UCL DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY ANNUAL REVIEW 2012–13
Physics and Astronomy ANNUAL REVIEW 2012–13
Contents
2 WELCOME
3 COMMUNITY FOCUS 4 The Wow Factor is Back! 5 Teaching Lowdown 6 Student Accolades 7 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 8 Career Profiles 10 Science in Action 11 Alumni Matters
12 ACADEMIC SHOWCASE 13 Staff Accolades
14 Academic Appointments
15 Portrait of Dr Hiranya Peiris
16 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT 17 High Energy Physics (HEP) 19 Astrophysics (Astro) 21 Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (CMMP) 24 Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Positron Physics (AMOPP) 27 Biological Physics (BioP) 28 Research Statistics 32 Staff Snapshot
Cover image: Display of a collision event in the ATLAS detector, where a Higgs boson candidate decays to two Z bosons, each of which decays to a muon and an anti-muon (red lines). ATLAS Experiment © 2012 CERN
Inside cover image: Components in the undergraduate teaching laboratory used to explore practical thermodynamics. Credit: Paul Woods (UCL). http://paulwoods.4ormat.com
Image page 3: The newly refurbished undergraduate library. Credit: Paul Woods (UCL)
Image page 12: The Physics Building. Credit: Paul Woods (UCL)
Image page 16: A random collection of textures taken from high-resolution, supercomputer simulations. Red indicates a positive twist in the topological charge density and blue a negative twist. Credit: V. Travieso and N. Turok
Review edited by Katherine Heyworth, [email protected] Design © UCL Creative Media Services
1 WELCOME
Welcome
Welcome to another annual review of the activities of the UCL Department of Physics & Astronomy.
Inside you will find items focusing on research highlights, as well as features on selected staff, students and events over the past year. I hope these speak for themselves, giving a true impression of the lively and exciting intellectual life of one of the UK’s leading Physics & Astronomy Departments.
There are also statistics, including grant income and student admissions. While ploughing through these in detail may be a challenge, they also convey an important message; that the Department Professor Jon Butterworth, Head of Department and Dr Tony Harker, Deputy Head of Department continues to thrive, our activities are well recognised and people want to join us.
On a personal note, I stepped down Every shortlist has been amazingly well-connected place to be, but with from my role as an ATLAS Physics strong and each appointment bodes major facilities such as the UCH hadron Group Co-ordinator at CERN at the well for the future. therapy unit and the Crick Institute end of September and am now able to arriving in the neighbourhood, the spend much more time in UCL to deal However the arrival of new staff and scientific benefits of being here are one with departmental matters. Still, I can’t the continuing success of existing of the things which distinguishes UCL write this introduction without mentioning members of the Department, does Physics and Astronomy. the exciting discovery announced on the increase pressure on our infrastructure. 4th July, but I refer you to the article by Laboratory, workshop, teaching and Finally, one of the fun departmental Nikos Konstantinidis. See page 17 for office space are all at a premium; but so events I attended this year was the more details. are services such as power, cooling and annual Cumberland Lodge meeting. high performance computing. UCL has I arrived on the Sunday to an excited a strategic programme to address these welcome from our first-year students The Department continues needs and we have already benefited who had just been to the chapel to thrive, our activities are from some refurbishments (page 4). and met the Queen. A lovely start New research laboratory refits are to undergraduate life here and I am well recognised and people also underway, with more required in confident the physics & astronomy want to join us. the near future. A major refurbishment learned over the next few years will be of the Kathleen Lonsdale Building is (at least!) as exciting. There have been several new academic also planned. In the longer term, the appointments over the past year, and Department has a developing presence I am pleased to report that we are in at the Harwell Science and Innovation the process making more. A day of Campus in Oxford (as well as at CERN), presentations and interviews may not be and is involved in discussions of much fun for candidates, but chairing possible developments at Stratford. the appointment panels has been a The underlying problem is our location fantastic way for me to broaden my Professor Jonathan Butterworth in Bloomsbury; but this is also a massive physics knowledge, learning from some Head of Department of the brightest stars in their fields. advantage. Not only is it an exciting and
2 Physics and Astronomy ANNUAL REVIEW 2012–13
Community Focus
3 COMMUNITY FOCUS
The Wow Factor by Professor is back! Tony Harker
Summer 2012 saw the first phase Many people have played a part, but of a complete refurbishment of the special thanks are due to Paul Murphy undergraduate teaching laboratories. and his architectural team, David Young This is an ambitious programme, and UCL Estates, John O’Brien and the aimed at bringing the laboratories laboratory technicians (who not only from the 1950s into the 21st century. contributed to the planning, but also It involved thinking very carefully about had to clear and store equipment and how the space is currently used and get it all deployed again in time for the Undergraduates at work in the how that might evolve, and gaining from start of term), and to Peak, the main refurbished first year laboratory. the experience of others by visiting contractors. Physics departments around the country The hard work has paid off and what who have recently undertaken similar has been achieved is essentially a projects. Everything, from heating, brand new laboratory. Both students lighting and ventilation to benching and and demonstrators enjoy the innovative seating, has been completely updated. ways in which the new facilities can be used. Inspired by the success of this Bringing the laboratories project, everybody is looking forward to from the 1950s into phase two of the refurbishment which The newly refurbished student common room. the 21st century will involve similar transformations to the remaining two teaching labs. Work is scheduled to commence in The major transformation here has summer 2013. been to the undergraduate library, Driven by a necessity to complete which now enjoys natural light. The in time for the start of term, the In addition the seminar room, student photograph on page 3 shows a section refurbishment required meticulous common room and cluster room have of the undergraduate library after planning and a phenomenal amount of also been redecorated and brightly refurbishment. hard work by all involved. furnished.
The undergraduate teaching laboratory 1, After extensive refurbishment the laboratory before refurbishment. has now been transformed.
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Teaching Headline Lowdown Research
UCL team develops laser accelerator for neutral particles Intake Certificate in Astronomy: 17 Laser-driven acceleration of neutral particles PhD: 30 C. Maher-McWilliams, P. Douglas, P.F. Barker, Nature Photonics, 6 (2012) MSc/PgDip: 22 BSc/MSci: 129 Precise control of the motion of atoms and molecules is extremely difficult, yet important for a large spectrum of scientific and industrial processes. Applications range from surface Awards growth and deposition, to elucidating the details of chemical reactions Bachelor of Science (BSc) Master in Science (MSci) through controlled collisions. 6 6 25 UCL researchers have recently 5 5 5 20 21 developed a high-accuracy method, 4 whereby acceleration up to velocities 15 15 of hundreds of metres per second has 3 10 been achieved. The method produces 2 a beam of particles characterised by 5 1 5 a narrow velocity spread, precisely 0 0 controlled mean velocity, and 0 0 1 2i 2ii 3 1 2i 2ii 3 sufficient flux over a wide range. This acceleration occurs over tens
Master of Science (MSc) Postgraduate Certificate in of billionths of a second and over Diploma (PgDip) Astronomy micrometre length scales. 6 6 6 6 6 6 The laser accelerator enables particle 5 5 5 5 velocity to be continuously tuned 4 4 4 over a wide range, while maintaining 3 3 3 a narrow velocity spread. Their method has the potential to be applied 2 2 2 2 to a wide range of applications; 1 1 1 1 allowing acceleration or deceleration 0 0 0 of a variety of neutral atomic and Distinction Merit Pass Distinction Pass Pass molecular species, as well as nanoscale particles. Royal Astronomical Society Keith Runcorn Prize for 2011
Awarded to Dr David Kipping for the best doctoral thesis in Geophysics. Entitled ‘The Transits of Extrasolar Planets with Moons’, David’s thesis has also been published by the Springer Theses series.
5 COMMUNITY FOCUS
Student Accolades
Undergraduate Awards Burhop Prize Faculty Undergraduate Scholarships for Best performance 4th year Physics Excellence 2012 Departmental Awards Mr Giulio Pepe Best Year 2 undergraduate Mr Stefan Blesneag Oliver Lodge Prize Herschel Prize Best performance 1st year Physics Best performance 4th year astronomy Postgraduate Awards Mr Harapan Ong Miss Shaghayegh Parsa Harrie Massey Prize Halley Prize Brian Duff Memorial Prize Best overall MSc student Best performance 1st year Astronomy Best 4th year project in the department Mr Oliver Dicks Mr Felix Priestley Mr Ryan Varley Carey Foster Prize C.A.R. Tayler Prize William Bragg Prize Outstanding postgraduate research Best 2nd Year Essay Best overall undergraduate physics, AMOPP (joint award) Mr Tong Wang Mr Arnold Mathijssen Dr Matthew Hoban Dr Bradley Augstein Wood Prize Tessella Prize for Software Best performance 2nd year Physics Best use of software in final year HEP Prize Mr Stefan Blesneag physics/astronomy project (joint award) Outstanding postgraduate research Mr Stuart Vincent & physics, HEP Huggins Prize Miss Wilma Trick Dr James Robinson Best performance 2nd year Astronomy Mr Sandor-Iozsef Kruk Faculty Awards Marshall Stoneham Prize Outstanding postgraduate research David Ponter Prize (only Physics and Astronomy physics, CMMP Most improved performance in winners are listed here) Dr Francesco Di Stasio Department, 2nd year Mr Tobias Jackson Faculty Medal 2012 Jon Darius Memorial Prize (joint award) Outstanding postgraduate research Sydney Corrigan Prize Mr Arnold Mathijssen astrophysics Best performance in experimental Dr Ingo Waldmann work, 2nd year Dean’s List Mr Myles Nadarajah Mr Kaijian Xiao Mr Giulio Pepe Sessional Prize Miss Shaghayegh Parsa Best Performance 3rd Year Physics Miss Jiuling Xue Mr Zhi Wong Mr Asif Suleman
Sessional Prize Best Performance 3rd year astrophysics Mr Marco Rocchetto
Additional Sessional Prize for Merit 1st and 2nd year Mr Martin Buettner
Additional Sessional Prize for Merit 3rd year Mr James Hutson
Physics and Astronomy prize winners 2012
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Doctor of Headline Philosophy (PhD) Research
