Department of Physics - Imperial College London

Department of Physics

Department of Physics Review2014/15

Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics2

Department of Physics Review 2014/15

Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics 3

5 Introduction

Research in progress

40 Groups41 Astrophysics46 Condensed Matter Theory53 Experimental Solid State Physics60 High Energy Physics69 Photonics 74 Plasma Physics /ISP82 Quantum Optics & Laser Science 88 Space & Atmospheric Physics94 Theoretical Physics

101 Technical Development, Intellectual Property & Commercial Interactions

13 Undergraduate studies19 International exchange scheme27 Postgraduate studies28 Highlighted Postgraduate Case Studies

Contents

7 Department Information

126 Academic, Research and Support staff

8 Teaching 106 Outreach

33 Prizes awarded 119 Grants awarded

111 Alumni

116 Juno

Department of Physics Review 2014/15



IntroductionHead of Departments Statement

The Physics Department has continued toflourish during 2014-15 and inside you willfind an overview over the past year acrossthe considerable breadth of our activities.

The department thrives as an environmentwhere we can provide outstanding teachingdelivered by world class researchers. Wealso have a mission to engage the publicwith the excitement of our work to try andencourage the next generation of physicists.

Inside this report you will find an overviewof the world leading research, carried outby the nine research groups in the depart-ment. You will find a description of theactivities of the staff members as well as alisting of a few of their key publicationsduring this period. We have also listed theresearch grants which the department has received and which enable us to carry out our work, as well as the verymany awards and prizes which members of staff have received.

Overall we teach around 880 undergraduates and around 400 postgraduate students. Inside you will find anoverview of our undergraduate programmes as well as an indication of the many destinations where our undergrad-uate students continue after graduation. We were also delighted to continue our undergraduate summer studentexchanges with MIT, UBC and SNU allowing some of our top undergraduates to gain exemplary internationalresearch experiences.

Postgraduate degrees are available as both taught Masters programmes as well as PhD programmes. You will findinside an overview of the degree courses as well as the topics of projects for the degrees which were awardedduring the period of this review. Our Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) have continued to blossom and haveallowed us to provide a great training programme across these multi-disciplinary centres. In addition, the reportprovides a summary of the destinations for our PG students. We have continued to provide opportunities for ourstudents to interact with commercial partners through our Industry Club, and a particularly successful event is theannual postgraduate research symposium.

Outreach remains an important fundamental part of our mission and many staff across the department participatein visits to schools, public science events and fairs and of course the Open day visits to the department. We havealso been working to keep our graduates in contact with the work which is going on here by sponsoring eventsinviting alumni into the department to hear about our research.

The department renewed its Athena SWAN silver award in 2015 and continues to work hard to maintain the variousinitiatives that it has instilled and introducing new activities as we progress with our action plans. Representativesfrom across the department sit on our JUNO committee to see how we can improve the workplace environmentand improve the gender and racial imbalance across staff and student populations.

The report inside will give you a sense of the strength of the department, which remains one of the top destinationsworldwide for conducting research and studying physics and which is in an excellent position to continue to attractthe best and brightest students and researchers internationally.

Jordan Nash

Professor Jordan NashHead of the Department of Physics


June 2015

Headof Department

Professor Jordan NashTel: 020 7594 7500

Email: [email protected]

AssociateHead of Department

Dr Kenny WeirTel: 020 7594 7501



Undergraduate Teaching

Department Information

Director of Undergraduate StudiesDr Bob ForsythTel: 020 7594 7761Email: [email protected]

Senior TutorProfessor Jing ZhangTel: 020 7594 7954 Email: [email protected]

Admissions Tutor (Undergraduate)Professor Juliet PickeringTel: 020 7594 7763 Email: [email protected]

Examinations Co-ordinatorDr Julia SedgbeerTel: 020 7594 7811Email: [email protected]

Undergraduate Education ManagerMr Derryck StewartTel: 020 7594 7561Email: [email protected]

Admissions and Disabilities OfficerMs Mery FajardoTel: 020 7594 7513Email: [email protected]

Examinations and Information OfficerMr Victor UrubusiTel: 020 7594 7508Email: @imperial.ac.uk

Undergraduate AdministratorMs Amira HussainTel: 020 7594 7511Email: [email protected]

Undergraduate AdministratorMs Geetika TewariTel: 020 7594 7510Email: [email protected]

Director of Postgraduate StudiesProfessor Stefan MaierTel: 020 7594 7598Email:[email protected]

Postgraduate Development OfficerDr Andrew WilliamsonTel: 020 7594 7631Email: [email protected]

Postgraduate AdministratorMrs Loli SanchezTel: 020 7594 7512Email: [email protected]

OperationsManager

Linda JonesTel: 020 7594 7502


Research OperationsManager

Louise HaywardTel: 020 7594 7679

Email:[email protected]

Executive Assistantto Head of DepartmentCaroline JacksonTel: 020 7594 7503Email: [email protected]

Senior AdministratorKalvinder ChanaTel: 020 7594 6113Email: [email protected]

Postgraduate Teaching


Undergraduate Teaching

Senior TutorProfessor J. Zhang


Director of Undergraduate StudiesDr. R. Forsyth


Admissions TutorProfessor J. Pickering


Undergraduate


UndergraduateIn October 2014 we welcomed236 new students, making thetotal number of undergraduates879, one of the largest Physicsdepartments in the country. Thiswas the third cohort in whichhome students were paying feesof £9000 per annum. Studentsare enrolled initially onto one ofsix programmes leading to anMSci or BSc degree. Transfersare easy between most of theprogrammes in the early years. All three of our MSci degrees arefour-year programmes. The MSciin Physics is by far the mostpopular, while Physics with aYear in Europe and Physics withTheoretical Physics supply morespecialist needs. We offer three-year BScprogrammes in Physics and inPhysics with Theoretical Physics.The four-year BSc in Physics andMusic Performance, offeredjointly with the Royal College ofMusic, is unique, and attractssmall numbers of exceptionalcandidates. In the summer of2015 the third cohort of studentsgraduated on our BSc in Physicswith Science Education, offeredjointly with Canterbury ChristChurch University, which givesstudents a Physics degree aswell as a teaching qualification in3 years. A 4 year MSci version ofthis programme is now alsoavailable. Students can opt totransfer on to the ScienceEducation programmes at theend of Year 2 once theirsuitability for teaching has beenassessed.

Typically 12% of new studentsregister for BSc degrees and theremainder for MSci. Just over24% of our students are women,

which although short of where wewould like it to be, is higher thanthe national average. Many of ourexceptional overseas students arefemale.The basic structure of the degreeprogrammes is two years of corephysics and mathematics,followed by one or two years ofadvanced options in selectedareas of physics.All students, including those ontheoretical physics degrees, doabout 6 hours/week of laboratorywork during the first 2 years.

