CavMag FEBRUARY 2014 Issue 11 News from the Cavendish Laboratory Inside Guest Editor: Val Gibson 3 High Energy Physics – Not the Higgs Boson 4 Ernest Walton honoured by new Sculpture 5 DNA coatings and new forms of colloidal self-assembly 6 Athene Donald and Churchill 7 Understanding Cancer 8 Inventor’s Teaching Room 9 Early Computing in Radio Astronomy 10 Nora Sidgwick at the Cavendish Laboratory 12 Spin at the Heart of Solar Cells 14 Expansion of the Outreach Team 15 Widening participation project: Cambridge Colleges Physics Experience 16 Materials Discovery 18 Astronomy in the Freezer – CAMELs in Greenland 20 Cavendish News 22 Ray Dolby 1933 – 2013 23 Welcome to Chris Carilli 24 How you can contribute 24 Opening of the Battcock Centre for Experimental Astrophysics n 14 October 2013, the The Chancellor of the University, Lord Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology Battcock Centre for Sainsbury of Turville, was joined at the have historically been among the very Experimental Astrophysics opening by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor strongest scientific disciplines in Cambridge. was formally opened by Sir Leszek Borysiewicz and the chief The construction of the Battcock O benefactor who made the building possible, Centre for Experimental Astrophysics the Chancellor of the University, Mr. Humphrey Battcock. Humphrey is a brings together on the same site the Lord Sainsbury. This auspicious Cavendish Laboratory and Downing College experimental astrophysicists from the occasion marked the completion alumnus who has been an enthusiastic Cavendish Laboratory with astronomers of the consolidation of astronomy, supporter of the University’s initiatives since from the Institute of Astronomy and Kavli astrophysics and cosmology on the beginning of the present Cavendish Institute for Cosmology, completing the the Institute of Astronomy site in redevelopment programme. His gift, consolidation of the research efforts of the together with funding from the Wolfson Institute of Astronomy and the Cavendish Cambridge and a key stage in the Foundation, has been matched by the Laboratory. The consolidation will also redevelopment of the Cavendish University to enable the Centre to become promote collaboration with members of the Laboratory. a reality. Department of Applied Mathematics and phy.cam.ac.uk Continued overleaf... Continued from overleaf Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) in the areas of cosmology and exoplanets. This is the first time that most of Cambridge astronomy has been brought together under one roof in order to enhance the strength of these disciplines and put Cambridge in the best possible position for future developments in astronomy across the full spectrum of theoretical, observational, interpretative, computational and experimental astrophysics. As has been reported in previous editions of CavMag, the Cavendish has been able to make two outstanding professorial appointments in Roberto Maiolino and Didier Queloz. They bring with them expertise in areas of experimental astrophysics which greatly enhance Cambridge’s ability to compete for leading roles in the next generation of ground and space-based astronomy projects. These include instrumentation for the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, the next generation European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and numerous other space and ground- based astronomy projects. Most recently, the Cavendish has appointed Professor Chris Carilli, the Chief Scientist at the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory, as a Director of Research. This will enhance Cambridge’s involvement in the extended Very Large Array (eVLA) project and strengthen further the Cavendish’s involvement in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. Paul Alexander, Head of the Cavendish Astrophysics Group and Director of the Battcock Centre for Experimental Astrophysics, is the leader of Cambridge’s involvement in the SKA. He said: “The Battcock Centre will enable us to create the teams needed to take on big scientific challenges, which will lead to major advances in our knowledge and understanding of the Universe.” The new building, by the same architects, Anand and Mustoe, who designed the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, and constructed by the Bedford-based regional construction company SDC, contains a dedicated suite of design spaces for instrumentation and computation, and project rooms, as well as offices for the experimental, theoretical and Top: Lord Sainsbury of Turville, Chancellor of Cambridge University, (right) with Humphrey observational astrophysicists. Battcock (left) outside the new Centre for Experimental Astrophysics, named in Humphrey’s honour. The opening was a very happy occasion for everyone involved and we were delighted to Middle: Professor Paul Alexander (centre), Head of Cavendish Astrophysics and Director of the Battcock Centre , introducing some of the research projects being carried out in the Wolfson welcome members of Humphrey’s family. Design Suite. Bottom: Lord Sainsbury of Turville, Chancellor of Cambridge University (left) with Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, the Vice-Chancellor (far right) and Humphrey Battcock (second right) with members of the Battcock family. 