target Chamber, OF IONISATION COOLING sciences. Increased source brightness especially because the fundamental as seen from the The Enabling Research grant from provides greater signal to noise and science, in terms of nuclear physics ground floor of the A small step towards a muon collider and neutrino factory the EUROFusion project is enabling therefore more precise diffraction and laboratory astrophysics, that is Target Bay, was taken increased co-operation and co- Many discoveries in particle physics have The sensitivity of current and proposed momentum space). High-amplitude patterns to determine the structure of associated with achieving fusion is a by NIF photographer ordination of Inertial Fusion Energy been made with beams of accelerated neutrino oscillation experiments particles have high transverse momenta the new materials under study. worthy goal in its own right, and such Damien Jemison. development activities. If the UK particles, most recently the Higgs boson (eg DUNE) using conventional muon or are far from the axis. Although the research would be undertaken side by Five exposures were government were to embark on a at the CERN LHC using colliding beams neutrino beams is limited by the magnetic elements used to transport side with that into fusion itself. taken to capture concerted international effort and were of high energy protons. Future advances systematic uncertainties of neutrino beams transform position to angle and ENVISIONING THIS ACHIEVEMENT the range of light in As many are aware, the threats facing to form a European Fusion Centre the dimly lit Target are expected to come from accelerators production. Muons decay to an electron, vice-versa (like optical lenses) amplitude Originally, inertial confinement fusion humankind from climate change are alongside the US and Asia, then we Bay. Jemison used operating at either ‘the intensity frontier’ a muon antineutrino and an electron is a conserved quantity. arose out of the nuclear stockpile urgent, and specific milestones have could realise this dream synergistically the high dynamic Prof Emeritus John Cobb – to search for rare processes – or at the neutrino. Muons stored in a race-track The mean amplitude of the particles stewardship programmes in the US and been outlined by the UN for countries and expediently. We in Oxford Physics range (HDR) Efex Pro ‘energy frontier’ – to probe deeply into ring would emit beams of both these in a beam is termed its ‘emittance’ and UK. The concept rests upon the results of to achieve within the next 10 to 30 are taking the lead in coordinating program to process the structure of matter. The technology flavours of neutrinos. In contrast to is (roughly) the product of the beam’s classified experiments performed under years. It may well be that IFE is not yet the European effort and, in doing so, the five images into a for accelerating and storing beams of conventional neutrino beams, the root mean square (rms) size and its the limited UK test programme and the well-developed enough to ever be in are doing our bit not only for physics single photo of one of protons and electrons is mature. There energy spectra and intensities of these rms divergence. Liouville’s theorem US Halite-Centurion programme, as well the first wave of technologies to have an of a fundamental nature, but also for the most spectacular are, however, a number of advantages in neutrino beams would be very well (‘phase-space is incompressible’) asserts as the data that has been obtained from impact on those relative short terms, but assessing the possibility of fusion-based views in the facility. being able to accelerate and store high understood and allow precision studies that emittance is constant if there are the National Ignition Facility (Figure 2). however the future pans out, the overall clean energy. quality beams of muons. of neutrino oscillations. Oppositely charged muons would decay to the no dissipative processes. ‘Cooling’ a charge-conjugate neutrinos, allowing beam means reducing its emittance WHY ACCELERATE MUONS? precision studies of CP or T violation by reducing the amplitude of the by neutrinos. The concept of deriving transverse oscillations of the particles; In a circular accelerator particles high quality neutrino beams from stored the amplitude distribution will shift are bent by magnetic fields and lose muons has been dubbed a ‘Neutrino to lower amplitudes and the particle energy by synchrotron radiation at a density at the core of the beam will 4 Factory’. rate proportional to (E/m) . The power increase. Despite Liouville’s theorem, required to replace these losses limits beams can be cooled. the energy achievable with electron WHY IS ‘COOLING’ NECESSARY, synchrotrons. (Synchrotron radiation AND WHAT IS IT? Stochastic cooling was developed for is the object of machines such as the anti-proton beams at the CERN SPS; In a muon collider (or neutrino factory), STFC’s Diamond Light Source.) Future electron cooling, where heavy particles muons must be produced, accelerated electron accelerators would either be transfer energy to a co-moving electron and stored. Each step is a new technical linear accelerators or synchrotrons beam, is used to cool beams of ions challenge. The muons would be with radii of hundreds of km. Because or antiprotons. These schemes are, produced by an intense proton beam protons are two thousand times heavier however, far too slow to cool beams of striking a target to produce pions, which than electrons, proton accelerators do muons whose proper lifetime is only are then allowed to decay to muons. not suffer from synchrotron radiation two microseconds. Because of this tertiary mechanism, the losses. However, unlike electrons, which resulting muon beam would be wide and are point-like, protons are composite divergent, and could barely be called a IONISATION COOLING and it is really the interactions between beam; it must be conditioned before the quarks and gluons which are studied further acceleration. The essential first Ionisation cooling is a way to cool muon at proton colliders. Each constituent step is to ‘cool’ it. beams. It is fast and simple in concept: carries only a fraction of the proton’s the beam traverses some material momentum and a significant fraction The particles in any beam moving – an ‘absorber’ – where muons lose of the proton energy is wasted. through a magnetic transport system longitudinal and transverse momentum oscillate in the transverse dimensions. by ionisation. The muons are then Figure 1. The Muons are two hundred times heavier re-accelerated longitudinally and the principle of ionisation The ‘amplitude’ of these oscillations is than electrons and a muon accelerator cooling: a muon the area of the ellipse that a particle net divergence of the beam, and hence would not suffer from synchrotron loses longitudinal traces in phase-space (position- its emittance, are reduced (figure 1). and transverse radiation losses. Their point-like nature momentum in means that in a muon collider their an absorber; entire energy would be available for the longitudinal physics. A further advantage is that momentum because of their greater mass, muons is replaced by couple much more strongly to the Higgs acceleration in an than electrons; muon colliders have been RF cavity. proposed as ‘Higgs Factories’. © DR CHRIS ROGERS, STFC ROGERS, CHRIS DR © © DAMIEN JEMISON DAMIEN ©