All programmes include aresearch project. Many studentsfind that the project is the mostenjoyable part of their degree asthey are then able to get to gripswith a topic that may be at thefrontier of research. In the third year students canchoose from a wide range ofphysics options and can alsotake a Humanities or BusinessSchool course. Students on theMSci degrees take advancedphysics options in their final year,alongside their major researchproject. Changes to our lecture coursesare made regularly to ensure thatthey remain topical, but fromOctober 2012 we have beenrolling out a revised programme. We understand that arriving in aclass of 250 students can bedaunting and impersonal, soalongside the lectures we haveactivities where students meet insmaller groups and are able toget to know each other better.Each student is a member of agroup of about 20, who meetregularly for tutorials as well aslaboratory and professional skillssessions. Two members of the

academic staff are associatedwith each group and act aspersonal tutors, remaining withthe group throughout their time atImperial. On each course inYears 1 and 2 students have atutorial each week in addition tolectures. Tutors encouragediscussion about other topicswithin physics to help studentssee the wider relevance of theirstudies. We have exchange agreementswith 14 universities in westernEurope. In 2014, 10 studentsstudied abroad in Year 3 of theYear in Europe programme andwe welcomed 34 visiting studentsto the department. This markeddownturn in the number of ourstudents studying abroadcoincides with the first cohortpaying higher fees and thereasons are not obvious giventhat studying abroad under theErasmus scheme is financiallyadvantageous compared toremaining in London. We areworking hard to advertise thebenefits of the programme.Introduced for the first time in2012, we have begun to set upan overseas summer researchproject scheme for undergraduatestudents in their third year whoare on a four year integratedMasters degree. The project iseight weeks in length and fullyfunded through the internationaloffice, the Blackett Laboratoryindustry club and the Department.In the summer of 2015 we sentJana Smutna and MartikAghajanian to MIT, Ray Otsukiand Miha Zgubic to the Universityof Vancouver in British Columbia,and Thomas Laird and AaronZack to Seoul National University.See the full report on page 16.


UndergraduateTeaching AwardsThe high standard of our lecturing isregularly recognised in the College’sTeaching Awards. Nominations forthese awards come from thestudents themselves. In 2015, theFaculty of Natural Sciences Prizesfor Excellence in Teaching wereawarded to:• Dr Marina Galand• Dr Jonathan Pritchard

Faculty Prizes for Excellence in thesupport of Teaching and Learningwere awarded to• Mr João Arnauth Pela• Dr Nicholas Dover• Dr Megumi Ito• Mr Matteo Lostaglio• Dr Benjamin Sherlock• Dr Benoit Vanniere• Ms Jessica Wade

The Commemoration DayReception late in October each yearis the setting for our departmentalprize giving where 30 students wereawarded prizes in 2015.

Many of our graduates continue

their studies within the physics areaeither by direct entry into a PhDresearch programme, or a specialistMSc degree such as thosediscussed in the following section.Other graduating students use theirphysics skills in areas such as thefinancial services industry or

information technology. Since aphysics degree develops skills suchas problem solving andcommunication as well as technicalskills, our graduates are in heavydemand from a wide range ofemployers.

Cyprian Lewandowski receiving theAbdus Salam Undergraduate Prize forthe best MSci graduate in Physics fromGalib Khan of the Ahmadiyya MuslimYouth Association

Dr Marina Galand receiving her Faculty of Natural Sciences Prize for Excellence inTeaching from the Provost, Prof James Stirling

Teaching Awards


UndergraduateDestination GraduatesEntered Employment 29Further Study 45Seeking employmen 4Time Out / Unavailable for Work 3

Destinations

Graph 1 – Destinations of 2014 graduates Graph 2 – Comparison with previous year

Graph 3 – Sector of employment entered


UndergraduateExamples of employersand occupations forPhysics graduates whoentered employment:Examples of Employers:• AMEC • Aon • Applied Laser Engineer

ing Ltd. • BAE Systems Detica • Bank of America Merrill

Lynch• BlackRock • British Army • Codis Ltd • Deloitte • Dollar Finance Group • Dorset Software • EDF • Encraft • EY • Greenhill & Co • Growth Intelligence • Holland Park School • Home Office • IBM (GBS) • Imperial College London • JP Morgan • KPMG • Lockton • MBDA Missile Systems • Microsoft • MU Innovation Ltd • Newton Europe • Open GI Ltd • Precision Microdrives Ltd.• PwC • Ramboll • Renishaw plc • Rolls Royce plc • Royal Navy • Schlumberger • Siemens PLM Software • STFC Innovations Ltd• Teach First • TradeRisks Ltd • UBS

Examples of Occupations:• Actuarial Analyst • Actuary • Analyst • Analyst - Penetration

Tester • Associate - Accounting • Audit Associate • Business Consultant • Compliance Officer • Consultant/Engineer • Cyber Security Consultant• Developer • Development Engineer • Efficiency Consultant • Engineer • Event Technician • Finance Advisory Analyst • Financial Modelling Analyst• FX Options Trader • Geophysicist • Graduate Engineer • Graduate Optical Engineer• Graduate Safety Case

Consultant • Graduate Software

Developer • Investment Banking

Analyst • IT Consultant • Officer in the British Army• Operations Director • PA to the CEO • Project Manager/Busi

ness Analyst • Royal Naval Officer • Sales Engineer • Scientific Officer • Secretary • Software Developer • Software Engineer • Sub-editor for New

Scientist magazine • Tax Associate• Teacher • Technology Consulting

Analyst • Trainee Building Physics

Consultant

Examples of courses forthose Physics graduateswho entered furtherstudy or training:• ACA • Astroparticle Physics

Research • BBSRC Doctoral

Training Program; Year 1: MRes in Systems and Synthetic Biology

• Biomedical and Medical Imaging Doctoral Training Programme

• Cancer Research • Japanese Language,

Tokyo School of Japanese Language

• Condensed Matter Physics Research

• DPhil in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics

• DPhil in Atomic and Laser Physics

• DTC in Nanoscience • Economics, Finance &

Management • Elementary Particle

Physics Research • EngD in Non-destructive

Evaluation • Graduate Diploma in Law• Masters in Management

Science & Engineering • MBBS Medicine • MPhil in Scientific

Computing • MPhil/PhD in Telecom

munications • MRes/PhD in Controlled

Quantum Dynamics • MRes Photonics Systems

Development • MSc Aerospace Dynamics• MSc Epidemiology • MSc Applied Physics • MSc Astrophysics • MSc Biotechnology, Bio

processing and Business Management

• MSc Computational

Statistics and Machine Learning

• MSc Environmental Technology

• MSc Information Security• MSc Integrative Neuro

science • MSc Nanotechnology • MSc Philosophy of

Science • MSc Physics • MSc Physics and

Engineering in Medicine • MSc Physics and

Technology of Nuclear Reactors

• MSc Plasma Physics • MSc Quantum Fields and

Fundamental Forces • MSc Space Technology

and Planetary Exploration• Optical Projection

Tomography Research • PGCE (Secondary -

Physics with Maths) • PhD in Climate Science • PhD in Condensed

Matter Theory • PhD in Controlled

Quantum Dynamics • PhD in High Energy

Physics • PhD in Low Carbon

Technologies • PhD in Meteorology • PhD in Physics • PhD in Space Plasmas • Quantum Computing

Research

What do Physics Undergraduates do?