Robust constraint on cosmic Michelle Antonik Simon Hodges textures from the cosmic The dark energy camera’s optical A multi-wavelength study of fast winds corrector from central stars of planetary nebulae microwave background (Supervisor Dr A. P. Doel) (Supervisor Professor R. K. Prinja) S. M. Feeney, M. C. Johnson, Bradley Augstein David Houseman D. J. Mortlock, H. V. Peiris, Orbit based studies of quantum A function-analytic development of Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 241301 (2012) interference effects in atomic and field theory molecular high-order harmonic generation (Supervisor Professor R. Thorne) Theories of the primordial Universe (Supervisor Dr C. Figueira De predict the existence of knots in the Morisson Faria) Hongyu Li Research on manufacturing mirror fabric of space. It is hypothesised Luke Austen segments for an extremely large telescope that as the Universe cooled, a Production of p-wave Feshbach molecules (Supervisor Professor D. D. Walker) series of phase transitions occurred, from an ultra-cold Fermi gas (Supervisor Professor J. Tennyson) Penglei Li analogous to water freezing into ice, Graphene-based and low-gap known as cosmic textures. Anastasia Basharina-Freshville semiconductors for electronic applications Search for the neutrinoless double beta (Supervisor Professor F. Cacialli) Such textures would interact with decay of 100Mo with the NEMO3 detector light from the cosmic microwave and calorimeter R&D for the SuperNEMO Matthew J. Mottram experiment A search for ultra-high-energy neutrinos background (CMB), relic radiation (Supervisor Professor R. Saakyan) and cosmic rays with the ANITA-2 left over from the Big Bang, to leave experiment a set of characteristic hot and cold James Chivall (Supervisor Dr R. Nichol) Growth and characterisation of spots. These signatures would yield uranium nanostructures Piyphat Phoonthong invaluable insight into the types State-insensitive traps for caesium atoms (Supervisor Dr S. W. Zochowski) of phase transitions that occurred (Supervisor Professor F. Renzoni) Helen Christie when the Universe was a fraction of Structure and depletion in star Thomas Riddick a second old. forming clouds Modelling energy loss mechanisms and a (Supervisor Professor S. Viti) determination of the electron energy scale Using data from NASA’s Wilkinson for the CDF Run II W Mass Measurement Microwave Anisotropy Probe Liam Cook (Supervisor Dr D. Waters) Feshbach resonances and the (WMAP) satellite, researchers three-body problem James Robinson performed the first search for Jet physics with the ATLAS experiment (Supervisor Professor T. S. Monteiro) textures on the full sky. However at the LHC Francesco Di Stasio (Supervisor Dr M. Campanelli) they found no evidence to support Supramolecular architectures: this theory and are able to rule out Taha Sochi Properties and applications at 95% confidence, theories that (Supervisor Professor F. Cacialli) Atomic and molecular aspects of astronomical spectra produce more than six detectable Jose Garcia Coello (Supervisor Professor P. J. Storey) textures on our sky. Quantum information processing in mesoscopic systems Tommaso Tufarelli (Supervisor Professor S. Bose) Qubit-controlled displacements in Markovian environments Alex Grimwood (Supervisor Professor S. Bose) Imaging elastographic contrast in optical coherence tomography for Ingo Waldmann applications in dermatology and oncology Of “cocktail parties” and exoplanets: data (Supervisor Professor Q. A. Pankhurst) analysis in exoplanetary spectroscopy (Supervisor Professor B. Swinyard) Stephen Harrison Electron-collisions with molecules of Arne Wickenbrock interstellar and plasma interest via the Cold atoms in light fields: from free R-Matrix method space optical lattices to multimode (Supervisor Professor J. Tennyson) optical cavities (Supervisor Professor F. Renzoni) Matthew Hoban Computational perspectives on bell Sai-Yun Ye inequalities and many-body quantum Coherent effects in dispersive quantum correlations dynamics © Max Tegmark (MIT) (Supervisor Dr D. E. Browne) (Supervisor Dr A. Serafini)
7 COMMUNITY FOCUS
Career Profiles
Graduate Destinations for 2011
6% 3% 3% 27% Full time work Total Number of Graduates: 90 Part time work Response Rate: 82.2% Voluntary work Median Salary: £25,000 Work and study Study Unemployed 6% 49% Unavailable 3% Other 3%
Chris Howarth IT Infrastructure Architect (BSc Physics 1986, PhD High Energy Physics 1990)
My days at UCL began in 1983 as a involving quarks and gluons proved too geeky physics undergraduate. Ifor Evans much, when I really wanted to talk about Hall was my home for the first year and the latest episode of ‘Home and Away’ introduced me to many life-long friends, and so I was lucky enough to get a job at as well as being the only place I’ve ever the Bloomsbury Theatre as a technician. seen fried eggs cooked by completely The huge turnover of productions, both submerging them in fat. Still, a solid professional and student (very much not breakfast was needed for 9 a.m. lectures professional, but a good laugh), made for with Tegid Jones on electromagnetism, a really great atmosphere, with moments Ifor Evans Hall was my or Leonardo Castillejo on Relativistic such as Lilly Savage hurling abuse at me whilst having to hand crank out the fire home for the first year Quantum Mechanics (actually even a full english wasn’t sufficient preparation for curtain during the interval when the motor and introduced me to that one). broke! many life-long friends After 3 fantastic years in a department Since leaving UCL, I trained hard to gain which came with the added bonus of a place in the GB Fencing Team and was being just yards from the Student Union, fortunate enough to pick up a couple of the prospect of going out to the horrible medals at the Commonwealth Games in real world seemed too grim so I went on Kuala Lumpar for England. I now work as to do a PhD in the High Energy Physics an IT infrastructure architect at Citibank group...oh and then a couple of years as and am married (to another fencer - Liz). a Research Assistant. Finally, breakfast We have two spirited daughters who we discussions in the CERN canteen try to keep away from the swords.
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Pierre Deludet Banking Analyst Headline Research (BSc Theoretical Physics 2011)
In September 2008, I started my degree in First visualisation of the Theoretical Physics at UCL. A week later, Lehman DNA double helix in water Brothers filed for bankruptcy. This was followed Atomic force microscopy with nanoscale by the greatest financial crisis in the world cantilevers resolves different structural conformations of the DNA double helix since 1929. Many students would have been apprehensive about joining the financial industry at A. Bestembayeva, J. Stinson, B. W. Hoogenboom and co-authors, Nano Letters, 12, 7, 3846–3850 (2012) such a time, but I was not – great risks come with great rewards, my dad used to say. Fast-forward Though the double-helix structure of the DNA has to today, I am working at a burgeoning investment become iconic for our understanding of life, no-one had ever observed this structure on a single molecule in its banking advisory boutique in London, whose natural environment, in aqueous solution. This has now success has come as a direct beneficiary of this been achieved by atomic force microscopy (AFM). recent financial crisis. AFM detects molecules by ‘feeling’ them with a sharp tip on a microfabricated cantilever, in a process similar The firm focuses on financial restructuring to that of a blind person reading Braille. For imaging and merger and acquisitions (M&A) advisory biological samples, its main challenge lies in detecting assignments. This means that whatever the state molecules with forces that are sufficiently small not to of the economy, we are always busy! My day-to- perturb the molecular structure. Here, this has been achieved by miniaturising cantilevers to nanoscale day responsibilities include financial modelling of dimensions and detecting the proximity of the DNA via various corporates, and creating pitch materials and changes in the resonance frequency of the cantilever. management / bank presentations. So far, I have The resulting images show the two strands of the had the chance to work on multiple transactions in double helix twisting clockwise around the central axis Europe, the Middle East and East Africa. of the molecule, setting these images apart from two decades of previous AFM measurements on DNA.
I am grateful for my experience at UCL as physics not only prepared me for a career in academia, it shaped the way I think
I am grateful for my experience at UCL as physics not only prepared me for a career in academia, it shaped the way I think and gave me the right skills to succeed in a job that requires a significant amount of analytical thinking. The training I received at university now makes it very easy for me to navigate through spreadsheets and financial models. When I was at UCL, I spent a lot of time running around campus organising society events or, as General Secretary of the Student Union, chairing various meetings. This gave me incredible leadership experience, which is becoming increasingly important as I progress in my career.
9 COMMUNITY FOCUS
Science in Action by Dr Ryan Nichol
‘Bright Club is the thinking person’s to the Bright Club stage to try their the Large Hadron Collider (the largest variety night, blending comedy, music, hand at stand-up comedy. The list of particle physics experiment ever built), art, new writing, science, performance, performers covers all research groups whilst Dr Ryan Nichol spoke about and anything else that can happen on and includes PhD students, researchers the neutrino (“the most tiny quantity a stage’ and academics. of reality ever imagined by a human being”). Bright Club was the brain child (think Frankenstein’s experiment) Take some sociable, but So why are physicists so keen on of Dr Steve Cross, Head of UCL awkward researchers performing on the Bright Club stage? Public Engagement. He asked “What The top three reasons given were: would happen if we got a bunch of and place them on a • It is a great opportunity to explain interesting comedians and musicians, stage in front of a paying exciting research to a new audience and combined them with all of the audience expecting to in an unusual setting. fascinating people who work for one of have a good time. the UK’s best Universities?” • It is fascinating to find some of the other excellent research that The idea sounds simple enough; London Bright Club events take place is taking place at UCL, outside take some sociable, but awkward monthly, usually in the cosy environment of the Physics and Astronomy researchers and place them on a stage of an Islington comedy club. Each event department. in front of a paying audience expecting attempts to draw researchers from • It is a unique opportunity to freely to have a good time. Remarkably, this across UCL to discuss their research express views on a subject, such as blending of researchers and comedy on themes such as ‘Life’, ‘Lust’, the utility (or lack thereof) of string seems to work, with Bright Clubs now ‘Presents’, or ‘Big’. However the theme theory and string theorists. appearing all over the country. is somewhat open to interpretation, for Over the past few years several example during the ‘Big’ theme night, Further information about Bright Club members of the Department have taken Professor Jon Butterworth spoke about can be found at www.brightclub.org
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Alumni by Professor Matters Tegid Wyn Jones
During the past five years I have Department will host its first Gala Dinner. organised six alumni dinners and it is a The event will start with a drinks reception pleasure to report that the last one was and student prize giving ceremony, followed held on 4 May 2012 and attended by 38 by a three course meal. Students, parents, alumni, the highest attendance to date. staff and alumni are all invited and I hope that many of you will be able to join me in We were addressed by the distinguished what I am sure will prove to be an enjoyable physicist, Prof. Cyril Hilsum CBE, FRS, evening. FREng, Hon FinsP who graduated from UCL in 1945, some three years before The Gala Dinner will conclude with an after Mr Frank Warren, who has faithfully dinner speech by UCL alumnus Charlotte attended the Alumni dinner every year. Nichol (née Waterhouse). Charlotte In an enthralling speech, Cyril began graduated from the Department with an his UCL degree in Bangor, North Wales MSci Physics degree in 2000. She has where the UCL Physics Department had had a distinguished career as a physics been evacuated to during the Second teacher in an inner London school and is World War. He described how intensive now Deputy Head of St Augustine’s School physics studies in the dark days of in Kilburn. Charlotte still teaches A-level On Friday 25 October war were enlivened by interaction with Physics and is married to Dr Ryan Nichol, a 2013, the Department will the local Welsh lasses and star roles in fellow alumnus who graduated in the same various theatrical experiences! year as Charlotte, and is now a Reader in host its first Gala Dinner… the UCL High Energy Physics Group. As I outlined at last year’s event, the arrangement for the alumni dinner has now Further details about the dinner are given in changed; on Friday 25 October 2013, the the enclosed invitation letter.