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(This would not happen once but in each muon. Ancillary instrumentation is due to scraping of the beam tails and Figure 2. The a series of absorbers interleaved with layout of the MICE up- and downstream provided particle does not alter the conclusion.) accelerating radio-frequency cavities identification. A variable thickness brass experiment. Muons The reader will have noticed that in a channel perhaps a few hundred enter from the left and tungsten diffuser was used to scatter metres long.) The physics underlying muons and vary the emittance of the MICE did not include an RF cavity. and their phase- Re-acceleration is not essential for a ionisation cooling is well understood space coordinates incoming beam. The three modules were demonstration of cooling because the but there are considerable technical are measured partially enclosed with 15 cm of iron for quantities of interest are amplitude challenges to be met. by the upstream magnetic shielding. Data were recorded and emittance normalised to beam spectrometer. with beams of several momenta, a range © THE MICE COLLABORATION MICE THE © momentum. Suitable RF cavities have They are then of magnet settings, the two different been developed at Fermilab. THE CHALLENGES international collaboration of over entrance and exit windows of the focused onto a absorbers, and – vitally – without any liquid hydrogen (or A charged particle passing through a hundred physicists and engineers hydrogen vessel were machined from absorber. The MICE results are not only an lithium hydride) matter not only loses energy but is (rather small by current particle 50 mm thick discs and were only 160 unambiguous demonstration that absorber and also scattered through random angles standards). A new beam from the ISIS microns thick at the centre. ionisation cooling works, but also that their new phase- COOLING OBSERVED due to many collisions with nuclei. proton synchrotron delivered muons a large system of coupled solenoids with Normally emittance is estimated by space coordinates This multiple Coulomb scattering with momenta between 135 and 240 The distributions of single-muon an embedded liquid hydrogen absorber measuring the size and divergence of measured by will increase the emittance of a beam. MeV/c, typical of a muon collider front- amplitudes before and after the absorber can be operated – and are a first small a beam as a whole. By contrast, MICE the downstream Energy loss arises from incoherent end, to the apparatus. were reconstructed off-line. Figure 4 step towards the development of a used particle physics instrumentation to spectrometer. collisions with atomic electrons at a rate shows the ratio of the downstream to muon collider. The layout of MICE is shown in measure the position and momentum proportional to Z, the atomic number of upstream amplitude distributions for figure 2. The business part consisted of each muon. Crucially, this allowed COLLABORATION MICE THE FOR ROGERS C BY one beam setting with and without Space does not permit a full description the material; scattering by the nucleus is of a module (figure 3) containing a 2 the amplitude distributions of muons of the Oxford group’s role but this coherent and proportional to Z . There is the two different absorbers. It is clear NATURE pair of superconducting (‘focus’) coils to be reconstructed. from a comparison of the ‘with’ and covered many aspects of the experiment, therefore competition between cooling to focus the beam onto an absorber. ‘without absorber’ distributions that from the design of the focus coils and by energy loss and heating by multiple For the strongest focus the coils were The phase-space coordinates x( , p) of the core (low amplitude) density of aluminium absorber windows, to new scattering. The implication is that operated with opposite polarities; the muons before and after the absorber were the beam had increased after it passed physics models of energy loss and only low Z materials, primarily liquid peak field in each was about 3.5 Tesla measured with magnetic spectrometers. through an absorber. As discussed multiple scattering. The latter neatly hydrogen or lithium hydride, are useful but zero at the centre of the absorber. Each spectrometer module contained above, the increase in muon density completed a nearly fifty year circle as absorbers. Even so, the beam must be The repulsive force between the two three superconducting coils to give at low amplitudes is demonstrative of for the author whose DPhil thesis was focused tightly onto the absorber so that coils was approximately 250 tonnes. a uniform field for momentum cooling. The results agree well with the (partly) on ionisation energy loss! it has a large divergence and the heating Two absorbers, a 65 mm disc of lithium measurement, and two to match the predictions of simulations, which are by scattering is minimised. hydride or a 35 cm long aluminium beam to the focus coils. Scintillating fibre also shown in figure 4. (The decrease Reference: https://www.nature.com/articles/ vessel containing 22 litres of liquid trackers inside the uniform field region Conventional quadrupole magnets are of the ratio at amplitudes above 30 mm s41586-020-1958-9 IN PAPER MICE THE FOR FIGURE A FROM ADAPTED hydrogen, were used; the aluminium recorded the spatial coordinates of too weak to focus a beam tightly enough. Instead, cooling channel designs use Figure 3. The periodic lattices of superconducting focus coil module Above: Figure 4. solenoids with axial magnetic fields of which contains a Ratios of the a few Tesla. Because the muon beam is pair of split-field downstream to initially large, the solenoids must have a superconducting coils upstream amplitude large bore, and there are potentially large and the absorber. A (normalised to forces between coils. This places unusual section of the iron p/mc = 1) constraints on the construction of the magnetic shielding distributions for the cryostats and cold-mass suspensions has been removed. same beam with and of the coils. The absorbers must be without the liquid hydrogen or lithium embedded inside the magnets to achieve hydride absorbers. a tight focus, presenting challenges The enhancement of mechanical integration. If liquid at low amplitudes hydrogen is used as an absorber, the when an absorber windows of its container must be as thin is present is a clear as possible to reduce reheating the beam. demonstration of There are also obvious safety concerns cooling. with liquid hydrogen or lithium hydride. Far left: MICE target during development THE MICE COOLING testing. DEMONSTRATION Left: The target used The Muon Ionisation Cooling Experi- to generate MUONS. ment (MICE) experiment was conceived both to address these technical challenges and to demonstrate that ionisation cooling works as expected. It was carried out at the Rutherford

Appleton Laboratory by the MICE STFC © STFC © © RUTHERFORD LABORATORY MEDIA SERVICES MEDIA (MICEHALL864) LABORATORY RUTHERFORD ©

6 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 | 7 OXFORD PHYSICS OXFORD PHYSICS ‘Without physics and physicists there could be no modern technological society, from microelectronics and telecommunications, to LCD displays and PET scanners in hospitals; it is therefore not surprising that physics has much to offer in the battle COVID-19: against CoV-2. Along with my colleagues, I am incredibly proud of the combined efforts of our department and our alumni as we contribute to overcoming the PHYSICS IN THE REAL WORLD global challenges we face from COVID-19.’ ­— Professor Ian Shipsey, Head of Department