Undergraduate2015 International UROP SummerPlacement Scheme

This year we sent two students toUBC Canada, MIT Boston and SNYSouth Korea. Here is a short reportfrom each of them describing theirresearch and cultural experiences.Enjoy!

UBC Victoria

Miha ZgubicMy placement at the University ofBritish Columbia (UBC) in Canadawas enjoyable both culturally andacademically. An additional perkwas being able to compare theresearch culture in the North

America to that of the UK.Furthermore the placement hasconsolidated my decision tocontinue my education with a PhD.UBC has a joint department ofphysics and astronomy and isstrongly involved in cosmology,which was the research field of mysupervisor. The research projectitself was about neutrinos ofcosmological origin, which lies at theinterface of particle physics andcosmology.

Cosmic neutrino background areneutrinos that have last interactedwith matter only 1 second after theBig Bang, and have been free-streaming in the expanding Universeever since. It is the equivalent of themore well known Cosmic MicrowaveBackground, which is composed ofphotons rather than neutrinos and isextensively studied. As a part of myresearch I've calculated the effect ofour motion in this neutrino backgroundand found that it is very similar tothe effect on the CMB. Additionally Ihave calculated a crude estimate ofthe neutrino spectrum originatingfrom the processes inside the stars.This brief description should beconcluded with a remark that while

the neutrinobackground is veryrich in structure andwould provide aglimpse of theUniverse at the tenderage of 1 second, it isalso notoriously hardto detect – and willprobably not happenfor decades. At the end of theplacement summerstudents were alsogiven the opportunityto give a talk on theirwork to the audiencecomposed of othersummer and PhDstudents, postdocs,

and professors, which proved to bea very valuable experience.The research placement at theUniversity of British Columbia inCanada was certainly one of thehighlights of my undergraduatedegree, providing the hands onexperience in physics research andconsolidating the decision tocontinue my education by pursuinga PhD. The weekends were mostlyspent together with other studentsfrom Imperial exploring downtown

Vancouver and hiking along many ofthe popular trails in the area, offeringsome of the most beautiful scenery Ihave ever seen.

Ray OtsukiI had the good of fortune of workingunder Dr. Wojciech Fedorko in thephysics department at the Universityof British Columbia (UBC) in BritishColumiba, Canada. My project was toextend a program called ‘BumpHunter’which searches for and quantifiesthe statistical significance of ‘bumps’(excesses in data) over any smooth(generally decaying) background.The project was to code a method toiteratively fit a curve over binned datasets whilst excluding successivelywider ‘windows’ in the data set andthen calculating the significance ofany excesses found without requiringany particular model for thebackground i.e. to make the searchas model-independent as possible.Whilst rooted in particle physics(Drell-Yan Z’ searches), the projecthas extended applicability in anycontext and could, for example, beimplemented in the financial sectoror data mining to search for unknownphenomena.Being an analysis tool, there wereno direct results from the coding; thetarget dataset on which it was to beused was yet to be produced (Run 2of LHC) but implementation wise,

International summer research exchange scheme for undergraduate students

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the project was a success. The corefunctionality can be applied toarbitrary datasets (though the fittingmay need to be tailored to the project)with a numerical quantificationobtained at the end.In terms of personal developments,the project gave plenty of insightinto the workings of a very largecollaboration (ATLAS). I participatedin group meetings, seminars andlectures, and finished off theplacement with a presentation ofmy project in the final groupmeeting. On the coding side, myknowledge of C++ was augmentedin this placement by the boostlibrary and C++11. Overall a verydynamic project, the main focus wasnot concretely laid out and requireda lot of independent thinking givenmy supervisor spent the majority ofthe time away in Europe. Contactwas frequent, though, with usefulinput coming readily.The atmosphere at UBC was verydifferent from what I had experiencedin my placement the previous yearat Imperial; the people in the groupwere generally much more relaxedand friendly than at Imperial thoughremaining professional throughout.In fact, the people of Canada weregenerally much more pleasant todeal with; bus drivers were quick togive directions and recommendations,waiters were courteous and manywere even quite humorous. The campus at UBC offered plentyas well. A very large campus, itboasts two museums, numerouscafe´s and eateries, gardens and astunning view onto English bayamongst other things. For anyinterested in physics, it is alsopartnered with TRIUMF, a nationallaboratory for particle and nuclearphysics, situated within walkingdistance which offered a number ofMSc/PhD level seminars throughoutthe placement. Plenty of things todo to while away a slow afternoon.

A fantastic experience throughoutand due thanks to all who organisedthe exchange

MIT Boston

Martik AghajanianThe UROP programme I undertookat Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology was based in theCondensed Matter Theory group inthe Department of Physics, and wasboth an engaging academic learningexperience, and a vital piece of myprofessional development. I hadnever been across the Atlanticbefore, and was worried about howdifferent the academic environmentwould be. I was pleasantly surprisedto find that adjusting to work at MITfit neatly into the interculturalexperience. The facilities and thedepartment were brand new andwell organised, being the centralworking environment to a myriad ofimmensely intelligent academics invarious stages of their careers. Aftermeeting my senior supervisor andhis post-docs to discuss the exactnature of the project and the plan formy work over the summer I wasready to begin immediately with theresearch. My research groupcomprised of American, Chineseand Dutch researchers, instructingme in a wonderfully diversespectrum of problem-solvingmethods. Throughout the placement Ideveloped useful skills inresearch which can only bepractically obtained, andinteracted with some of themost accomplished minds inthe specialisation of PhysicsI aspire to work in. Theguidance received byacademics who havealready been through agreat deal of their career ispriceless, and by working ina foreign environment, your

adaptability both tested andimproved. Furthermore, the mostsatisfying element of my placementwas to see the Physics that I hadlearned in lectures, and the PhysicsI had yet to learn, manifest itself inreal-life research.The project was tailored to myparticular interests in many-bodyquantum mechanics andcomputational physics, and wasmodelling and studying the surfacestates of a specific superconductingtopological crystalline insulator. As acomputational project, I workedquite independently and regularlyvisited my supervising post-docs todiscuss my approaches and results.They had not venture into thisproject themselves, so meetingsconsisted more of brainstormingideas on how physical conceptsinterplay efficiently with computationalmethods, and means of testing mymodel. I began reading manypublications and using textbooks inthe library to grasp essentialconcepts, followed by refreshingmyself on computational techniques. Ialso had opportunity to talk to non-supervisory academics to askgeneral questions in CondensedMatter. After several weeks of work Iconstructed 3D graphs and datathat revealed key quantum andtopological properties of Tin Telluride,