In Memoriam Professor Tom Duke (1964 – 2012)
It is with deep regret that Physics and breakthrough in Nature, modelling the Astronomy announces the death of competition between different processes Professor Tom Duke. Tom had been in the formation of stable cell layers Deputy Director for Biomedicine at UCL (epithelia). He was universally admired in the London Centre for Nanotechnology for his penetrating and creative intellect, since October 2007, and was one of the coupled with a deep knowledge of outstanding biological physicists of his physics and mathematics; for his ability generation. He provided distinguished to get to the heart of the complex physics leadership to the LCN’s research in underlying a biological process, and solve biomedicine and continued his own a simple model to explain it; and for his research at a high level, winning the generous and selfless devotion to his junior Franklin Medal and Prize of the Institute colleagues. He will be very deeply missed. of Physics in 2010, as well as being a successful and popular teacher in UCL The Biological Physics section of this Physics and Astronomy. Review focusses on Tom’s research in further detail (page 27). As recently as April 2012, he and UCL colleagues published an important by Professor Andrew Fisher
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Academic Showcase
12 Physics and Astronomy ANNUAL REVIEW 2012–13
Staff Accolades Headline Research Europhysics Prize Professor Steven Bramwell “[F]or the prediction and experimental observation of Ground-breaking EMMA magnetic monopoles in spin ice.” results could revolutionise cancer therapy
Acceleration in the linear non- scaling fixed-field alternating- Institute of Physics (IOP): Maxwell Medal and Prize gradient accelerator EMMA Dr Meera Parish “For her pioneering work in the theory of cold fermionic R. D’Arcy and co-workers, matter and magnetotransport in highly disordered media.” Nature Physics, 8, 243–247 (2012) The Electron Model for Many Applications (EMMA) is a prototype for a new particle accelerator which has the potential to revolutionise the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS): Fowler Prize for Early use of such accelerators. This paper Achievement in Astronomy reports the first experimental results Dr Hiranya Peiris from EMMA, confirming the principle “[I]n recognition of her particularly noteworthy contribution underlying its technology. to astronomy at an early stage of her research career.” & Particle accelerators have already Co-recipient of the Gruber Cosmology Prize had a profound beneficial impact upon society and boast a wide range Awarded to Charles L. Bennett and the Wilkinson Microwave of applications in industry, medicine Anisotropy Probe Science Team, including Dr Hiranya Peiris and basic science, such as the “[F]or their exquisite measurements of anisotropies in the development of the MRI and X-rays. relic radiation from the Big Bang---the Cosmic Microwave However they currently operate on Background. These measurements have helped to secure principles developed over 50 years ago rigorous constraints on the origin, content, age, and geometry of the Universe, transforming our current paradigm of structure and their potential is limited by their formation from appealing scenario into precise science.” size, complexity and cost. EMMA is based on innovative concepts, resulting in a compact, cost UCL Departmental Teaching Award effective and operationally simpler accelerator. It is hoped that in this Dr David Bowler new technology will allow hospitals Determined by student nominations, the Departmental to implement more effective forms of Teaching Prize is awarded annually to a member of staff beam therapy to help cure some of the for their outstanding teaching. most difficult cancers such as radiation- resistant, or awkwardly sited tumours.
UCL Provost’s Teaching Award Dr Paul Bartlett The Provost’s Teaching Awards were set up to celebrate the best of pedagogic prowess at UCL and to reward staff who are making outstanding contributions to the learning experience and success of our students.
UCL Business Award ‘One to Watch’ Professor Neal Skipper and Dr Chris Howard “Their process could help unlock the huge commercial potential of carbon nanotubes by providing a means to separate semiconducting tubes from metallic.”
13 ACADEMIC SHOWCASE
Dr Chamkaur Ghag Academic Appointments Lecturer joining the HEP group, previously based at the University of California
Dr Mark Buitelaar Lecturer joining the CMMP group, previously based at the University of Cambridge Dr Stephen Hogan Lecturer joining the AMOPP group, previously based at ETH Zurich
Dr David Cassidy Lecturer joining the AMOPP group, previously based at the University of California Dr Steven Schofield Lecturer joining the CMMP group, previously the holder of an EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellowship based at UCL
Long term Fellowships
Dr Anna Holin Dr Andrew Pilkington Royal Society Dorothy Royal Society University Hodgkin Fellowship Research Fellowship
Promotions Fellowships of Learned Societies Professorships Professor Jonathan Oppenheim American Academy of Arts & Sciences Professor Serena Viti Professor Gabriel Aeppli
Readerships European Astronomical Society Dr Hiranya Peiris Professor Serena Viti Dr Peter Sushko
Royal Astronomical Society Dr Frederick Poidevin Resignations
Dr Sarah Bridle, to take up a Professorship position at Manchester University
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Portrait of… Dr Hiranya Peiris
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool...” (Richard Feynman); avoiding this pitfall is one of the fundamental problems that will be encountered by the CosmicDawn project, due to start in January 2013. Led by Dr Hiranya Peiris, the CosmicDawn project is supported by the European Research Council (ERC) and will focus on studying the physics of the early universe, aiming to uncover the origin of the structure we see in the universe today.
2012 has been an eventful year for Hiranya; in addition to being awarded over £1million to head the CosmicDawn project, Hiranya has also been promoted to a Readership position at UCL and the very early universe. Using data from originated. Central to its success will honoured with a Royal Astronomical the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe be the innovative methodology used to Society (RAS) award. She was also a co- (WMAP) spacecraft, Hiranya studied the analyse enormous volumes of data, and recipient of the 2012 Gruber Cosmology cosmic microwave background radiation isolate important physical signals from the Prize (page 13). (CMB) and describes the first release of latest CMB and LSS datasets. Theoretical results as a pivotal event in cosmology modelling will be combined with advanced Innovative methodology will and an “amazing time” which so far, has Bayesian and wavelet methods to extract be used to analyse enormous been the highlight of her career. reliable information from the data. The project will aim to rigorously test the volumes of data and isolate The CMB is a picture of the universe theory of inflation; an integral part of when it was less than 0.01% of its present important physical signals the Standard Cosmological Model, and age. It carries the almost unblemished from the latest CMB and the dominant paradigm for the origin of signature of primordial fluctuations in the cosmic structure – as well as seeking LSS datasets. very early universe which, under the action signatures of new physics that are likely of gravitational instability, grew into the to exist at these unexplored energies. As So where did it all begin? As an variety of structures which fill the universe technology progresses, there is an urgent undergraduate at the University of today. In addition to CMB data, the next need to develop algorithms which can Cambridge, it was Hiranya’s summer generation of galaxy surveys such as the cope with the vast and diverse amounts work experience at the Jet Propulsion Dark Energy Survey (DES) (page 19), will of data to isolate interesting signals. Laboratory which played a pivotal role in enhance our understanding of the early Looking beyond the CosmicDawn project, her chosen career path. Using the Galileo universe. Galaxy surveys reveal the large Hiranya hopes to be able to apply this satellite to observe Jupiter, “studying scale structure (LSS) of the universe, data analysis methodology further afield, things that no human eye had ever seen by sampling different physical scales, in areas such as high performance before” captured Hiranya’s imagination at different epochs in the history of the computing and signal processing. In the and helped steer her towards a career universe. in Astrophysics. Hiranya’s PhD research meantime, the next five years should CosmicDawn will study the physics of was undertaken at Princeton University prove to be an exciting time, not just for the early universe and how its structure and helped to focus her specialisation in astrophysics but for science as whole.
15 Research Spotlight Project in Focus The ATLAS experiment at High Energy the Large Hadron Collider Physics (HEP) Aim To investigate some of the most fundamental questions in nature and to shed light into the first moments in the lifetime of our universe, right after the Big Bang. High energy particle physics is about therefore no surprise that the Higgs boson looking at extremely small sizes or, has been named the cornerstone of the Results equivalently, at extremely high energies. Standard Model (SM) (the theory that The discovery of a Higgs boson, nearly It is concerned with the underlying nature describes all the fundamental particles half a century after the Higgs particle was postulated theoretically! In addition, over and foundations of the entire physical and their interactions), the Holy Grail 200 publications with measurements of universe, as well as the forces and laws of Particle Physics and even (slightly Standard Model processes and searches that govern its development. unfortunately!) the God particle. for new physics, at the highest energies The search for the Higgs boson has been ever achieved by mankind. the flagship research topic for CERN’s During the 2012 LHC UCL Involvement Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and the operation, nearly half a Leading role in the detector operation, discovery of a Higgs particle in 2012, online event selection and offline by the ATLAS and CMS experiments billion proton-proton reconstruction and simulation software; key represents a triumph of human involvement in the ongoing data analyses intellect; both in terms of the theoretical collisions were taking to determine the properties of the newly ingenuity to postulate the existence of place every second. discovered Higgs particle, as well as the Higgs boson nearly half a century leading the studies of several important ago, and in terms of the experimental Standard Model processes. challenges that had to be overcome to The Standard Model predicts all make the discovery. Professor Nikos properties of the Higgs boson, except for Konstantinidis has been a member of its mass, mH. However, for a given mH every second in the centre of the ATLAS the ATLAS collaboration since 2000 and assumption, the SM predicts in detail detector, but only a handful of collisions played a major role in the development how the Higgs would be produced (and per day would lead to the production of the and optimisation of the ATLAS Trigger with what frequency) in the proton-proton Higgs particle that appeared in the ATLAS system. He describes below, the collisions at the LHC and how it decays. Higgs discovery plots! In fact, one of the significance of the Higgs discovery, as Figure 1 shows the so-called branching greatest challenges for ATLAS was to be well as future plans for the LHC. ratios, i.e. what fraction of the time the able to select in real time (online) the most Higgs decays to a given set of particles, interesting handful of collision events in The cornerstone of the as a function of mH. Despite ‘knowing every million, as it is technically impossible Standard Model (SM) what to look for’, the search for the Higgs to record everything. The system that Imagine a universe where all fundamental at the LHC was extremely challenging, performs this online event selection is particles have absolutely zero mass. because the chances of producing it called the Trigger, and the UCL-ATLAS Electrons, like all massless particles, in a given collision are tiny. During the group has been playing a leading role in move with the speed of light, hence they 2012 LHC operation, nearly half a billion optimizing the ATLAS Trigger in order to cannot easily stick around protons to form proton-proton collisions were taking place select online the most interesting events atoms. Then, in a moment, everything and amongst them, hopefully, those where changes. A symmetry is broken (hidden, the Higgs particle was produced. The in fact) and most particles slow down, recorded events are then processed offline they suddenly acquire mass because by dedicated analysis software looking to they ‘feel the drag’ of something, a field. identify the Higgs decay products in the Different types of particles acquire diverse various parts of the ATLAS detector and masses because they experience a to combine them to reproduce the original varying strength of the drag from this field. particle. Electrons start to orbit around protons Figure 2 shows the results of the analysis and nuclei, forming atoms and molecules, searching for the Higgs decays to two allowing chemistry and, ultimately biology photons. There is a huge number of to happen. events containing two isolated, energetic This oversimplified description in a few photons coming from various SM lines shows the profound implications processes, but when combined they give that the Higgs field and its quantum, the a smoothly falling mass distribution. The small bump visible around 125GeV in the Higgs boson, have for the evolution of Figure 1. The branching ratios (probabilities) di-photon mass spectrum is due to the our universe and the creation of structure for the various Higgs decay modes as a function and life itself, as we see it today. It is of the Higgs mass. newly discovered particle.