Oxford’s Department of Physics is part of the global effort to defeat the COVID-19-causing virus. Eminent alumni Scientists around the world are racing to understand more about the virus – and physicists Neil Ferguson, the Alumnus Alfonso Alumnus Mike epidemiologist Castrejon-Pita Fischer CBE at Oxford are no exception. Here are just some of the ways the Department of Physics is from Imperial studied for his has launched contributing to the global effort to control and tackle the coronavirus outbreak. College London DPhil within the the COVID-19 whose advice Atmospheric, Volunteer Testing we are all relying Oceanic and Network and is on at the moment is an Oxford Planetary Physics sub-department working to recruit laboratories undergraduate and postgraduate at Oxford before taking up a across the country to get behind alumnus. He studied physics at research post with us. Today, as a the initiative. Using equipment Oxford and went on to start his professor in engineering science, commonly found in laboratories research career by doing his DPhil he is part of an initiative between like the polymerase chain reaction in quantum theory of gravity the and King’s (PCR) machine, he is confident that before specialising in mathematical College London to develop a simple the UK’s testing capacity can be biology. and rapidly deployable ventilator greatly increased and has donated that can be manufactured easily £1 million of his own money to the and quickly by industry. project. Mike Fischer is Director of Systems Biology Laboratory, a not-for-profit medical research

IMAGES L–R: © IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON; © ENGINEERING SCIENCES OXFORD; © THE OXFORD MAIL laboratory in Oxfordshire. Essential research A group of researchers led by the Department of Physics is working on a new method that would allow extremely rapid detection of the virus that causes COVID-19 – in as little as one minute. Led by Dr Nicole Robb and Professor Specialist expertise Achillefs Kapanidis, the group’s work to detect Our specialist mechanical infectious diseases caused by viruses was engineering and electronic already underway and efforts have intensified engineering workshops to apply the research to the current pandemic. have offered their services – Using influenza as a model virus, the Oxford from supporting ventilator group showed that virus particles in clinical production to collaborating samples can be labelled and detected in as little with the Nuffield Department as one minute, substantially faster than existing Computing of Surgical Sciences to diagnostic tests. The method is general and is power develop and build medical currently being further developed for use on The Department instruments to help with the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. of Physics is treatment of COVID-19. www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/2020/03/26/ volunteering its measure-and-control-covid-19-rapid-detection computer power Nurturing partnerships to help fight the

COVID-19 virus FOLDINGATHOME.ORG © Thanks to the Department through the Folding@home project. We have allocated a of Physics’ collaboration with significant proportion of our GridPP computing cluster – ShanghaiTech University, the resources used to analyse data from the Large Hadron the Chinese institution has Collider at CERN – to run Folding@home’s enormous donated 13,000 surgical simulations to model the COVID-19-causing virus. We are masks, 700 medical full body also running Folding@home on the personal computers in suits and 800 N95 masks the department as colleagues work from home. The more primarily to Oxford University computers it has to help, the more simulations can be run hospitals but also for use in – which increases our chances of finding ways to success- university departments and colleges. The gift comes at a fully tackle the virus. critical time when supplies are limited. https://foldingathome.org/covid19/