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and following that, superconductingflux was added to the model,allowing me to develop my ownformalism for efficiently constructingfinite-crystal-coordinates. I now have afully working model of a TopologicalSuperconductor, and when I accesshigher-level computational resourcesupon my return to Imperial I intend tocontinue the project in the search forthe Majorana fermions bound to theTSC’s surface.On top of the research, I had ampletime to explore the historical anddiverse cities of Boston and Cambridge.As I expected, there were plenty ofAmerican burger houses and dinersto sink my teeth into, but alternativelyChinatown in Boston had much tooffer. I also found many Irish-themedpubs and sports bars where I couldgrab a beer at the end of the week.During the placement I had chanceto spend a weekend in New Yorkand be unmistakably blinded by themammoth lifestyle and about tenmillion lights per square metre, butalso seeing the mesmerising view ofthe entire city from the top of theRockafella building. Conversely,visiting the quiet town of Cape Codthe subsequent weekend revealed amore relaxed and liberal side of theUnited States. Throughout my stayin the United States, I had chance totry all types of food and drink, inenormous portions, as well as talk tothe amiable inhabitants and find outa lot about life there. For example,Boston was a renowned seafoodspot, and proffered many chances toeat lobster and oysters.

Jana SmutnaThis summer at MIT was the mostexciting research opportunities I’vehad so far and possibly one of mybest summers as well. I was part ofthe Neutrino Physics Group workingon Project 8, a one of a kind particlephysics nowadays. Other particlephysics experiments are extremely

big or require extraordinaryamounts of energy. Justthink about Large HadronCollider or any of the directdetection Dark matterexperiments. Instead,Project 8 measures neutrinomass in a rather elegantway, by measuring theradiation emitted by asingle electron trapped in amagnetic field (single electroncyclotron radiation). Thisallows to find the energyspectrum of the electronsfrom tritium beta decay andfrom that find the neutrinomass in a fairly straightforward way.Of course, as in all physics, it isn’tactually this simple, you still have todeal with errors and ensure that everycomponent of your experimentalsetup actually works the way youneed it to. But at least the basics ofthis one are easy to understand.Of all the possible projects I couldhave been doing, I think I was verylucky to be involved in this one. I havebeen working on the data analysis ofall this, so I found it really beneficial tohave a reasonably good understandingof what is going on in the previousexperimental stage. Moreover, thisexperiment is just in the right stagefor things to be working enough toproduce results, but I could stillcontribute to it as an Undergraduate.And at the end, I my researchadvanced and aspect of Project 8.There were even a couple of excitingmoments where I found some featuresin the signal never seen before. Firstof them was just one of the clocks inthe experiment being unstable andwasn’t very interesting, but the secondone was actually a real physicsphenomenon that we started seeingas the resolution improved. As much as I enjoyed the research, Idoubt that I would have liked mysummer if it weren’t for all amazingMIT students and researchers I met.

I was very lucky to meet with mysupervisor, Professor JosephFormaggio, few times a week. Andeverybody in my office was alwayshappy to help with any issues I had,answer any questions about theexperiment or recommend things todo in Boston. It was a greatenvironment to figure out whether ornot one wants to do a PhD and ifapplying for a graduate school in theUnited States is a good idea.Of course, there were other things Igot to do that didn’t have anything todo with research. It was interestingto get to know not only the MITenvironment, but also Boston outsideof MIT campus. The Independenceday celebrations were probably themost notable, with a concert andfireworks, they almost made meforgive the US that they stoppedissuing visas for a couple of weeksbefore the placement was supposedto start. I thought I am ready for it,but I still found it really strange tolive in an English speaking countrywhere so many little things areunfamiliar, even when it comes tojust shopping in a supermarket. Itwas certainly a lot better to comewith a group of other Imperialstudents and have somebody toshare all these experiences with.


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SNU South Korea

Thomas LairdFor a period of two months over thesummer I participated in a researchproject conducted in Seoul NationalUniversity. In it I got to participate inacademic research in a mannersimilar to a graduate student. Theimportance of this experience for melies not only in the academic andtechnical experiences gained, butalso in the opportunity I had towitness a cultural sphere completelynew to me.Although its subject matter wascondensed matter physics, myproject was to write a programmesimulating certain systems and assuch was mainly computational.Upon arriving at the department Iwas given a desk of my own in theresearch group office. There I wouldspend my time working on myproject, while being amongstgraduate and postgraduateresearchers. This enabled me tointeract with them and, together withmy own endeavours, form a betterunderstanding of how research isproperly conducted on the graduatelevel. I view this opportunity as themost valuable academic opportunitythe placement had to offer. Towardsthe end of the placement I wassurprised to find that I had to give a

presentation and hand in a reportabout my project, something otherparticipants in the same placementscheme weren’t required to do. Iquickly found out that this wassomething my own hosting grouparranged for me to do as aparticipant in group meetings, aspart of my full integration into thegroup’s activities.Throughout my time there I haveindeed acquired invaluable skills,such as the art of reading researchpapers and coding MATLAB. Butsince these come naturally in time, itis the impression of research as avocation, together with theconnection I made, which I feel aremy most important academic gains. Inow find myself determined morethan ever to pursue a career inacademic research in the future, andthough I don’t yet see myself asnecessarily following my researchtopic into condensed matter, I stillvalue the knowledge I have gainedinto the subject and its structure.In the weekends I would spend mytime exploring Seoul as much as Icould. Due to the sheer vastness ofthe city I Found myself completelysatisfied with exploring just it(leaving only once for theneighbouring Suwon). The manypalaces, markets and museums inthe city are a testament to its

prominent role in thehistorical development ofSouth Korea, and of itsculture as a whole. Dining intraditional Koreanrestaurants andparticipating in the differentaspects of nightlife in Seoul,I managed to catch aglimpse of the distinctlifestyle experienced byKorean people.Korean society exhibits ahierarchical structure basedon respecting ones seniors.Indeed throughout my stay I

had observed many cultural habits,such as exclusively pouring drinksfor each other and waiting silently foreveryone to finish at the end of ameal, which demonstrated theimportance of respect in Koreansociety. To my surprise, I myselfhave adapted such habits, and sincereturning from my placement haveeven found myself many timesdemonstrating those habits on myown everyday setting.In my eyes the strength of thecultural encounter offered by theplacement is its length - the twomonth period is long enough to forma large pool of cultural experiences.The additional structuring producedby the placement serves to projectthese experiences in a manner ofeverydayness not normallyencountered in, say, typical holidaytrips. Beyond the strangenesscommonly ascribed to societies weare not part of lies just anotherstandard way of living, and it is thisway of living that the placementexactly aids in exposing.