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A similar bump, consistent with figure and will allow the thorough exploration 2, is seen again around 125GeV in of the high-energy frontier in the multi- figure 3. This shows the invariant mass TeV region, as well as the observation distribution of four leptons in events of rare processes involving the Higgs selected by the analysis looking for the boson, such as the process where the decays of the Higgs into two Z bosons, Higgs boson interacts with itself. These each of which subsequently decays to a studies will help scientists achieve an pair of leptons (electrons or muons). unprecedented level of understanding of One such event is displayed in figure 4. nature at the most fundamental level. In Putting together these observations order for ATLAS to maintain its sensitivity and the results from analyses looking and exploit optimally the data delivered for the other Higgs decay channels, the by the LHC upgrades, it also requires Figure 2. The two-photon invariant mass chances that the observed bumps are major upgrades to its sub-systems. UCL- distribution in the search for H→γγ, showing the just random fluctuations are smaller than ATLAS has been playing a key role in the bump around 125GeV over the expected smooth one-in-a-million, signifying therefore the ATLAS upgrades programme, leading background shape. The bottom histogram shows unequivocal discovery of a new particle! the work to define the optimal Trigger the difference between the data distribution and strategy for the future, which is expected Despite the certainty for the discovery the background-only expectation (as indicated by to be one of the most major challenges of a new boson, and all the indications the dashed red line in the upper histogram). for achieving the optimal performance. that it has many similarities with what we had been looking for in the searches for the Higgs boson, the jury is still The chances that the out as to whether the properties of the newly discovered boson are consistent observed bumps are just with all the properties predicted by the random fluctuations SM for the Higgs boson. A very intense and exciting programme of work is now are smaller than one- underway in ATLAS to maximise the in-a-million, signifying sensitivity of the analyses and extract as much information as possible from therefore the unequivocal the collisions collected so far about discovery of a new particle! the properties of the newly discovered boson, before calling it definitively the Higgs boson. In particular, with the data Major breakthrough in the analysed so far there is not enough neutrino sector – the θ13 angle Figure 3. The four-lepton invariant mass in sensitivity to observe and study the Although the LHC and the Higgs the H→ZZ→4e leptons search, showing the boson’s decays to fermions (specifically discovery dominated the particle physics excess of events around 125GeV over the to a pair of b-quarks or tau leptons), headlines, 2012 saw another major expected background. The light blue histogram which is a very important check of discovery, this time in the neutrino shows the expected Higgs contribution in the the SM prediction for the Higgs. UCL- sector. The angle , a key parameter simulation. ATLAS is heavily involved in the work to θ13 in describing the mixing between the observe and study in detail the decays flavour and mass states of the three to b-quarks and the projections indicate neutrino families, was measured that by the end of 2013, after optimising for the first time to be non-zero, 9 and analysing the full 2012 dataset, this degrees to be precise. This is a major will be possible. breakthrough, because a non-zero value In 2013–14, the LHC equipment will of this parameter opens up the way for undergo technical upgrades that will significant CP-violation in the neutrino allow it to go to nearly double the beam section, which in turn may contribute in energies (to 6.5-7TeV from 4TeV in explaining the huge matter-antimatter 2012) and increase further the rate of asymmetry in our universe. This result collisions when it restarts operations in has given a major boost in the neutrino 2015. Beyond that, there is a long-term sector, for experiments that will pin down plan for upgrades that will see the LHC more of the neutrino properties. UCL is at delivering 100 times more collisions the forefront of this research, leading the than to date, with a rate exceeding SuperNEMO and MINOS+ experiments, five billion proton-proton collisions per and playing a major role in defining the Figure 4. An ATLAS collision event containing second! This is a programme that will international research programme in a H→ZZ→4e candidate. last for at least another two decades neutrino physics.
18 Project in Focus The Dark Energy Astrophysics Survey (DES) (Astro) Aim To observe and characterise the nature of dark energy. Results to Date The UCL Astrophysics Group is one of ingredient, or should Einstein’s gravity DES achieved ‘first light’ on 12 the largest in the UK, consisting of 67 theory be modified? September 2012, followed by verification academic, research and support staff, of observations. Two supernovae have along with 37 PhD students. The work The Dark Energy Survey (DES) is a already been discovered. carried out is diverse; ranging from photometric survey of the Southern sky that aims to answer key questions UCL Involvement instrumentation to data acquisition and The optics systems for the Dark Energy about the nature of Dark Energy and the analysis, as well as theoretical modeling, Camera were assembled at UCL before structure of the Universe. The recently in the fields of massive stars, star being installed on the Blanco 4-m formation, interstellar and circumstellar installed, wide-field Dark Energy Camera telescope in Chile. UCL cosmologists processes, astrochemistry, cosmology, will be used to conduct the survey from are leading the analysis of data from the galaxy formation and evolution, extra- the Blanco Telescope in Chile. telescope and simulations. solar planets, and atmospheric physics. Over the next five years, DES will conduct the largest galaxy survey ever Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter- DES will conduct the undertaken, producing detailed colour American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile. images of one-eighth of the sky, or 5,000 largest galaxy survey ever square degrees. DES scientists aim Dr Peter Doel, Dr David Brooks and undertaken, producing to discover and measure 300 million their associates at UCL have led the galaxies, 100,000 galaxy clusters, and effort on designing and constructing the detailed colour images of 4,000 supernovae. The data will then be optical corrector, a major component of one-eighth of the sky. used to study four probes of Dark Energy: the camera which took several years to galaxy clusters, supernovae, the large- complete. The corrector consists of an scale clumping of galaxies, and weak array of five large lenses which sit at the Group members play leadership roles gravitational lensing. This will be the first primary focus of the camera, with the in a number of high-profile international time all four of these methods will be principle lens measuring one metre across. projects such as the Dark Energy Survey possible in a single experiment. To ensure a high degree of accuracy, the (DES) and e-MERLIN, the Herschel and lenses are aligned to within 50 microns- Planck space missions, and proposed/ DES has brought together cosmologists this is equivalent to half the thickness of forthcoming missions such as the Euclid and instrumentation experts from five a sheet of paper and enables the camera cosmology mission, the Jupiter Icy countries: the US, UK, Spain, Brazil, to produce high resolution images over an Moon Explorer (JUICE) and Exoplanet Germany and Switzerland. The DES:UK extremely wide field. Characterisation Observatory (EChO). Consortium includes UCL, Portsmouth, 2012 has been a particularly exciting year Cambridge, Nottingham, Sussex and for the DES team, with the camera now Edinburgh, with UCL astronomers playing The assembly of the five operational and detecting its ‘first light’ leading roles in the project; Professor lenses for DECam and its in September, Professor Ofer Lahav Ofer Lahav is chair of the DES Science explains the significance of this. Committee and the DES:UK consortium, installation on the telescope Dr Sarah Bridle is Co-Coordinator of was a major technological The Dark Energy Survey (DES) the DES Weak Lensing Working Group achievement, producing The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011 was and Dr Filipe Abdalla is Co-Lead of awarded to three astronomers “for the the DES Spectroscopic Task Force. In one of the largest cameras discovery of the accelerating expansion addition, over a dozen UCL post-doctoral on the globe. of the Universe through observations researchers and PhD students are working on the project. of distant supernovae”. More generally, DECam is roughly the size of a phone observations over the past decade DES instrumentation booth and is the most powerful survey strongly favour a ‘concordance’ model in instrument of its kind, able to see light which the Universe is flat and contains The UCL Astrophysics Instrumentation from over 100,000 galaxies up to 8 billion approximately 4% ordinary atomic matter, group has made a significant contribution light years away in each snapshot. The 21% Cold Dark Matter and 75% Dark to the Dark Energy Survey project through camera has an array of 62 charge-coupled Energy. The Dark Energy paradigm the construction of the optical corrector devices which provides an unprecedented and its extensions pose fundamental for the survey camera. The Dark Energy sensitivity to very red light. When coupled questions about the origins of the Camera (DECam) is a 570-megapixel with the Blanco telescope’s large light- Universe: is Dark Energy an actual wide field camera, mounted on the 4-m gathering mirror (spanning 13 feet across),
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The event marked the dedication of the deliver pictures with the sharpest Dark Energy Camera and the beginning resolution ever seen in such a wide-field of the 50th anniversary celebration of astronomy survey. Two supernovae have the CTIO, a division of the National already been discovered. Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). Speakers included Professor David Silva In addition to funding from the Science (NOAO Director), Professor Joshua and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Frieman (Director of the Dark Energy Consolidated Grant, the DES work at Survey) and Professor Ofer Lahav UCL is also supported by grants held (UCL). Professor Lahav’s talk focused by Dr Sarah Bridle (ERC Starting Grant, upon the international perspective of awarded April 2010), Professor Ofer DES, on behalf of the non-US partners: Lahav (ERC Advanced Grant, awarded May 2012) and Dr Hiranya Peiris Figure 1. Dr David Brooks and PhD student the UK, Spain, Brazil, Germany and Michelle Antonik, with the DECam corrector lens. Switzerland. (ERC Starting Grant, awarded January 2013). DES also receives funding from Once the camera has been fully tested the U.S. Department of Energy; the and data verified, the Dark Energy Survey National Science Foundation; and funding is expected to begin in 2013. It will take agencies in Spain, Brazil, Germany, and advantage of the excellent atmospheric Switzerland; and the participating DES conditions in the Chilean Andes and institutions.
Figure 2. DES Optical Corrector in the lab, overseen by (foreground, l-r) lead instrument scientist, Dr Peter Doel,; UCL President and Provost, Professor Malcolm Grant and DES:UK chair, Professor Ofer Lahav.
DECam allows scientists from around the world to pursue investigations ranging from studies of asteroids in our own solar system to the understanding of the
origins and the fate of the Universe. Collaboration . Survey Energy © Dark Image
The assembly of the five lenses for Figure 3. Zoomed-in ‘First Light’ image from the Dark Energy Camera of the barred spiral galaxy DECam and its installation on the NGC 1365. This galaxy lies in the Fornax cluster of galaxies, about 60 million light years from Earth. telescope was a major technological achievement, producing one of the largest cameras on the globe. It was shipped from London to the telescope in Chile in December 2011 and installation on the telescope was completed in August 2012. First light and dedication ceremony On 12 September 2012, 8 years of preparation culminated in the DES camera detecting its ‘first light’. The first pictures taken were of the Southern sky and included the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 in the Fornax cluster of galaxies (figure 3).
This important milestone was celebrated on the 9 November 2012 with a ceremony at the summit of Cerro Tololo, Figure 4. Dark Energy Camera Dedication at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory Chile. with DES members (9 November 2012).