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Innovation (OUI) in partnership with number generator might have beyond Oxford Science Innovation (OSI), an academic research,’ continues Marko. early-stage investment firm that has ‘We thought about what problems it www.physics. INNOVATION – THE raised more than £600m to invest in could solve and who might want to use ox.ac.uk/ Oxford University spin-outs, and it. In doing so, we formed a business plan enterprise the Oxford Foundry, the programme that considered possible interest in the admitted students from any department cybersecurity industry. We had to pitch NEXT GENERATION and taught them the skills required our plan, Dragon’s Den-style to a panel Oxford Physics is increasing its support for undergraduate and postgraduate students who wish to Dr Phillip Tait, Innovation to turn an idea into a business. of investors from OSI – and we won.’ explore how they can use their physics learning and problem solving skills to tackle challenges that and Enterprise Manager DPhil students in Atomic and Laser The team was awarded financial and lie beyond the university. Whilst our students are studying physics they do so in a world struggling Physics, Marko Mayr and Dr Ramy entrepreneurship support to turn their Aboushelbaya (now a postdoc here) plan into a real spin-out company. Thus, to find solutions to issues that face us all, from climate change to internet security or affordable took up the challenge after reading Quantum Dice entered the university’s healthcare. A growing number of our current and recently graduated students are now looking to about the initiative. ‘Neither of us had incubator at OUI with Marko and Ramy see how they can make a difference, often by teaming up with students from other sciences, done anything like it before, however taking up senior roles that are shaping as well as the humanities and seeking out opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills needed it seemed like a great opportunity – to the future company – while continuing LEARNING FROM to turn ideas into inventions and eventually into real world impact. This article highlights just a few learn really useful and transferrable their research in the department. ‘It THE EXPERTS of those people and how the university and department is now recognising and responding to the skills for future endeavours,’ comments was a really enriching experience – I Marko. ‘The programme runs for four think particularly for people from our To build on the success of these growing ambition amongst our students to bring physics and enterprise together. ELIZABETH INDACO © weeks over the summer and we were discipline. It was such an interesting pioneers, we are now offering students Ramy Aboushelbaya given intensive training as well as process to work out a viable application the chance to take the department’s ventures have been supported, raising We are excited to see our former BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE As a generation, and Marko Mayr access to a mentor. One thing that for the research, learn to translate that first innovation and entrepreneurship £11m of investment. Amongst these are students tackling such important and millennials desire really helped was the fact that our into a business plan and then articulate it course. The department has Two years ago, the university opened startups led by former physics DPhil varied challenges and wish their new to be more socially DPhil supervisor, Prof Peter Norreys, in the right way to “sell” it to others. The carefully designed the seven-week the Oxford Foundry for the benefit of students. Dr Irwin Zaid (Theoretical companies the best of luck. responsible, encouraged us in the initiative and skills we gained would prove useful to course in collaboration with the all students and alumni, a new facility Physics) and Dr Oliver Harriman innovative and to was supportive throughout.’ Marko someone continuing to pursue research Oxford Foundry and Saïd Business with a mission to build a new generation (Condensed Matter Physics) are now make an impact. and Ramy formed a six-strong team as much as to those wanting to pursue School to equip students with the of ventures that better society and to co-founders of See Through Scientific, AWARD-WINNING STUDENTS Whether starting with students from the departments of a career in industry.’ knowledge and skills to transform nurture more ethical leaders who put which is working on a new method for One of our current DPhil students 50 physics ideas and inventions into Materials, Chemistry and Mathematical people and the planet first. Situated in sampling tumours of cancer patients to their own ventures has made the most of the co-creation THE NUMBER Sciences and were able to choose from The OUI incubator has also supported scalable businesses. During the a refurbished building on Hythe Bridge aid genomic analyses for personalised or aspiring to lead opportunities provided by the Foundry. OF DPHIL a range of real university intellectual physics alumna Dr Cici Muldoon programme, students learn from Street, near the train station, it was medicine. Dr Ian Preston and Dr in organisations, the Anna Jungbluth (Condensed Matter property proposed by OUI. They chose (Atomic and Laser Physics) with her expert start-up coaches, physicists- developed by the Saïd Business School Christopher Boddy (both Particle Oxford Foundry will STUDENTS Physics) is researching organic solar cells a technology invented right here in the startup company VeriVin, which is turned-entrepreneurs, industry with the aim of inspiring and supporting Physics), are co-founders of Peergos, develop students’ SIGNED UP TO under the supervision of Prof Moritz Department of Physics a few years earlier developing and producing a unique experts, and senior faculty from the Oxford’s 24,000 students as well as a privacy-focused online platform for Riede and has also worked on a number entrepreneurial THE INAUGURAL – a quantum random number generator. through-barrier Raman spectrometer Saïd Business School. Topics range alumni and includes co-working spaces, people and companies to store, share of award winning innovation projects skills, understanding The challenge? To turn the IP into an for the identification and classification from intellectual property (IP) and event and workshop areas and a café. and communicate data and content. PHYSICS through the Foundry’s annual Artificial and self-efficacy. investable business case – to bring it to of complex liquids in sealed containers. licensing, to market segmentation, The Foundry is also supporting former INNOVATION Intelligence (AI) Impact competitions. — Ana Bakshi, life and try to create a spinout company. The company is growing quickly and knowing your customer, and To support startups (newly created MPhys students on their entrepreneurial These involve students forming inter- Director of the COURSE, A ‘Our challenge was to think about won the Institute of Physics’ Business designing a business model. This first companies that don’t use university- journeys, including Dr Claire Timlin, disciplinary teams and learning how to Oxford Foundry SELL-OUT what application this quantum random Start-up Award last year. term will be something of a pilot, but owned Intellectual Property (IP), ie co-founder of Ufonia, a company build innovative, financially viable and plans are already in place to open it to most student and alumni ventures), which is applying artificial intelligence ethically responsible AI-based solutions undergraduates in the next academic the Foundry created OXFO L.E.V8 technologies for autonomous speech- to address that year’s theme. In 2018, year. By collaborating with the (Elevate), which provides select startups based monitoring of health and Dr Jack Anna’s team took home the top prize for Oxford Foundry and Saïd Business with working space and support to Weston, co-founder of Novoic, a digital using AI to teach children to identify and School, we are maximising the wealth accelerate their growth and with no biotech company analysing speech understand fake news. In 2019, students of expertise that we have here at charge or handover of IP. So far, 33 to detect early signs of brain disease. looked for AI solutions to enable fairer Oxford and as a result, students will recruitment processes, with Anna and gain valuable transferrable skills that fellow physics students Sophia Sosnina Left: The Foundry will serve them well – and potentially and Miha Zgubic winning prizes for is open from 8am open doors to a whole new future. their team’s solutions. This year the until 10pm Monday theme was tackling climate change and to Sunday for the Image right: A team once again teams containing Anna and benefit of all students of students from also fellow physics student Siobhan and alumni of the across the university Where are physicists needed? Tobin were amongst the winners. university. Located on (including Anna Hythe Bridge Street, Jungbluth, centre) We are incredibly excited to see the breadth of challenges our students are wanting to take on, and in a building that was who developed a the progress they can make in such a short time. We hope that by providing more opportunities to PHYSICIST OR ENTREPRENEUR – once the Oxford Ice map app that helps learn new skills and share ideas with others, we can support our students’ entrepreneurial ambitions WHY NOT BOTH? Factory, the Foundry users find the safest within or beyond academia. We will highlight more of our student innovators and entrepreneurs in is spacious, easily way home after a Last summer, students from across the next Newsletter, but we’d also love to hear from you, our alumni. How have you used your physics accessible and has night out. It was the University were invited to join a facilities for co- amongst the winners knowledge or problem solving training? Do you work on new technology development or run a new entrepreneurship programme: working, workshops, in the All-Innovate business? We’d love to hear your story. Write to: [email protected]. the Student Entrepreneurs Programme events and more. 2019 competition. © RICHARD CAVE RICHARD © (StEP). Run by Oxford University 10 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 | 11 OXFORD PHYSICS OXFORD PHYSICS

Prof Ian Shipsey, NOTES FROM THE Head of Department THE OXFORD PHYSICS ENDOWMENT HEAD OF PHYSICS FOR GRADUATES (OXPEG)