Aaron ZackMy placement, undertaken in theCentre for Novel States of ComplexMaterials Research (CeNSCMR) atSeoul National University betweenJune 29th and August 28th, focusedon the growth and characterisationof novel superconductors.Superconductors are materials thatconduct electricity with zero resistancebelow a certain temperature, calledthe superconducting transitiontemperature, which is different foreach compound. Before I could workon any new samples, I first had tospend time learning the laboratorytechniques common in the researchgroup, so my first task was to createa polycrystalline samples (made upof multiple small crystals rather thana single crystal) of a particularpraseodymium-based compound. Anexamination of this sample’s


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qualities (crystal size, transitiontemperature, and conductivityprofile) is normally used as a firsttest of new researchers’ skills in theresearch group.Surprisingly, many of these techniqueswere somewhat reminiscent ofcooking – precise weighing of“ingredients” (stoichiometric mixturesof high-purity elements), grindingwith a mortar and pestle (albeit onecleaned with nitric acid and usedunder a fume hood), and baking inan “oven” (a high-temperaturefurnace) for a few days. Once thesample was created, a tiny,millimetre-scale section of the crystalwas cleaved from one of the edgesto use for conductivity measurements.Handling this sample, and manuallyattaching micron-scale gold wirefilaments to it at regular sub-millimetreintervals, required a steady handand a lot of patience. Patience was acommon theme throughout theplacement – some samples take aweek or more in the furnace beforethey’re ready to be tested.Towards the end of my placement, Ihad moved on to working on newcompounds to test for superconductingtransitions. I was working on ironarsenide compounds, so naturally,my first task was to create ironarsenide powder to use as a precursorfor new testing materials. Many ironarsenide compounds exhibitsuperconductivity (at temperaturesup to 38 Kelvin), but the exactmechanism behind it isn’t understood– the more examples we have ofiron arsenide superconductors, themore likely it is we can find out whythey have a superconducting transition.After making the precursor powder,stoichiometric amounts of newelements are added, the sample isplaced back into the furnace, and istested for superconductivity bypassing a current through it atdifferent temperatures, cooling it aslow as 1.8 Kelvin (-271 degrees

centigrade). These new elementsare not chosen randomly, of course– we select likely candidates forsuperconducting samples by lookingat known cases of iron arsenidesuperconductors, and choosingelements that create similar crystalstructures to known superconductingcompounds.One of my novel samples (i.e.: notyet reported in any journals orpublications) exhibitedsuperconductivity. More research iscurrently being carried out into thiscompound back at the lab, and it’spossible that a paper will bepublished on it in the not-too-distantfuture. More research must becarried out on this compound first, ofcourse – new samples of the samematerial must be created, and moremeasurements performed. Butnonetheless, I’m extremely proud tohave been part of a discovery ofsomething new in this field, nomatter how small, and am lookingforward to reading future researchon this compound and other similarones. Naturally, one of the moststriking things about thisplacement was the culturalexperience of staying in adifferent country, and thecontrast between the culturalnorms of South Korea and theUnited Kingdom. Respect ofseniority, and of elders, plays anenormous part in South Koreanculture. Inside the lab, the headof the research group (ProfessorKee-Hoon Kim, who was alsomy project supervisor),commanded the confidence andobedience of all members of theresearch group. The food in Korea is delicious,and quite distinct from Westerncuisine, with most meals beingcomprised of one or two maindishes and several smaller sidedishes, or banchan, including

the ubiquitous kimchi, or pickledcabbage. Kimchi is served withevery meal in Korea. It’s quite tasty,especially if (like me) you enjoyspicy food. Learning hangul, theKorean alphabet, proved a hugeadvantage in daily life in Seoul, and Iwould recommend doing so toanyone undertaking a similarplacement in future. Overall I found my placementextremely rewarding, both in theacademic challenge presented bymy tasks in the lab, and in thepersonal challenge of learning aboutanother country’s culture, language,and history. I would recommend thisplacement both to any physicsstudent with an interest in an academiccareer, and to any student interestedin broadening their cultural horizons.I look forward to seeing the fruit ofmy research, and to visiting Koreaagain someday.



Postgraduate


Postgraduate Studies

The Department of Physics at Imperial College Londonis one of the largest Physics departments in the UK.The Department’s research covers a comprehensiverange of topics in theoretical and experimental fieldsand has a flourishing postgraduate research and taughtMSc community. We offer seven master’s level taughtpostgraduate courses. Of these, our general MSc inPhysics has additional options for a focus innanophotonics, shock physics, or extended research.

Three of our masters courses are associated withEPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs), the areasof which are Controlled Quantum Dynamics, PlasticElectronics and Theory and Simulation of Materials. TheCDT courses can lead directly to PhD studies and areall successful renewals.

PhD research fields extend from astronomy, space andplasma physics to high energy, theoretical and atomicphysics, and condensed matter theory. Solid statephysics, plastic electronics, laser physics, applied opticsand photonics, nanophotonics/plasmonics andmetamaterials as well as quantum information are allareas where there are close collaborations with industry,as well as providing opportunities to study fundamentalunderlying principles. The Department has had a

successful year in attracting the best studentsworldwide via the Imperial College PhD Scholarshipscheme, and specialized country-specific scholarshipand exchange opportunities.

There are many examples of international and industrialcollaboration involving our research groups and we arealso very strongly involved in interdisciplinary researchcentres around the College. We are directly linked to theThomas Young Centre (TYC), the Shock Institute, theCentre for Plastic Electronics (CPE), the Institute ofChemical Biology, the Centre for Plasmonics andMetamaterials and the Grantham Institute for Climatechange – all of which are centres of interdisciplinaryresearch within the Imperial College campus. Manygroups are involved in research using large scalefacilities. The Department has extensive internalfacilities and a tremendous range of research topicsavailable to postgraduate research students.

Director of Postgraduate StudiesProfessor Stefan Maier


Postgraduate


PostgraduateHighlighted Postgraduate Case Studies

Simon SchöllerGroup: Institute of Shock PhysicsSupervisor: Prof. Jeremy Chittenden

Simon Schöller obtained a BSc inPhysics at ETH Zurich beforestarting his MSc in Physics withShock Physics.His Master’s project was supervisedby Prof. Jeremy Chittenden andfocussed on simulating current-driven implosion of solid materialsamples (mainly aluminium andplastic) in cylindrical geometry usinga magneto-hydro code. It madesome first theoretical steps towardsreaching regimes in density andtemperature that were, thus far,mainly accessible via laserdrivenablation experiments. A currentdriven scheme would, however,allow for a longer time scale and alarger sample volume. It was lookedinto how the current pulse should beoptimised to avoid shock formationand to reach high density, lowtemperature states comparable tothose inside large planets andrelevant for inertial confinementfusion. First evidence was foundtowards the feasibility of such multi-terapascal compression histories,e.g., applicable to the Z PulsedPower Facility at SNL, but furthersimulations would be required.In October, Simon will start a PhD inImperial’s Applied Mathematics andMathematical Physics section of theMathematics department, focussingon computational low Reynoldsnumber fluid dynamics.