20 Project in Focus Condensed Matter and Physics at the nanoscale Aim To create and measure novel quantum Materials Physics (CMMP) systems and functional devices that exploit quantum effects. Results Manipulation of individual atoms and Research within the CMMP group spans mechanics, the qubits are described molecules and the creation of atomic- a wide spectrum of subjects, ranging as being entangled. Dr Mark Buitelaar scale quantum systems. Spin to charge from the theoretical and experimental and Dr Steven Schofield describe conversion and readout in quantum dots. components of imaging at the atomic below the challenges in finding ways UCL Involvement scale, to understanding the extreme to harness quantum phenomena such UCL has extensive facilities for researching nanoscale physics. These include a dilution environment of the Earth’s deep interior. as superposition and entanglement refrigerator for mK transport experiments Currently the group is comprised of and the creation and understanding and three low-temperature ultrahigh- roughly 90 members, making it one of of nano- and atomic-scale quantum vacuum scanning tunnelling microscopes. the largest condensed matter groups in devices. the UK. Reading out spin qubits in carbon nanotubes noise ratios. As readout of the state of a single spin is required, it is necessary Qubits have the intriguing A very natural qubit is the electron spin. to improve on this by ten orders of ability of existing in a The energy difference between spin magnitude! A solution is found by superposition of states, states of an electron can be precisely coupling two quantum dots in series this has profound controlled by magnetic fields and, and probing the ability of the electrons using the electron’s charge, it is also implications if we to move between the quantum dots. possible to isolate and manipulate This spin-to-charge conversion process consider quantum systems individual spins electrically. Dr Mark is illustrated in figure 1b. Two electrons, of more than one qubit. Buitelaar’s research focusses on each on a separate quantum dot, can electrons trapped in carbon nanotube readily form a spin singlet or triplet. quantum dots. These consist of small One particular area of interest is However, two electrons on a single sections of carbon nanotube in which the creation of nano- and atomic- quantum dot, occupying the same the electrons are confined in all three scale structures that can be used as dimensions, see figure 1. Compared to buildings blocks for novel quantum other materials, carbon nanotubes have devices. A notable example is the (a) Source (b) the advantage of a very clean spin quantum computer, which is able to Gates environment, due to the absence of perform computational tasks that are unpaired nuclear spins in the dominant unattainable in a classical context. Drain carbon-12 isotope. As a result, the The elementary unit of information in a important quantum superposition states quantum computer is the quantum bit QD1 QD2 are expected to survive much longer, or qubit which, like the classical bit, is a making it possible to perform more two-level system but with the intriguing 1 µm computing operations on entangled ability to exist in a superposition of spin qubits. Figure 1. (a) Scanning electron micrograph of an states. This means it can be in the individual carbon nanotube coupled to several on and off state at the same time The current challenge lies in reading metallic electrodes. The two sections in between the source and drain electrodes form a double which has profound implications if we out a single electron spin due to the quantum dot. The inset shows an atomically consider quantum systems of more minuscule magnetic moment. For resolved scanning tunnelling image of a chiral carbon nanotube. The diameter is approximately than one qubit. Instead of each qubit example, conventional electron- 1.5 nm. (b) Schematic diagram of the double carrying any well-defined information spin-resonance (ESR) spectroscopy quantum dot. Tunnelling between the dots is of its own, the information is encoded requires about 1010 spins to move in allowed for electrons in a singlet state but forbidden for the triplets. in their joint properties. In quantum sync to obtain measurable signal-to-
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spatial orbital, have to form a spin singlet tools to determine exactly how long spin functionality with semiconductor devices. by virtue of the Pauli exclusion principle coherence can be maintained in carbon It is anticipated that this may enhance (electrons are fermions). Therefore, nanotube quantum dots, and address existing technologies or lead to novel electron transport between the quantum fundamental questions about the coupling devices with single molecules as the dots is only allowed for the spin singlets. of electron spins to their environment. active elements.
Using spin-orbit interaction, which is The scanning tunnelling microscope Carbon nanotubes have relatively strong in carbon nanotubes, it (STM) is a powerful tool for the the advantage of a very should also be possible to manipulate investigation of physics at the nanoscale. clean spin environment, spin states electrically and thus control It can be used to not only image surfaces making it possible to individual qubits. Future work will explore with atomic-resolution, but also to routes to entangle multiple spin qubits, directly manipulate individual atoms and perform more computing either by direct coupling or using a molecules. An STM generates an image operations on entangled measurement-based approach. spin qubits. Atomic-scale quantum The scanning tunnelling structures on silicon To detect the movement of individual microscope (STM) can electrons between the quantum dots, The atomic-scale modification of be used to not only image the device is coupled to an electrical semiconductors is an important area of surfaces with atomic- resonator as illustrated in figure 2. physics research. It holds the potential resolution, but also to The phase of a radio-frequency signal to produce devices that exploit quantum directly manipulate reflected off the device is a sensitive effects in ways that are not possible probe of the ability of the electrons to with current technology. This may, for individual atoms and move in response to the oscillating example, lead to the construction of a molecules. potential and thus of the singlet and quantum computer through the atomically triplet states. Due to the resonator having precise positioning of individual impurity by measuring a quantum mechanical a large bandwidth, measurement can atoms in silicon. Another sought-after tunnelling current between the surface also be very fast. This provides the goal is the incorporation of molecular and a metal probe tip, as the tip is raster scanned over the surface (figure 3a). An STM image of crystalline silicon is shown in figure 3b; each of the protrusions in 180 nH this image are due to individual silicon (a) VRF 50 Ω atoms. It is also possible to measure the density of electronic states of a surface 2.5 pF RF using STM by recording the tunnelling current as a function of the applied bias, as shown for a clean silicon surface in QD1 QD2 -0.2 0 (b) Data ∆Φ (deg.) Model figure 3c. 0 150 Φ (deg) (n+1,m+1) (1,1) (n+1,m) (1,0) At the STM laboratory in the London -1 Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN), (dB) 0
RF -2 Dr Steven Schofield and co-workers (n,m+1) Γ -150 (n,m) (0,0) (0,1) are investigating the modification of 100 200 300 semiconductor surfaces at the atomic Gate voltages left/right Frequency (MHz) scale. One avenue of research is to investigate the fundamental properties Figure 2. (a) Schematic diagram of the measurement set-up in which a double quantum dot is coupled of the organic/semiconductor interface. to an electrical resonator (b) The phase and amplitude response of a reflected radio-frequency (RF) signal Some recent STM data showing provide detailed information about the ability of electrons to move between the leads and quantum dots or from one quantum dot to the other. The device is measured at a temperature of ~50mK. the adsorption of benzonitrile and
22 acetophenone to the (001) surface of silicon are highlighted in figures 3d and 3e. The corresponding structural schematics (figures 3g and 3f) were determined in collaboration with density functional theory (DFT) calculations performed at the University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle, Australia. Significantly, it was found that the benzonitrile adsorbates could be repositioned by STM manipulation, and the dangling bonds (DBs) they produced in the surface were found to Figure 3. Organic molecular functionalisation of silicon (a) Schematic of a nucleate the growth of atomic indium scanning tunnelling microscope. (b) Silicon (001) surface imaged at 77 K, and (c) measured with tunnelling spectroscopy. (d and e) Guided self-assembly chains (figures 3d and 3g).Such guided of indium atom chains nucleated by benzonitrile molecules. (f and g) self-assembly of metal atoms by organic Acetophenone on silicon (001); the location of dangling bonds induced by the molecules presents a path toward molecular adsorption are indicated by lightly coloured silicon atoms. the creation of single-atom wires and interconnects for future single-molecule devices (figures 3d and 3g).
The creation of atomic-scale quantum states on silicon has been achieved using deterministically created point defects. Figure 4 highlights recent work where individual hydrogen atoms were removed one atom at a time from the surface of hydrogen-passivated silicon to create interacting quantum defects. Figures 4b and 4c show STM images of a pair of DBs spaced on next nearest neighbour lattice sites (figure 4a). By using the STM tip as an electrostatic gate to control which states contribute to the STM image, it was shown that the ground state wavefunctions of the individual DBs are non-interacting (figure 4b), but their first excited states overlap to form an artificial molecular Figure 4. Atomic-scale quantum states fabricated on silicon. (a-c) A pair of orbital (figure 4c). This behaviour is dangling bonds (DBs) that have been created on hydrogen terminated silicon similar to a recent theoretical proposal (001) by STM atomic manipulation. The DBs are on next-nearest neighbour by UCL physicists to use the excited lattice sites, separated by 0.77 nm. The tip bias and separation can be used as gates to control which states contribute to the image. Panel (b), +2 V, 95 pA, state molecular orbitals of systems of shows the ground state configuration of the DB pair, while panel (c) +2 V, 5 hydrogenic impurities in silicon to couple pA, shows an excited state molecular orbital of the DB pair. (d and f) Six their non-interacting ground states for DBs in a row spaced at next-nearest neighbour site (+1.8, +1.4, and -1.4 V, respectively; 15 pA). a silicon-based quantum computer. Figures 4d and 4f demonstrate the flexibility of the technique by extending the chain to six DBs
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Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Positron Physics (AMOPP)
The AMOPP group perform high precision enables atoms to be trapped without the spectrum of the electromagnetic measurements coupled with theoretical altering their optical properties. In this vacuum, thus changing the optical work, which are aimed at understanding way, trapped atoms may be used for properties of the atoms (‘cavity QED’). and improving fundamental processes. extreme magnetometry, with a wide The Laser Cooling Group is currently The applications of this improved range of applications. In particular the investigating the case of multi-mode understanding can be applied to diverse Laser Cooling Group is investigating cavities and is expected to lead to areas such as the development and applications in the medical area, interesting applications in quantum structure of the Universe, environmental with a view to use atomic sensors information. change, and the behaviour of biological for biomagnetism. A second area of systems. interest is related to the investigation Electric traps for atoms of fundamental processes in statistical and molecules in highly Particles ranging in size mechanics. Professor Renzoni’s group excited states has been successful in using cold atoms from single atoms to a For many applications of cold atoms in optical lattices to investigate systems few microns are optically and molecules it is desirable to trap in which the dynamics are dominated samples, not only when they are trapped and boast a range by rare and large events and cannot prepared in their ground electronic of applications including be described in the framework of the states, but also when they are in highly standard Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical sensing and quantum excited states known as Rydberg mechanics. The third area of research information processing. states. Cold, trapped samples in involves atoms confined within an optical Rydberg states are of importance cavity (figure 1). The cavity modifies The trapping of particles is a major focus in hybrid approaches to quantum for a number of experimental research groups within the AMOPP group. Particles that range in size from single atoms to a few microns are trapped using optical, electric, magnetic or acoustic fields, for both fundamental science and applications in, for example, sensing and quantum information processing.
Magneto-optical trapping of atoms
The Laser Cooling Group, led by Professor Ferruccio Renzoni, uses cold atoms in optical traps to investigate different physical phenomena. The first area of interest is precision measurements, and in particular magnetometry. Using optical traps at the so-called ‘magic wavelength’, Figure 1. The cavity cooling experiment in the laboratory of the Laser Cooling Group
24 Project in Focus information processing, studies of points ~0.8 mm above the surface low energy molecular collisions and represent electric traps for the excited Particle trapping interactions, and experiments with atoms or molecules. If the potentials Aim antihydrogen. applied to each wire do not change Trapping and manipulation of particles ranging from single atoms to microscopic with time, the traps will remain at the material for fundamental science and To trap atoms and molecules that are positions indicated. However, when applications. excited to Rydberg states, Dr Stephen the potentials oscillate in time, the Hogan’s group exploits their sensitivity Results traps will travel along the surface in Significant results include models of non- to electric fields. This sensitivity is a the z-dimension, bringing with them equilibrium statistical mechanics, cavity consequence of the spatial separation cooling of 100nm size particles and optical the confined atoms or molecules. The trapping of graphene. of the negatively-charged, excited speed at which the traps, and hence the electron from the positively-charged UCL Involvement trapped particles, travel can be varied by ion to which it is bound, leading to the UCL has a number of research groups adjusting the frequency of oscillation of using optical, electrostatic, magnetic and existence of a large electric dipole the electric potentials. This device can acoustic fields for particle manipulation. moment. therefore not only be used to trap atoms Dr Hogan uses chip-based electric and molecules in Rydberg states, but it traps composed of arrays of metallic can also be used as a conveyer belt to wires integrated into surfaces as accelerate, decelerate and transport the Optical and acoustic trapping depicted in figure 2 (lower panel). trapped samples. of microscopic particles By applying alternate positive and By combining electric traps of this kind The Optical Tweezers group led by negative electric potentials to adjacent with superconducting microwave circuits Dr Phil Jones uses the force exerted wires in the array the electric field Dr Hogan plans to exploit trapped by a single laser beam to trap micro distribution depicted in figure 2 (upper Rydberg atoms as quantum memories and nanoscopic particles, including panel) can be generated. In this in a hybrid approach to quantum carbon nanotubes and graphene. electric field distribution the electric information processing. In collaboration with the National field minima, indicated by the dark Physical Laboratory, the group is presently developing an experiment to combine optical trapping with acoustic manipulation. The target objects for these experiments are microscopic gas bubbles, stabilised by a lipid or polymer coating and suspended in liquid, which are presently used as an agent for enhancing contrast in ultrasound scans. The method by which a coated bubble scatters ultrasound, in particular the frequency content of the scattered field depends on both the mechanical properties of the coating and the properties of the surrounding medium. The purpose of the project is to use optical forces to measure and characterise the coating in order to then use changes in the measured scattered ultrasound field to detect changes in the local environment. Calibrated in this Figure 2. Photograph of a chip-based array of metallic wires (lower panel) which can be used to generate way, the microbubble can be used as electric field distributions (upper panel) appropriate for electric trapping of samples in Rydberg states.