I hope you and your loved ones OXFORD PHYSICS ON THE science, fundamental particles, (exo-) One of the strengths of the Department describe the evolution of the disc, an approach are safe and well. The COVID-19 INTERNATIONAL STAGE planetary science, high energy density of Physics is its leadership in research and that is so far underexplored in this area of re- global pandemic has changed the science, physics, quantum teaching. search. Prior to starting his DPhil, Dominic Our goal is to be the number one phys- materials, quantum information, and lives of all of us. You will not be completed an undergraduate degree in physics ics department in the world. We don’t semiconductor devices and photovol- The generous donations of many individuals at Keble College, Oxford and a Master’s degree surprised to learn, however, that mean by this being assessed number taics; (c) our close collaboration with and families enable us to go further. We identi- in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics. we have been able to carry on most one by The Times Higher Education many other departments in Oxford, A group of fied the Oxford Physics Endowment for Gradu- of our normal activity since we or QS World University Ranking. We and in other institutions both nation- researchers led by ates (OXPEG) initiative as a funding priority and Wilber Lim will work on further- began working from home on mean that when there is a conversa- ally (including Culham and Harwell) the Department of set an ambitious target to provide funding for a ing our understanding of the 13 March, eleven days before the tion between scientists in the hallways and internationally; (d) our collabora- Physics is working at MIT or Stanford about the latest on a new method number of graduate scholarships, matched by DNA’s response to proteins. national lockdown commenced. tions with high-tech industry and the physics result or idea, that result or spin-out companies that have been that would allow the department. The fund is continuing to grow Traditionally, DNA has been extremely rapid idea has often come from Oxford. At created to commercialise in-house and we are delighted to be seeing the benefits viewed as a passive digital re- detection of the virus LIFE UNDER COVID-19 the moment the answer is ‘sometimes’; developed technology; (e) our very of this flexible funding in action. pository of information, where that causes COVID-19 we would like to increase that frequency substantial technical facilities, includ- proteins are considered to be the primary active Since that time the only research con- – in as little as one of occurrence. Accordingly, over the last ing mechanical and electronic work- The Department of Physics has awarded OXPEG agents. However, recent findings indicate that tinuing in our buildings has been that of minute. 18 months we have been developing a shops, nanofabrication, and materials funding to four students to enable their studies rather than being a static elastic medium, DNA’s the Kapanidis/Robb group on the rapid decadal strategic plan for research to preparation and characterisation; and at Oxford in the academic year 2019–20. OXPEG response to proteins can vary dramatically detection of COVID-19 (see pages 8–9), help guide us there. In November I (f) our international character: 50% of funding has enabled us to recruit high-calibre depending on inhomogeneous properties I am very proud of their work. Theirs appointed an External Advisory Board our faculty, researchers, and students candidates with immense potential. These stu- along its chain. An emerging hypothesis is that, is one of the many research projects for Research made up of 11 eminent are from outside the UK. dents span the areas of astrophysics, particle in addition to its digital genetic code, DNA taking place as part of the university’s international physicists with expertise response to the COVID-19 outbreak physics and theoretical physics, working on a carries a subtle elastic code that controls how spanning the broad range of physics at The Board identified areas particularly wide range of topics, from the spiral structure and when it is read. To understand this new including vaccine development, treat- Oxford. The principal purpose of the ripe for further development, including: in galaxies, to searching for the neutrinoless code, scientists must work out the basic physics ment, and testing. Board is to advise the department on quantum physics; machine learning in double beta decay, and understanding the of inhomogeneous DNA under twist and our research programme. physics; extreme plasmas; and exoplan- Although our buildings are almost DNA’s response to proteins. Ultimately, OXPEG tension. Wilber is currently studying the role of etary science. The Board marvelled at TOKYO OF UNIV ICCR, © empty, seminars continue online; Oxford physicists will support all areas of research in the depart- a DNA defect called the thymine dimer. Learn- The inaugural two-day meeting was the Beecroft Building and highlighted committee, faculty and research group have played a key ment. ing how DNA alters its response to torque and held on 17–18 February 2020 in Oxford. the need for a significant increase in meetings and DPhil vivas continue role in the T2K tension when damaged could help explain how The Board found a vibrant community the quality of our other existing space online; and we have instituted online experiment as part Dominic Dootson’s research repair proteins can quickly identify a damaged of scientists and one of the leading phys- and the need for significant additional coffee chats. Grant proposals are being of a collaboration ics departments in the world, pursuing high quality space to conduct our re- focuses on understanding the site, and reveal the physical circumstances written and submitted to funding to understand state-of-the-art research programmes search. The Board stressed the crucial spiral structure of galaxies. under which defects may remain undetected bodies online. Data continues to be the difference across a broad front, educating the next importance of graduate students to Using observations taken with by these repair mechanisms. analysed, and papers continue to be between matter and generation of physicists to the highest research; while the leading US physics Gaia, one of the European written, reviewed and published. At- antimatter. standard, and enhancing the public’s programmes have a faculty to student Space Agency’s space observa- The University of Oxford would like to express tendance at conferences has become understanding of physics and science ratio of 1:4, Oxford is at 1:3. If Oxford tories, he will investigate how models of axi- sincere thanks to our donors for their gener- virtual and recruitment of new faculty more broadly. physics is to be number one it will be symmetric discs respond to internal and exter- ous support of OXPEG and its enabling role in members and staff has continued. necessary to significantly increase the nal perturbations. For his work, Dominic will our research. For information on how you can number of DPhil students (by about 25 use the Vlasov-Poisson equations, which support OXPEG, please see page 14. Our departmental closing coincided FROM NANOPARTICLES TO with the end of Hilary Term, and as I EXOPLANETS AND BEYOND per year for a total increase in cohort write this, Trinity Term is well under- size of 100). With this in mind we are way. I am thrilled to share with you that The Board were impressed by: (a) our particularly pleased to be able to an- our first week of remote teaching has view that the research role of a modern nounce in this issue of the Newsletter been a success. It is so very important to physics department is to address those the first OXPEG students (see page 13). be able to deliver on our promise to our foremost scientific problems of our student body and provide them with age where the experience, skills and We are looking forward to a phased Scientists from the world class education they deserve intuition of a physicist can make a dif- return to work in the department over Oxford’s Condensed and expect. ference; (b) our scale and our breadth: the next months, starting with work Matter Physics group 120 permanent faculty members, 180 that cannot be done from home, while have managed All of this activity has been accom- post doctoral researchers, 150 technical those who can work from home will to record the full plished with a minimum amount of and administrative support staff, 400 continue to do so. We hope the natural polarisation state fuss. I am very proud of, and grateful DPhil students, and 760 undergradu- cadence of the academic year will have of terahertz pulses to, all the academic and administrative ate students working across 11 major returned by Michaelmas term and that by developing a staff and our students who have adapted themes: accelerator science, astro- we can welcome many of you back to nanowire-based so well and so quickly. physics, biophysics, physical climate Oxford for alumni events then. sensor. MAIN IMAGE: © ESA / M RĘBISZ. SMALL SPIRAL GALAXY: © DATA: ESA/GAIA/DPAC, A. KHALATYAN(AIP) & STARHORSE TEAM; GALAXY MAP: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/R. HURT (SSC/CALTECH) NASA/JPL-CALTECH/R. MAP: GALAXY TEAM; STARHORSE & KHALATYAN(AIP) A. ESA/GAIA/DPAC, DATA: © GALAXY: SPIRAL SMALL RĘBISZ. M / ESA © IMAGE: MAIN

12 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 | 13 PEOPLE PEOPLE

INTRODUCING... AN UPDATE FROM THE PHYSICS Lisa Willmot, Senior Development Executive TEACHING LABORATORIES