Cheryl Kai SeowGroup: PhotonicsSupervisor: Prof. Peter Torok

I obtained a BSc(Hons) in AppliedPhysics from Nanyang TechnologicalUniversity, Singapore, in 2010. Afterworking for 4 years in DSO NationalLaboratories, I came to ImperialCollege to do my MSc. in Optics andPhotonics. During the MSc, I workedon the implementation of a single-pixel camera which reconstructsimages via Compressive sensing.Traditional imaging acquires imagesusing an array of pixels in a singleshot. In contrast, the single-pixelcamera reconstructs the image fromsuccessive measurements. Thespatial information is encoded in thedata through the projection ofmultiple light patterns on the scene.Single-pixel imaging allows smallercameras to be built. In particular, ithas its advantages when imaging indomains such as the thermalinfrared, where detectors are bulkyand expensive. Furthermore,encoding the spatial informationhigher up the imaging chain makesthe camera more resistant toscatterers which lie in between theobject and detector. In other words,it offers the possibility of imagingobjects on the opposite side oftranslucent media, and this is themotivation behind our work.However, single pixel camerasrequire the same number ofmeasurements as the number ofdesired pixels in the image. Thismeans that the time taken for image

acquisition increases with imageresolution. In this project, thenumber of measurements requiredfor accurate reconstruction isreduced through the use ofCompressive sensing. Experimentalresults with the designed systemshowed that exact reconstructioncould be achieved with 50% of thepixel count, while the object could bedistinguished with as little as 20% ofthe pixel count. In addition, whenobjects were placed behind highlyscattering diffusers, images weresuccessfully reconstructed by thedesigned system while the objectwas imperceptible in images takenby a typical smartphone camera.The developed camera would beused during my PhD, where I aim tostudy whether the eigenfunctions ofthe scattering matrix of a randomdynamic scattering media can beused to reconstruct an image of anobject hidden behind it. Potentialfields of applications includebiomedical imaging and defence.

Gleb SirokiProgramme: MSc in Theory andSimulation of MaterialsSupervisors: Dr Vincenzo Giannini,Dr Derek Lee and Prof Peter Haynes

Gleb's project is on interaction oftopological insulators with light. Inless than ten years since theirdiscovery, topological insulatorshave become a focus of activeresearch worldwide. The name ofthese materials stems from the factthat small modifications to their band


Rebecca Lane

Postgraduate

structure leave some of their propertiesunchanged. The key among those isthe presence of protected electronstates on their surface. In contrast tothe case of ordinary insulators, thesestates cannot be removed by defectsand impurities. During the MSc projectGleb has found that the protectedsurface states modify optical propertiesof a topological insulator nanoparticle.He aims to extend this work bystudying the behaviour of couplednanoparticles. In addition tofundamental interest, this project mayprovide new avenues for manipulationof light at THz frequencies whereapplications are still limited by thelack of suitable materials.

Max BoleiningerProgramme: PhD in Theory andSimulation of MaterialsSupervisor: Dr Andrew Horsfield

Imaging molecular orbitals with sub-femtosecond time resolution (<10-15 s)has long been a dream in science.This timescale can involve bothnuclear and electronic dynamics, andis hence fundamental for manychemical and physical processes,such as charge transfer, photo-isomerization, and polaron formation,to name a few. Obtaining informationdirectly from experiments about thedynamics of the excited electrons isvery difficult; for now we have to turnto computer simulations.While there already exist models forthese systems, these are oftenprohibitively expensive for any studyon dynamics of systems with morethan a few dozen atoms. We have

developed a new computationalmethod capable of describing matterunder the influence of extremelypowerful, time-dependent laser fieldsat merely a fraction of the simulationtime. We have built on the Tight-Binding model, whose conceptiondates back to well over sixty yearsago, but with a particular twist; ourtheory derives itself systematicallyfrom first principles and is hencesystematically improvable.

We have augmented our model withmodifications that lead to a morephysical description of the systemswe wish to investigate. This enablesus to simulate electron dynamics inorganic clusters, crystals, andsurfaces in strong electric fields in acomputationally efficient manner.

Joshua ChadneyGroup: SPAT Supervisors: Dr M Galand (SPAT) &Dr Y Unruh (Astro) Submitted thesis 04/04/2015

The new frontier in exoplanet scienceis the characterisation of atmospheresof transiting exoplanets and theirsuitability for life. This original researchcarried out by Joshua Chadney, firstin his Master project (MSc in Physics)and then in his thesis, is highly multi-disciplinary in nature, covering bothstellar physics and planetary,atmospheric physics. So far, comparablepublished studies have only focusedon one aspect, either stellar (with theplanetary processes simplified) orplanetary (with the stellar radiationspectral shape reduced to the solar

one). Joshua’s thesis has been thefirst study to bridge the gap betweenscience areas and communities,bringing together stellar physics andplanetary aeronomy. This work hasbeen carried out through closecollaborations with colleagues fromthe Center for Astrobiology nearMadrid (Spain) and from the Lunarand Planetary Laboratory, Universityof Arizona (USA). The results of his work have beenpublished in two papers in leadinginternational journals, with a furtherthird to be submitted. Among others,Joshua has derived a parameterizationof the EUV-to-X-ray stellar flux ratioin order to derive the EUV flux fromX-ray observations. Joshua hasassessed atmospheric escape regimesin details. This has implications onthe evolution of the exoplanet’satmosphere. He has also developeda model of the plasma in an exoplanet’satmosphere irradiated by stellarfluxes from low-mass stars. It is themost comprehensive plasma modelto date. Joshua left Imperial CollegeLondon recently for taking up apostdoctoral research position at theSchool of Physics and Astronomy atthe University of Southampton.

Ruth GeenGroup: SPAT Supervisors: Dr A Czaja & Prof JDHaigh Submitted Thesis 05/11/2015

Ruth was funded for 3 years by theGrantham Institute (Imperial’s hub forclimate change and environment).Her thesis concerned the development

Highlighted Postgraduate Case Studies


PostgraduateHighlighted Postgraduate Case Studies

and application of a computer modelof the climate and she has madesignificant original contributions tothis field.

She developed a new and efficientmodule to calculate heating andcooling by absorption and emissionof radiation in climate models ofintermediate complexity. She hastested and validated this moduleusing a comprehensive radiativetransfer code and she has applied itto the MIT atmospheric generalcirculation model run in an idealised(aquaplanet) geometry. As a result ofthis Ruth was invited to spend acouple of months at MIT to interactwith the climate modelling groupthere and to set-up her radiativetransfer module, specifically forpaleo-climate applications. Amanuscript is in preparation todescribe the module so that it can beused by the international climatecommunity more widely.

Using the MIT model with herenhancements Ruth went on todesign innovative numericalexperiments in which she artificiallyenhanced the saturation vapourpressure of the model atmosphere.Through these she has been able toisolate the effect of water vapour onthe dynamics of weather systemsfrom its effect on radiation. This hasprovided new understanding of therole of storms in the latitudinal transferof heat, an important component ofthe climate system. A manuscriptreporting these findings has recentlybeen accepted for publication in aleading climate journal.