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traps to levitate silica (glass) particles, which range in size from 50 nm to 10 microns (figure 4). An important step towards reaching the quantum regime is the development of methods to cool the trapped particles. One method the group has developed uses an optical cavity to damp the motion of trapped particles in the 100 nm size range. However larger microspheres in excess of a few microns cannot be cooled by an external cavity.
Figure 3. Calculated stress distribution on the surface of a microbubble in an optical trap and the resulting deformation. An important step towards reaching the quantum a highly sensitive sensor for changes reaching the quantum regime is to cool in its surroundings, for example the these objects to very low temperatures regime is the development small change in density that might be in the microKelvin range. However this of methods to cool the indicative of a contaminant in biofuels. is difficult as they are in direct contact trapped particles. This year the group has modelled the with the relatively hot environment way in which a microbubble may be of a vacuum chamber. Trapping with deformed in an optical trap (figure 3) electromagnetic fields in vacuum offers a For these particles, they have developed from which the stiffness of the coating means to isolate particles allowing them and are implementing a a type of Doppler material can be deduced. They are to be cooled while minimising contact cooling. This process is analogous to presently integrating the optical trap into from with the environment. To do this laser cooling of atoms and utilises the a microfluidic device which will also have the group are using both optical and ion whispering gallery modes of the sphere. the facility for long-range manipulation and interrogation of microbubbles using ultrasound.
Optical and electrodynamic trapping in cavity optomechanics.
Professor Peter Barker’s group seeks to determine whether nanoscopic and microscopic objects, which typically follow classical laws of physics, can be engineered to behave as quantum mechanical objects. By doing this they aim to explore the boundary between classical and quantum behaviour at this scale, and determine if such relatively large objects can be used as sensors of force, mass or length at their ultimate limit determined by quantum mechanics. An important step towards Figure 4. A silica glass sphere held in an ion trap.
26 Project in Focus
Biological Physics (BioP) The physics of hearing
In honour of the late Professor Tom Duke, this section describes one of his key contributions to the area of biological physics. The BioP group is a virtual research group magnitude of intensity: the loudest noise which aims to address critical biological our ears can meaningfully interpret is 1012 questions using physical science times the intensity of the softest noise to research. The group forms a network which it can respond. characteristics of our hearing can be between experimental and theoretical modelled as self-tuned oscillators that Omitting the gory biological detail, the ear physicists from the different research are continuously kept at the verge of can be considered as a set of oscillators groups in the Department, for whom oscillation. that each respond to a distinct frequency, biological problems are either the main not dissimilar to a harp in which strings of focus and/or a significant application of The therefore required internal active different lengths can be made to vibrate their research activities. process has the pleasant side-effect of at different frequencies. Nature’s main overcoming viscous damping, which problem was how to design a harp that would prevent any resonating responses The physics of hearing could deal equally well with very gentle otherwise. It provides a significant boost (thermal vibrations) and with very rough to the oscillatory response for weak stimuli was greatly enriched handling, equivalent to blowing the harp to (sound), but only moderate gain for strong pieces. stimuli, which is exactly the behaviour by the contribution of required to achieve the many orders-of- In the creation of such a design, Nature magnitude dynamic range. Professor Tom Duke may well have wished to have some (1964 – 2012) radio-engineers at her disposal. In 1948, Tom and collaborators also showed Thomas Gold proposed that the ear the intricacies of such oscillators when operates as a regenerative radio receiver, responding to multi-frequency stimuli, in which an active feedback adds energy Based in part on Professor Tom Duke’s such as Tartini’s two-tone response at the very frequency that the receiver is ‘The power of hearing’, Physics World alluded to above. They went on to suggest trying to detect. A choir of differently toned (2002) and his lecture notes for the that, although the idea originated from voices would thus be a better analogy for European School On Nanosciences & experimental data in the frog ear this may the ear than a harp. Nanotechnologies, Grenoble, Dr Bart well determine the appreciation of music by the human ear. Hoogenboom describes Professor Duke’s This idea was worked out 50 years later work on the physics of hearing. by Tom and others in (then) Cambridge, While Tom will of course remain known for Paris, and Rockefeller. Starting from what these and other scientific contributions, for A choir for hearing is probably the most common equation all who knew him, he will be remembered in physics, that of the driven harmonic as a fine and immensely kind colleague. It is rumoured that, sometime in the early oscillator, they demonstrated how the years of their curriculum, UCL physics students are exposed to the shrill sounds of a violin for an illustration of vibrations and waves. Interestingly, a violin is not only useful for mastering the concept of waves, but also for our understanding about how we hear them. For example, the 18th-century violinist Giuseppe Tartini remarked that the difference frequency 2 f1–f2 can be heard when two notes with frequencies f1 and f2 are played simultaneously, even though that combination of frequencies is absent in the sound waves. The physics of hearing was greatly enriched by the contribution of Tom Duke (1964 – 2012), Professor at the London Centre for Nanotechnology and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCL. Hearing is the most remarkable of our senses. It covers a frequency range from 20 Hz to an age-dependent upper limit of about 20 kHz. It can detect sounds that impart no more energy than thermal noise Scanning electron microscope view of the bundle of hairs in the vertebrate ear where Tom Duke placed (4 zepto-Joule), and, most impressively, the active process in his model. The bundle is a collection of stiff rods about 800nm in diameter which it responds and adapts over 12 orders of are rocked by sound. Credit: Andy Forge (UCL Ear Institute).
27 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
Research Statistics
Publication Summary
Research Group Number of publications in refereed journals Astro 128 AMOPP 118 CMMP 102 HEP 204
Active Grants and Contracts
Faculty of Mathematical and In the last financial year (Aug 2011 – July 2012), Physical Sciences (MAPS) Physics and Astronomy generated 22% of the total research income for the MAPS faculty. The MAPS faculty as a whole yielded £36,297,000 with Physics and Astronomy contributing 22% £7,899,000 Physics and Astronomy
Astrophysics
University Research Fellowship (URF) (Royal The Dust Enrichment of Galaxies (STFC) PI: Cosmology: from Galaxy Surveys to Dark Society) £482,594 PI: Dr Filipe Abdalla Prof. Michael Barlow £326,268 Matter and Dark Energy (STFC) PI: Prof. Ofer Lahav £829,994 Euclid Implementation Phase (UKSA) PI: Dr Quantifying the Dark Universe using Cosmic Filipe Abdalla £545,348 Gravitational Lensing (Royal Society) PI: Dr Observing Dark Energy (Royal Society) PI: Sarah Bridle £273,240 Prof. Ofer Lahav £101,260 Phase B1 Funding for the UK EUCLID Programme, to Selection of the Mission in COGS - Capitalising on Gravitational Shear Dark Energy Survey Collaboration (University October 2011 (STFC) PI: Dr Filipe Abdalla (European Commission FP7) PI: Dr Sarah Bridle of Nottingham) PI: Prof. Ofer Lahav £300,000 £10,986 £1,050,000 DESPEC: Spectroscopic Upgrade of the Dark Impact Studentship: David Johnson – Large Scale Structure Insights into the Origins Energy Survey (STFC) PI: Prof. Ofer Lahav Improving the Representation of the of Cosmic Acceleration (Royal Society) PI: Dr £141,585 Thermosphere and Ionosphere for Space Sarah Bridle £11,920 UCL Astrophysics Consolidated Grant Weather (UK Met Office) PI: Dr Anasuya Aruliah BigBoss UK Development (FQXi) PI: Dr Peter (STFC) PI: Prof. Ofer Lahav £1,883,126 £31,627 Doel £52,774 TESTDE: Testing the Dark Energy Paradigm Modelling and Observations of Planetary PATT Linked Grant (STFC) PI: Prof. Ian Howarth and Measuring Neutrino Mass with the Dark Atmospheres: the Solar System and Beyond £13,294 Energy Survey (European Commission FP7) (STFC) PI: Prof. Alan Aylward £700,632 PI: Prof. Ofer Lahav £1,812,291 Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship ATMOP: Advanced Thermosphere Modelling (Leverhulme Trust) PI: Dr Caitriona Jackman Cosmology from Surveys (STFC) PI: Prof. for Orbit Prediction (European Commission FP7) £56,088 Ofer Lahav £468,087 PI: Prof. Alan Aylward £194,152 RAS Fellowship: Energy Release from Leverhulme Trust Senior Research ESPAS: Near-Earth Space Data Infrastructures Magnetospheres (Royal Astronomical Society) PI: Fellowship - The Dark Energy Survey and for E-Science (European Commission FP7) PI: Dr Caitriona Jackman £50,895 Beyond (Royal Society) PI: Prof. Ofer Lahav Prof. Alan Aylward £197,306 £48,014
28 Physics and Astronomy ANNUAL REVIEW 2012–13
Newton Fellowship: Probing Cosmological Investigating the Formation of Career Acceleration Fellowship (CAF) - Structure through Novel Signal Processing Glycolaldehyde in Space (Leverhulme Trust) Ionisation of Multi-Electron Atomic and Methods (Royal Society) PI: Dr Jason McEwen PI: Prof. Serena Viti £117,898 Molecular Systems Driven by Intense and £102,000 Ultrashort Laser Pulses (EPSRC) PI: Dr 3D Radiative Transfer Studies of HII/PDR Agapi Emmanouilidou £994,556 Europlanet RI - European Planetology Complexes in Star-Forming Galaxies (STFC) Network Research Infrastructure (European PI: Prof. Serena Viti £381,854 Control and Imaging of Processes Commission FP7) PI: Prof. Steve Miller Triggered by X-Ray Pulses in Multi- £222,209 Impact Studentship: Camilla Danielski - Centre Molecules (EPSRC) PI: Dr Agapi Probing the Atmospheres of Extrasolar Emmanouilidou £309,665 Comets as Laboratories: Observing and Worlds Around M Dwarfs (Associacao Modelling Commentary Spectra (STFC) PI: Solidariedade E Esperanca) PI: Prof. Serena Orbit-Based Methods for Multi-electron Prof. Steve Miller £185,912 Viti £25,000 Systems in Strong Fields (EPSRC) PI: Dr Carla Figueira De Morisson Faria £313,960 The Miracle Consortium: Modelling the Impact Studentship: Antonios Makrymallis Universe - from Atomic to Large Scale – Time Senses Analysis of Chemical Models Thecosint - Theory of Quantum Structures (STFC) PI: Prof. Steve Miller of Star Forming Regions (Columba Systems Computation and Many-Body Simulation £557,483 Ltd.) PI: Prof. Serena Viti £31,627 with Novel Quantum Technologies (European Commission FP7) PI: Dr Cosmic Acceleration: Connecting Theory Integrated Knowledge Centre in Ultra Alessandro Ferraro £124,156 and Observation (STFC) PI: Dr Hiranya Peiris Precision and Structured Surfaces (EPSRC) £304,205 PI: Prof. David Walker £391,853 CAF - Star Formation and the Ism Evolution of Galaxies across Cosmic Time Philip Leverhulme Prize - Hiranya Peiris Ultra Precision Surfaces - Translation Grant (STFC) PI: Dr Thomas Greve £471,898 (Leverhulme Trust) PI: Dr Hiranya Peiris £70,000 (EPSRC) PI: Prof. David Walker £670,810 Nanofibre Optical