The University of Oxford has a well- Our donors make remarkable things Although as I write this A staple of any undergraduate physics This ensures that all students learn how addition, a project was offered to build degree is experimental work, and the to use essential electronics equipment a spectrometer for the Philip Wetton Dr Jenny Barnes established history and culture of possible. The wonderful Beecroft I am working remotely, teaching laboratories in the Department such as oscilloscopes and function telescope, which sits on top of the DWB philanthropic support for its teaching Building benefited from support from I am still very much available for anyone of Physics continue to be a core part of generators, which they might encounter and has had recent upgrades, funded and research, so I was delighted to take many of you, whilst the Oxford Physics who wishes to discuss support for the every physicist’s training. The teaching later in a research career. by alumni of the physics department. up a new role in March, raising funds for Endowment for Graduates (page 13), Department of Physics. laboratories are currently located in These new projects were oversubscribed Second and third year experiments the Department of Physics. funded by our donors, helps ensure the basement of the Denys Wilkinson and show that the desire for developing Building (DWB), in space which continue to be varied and offer a wider experimental skills during their degree that the very best graduate students previously housed the control room choice, for example digitisation and is very much alive in our students. Despite joining at a challenging time for can undertake their research at Oxford. for the Van de Graaff accelerator, the sampling in second year Electronics the department – as experiments were As we navigate the impact of external original purpose of the building (see a lab or ‘fun with a wave tank’ in Third year students taking the BA paused and laboratories temporarily events such as Brexit and Coronavirus very interesting film about the building third year Atmospheric Physics degree are given the option to do a lab. Other labs include Biophysics, group project with an industrial partner shut down in response to the COVID-19 on the department, this is more at www..com/watch?v=yZkbJ_ WE ARE ALWAYS Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, Optics, during the Michaelmas and Hilary outbreak – I have been struck by the important now than ever. OwQ2Q). Electromagnetism, Condensed Matter terms. Recent partner companies LOOKING FOR warmth and commitment of our donor The first year syllabus offers a range and Thermal Physics. This wide range have included: Adaptix; Airbus; AWE; NEW PARTNER and alumni communities. I have had the Could you consider a gift to support of practicals, from monochromators of subject areas, which links to research MeVitae; Serralux; Oxford Instruments; COMPANIES: IF YOU © JACK HOBHOUSE JACK © pleasure of speaking with several of you physics at Oxford? Your generosity and diffraction in the Optics lab, to themes in the wider department, enables and Biral, covering projects from mobile ARE INTERESTED already, and look forward to when we will help ensure that we attract the Perhaps you have been considering a measuring electromagnetic forces in students to tailor the practicals to their 3D X-ray imaging; using reflectometry IN WORKING the Electrostatics and Magnetism lab, can meet in person. best academics and students to the more substantial gift to the department, own personal physics interests or long to measure the detonation velocity of a WITH US ON or studying moments of inertia and the projectile; simulation and measurement department, whose work will maintain or would like to learn more about the term career goals. THESE PROJECTS, electron as a particle and a wave in the of daylighting window filters; to its reputation as a world-leader in specific programmes and projects General Physics lab. Our third year syllabus has recently developing cryogen-free environments PLEASE CONTACT teaching and research. you can help fund. Please feel free to changed to offer more choice for the ENQUIRIES@ The installation of large LED panels for nanoscience experiments. These keen experimental physicist, with the PHYSICS.OX.AC.UK contact me on +44 (0)7717 695534 or (see image below left) has added some projects are very rewarding for both the introduction of Computational and To find out more and to make email [email protected] – I’d welcome colour to the General Physics students and companies – the students Experimental projects. These projects a donation online, please visit love to hear from you. lab. In addition, new experiments learn to work as a group, scheduling offer students an option to replace www.development.ox.ac.uk/physics. on normal modes and driven simple tasks to fit within allocated weeks, and a written paper with a 60-hour-plus harmonic motion, topics which students the companies gain enthusiastic students project, and examination is via a study in their lectures, have been to work on speculative topics which write-up and viva. Projects offered this introduced to the suite of practicals they may not have capacity to work on Because of the pandemic, all paper donation year include: Rutherford scattering to offered in this lab. in-house. forms are currently suspended. demonstrate the point-like nature of In the Electronics lab, we recently the nucleus of an atom; studies into the Further information about the If you would like to make a donation please follow the link: introduced new equipment (see image breakdown in the Quantum Hall effect; teaching laboratories can be found at: www.physics.ox.ac.uk/about-us/supporting-physics below right) so that every student now and single photon counting experiments www.physics.ox.ac.uk/study-here/ performs experiments on their own. to show optical quantum effects. In undergraduates/teaching-labs CGI ARTIST WIGWAM VISUAL © HAWKINS\BROWN VISUAL CGI ARTIST WIGWAM

EVENTS & SOCIAL MEDIA PhysicsOxford The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic follow a lot of members of the department coincided with the start of our alumni who are very active and produce their own OxfordPhysics events calendar. Since the lockdown, we content. Feel free to invite family members have been working on ways to restructure and friends to join us, too. Our Outreach and reorganise our offer to the alumni team produces a lot of materials that can @OxfordPhysics and wider physics friends community. We help with home schooling or just to keep encourage all of you to find us on social learning from home. media and engage in the conversation. physics_oxford We are on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Likewise, if YOU have any physics-related LinkedIn and now our YouTube channel, content you’d like to share, feel free to Department of Physics where we hope to add more videos in time. email [email protected] or simply University of Oxford Not only can you share our work, but also tag us on social media. © JOHN CAIRNS PHOTOGRAPHY CAIRNS JOHN ©