Jack DevlinGroup: QOLS Supervisors: Prof EA Hinds & Dr JJHudson Submitted thesis: 27/07/2015

Jack’s research involved measuringthe electron’s electric dipole moment(eEDM). This is an important quantityto measure because a non-zeroeEDM violates time-reversal symmetryand it would be evidence for newphysics beyond the Standard Model.Joining an established experimentbased in the Blackett laboratory, Jackdeveloped new techniques in precisionspectroscopy of ytterbium fluoridewhich will allow eEDMs as small as10-29 e.cm to be detected. This is thesize of eEDM predicted by manyalternatives to the Standard Model. Jack developed novel methods ofmolecular state preparation anddetection which greatly increase thenumber of molecules able to participatein the measurement, hence reducingthe uncertainty in the determinationof the value of the eEDM. Designingthese methods required a newtheoretical understanding of howmulti-level molecular systemsinteract with many driving fields, withpotential applications to the lasercooling and trapping of molecules.He also successfully discovered andcharacterised a number of newsystematic effects that could mimican eEDM signal.Jack is currently continuing hisinvestigations as a research associatein the Centre for Cold Matter atImperial College.

Anthony LimGroup: CMTH and TSM CDTSupervisors: Matthew Foulkes(Department of Physics) and AndrewHorsfield (Department of Materials)Submitted thesis 26/09/2014Collaborators: Daniel Mason(Culham Centre for Fusion Energy);Alfredo Correa, Andre Schleife, andErik Draeger (Lawrence LivermoreNational Laboratory)

A 14 MeV fusion neutron in a tokamakmay penetrate far into the reactorwall before colliding with a nucleus.From then on, all hell breaks looseas a cascade of collisions shares theneutron's energy between millions ofatoms. Radiation damage cascadeshave been well explored at a classicallevel, but little is known about thequantum mechanical energy transferfrom moving atoms to electrons inreal solids.Anthony's PhD used state-of-the-arttime-dependent density functionalsimulations to investigate the"electronic friction" caused by theirreversible transfer of kinetic energyfrom moving atoms to electrons. Heconcentrated on insulators, wherethe presence of an energy gapbetween the highest occupiedelectronic energy level at thevalence band maximum (VBM) andthe lowest unoccupied electronicenergy level at the conduction bandminimum (CBM) suggests thatelectronic excitation may beimpossible below a threshold atomicspeed. Experimental data on thethreshold effect is confused, with


Postgraduate Highlighted Postgraduate Case Studies

some groups seeing it and others not.By simulating a single "projectile"atom moving through an otherwiseperfect crystal, Anthony found thatmany projectiles host an electronicenergy level in the band gap. As theprojectile moves, the energy of thegap state changes from just abovethe VBM to just below the CBM.When the gap-state energy is low, avalence electron may hop into it viaLandau-Zener tunnelling; as theatom moves on and the gap levelrises, the energy of this electron alsorises until it is able to tunnel out intothe conduction band. The gap stateacts as an elevator, ferryingelectrons from the valence band tothe conduction band, even at lowatomic speeds. Anthony's work onthe electron elevator is about toappear in Physical Review Letters.

Christiana PantelidouGroup: THEO Supervisor: Prof Jerome GauntlettSubmitted Thesis: 07/05/2014

Christiana's research centred on theAdS/CFT correspondence in stringtheory.This provides a remarkable frameworkfor studying strongly coupled quantumsystems using dual gravitationaldescriptions in higher spacetimedimensions. Her PhD was devotedto studying this correspondence withthe aim of trying to illuminate stronglycoupled systems that arise incondensed matter systems.She published five papers.In one direction she made an innovative

study of the gravitational instabilitiesof black hole solutions that arise inthe presence of magnetic fields. Thisworked demonstrates that the dualquantum system must undergo anovel kind of thermal phase transitionin the presence of a magnetic field.An interesting connection withsupersymmetry was also studied.In another direction Christianaanalysed the dual description of p-wave superconductors by constructingnovel black hole solutions. Thecompetition between p-wave and(p+ip)-wave superconductors wasexplored and she determined thezero temperature ground states ofthe system. In a final direction she usinggravitational techniques to study anew kind of deformation of a four-dimensional conformal field theorywith a helical structure, and calculatedthe novel thermoelectric propertiesof the system by studying perturbationsof the dual black holes.She is now a postdoc at theUniversity of Barcelona.

James PecoverGroup: PLAS Supervisor: Prof JP ChittendenSubmitted thesis 08/05/2015

James’ PhD research focused onusing large-scale 3D magneto-hydrodynamics computer simulationsto model, explain and understandinstability growth in magnetized linerinertial fusion (MagLIF) experiments.The MagLIF scheme consists of amillimetre-scale metallic cylinder

(liner) containing pre-magnetisedand preheated deuterium-tritium fuelwhich is brought to thermonuclearfusion conditions by a magneticallydriven implosion, causing a 30 timesdecrease in radius over a timescaleof ~100 ns. Such a system is, however,unstable at the interface betweenmagnetic field and liner, with highamplitude instability growth duringimplosion one of the main barriers tothe success of MagLIF. James has investigated how earlytime, low amplitude instabilitiesdevelop in 3D prior to implosion, andthe subsequent seeding of thosewhich develop during implosion.The inclusion of new physics, includingmaterial strength, to the code hasimproved computational treatment ofthe liner transition from solid to plasmathrough intermediate states. As aresult, he has achieved betteragreement with and understanding ofpreviously unexplained experimentalresults, leading to a first author paper.MagLIF experiments take placeprimarily at Sandia NationalLaboratories in Albuquerque, withwhom James has enjoyed fruitfulcollaborations, including several tripsto Albuquerque. During the mostrecent of these he gave a seminar,and has also given talks at the APSand ICOPS international conferencesin the USA. James was awarded hisdoctorate in September 2015; sincethen he has been working as aresearch associate at Imperial College.He recently received funding for aknowledge transfer secondmentworking jointly with Imperial Collegeand an industrial partner in the defencesector, drawing on his experienceand skills in modelling complexplasma experiments, and continuinghis research in plasma physics.


Postgraduate

Ben KriklerGroup: HEP Supervisor: Dr Y Uchida

The focus of Ben's Ph.D has beenthe COMET experiment, which willbegin searching for COherent MuonTo Electron Transitions at theJapanese Proton AcceleratorResearch Complex (J-PARC) in2018. Testing for this process pushesthe boundaries of our current besttheory of the sub-atomic universe.Such a decay is forbidden in theStandard Model (SM) of particle

physics, and even with neutrinooscillations included the processremains immeasurably rare.Nonetheless, many extensions tothe SM predict such a process tooccur at testable rates. This,together with the hard-to-fake signalof a single 105 MeV electron, makethis an extremely attractive searchexperimentally.