2 CavMag FEBRUARY 2014 Guest Editor: Val Gibson Welcome to CavMag11 which has a said goodbye to the Head of Department, focus on women in the Cavendish James Stirling, welcomed the new Head, Laboratory. When I was asked to be Andy Parker, as well as congratulated guest editor, I was delighted to have Athene Donald on her election as the next the opportunity to showcase some Master of Churchill College and celebrated of the brilliant female talent in the the successes and achievements of many of Laboratory. This edition introduces the our members of staff. reader to some new faces and reflects on the contributions of just a few I hope you enjoy reading all the articles of the women who have made this and news in this edition of CavMag. I have department the world-leading institute certainly enjoyed the experience of editing it is today. the magazine (with a lot of help from the standing Editor, Malcolm Longair). The academic & research staff of the Laboratory is currently comprised of 15% Val Gibson women, a similar percentage to other UK physics departments.1 It is therefore Val Gibson is Professor of High Energy refreshing to contemplate what the Physics, Head of High Energy Physics Cavendish would be like if the articles in this and Chair of the Cavendish Personnel edition reflected a balance of a majority of Committee. She was presented with women staff and a minority of men. I have the Women in Science and Engineering no doubt that the quality of research would (WISE) Leader award at a glittering award remain the same, but the day-to-day business ceremony at the Science Museum, London, would have a very different feel! Although I on November 14 2013 by HRH the Princess do not expect the department to turn-tables Royal. The WISE Leader Award, sponsored in this way, it is well on the way to achieving The activities of the Cavendish and in by AWE, was awarded for Val’s major a more equitable balance. Our Athena SWAN other areas also continue to flourish. We leadership role in championing women in and IoP Juno activities, for the advancement have seen the opening of the Battcock science, particularly those pursuing physics and promotion of women in science, have Centre for Experimental Astrophysics, the as students, researchers and academics. In seen a 44% increase in the number of announcement of the Maxwell Centre, recent years she has been the driving force women academic staff, promotion for all which links blue skies research and the behind the Cavendish Laboratory’s success our eligible female academics, a significant industrial sector, and the launch of the in achieving external recognition of the expansion of our mentoring and training for Rutherford Schools Project. We have also Department’s work in this area. research staff, as well as the introduction of childcare facilities and an increase in the department’s social programme. In the last 10 years, the Cavendish Laboratory has changed from focusing on research and teaching into an environment where the very best of scientists, particularly women, want to work. This edition of CavMag contains news from many of the research areas in the Cavendish, including Soft Matter Physics, Biomedical Physics, Optoelectronics and Astronomy, as well as historical perspectives of Early Computing in Radio Astronomy and the life and contributions of Nora Sidgwick. The last two years have also been a whirlwind of activity in my own research area, High Energy Physics (HEP), most notably with the discovery of the Higgs Boson and the subsequent award of the Nobel prize to Peter Higgs and Francois Englert. The Cambridge HEP group is so fortunate to be a part of the scientific endeavour at the Large Hadron Collider, and continues to make significant progress in the search for new phenomenon beyond the Higgs Boson. I have taken the liberty to slip in an article, entitled ‘High Energy Physics – Not the Higgs Boson’ by three members of my Top: Val with her 2013 WISE Leader award. own research group. Bottom: Val receiving her WISE Leader Award from HRH the Princess Royal in November 2013. 1 Institute of Physics, “Academic Physics Staff in UK Higher Education Institutions”, January 2012. FEBRUARY 2014 CavMag 3 High Energy Physics – Not the Higgs Boson The High Energy Physics (HEP) Group at also favour top squarks being the lightest decays of particles containing b quarks to the Cavendish Laboratory is a founding coloured supersymmetric particles. They measure the value of the single CP phase research group within the collaborations could therefore be produced with relatively that is present in the Standard Model. which have constructed, and are now large cross-sections at the Large Hadron analysing, the data from two of the Collider. I am currently searching for events Fig.2 shows the result of my selection of large detectors (ATLAS and LHCb) at in the ATLAS data consistent with the the most sensitive b-hadron decay mode, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in production of pairs of stops that decay to seen as a peak at a mass of ~5300 MeV/c2, Geneva.