14 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 | 15 OUTREACH OUTREACH IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE NEW INNOVATIONS I DIDN’T KNOW THAT NEW TYPES OF SOLAR CELL CAN BE MADE! For more information: www.physics.ox.ac.uk/ outreachnews LAB TO LIFE MAKING PHYSICS How do we transform our research from Year, showcased his work on single-molecule something hidden in our labs into a microscopes, which allow us to peer into technology people can use? In October, the deepest secrets of biological cells; and ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL we shared some of our secrets through our two postdoctoral researchers shared the The Department of Physics engages in a series of highly active outreach programmes, which have reached ‘Physics: Lab to Life’ initiative as part of the applications of their research: Dr Elliot IF Oxford science festival. We opened our Bentine spoke on ultracold atoms and more than 200,000 people over the last five years. Our outreach work is focused in four main areas: doors to some 200 curious teenagers and devices that could harness them, and Dr adults so they could find out more about Hector Garcia Morales explored the everyday physics and how it impacts daily life. Visitors applications of particle accelerators. were able to listen to lectures as well as take tours of our laboratories and speak to the INCREASING ACCESS ENGAGING LOCAL INCREASING PUBLIC physicists themselves about their work. TO OXORD COMMUNITIES DIVERSITY IN STEM ENGAGEMENT During the event, visitors were offered a choice between three lectures covering Supporting disadvantaged students Building partnerships with local Working with children from Supporting our researchers in diverse topics: Professor Katherine Blundell who have the potential to benefit communities to enrich the life under-represented backgrounds engaging the public with their OBE, shared her research on black holes and from study in the department of the city to raise aspirations research the ‘Global Jet Watch’ project, through which she engages young people in developing countries in science; Professor Achillefs MARIE CURIOUS Kapanidis, the BBRSC’s Innovator of the On 15 February 2020, the Department of Physics opened its doors to 100 girls aged 11–14 for its annual ‘Marie ‘STARGAZING IS OUR LARGEST EVENT, AND Curious’ event. This was a day of free, hands-on science fun, ONE OF THE YEAR’S HIGHLIGHTS. IT’S GREAT with events designed to challenge girls to get stuck into STARGAZING TO WELCOME FAMILIES AND OUR LOCAL science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Ever wondered how you can measure the speed of light with marshmallows or wanted to find out more about the largest COMMUNITY INTO OUR BUILDING, AND OUR The event included hands-on workshops run by scientists from telescope on Earth? The Department of Physics opened its doors RESEARCHERS ARE DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO across the university and beyond, on topics ranging from quantum for its annual Stargazing event on 25 January and welcomed SHARE THE EXCITEMENT OF THE UNIVERSE. computing to the human body, via the mysteries of levitating 1,209 keen and curious visitors of all ages. EVERYTHING IS HANDS-ON, SO PEOPLE GET A superconductors and the peculiar properties of goo. In the UNIQUE INSIGHT INTO THE LATEST RESEARCH, afternoon, there was a visit to St John’s College, where OUR PROJECTS – AND HOPEFULLY THEY HAVE the girls had the opportunity to quiz a panel of scientists SOME FUN ALONG THE WAY.’ about their work and life, as well as explore the college. — PROF CHRIS LINTOTT

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN. HAD A GREAT TIME A TERRIFIC OPPORTUNITY TO LEARNING ABOUT SPACE DO SOMETHING AS A FAMILY. ALONGSIDE MY KIDS. GREAT BETWEEN US WE LEARNT TOPIC OF CONVERSATION SO MUCH. WHEN WE GOT HOME, THANK YOU.

A DREAM COME TRUE FOR MY SON WHO WATCHES SO MANY SPACE CLIPS ON IMAGES © JOHN CAIRNS PHOTOGRAPHY YOUTUBE

16 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 | 17 PEOPLE PEOPLE

FIVE MINUTES WITH... HELENA COTTERILL Quantum Materials Outreach Officer

Tell us a little bit about your them to investigate. In addition to this background role, I will soon start work on an exciting I’m originally from Nottingham, but new outreach project linked with the spent most of my school years in a small Zooniverse citizen science platform, town in Lincolnshire called Grantham. bringing cutting-edge research into From there, I began my undergraduate schools and allowing primary school degree in physics here at Oxford and children to be scientists and contribute never left! I started a DPhil in Atmos- to this research themselves. pheric, Oceanic, and Planetary Physics © CHLOE FAIRBANKS CHLOE © immediately after my undergraduate When did you know you wanted to studies and it was during this time as a become a physicist? graduate student that I discovered the I think I first realised that I wanted @HelenaCotterill wonderful world of physics outreach and to study physics when I visited the © EIBN PHOTOGRAPHY AND MICHAEL JOHN KATSILLIS JOHN MICHAEL AND PHOTOGRAPHY EIBN © and I got hooked. About half way through Museum of Science in Boston, USA, at @QM_Oxford my DPhil I decided academia wasn’t for age 15. There, they have a ‘Theater of violin since I was eight, and singing me, switched to a Masters, and joined Electricity’ which houses the world’s pretty much since I was able to form Dr Kathryn Boast as a second Quantum largest air-insulated Van de Graaff sounds! Honestly, if I hadn’t studied NOBEL PHYSICS LAUREATE Materials Outreach Officer. generator, originally built by Dr Robert physics, I probably would have been a Van de Graaff in 1932 and standing at musician. Currently, I am the principal Can you explain the work you do? an impressive 40ft (~12m) in height. I violinist of a few orchestras in Oxford, VISITS OXFORD As Quantum Materials Outreach Officer, remember watching someone leaping including the Oxford Millennium I’m continuing the excellent work that around on that stage, using this giant Orchestra, and I have also performed Prof Donna Strickland was awarded the 2018 time back to the original duration. Since this from the Atomic and Laser Physics sub- I REMEMBER Kathryn has done in the role, working machine to create bolts of lightning and with the Oxford University Gilbert & Nobel Prize in physics, together with Prof invention, new forms of eye laser surgery department, who in 1985 (when the paper WATCHING with the Quantum Materials group in even creating music from electricity by Sullivan Society. Gerard Mourou (her PhD supervisor), for the have become available, as well as the ability on CPA by Prof Strickland and Prof Mourou SOMEONE developing interesting and fun ways to making Tesla coils ‘sing’. They put on this discovery of Chirped Pulse Amplification to precision-cut glass to make cell phones. was published) happened to be working LEAPING AROUND communicate their research to a range spectacular show for museum-goers, all What advice would you give people (CPA). They shared the prize with Prof Arthur CPA has also enabled the development of very in the same laboratory at the University of of audiences. In addition to running our whilst explaining fundamental physics who want to study physics? Ashkin (who won his share for work on high-intensity laser systems, opening up the Rochester. Prof Strickland gave a wonderful ON THAT STAGE, existing programme of science shows, concepts. I thought ‘I want to do that!’ Make sure that physics is something optical trapping). CPA is a technique that has possibility of using such lasers to create exotic account of CPA, readily accessible to the USING THIS GIANT workshops and stalls, I am involved in and came away truly inspired. This you enjoy. There are a wide range of revolutionised laser technology and brought states of matter, including the production general public, and her lecture finished with a MACHINE TO some new initiatives, including running also sparked my passion for outreach, topics that make up physics as a whole, it from the laboratory tables into common in the laboratory of charged particles and personal account of what went on behind the CREATE BOLTS OF a magnetism-themed day at Barton although I didn’t realise it at the time. but as long as there is something in this usage. It enables scientists to take very short electron-positron beams; plasma wakefields; Nobel ceremony, with many photographs and LIGHTNING AND Community Centre as part of their field that you love, this will give you the laser pulses (of order picoseconds or shorter) and intense burst of X-rays. These have been amusing anecdotes. EVEN CREATING school holiday club and helping about What other interests do you have motivation to keep learning and making and amplify them to very high energies, and used for studies in laboratory astrophysics, After the lecture, Prof Strickland also met MUSIC FROM 50 local Year 5 students gain their besides physics? new discoveries. Read around the topics hence intensities. Back in the 1980s, when 4th generation light sources and inertial with Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Prof Karl ELECTRICITY BY CREST Superstar award by creating The two other passions in my life are that interest you and do some research Prof Strickland invented this technique at confinement fusion experiments. Some of Krushelnick (Mourou’s successor at the Center some experiments with magnets for music and theatre. I’ve been playing of your own. And just know that if you the University of Rochester, amplifying short this work has been led by faculty members MAKING TESLA for Ultrafast Optical Science at the University have a passion for the subject, then there pulses was not possible because the intensity in Atomic and Laser Physics, Theory, Particle COILS ‘SING’ of Michigan), and Prof Bob Bingham, who is nothing to stop you from reaching that would build up in the laser amplifier Physics and the John Adams Institute for hosted her at the Rutherford Appleton your goals – I come from a single parent would destroy the laser itself. Prof Strickland Accelerator Science. Laboratory. Prof Strickland’s visit to Oxford family, have a state school background, and Prof Mourou circumvented this problem In February we felt exceptionally honoured to ended with a banquet at Lady Margaret and am the first generation in my family by taking a weak short pulse, stretching welcome Prof Strickland to the Department Hall (one of the first two colleges in Oxford to go to university, and now I work it in time, and then amplifying it (so the of Physics – a visit organised by Prof Gianluca to admit women since 1879). At LMH, Prof for the Department of Physics at the intensity within the laser was not so great, Gregori from Lady Margaret Hall (LMH). She Strickland engaged in many discussions University of Oxford! Not only that, but as it was a longer pulse): only after it had gave a well attended public lecture outlining with current physics students and postdocs I get to do things like explode hydrogen been amplified was it then recompressed in the research that led to the Nobel prize. The of the Women in Physics Society, and her balloons and make liquid nitrogen ice lecture was introduced by Prof Justin Wark experience, thoughts and encouragement cream in front of more than 200 people! were inspirational.