Interfaces for Ions, Detecting Signatures of Eternal Inflation KTP with Zeeko Ltd (Zeeko Ltd) PI: Prof. Atoms and Molecules (EPSRC) PI: Dr Philip using WMAP and Planck Data (FQXi) PI: Dr David Walker £82,261 Jones £197,819 Hiranya Peiris £64,189 KTP with Zeeko Ltd (AEA Technology PLC) Photonic Force Microscopy with Cosmological Constraints on the Very Early PI: Prof. David Walker £126,409 Nanostructures (Royal Society) PI: Dr Philip Universe (Royal Society) PI: Dr Hiranya Peiris Jones £12,000 £12,000 Impact Studentship: Willhelmus Messelink - Advanced Optical Fabrication Techniques Impact Studentship: Agata Pawlikowska Travel for Collaboration on Exoplanets (FQXi) (Zeeko Ltd) PI: Prof. David Walker £29,811 - Bubbles: Sensors for the Micro-World PI: Dr Hiranya Peiris £3,047 (NPL Management LTD) PI: Dr Philip Jones The E-Merlin Legacy CYG OB2 Radio Survey: £54,359 Massive Star Feedback and Evolution (STFC) AMOPP Impact Studentship: Chris Fury – Sono- PI: Prof. Raman Prinja £215,102 acoustical Trapping of Microbubbles (NPL Dynamics of Information in Quantum Many- Management) PI: Dr Philip Jones £35,430 UCL Astrophysics Short-Term Visitor Body Systems (Royal Society) PI: Dr Janet Programme 2010-2012 (STFC) PI: Dr Giorgio Anders £382,692 Positronium - Matter Interactions (EPSRC) Savini £44,489 PI: Prof. Gaetana Laricchia £468,305 Low Power Sub-wavelength Resolution Modular Wide Field of View RF Fluorescence Imaging (BBSRC) PI: Dr Angus Quantum Dynamics in Atomic Molecular Configurations (ESA) PI: Dr Giorgio Savini Bain £118,922 and Optical Physics (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Tania £54,706 Monteiro £167,723 Creating Ultra-Cold Molecules by A Study of Galactic Polarized Dust with Blast Sympathetic Cooling (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Peter CAF - Exploiting Quantum Coherent Pol (Leverhulme Trust) PI: Dr Giorgio Savini Barker £1,252,039 Energy Transfer in Light-Harvesting £80,621 Systems (EPSRC) PI: Dr Alexandra Olaya- Cavity Optomechanics: Towards Sensing at Castro £973,877 Impact Studentship: Paul Moseley - Novel the Quantum Limit (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Peter QF Quasi-Optical Components for the THZ Barker £814,269 URF – Quantum Information, Entanglement Astronomy (ESA) PI: Dr Giorgio Savini £29,813 and Cryptography (Royal Society) PI: Prof. Quantum Information Uses of Complex Jonathan Oppenheim £203,957 Impact Studentship: Silvia Martinavarro - for Systems and Limits of the Quantum World Infrared and Sub-Millimetre Study of Evolved (Royal Society) PI: Prof. Sougato Bose Modelling Condensed Matter Systems Stars (STFC) PI: Prof. Bruce Swinyard £30,288 £76,260 with Quantum Gases in Optical Cavities (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Ferruccio Renzoni EcHO Study Support (UKSA) PI: Prof. Bruce Hybrid Superconductor-Semiconductor £806,753 Swinyard £85,919 Devices for Majorana Fermion Detection (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Sougato Bose £36,831 URF - Exploring Extrasolar Words: from Many-Body Dark States: from Quantum Dot Arrays to Interacting Quantum Gases Terrestrial Planets to Gas Giants (Royal Nonclassicalities and Quantum Control at (Royal Society) PI: Prof Ferruccio Renzoni Society) PI: Dr Giovanna Tinetti £421,241 the Nanoscale (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Sougato £12,000 Bose £1,166,350 Molecules in Extrasolar Planet Atmospheres Atomic Magnetometry via Quantum (Royal Society) PI: Dr Giovanna Tinetti £12,000 Nanoelectronic based Quantum Physics – Interference (Royal Society) PI: Prof. Technology and Applications (EPSRC) PI: Ferruccio Renzoni £12,000 The Science of EcHO (Exoplanet Prof. Sougato Bose £441,672 Characterisation Observatory (STFC) PI: Dr COSMA – Coherent Optics Sensors for Giovanna Tinetti £77,871 PACOMANEDIA: Partially Coherent Medical Applications (European Commission Many-Body Non-Equilibrium Dynamics Chemistry in Galaxies at Low and High FP7) PI: Prof. Ferruccio Renzoni £23,550 for Information Applications (European Redshifts (STFC) PI: Prof. Serena Viti Commission FP7) PI: Prof. Sougato Bose £302,053 UK APAP Network (STFC) PI: Prof. Peter £933,809 Storey £27,006 LASSIE - Laboratory Astrochemical Surface Leverhulme Trust Senior Fellowship - Bell Science in Europe (European Commission VAMDC - Virtual Atomic and Molecular Inequalities and Quantum Computation FP7) PI: Prof. Serena Viti £145,179 Centre (European Commission FP7) PI: Prof. (Leverhulme Trust) PI: Dr Dan Browne £36,525 Jonathan Tennyson FRS £337,022
29 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
UK R-Matrix Atomic and Molecular Physics CONTEST: Collaborative Network for Case Studentship: Radhika Patel – In Situ HPC Code Development Project (UK-Ramp) Training in Electronic Skin Technology Studies of Clay Hydration for Sustainable (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Jonathan Tennyson FRS (European Commission FP7) PI: Prof. Franco Oil and Gas Exploration (M-I Drilling Fluids £300,012 Cacialli £480,418 UK Ltd.) PI: Prof. Neal Skipper £27,000
Phys4Entry - Planetary Entry Integrated Impact Studentship: Giuseppe Maria URF - Electron Gas in Reduced Ionic Models (European Commission FP7) PI: Prof. Paterno – Nanoscale Characterisation Insulators and Semiconductors (Royal Jonathan Tennyson FRS £139,200 and Radiation Damage Testing of Organic Society) PI: Dr Peter Sushko £478,269 Solar Cells Using Neutron Scattering ESip - Efficient Silicon Multi-Chip System- Techniques (STFC) PI: Prof Franco Cacialli Learning to Control Structure and in-Package Integration - Reliability Failure £42,676 Properties of Nano-Scale Ferroelectrics Analysis and Test (Technology Strategy Using Defects (EPSRC) PI: Dr Peter Sushko Board) PI: Prof. Jonathan Tennyson FRS Global Engagement for Global Impact: £264,337 £283,488 Strategic Interaction with China, India, Germany and USA (EPSRC) PI: Prof Franco Theoretical Modelling of Amorphous A Calculated Methane Line List for Cacialli £2,046 Electrides, Electride Surfaces, and Quasi- Characterising Exoplanets and Brown Two-Dimensional Active Materials (Tokyo Dwarfs (STFC) PI: Prof. Jonathan Tennyson Impact Studentship: Directing Crystal Institute of Technology) PI: Dr Peter Sushko FRS £380,702 Growth with Functional Surfaces (PNNL) £257,273 PI: Dr Dorothy Duffy £7,880 EXOMOL - Molecular Line Lists for Multiscale Modelling of Metal- Exoplanet Atmospheres (European Impact Studentship: Jake Stinson - Semiconductor Contacts for the Next Commission FP7) PI: Prof. Jonathan Tennyson Stability of Hydrated Sulphuric Acid Generation of Nanoscale Transistors FRS £1,854,024 Molecular Clusters, and the Nucleation of (EPSRC) PI: Dr Peter Sushko £292,850 Stratospheric Aerosols for Climate Control Wolfson Research Merit Award - Molecular (PNNL) PI: Prof. Ian Ford £23,845 ENGD Studentship: Oliver Dicks – Tuning Line Lists for Extra Solar Planet and Other Electronic Properties of Thin Films and Hot Bodies (Royal Society) PI: Prof. Jonathan URF Extension - Nanomaterials Interfaces Using Defects (Argonne National Tennyson FRS £72,000 for Biomolecular Sciences and Laboratory) PI: Dr Peter Sushko £20,375 Nanotechnology (Royal Society) PI: Dr Impact Studentship: Duncan Little – Thanh Nguyen £320,558 Ionisation Reactions and DSMC (Themisys Ltd.) PI: Prof. Jonathan Tennyson FRS £32,126 BIS Secondment (EPSRC) PI: Dr Thanh HEP Nguyen £10,032 Impact Studentship: Dan Underwood – Development and Maintenance of Atlas Sulphur Trioxide/Oxide High-Temperature Support for the UK Car-Parrinello Run Time Tester (STFC) PI: Prof. Jonathan Spectroscopic Databases (Technical Consortium (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Chris Pickard Butterworth £182,207 University of Denmark) PI: Prof. Jonathan £5,716 Tennyson FRS £32,126 Electroweak Symmetry Breaking and Ex Nihilo Crystal Structure Discovery Jet Physics with Atlas at the LHC (Royal High Accuracy Line Intensities for Carbon (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Chris Pickard £1,338,601 Society) PI: Prof. Jonathan Butterworth Dioxide (NERC) PI: Prof. Jonathan Tennyson £86,247 FRS £219,065 TOUCAN: Towards an Understanding of Catalysts and Nanoalloys (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Small Items of Research Equipment Chris Pickard £269,504 (EPSRC) PI: Prof. Jonathan Butterworth £23,068 CMMP Impact Studentship: Ashley Garvin - Laser Materials Interaction (PNNL) PI: Prof. IPPP Associateships 2011-12 (University of Many of CMMP grants are held through the Alexander Shluger £22,800 Durham) PI: Dr Frank Deppisch £8,000 London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) EngD - Advanced Gate Stack and Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship – Investigating Impact Studentship: Modelling Electron Dielectric in Resistive Memory Material the Neutrino with MINOS and Liquid Argon Transport in Multi-Heme Proteins (PNNL) PI: (International Sematech) PI: Prof. Alexander Detector Technology (Royal Society) PI: Dr Dr Jochen Blumberger £21,587 Shluger £48,047 Anna Holin £459,226
Impact Studentship: a Computational Impact Studentship: David Gao - Using Front End Test Stand Continuation (STFC) Investigation of Charge Transfer in Organic Computation In Component Development PI: Dr Simon Jolly £45,046 Semiconducting Materials (PNNL) PI: Dr (Chevron Oronite Company LLC) PI: Prof. Jochen Blumberger £10,295 Alexander Shluger £86,670 Higgs-Zap - Understanding the Origin of Mass with the Atlas Experiment at the URF Extension - Understanding Gas MORDRED- Modelling of the Reliability Large Hadron Collider. Dr Ilektra Christidi Transport in Hydrogenases through Novel and Degradation of Next Generation (European Commission FP7) PI: Prof. Computer Simulations (Royal Society) PI: Dr Nanoelectronic Devices (European Nikolaos Konstantinidis £33,750 Jochen Blumberger £335,813 Commission FP7) PI: Prof. Alexander Shluger £382,186 Atlantis Event Display (STFC) PI: Prof. Development of Microscopic Gas Diffusion- Nikolaos Konstantinidis £143,166 Reaction Model for a H2 Producing ENGD Studentship: Jonathan Cottom – Biocatalyst (EPSRC) PI: Dr Jochen AB-Initio Simulations in Bulk and Interface Atlas Upgrade Project (STFC) PI: Prof. Blumberger £171,252 Defects (Infineon Technologies Austria AG) Nikolaos Konstantinidis £183,598 PI: Prof. Alexander Shluger £30,000 Impact Studentship: Bio-Inspired Materials Experimental Particle Physics at UCL for Sustainable Energy (University of Impact Studentship: Laser-Materials (STFC) PI: Prof. Nikolaos Konstantinidis Cambridge) PI: Dr David Bowler £119,580 Interactions: Theory and Experiment £2,314,756 (PNNL) PI: Prof. Alexander Shluger £22,800 SUPERIOR - Supramolecular Functional Atlas Upgrades Continuation (STFC) PI: Nanoscale Architectures for Organic DIAMOND: Decommissioning, Prof. Nikolaos Konstantinidis £117, 469 Electronics: a Host-Driven Network Immobilisation and Management of (European Commission FP7) PI: Prof. Franco Nuclear Wastes for Disposal (EPSRC) PI: URF - Higgs Physics and the Mystery of Cacialli £314,284 Prof Neal Skipper £72,233 Particle Masses (Royal Society) PI: Dr Gavin Hesketh £525,834
30 Physics and Astronomy ANNUAL REVIEW 2012–13
URF Extension - Neutrino and Cosmic Ray Studies with Minos, Anita and Cream Tea (Royal Society) PI: Dr Ryan Nichol £306,804
URF - Search for a Vector Boson Fusion Headline Funding Produced Higgs Boson at Atlas (Royal Society) PI: Dr Emily Nurse £399,633
Studentship for Supernemo Design Study (STFC) PI: Prof. Ruben Saakyan £15,808 Professor Sougato Bose Supernemo Demonstrator Module Construction (STFC) PI: Prof. Ruben Saakyan European Research Council (ERC) £297,427 PACOMANEDIA New Frontiers in Neutrino Physics - Wolfson Research Merit Award (Royal Society) PI: Prof. €1,245,078 Jennifer Thomas CBE £75,000
Research Associate to Work on Minos (STFC) This project focuses on utilising the full potential of PI: Prof. Jennifer Thomas CBE £114,442 quantum mechanics for future electronic technology.