Prof Gianluca Gregori Image top right: Playing violin for the Far left: Prof Donna Strickland (centre) at Lady Oxford University Gilbert & Sullivan Margaret Hall surrounded by students and Society Hilary Term 2019 production postdocs of the Women in Physics Society. of Iolanthe. Left: Prof Donna Strickland (first on the right) Left: Getting ready to pop a with Prof Peter Norreys (behind) and Prof hydrogen balloon as part of the Stephen Blundell (in the foreground) talking ‘Dancing Atoms’ show for primary © KATHRYN BOAST KATHRYN © with students in Atomic and Laser Physics. BEBB S UNIVERSITY/ OXFORD PHYSICS OF DEPARTMENT © RIGHT: INSET IMAGE WWW.ONEFORTHEWALL.CA. © / WATERLOO STRICKLAND/UNIVERSITY DONNA OF © IMAGE MAIN school children. 18 | Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 Department of Physics Newsletter | Spring 2020 | 19 PEOPLE HONOURS AND AWARDS... Oxford physicists carry out ground-breaking research in a diverse range of topics from nanoparticles to exoplanets, galaxies and beyond. Their world-leading expertise is recognised annually through prizes and awards.

Prof Stephen Blundell was awarded the prestigious Prof Donal Bradley, Visiting Professor of Physics and Yamazaki Prize by the International Society for Muon former head of the Mathematical Physical and Life Spectroscopy. The prize recognises his outstanding, Sciences division at the University of Oxford, was sustained work in the field; he has been using muons awarded the European Material Research Society’s to study the behaviour of advanced materials for Jan Czochralski Gold Medal. The award recognises more than 25 years. Prof Bradley’s outstanding achievements in the field of advanced materials science and, in particular, his Dr Adam Nahum was awarded the Physik-Preis of the work on soluble semiconductor materials for the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex display and lighting, electronics, solar energy and Systems (MPI-PKS) and Technische Universität photonic device sectors. Dresden. Prof Artur Ekert was awarded the Micius Quantum © BALLIOL COLLEGE BALLIOL © Prize 2019 for his inventions of quantum Prof Rob Fender received the Royal Astronomical cryptography (the award was shared with C Bennett, Society’s Herschel Medal, which is awarded for an G Bassard and S Wiesner). Selected as one of the 2019 outstanding contribution to observational Citation Laureates, ‘a list of candidates considered astrophysics. It recognises Prof Fender’s key likely to win the Nobel Prize in their respective fields’. contribution to understanding the connection between accretion and jet formation around Prof Tim Palmer, Royal Society Research Professor in accreting relativistic objects, such as black holes. Climate Physics, has been elected as an International Member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Prof was awarded the Royal in recognition of his distinguished and continuing Astronomical Society Eddington medal, for achievement in original research. investigations of outstanding merit in theoretical astrophysics. Prof Balbus has revolutionised the Prof Raymond Pierrehumbert, the Halley Professor of theory of accreting systems and made fundamental Physics at Oxford, has been elected as Fellow of the contributions to the theory of stability, turbulence Royal Society in recognition of his outstanding and transport in astrophysical fluids. contribution to scientific understanding. Prof Pierrehumbert works on the physics of the climate of Noah Waterfield Price, a joint DPhil student between planets, including the Earth. the University of Oxford and the Diamond Light Source, was awarded the PANalytical Thesis Prize in Prof Séamus Davis is one of six world-class scientists Physical Crystallography. Noah’s winning dissertation, to have been awarded a prestigious Royal Society entitled ‘Domains and functionality in multiferroic Research Professorship. The appointment recognises © IUCR © BiFeO3 films’, was co-supervised by Dr Sarnjeet Dhesi scientists who have made – and continue to make at Diamond and Prof Paolo Radaelli at the Clarendon – exceptional contributions to science. Prof Davis Laboratory, University of Oxford. studies exotic new quantum mechanical states of matter and this appointment specifically supports his work in quantum spin liquids.

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