MINOS and Physics Preparation Research The project will examine automata which is produced Associate (STFC) PI: Prof. Jennifer Thomas from multiple quantum units such as nanomagnets for CBE £155,756 transporting bits and performing classical (Boolean) MINOS Spokesperson Travel (STFC) PI: Prof. reversible logic. The figure below is a schematic for Jennifer Thomas CBE £8,000 a reversible Boolean gate between bits, encoded in IPPP Associateships 2009-10 (University of magnetic domains. Durham) PI: Prof. Robert Thorne £12,000 Such automata could potentially lead to significant Particle Physics Phenomenology (STFC) PI: Prof. Robert Thorne £343,107 increases in computational speed and energy- efficiency. The performance of the machine would be Terauniverse - Exploring the Terauniverse with the LHC, Astrophysics and Cosmology determined by the couplings of the quantum many- (European Commission FP7) PI: Prof. Robert body system, with calculations set in a regime where Thorne £356,475 dissipation (decay of energy) becomes irrelevant. Impact Studentship: Guillaume Eurin – Low However dephasing (loss of quantum coherence) may Background Physics and the Search for be substantial. Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay (Centre National de la Recherché Scientifique) PI: Dr An alternative methodology for quantum information David Waters £31,627 processing will also be investigated, addressing Experimental Particle Physics Consolidated questions such as whether a network of interacting Grant 2012 – 2016 (STFC) PI: Dr David Waters £4,340,016 spins can serve as an automata for running an entire quantum algorithm, and the viability of using magnon GridPP4 Tranche 1 London Grid UCL Grant (STFC) PI: Dr Ben Waugh £7,500 wavepackets can be used for computations.
European XFEL Clock and Control System (European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility GmbH) PI: Prof. Matthew Wing £645,926
Impact Studentship: Scott Mandry - Diagnostics for a Proton-Driven Plasma Wakefield Experiment (Max Planck Institute For Physics) PI: Prof. Matthew Wing £31,627
31 Staff Snapshot
Head of Department Atomic, Molecular, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Professor J M Butterworth Optical and Positron Physics Head of Group: Professor N Skipper Astrophysics Head of Group: Professor G Laricchia Professors: Head of Group: G. Aeppli, S. Bramwell, F. Cacialli, Professors: Professor M J Barlow A. J. Fisher, I. J. Ford, A. Green, A. Harker, P. F. Barker, S. Bose, G. Laricchia, D. F. McMorrow, Q. A. Pankhurst, Professors: T. S. Monteiro, J. Oppenheim, F. Renzoni, C. J. Pickard, I. K. Robinson, A. Shluger, M. J. Barlow, I. D. Howarth, O. Lahav, J. Tennyson S. Miller, R. K. Prinja, J. M. C. Rawlings, N. T. Skipper Reader and Senior Lecturers: B. M. Swinyard, S. Viti Readers and Senior Lecturers: A. J. Bain, P. H. Jones Professorial Research Fellow: D. R. Bowler, D. Duffy, T. T. K. Nguyen, D D Walker Lecturers: P. Sushko, S. W. Zochowski D. Browne, D. Cassidy, C. Figueira de Lecturers: Readers and Senior Lecturers: Morisson Faria, S. Hogan, A. Olaya- J. Blumberger, M. Buitelaar, M. Ellerby, A. L. Aruliah, S. L. Bridle, A. P. Doel, Castro, A. Serafini, J. Underwood I. Furniss, H. Peiris, G. Tinetti C. Hirjibehedin, B. W. Hoogenboom, EPSRC Career Acceleration M. Parish, S. Schofield Lecturers: Research Fellow: Research Associates: F Abdalla, N Achilleos, G Savini A. Emmanouilidou F. Lopez Gejo, S. Hepplestone, Royal Society Fellowship: Royal Society Fellowship: A. Kimmel, A. Kubas, N. Kuganathan, J McEwen (Newton) J. Anders (Dorothy Hodgkin) S. Ling, M. Martinez Canales, A. Morris, STFC Advanced Fellowship: Senior Research Associate: D. Ortega, M. Watkins T. Greve S. Yurchenko Most research staff are employed Senior Research Associates: Research Associates: through the LCN F. Deigo, M. Matsuura, J. Yates B. Augstein, D. Ballester, R. Barber, Support Staff: Research Associates: S. Brawley, C. Coppola, F. Fassioli-Olsen, C. Jordan, J. Rooke R. Aladro, M. Banerji, A. Benoit-Levy, A. Ferraro, C. Hill, S. Hutchinson, T. Bisbas, S. Feeney, D. Fenech, J. Frazer, A. Kolli, V. Laporta, C. Lazarou, P. Guio, M. Hirsch, O. Host, C. Jackman, L. Lodi, S. Lopez Lopez, M. Marciante, D. Kirk, A. Merson, W. Nicholson, R. Marsh, S. Midgley, J. Millen, F. Poidevin, B. Rowe, C. Sabiu, T. Spain, D. Monahan, N. Nicolaou, O. Polyansky, S. Thaithara Balan, S. Thompson, L. Voigt, A. Wallis, A. Werpachowska, I. Waldmann, P. Woods, J. Zuntz A. Wickenbrock, A. Williams Support Staff: Support Staff: M. Bibby, D. Brooks, J. Deacon, J. Fabbri, J. Dumper, R. Jawad, C. Johnston R. Heward, K. Nakum, D. Witherick
32 Physics and Astronomy ANNUAL REVIEW 2012–13
High Energy Physics Teaching Maps Workshop Head of Group: Director of Undergraduate Teaching: Superintendent: Professor M A Lancaster R. Prinja R. Gollay Professors: Director of Postgraduate Studies: Technicians: J. M. Butterworth, N. Konstantinidis, T. S. Monteiro J. Benbow, J. F. Percival M. A. Lancaster, R. Saakyan, Director of Laboratories: J. A. Thomas, R. S. Thorne, F. Renzoni M. Wing Administrative Staff Senior Teaching Fellow: Readers: Departmental Manager: P. Bartlett M. Campanelli, R. Nichol, H. Wigmore D. S. Waters Teaching Fellows: Examinations Co-ordinator D. Armoogum, M. Coupland, L. Dash, Lecturers: and IT Support: P. Donovan, N. Nicolaou F. Deppisch, C. Ghag, K. Hamilton, K. Heyworth G. Hesketh, S. Jolly, E. Nurse Laboratory Superintendent: Finance Officer: J. O’Brien Royal Society Fellowship: D. Buck A. Holin (Dorothy Hodgkin) Laboratory Technicians: Finance and Postgraduate B. T. Bristoll, M. J. Palmer, M. A. Sterling, Principal and Senior Research Administrator: D. Thomas Associates: N. Waller R. Flack, O. Grachov, P. Sherwood, Admissions Tutors: Grants Officer: B. Waugh F. Cacialli (MSc), M. M. Dworetsky J. Barrett (Astronomy Certificate), R. S. Thorne Research Associates: (Postgraduate Research), D. Waters Group Administrator Astro: A. Basharina-Freshville, P. Bernat, (Undergraduate) K Nakum I. Christidi, B. Cooper, T. Coughlin, R. D’arcy, A. Davison, A. Desai, Programme Tutors: Group Administrator AMOPP & HEP: E. Dobson, J. Evans, E. Jansen, D. Duffy (MSc), M. M. Dworetsky C. Johnston J. Monk, P. Motylinski, R. Prabhu, (Astronomy Certificate), I. Furniss Group Administrator CMMP: S. Torre, D. Wardrope, L. Whitehead (Astronomy), S. W. Zochowski (Physics) C. Jordan Support Staff: Science Centre Organiser: D. J. Attree, G. Crone, J. Grozier, University of London S. Kadifachi T. J. Hoare, C. Johnston, E. Motuk, Observatory M. Postranecky, B. Simmons, Undergraduate Administrator: M. Warren Director: S. Lo I. D. Howarth Manager: Visiting Professors P. K. Thomas and Emeritus Staff: Teaching Fellows: A. Aylward, A. Boksenburg, F. W. Bullock, S. J. Boyle, S. J. Fossey D. H. Davis, M. M. Dworetsky, R. S. Ellis, Computing and Experimental Officer: M. Esten, J. L. Finney, M. J. Gillan, T. Schlichter W. M. Glencross, T. C. Griffith, C. Hilsum, J. W. Humberston, T.W. Jones, Technical Support: G. E. Kalmus, M. Longair, K. A. McEwen, M. Pearson B. R. Martin, D. J. Miller, W. Newell, G. Peach, P. G. Radaelli, A. C. Smith, P. J. Storey, D. N. Tovee, C. Wilkin, D. A. Williams, A. J. Willis
33 UCL Department of Physics and Astronomy • Gower Street • London • WC1E 6BT Telephone: +44 (0)20 7679 7155 www.phys.ucl.ac.uk