Ben's work has led him all acrossthe world, participating in data-taking with particle beams inSendai, Japan and Zurich,

Switzerland; studying particledetector instrumentation effects inNovosibirsk, Russia; and toworkshops in Beijing, China, inChicago, USA and in Paris, France.The primary focus of his thesis hasbeen producing a fully up-to-dateestimation of the capabilities of theCOMET experiment. However Benhas also been the lead developer forthe offline software framework whichis now being used throughout thecollaboration. In August 2015, Benhad the opportunity to present boththe COMET experiment and Alcap,a related experiment on which hehas worked, at the NuFact 2015conference in Rio De Janeiro, and isnow presenting his work in a seriesof seminars in the UK and Germany.

Throughout his time at Imperial, Benhas responded in a remarkablycreative and effective way to themany different challenges that theexperiment has thrown at him, bethey technical, intellectual, or moredemanding of his interpersonalskills. We believe that this has givenhim the experience that will allowhim to make unique contributions toany project that he puts his talentsto in the future.

Highlighted Postgraduate Case Studies


PostgraduatePhD Thesis Awarded

PhD Degrees awarded inthe Department in 2015

Group (M) (F) Astrophysics 1 4

CQD CDT 8 2

Experimental Solid State 12 1

High Energy Physics 4 2

PE CDT 11 0

Photonics 6 0

Quantum Optics & Laser Science 6 2

Plasma Physics 7 0Inst. Shock Physics 2 0

Space & Atmospheric Physics 4 2

Theoretical Physics 2 1

TSM CDT 8 0

Totals 71 14

Astrophysics

A. Hyde (F) Far InfraredGalaxies: Star Formationand AGNSupervisor: Dr D Clements,

C. Scott (F) Active andmerging galaxies Supervisors: Prof S Warren &Dr S Kaviraj

J. Tottle (M) Atmosphericand Disk Properties ofYoung Low Mass Stars andBrown Dwarfs: AnInfrared StudySupervisor: Dr S Mohanty

C. Watkinson (F)Understanding the first starsand galaxies with observations

of the 21- ‐cm line of hydrogen.Supervisors: Prof A Jaffe &Dr J Pritchard

L. Watson (F) Signaturesof Cosmic Topology in thePolarised Cosmic MicrowaveBackground Supervisor: ProfA Jaffe

CQD CDT

I. Barr (M) Investigating theDynamics of a Bose EinsteinCondensate on an Atom ChipSupervisor: Prof E Hinds

R. Freytag (M) Simultaneousmagneto- ‐optical trapping ofYtterbium and CaesiumSupervisor: Dr M. Tarbutt

J. Goodwin (M) SidebandCooling an Ion in a PenningTrap to the Quantum GroundStateSupervisors: Prof R Thompson& Prof D Segal

J. Iles ‐Smith (M) Excitationdynamics of strongly dissipativequantum systemsSupervisors: Prof T Rudolph& Dr A Nazir

A. Kaushik (F) Trapping,transport and polarisation ofultracold LithiumSupervisors: Dr M. Tarbutt &Prof E Hinds

P. Lewis (M) The foundationsof superposition and its use inquantum walks on complexnetworksSupervisors: Dr D Jennings &Prof T Rudolph

G. Mikelsons (M) Microwave- ‐Based Controlled QuantumDynamics in Trapped IonsSupervisor: Prof M Plenio

D. Nohlmans (M) A permanentmagnet trap for buffer gascooled atomsSupervisors: Dr M Tarbutt &Prof E Hinds,

V. Venkataraman (M)Understanding OpenQuantum Systems withCoupled Harmonic OscillatorsSupervisor: Prof M Kim

F. Watson (F) Performance ofTopological Codes forQuantum Error CorrectionSupervisors: Prof T Rudolph& Dr D Browne

Experimental Solid StatePhysics

J. Bailey (M) Role of ThinOrganic Interlayers insertedat the Electrode Interfacesfor Efficient Polymer LEDs Supervisors: Dr J-S Kim &Prof D Bradley

L. Drummond (M) Absorptionspectral imaging in the mid- ‐infrared and its applicationin cancer diagnosis Supervisor: Prof C Phillips

S. Higgins (M) OrganicTransistors and ComplementaryCircuitsSupervisor: Dr A Campbell

Y- H. Lin (M) Large‐AreaFlexible Electronics Based onLow- Temperature Solution -Processed Oxide Semi-conductors Supervisor: Prof T Anthopoulos

D. Moia (M) Intermolecularcharge transport in dyemonolayersSupervisors: Dr P Barnes &Prof J Nelson

D. Moseley (M) Magneto-transport experiments in theferropnictidesSupervisors: Dr W Branford &Prof L Cohen

P. Pattanasattayavong (M)Solution‐processablehole‐transporting inorganicsemiconductors for electronicapplications

Supervisors: Prof T Anthopoulos& Prof D Bradley

A. Perevedentsev (M) Chainconformation and thephotophysics of polyfluorenes Supervisors: Dr P Smith, Prof PStavrinou & Prof D Bradley

S. Rossbauer (M) Solution- ‐processable n- type organicsemiconductors forelectronicsand energy harvestingsystemsSupervisor: Prof T Anthopoulos

T. Sidiropoulos (M)Enhanced light ‐matterinteractions in laser systemsincorporating metal‐basedoptical confinementSupervisors: Dr R Oulton &Prof S Maier

F. Steiner (M) MultiscaleModelling of Structural andElectronic Properties ofOrganic Thin Films Supervisor: Prof J Nelson

N. Vaklev (M) Organicfield ‐effect transistors withprinted dielectrics andsemiconductorsSupervisor: Dr A Campbell

M.Yoshida Ito (F) Theoreticaland Experimental Investigationof Quantum Well IntermediateBand Solar CellsSupervisors: Prof C Phillips &Dr N Ekins ‐Daukes

High Energy Physics

K. Jan de Vries (M) GlobalFits of SupersymmetricModels after LHC Run 1 Supervisor: Dr O Buchmueller,

P. Hamilton (M) A Study ofNeutrino Interactions in ArgonGas Supervisors: Prof J Nash, Dr M Wascko & Dr A Kaboth


PhD Thesis Awarded

PostgraduateC. Lane (F) Searches forneutral Higgs bosons in thetau tau final state at CMSSupervisor: Dr D Colling

R. Lucas (F) Searches forSupersymmetry withcompressed mass spectrausing monojet events with theCMS detector at the LHCSupervisors: Prof J Nash & DrA Tapper,

D. Mirarchi (M) Crystalcollimation for LHC Supervisor: Prof G Hall

E. Perdigao Dos Santos (M)Progress at the IntensityFrontier on Neutrino‐NucleusInteraction Cross Sectionsand Muon Ionization CoolingSupervisor: Prof K Long

PE CDT

J. Bannock (M) Controlledsynthesis of semiconductingpolymers in droplet flowmicroreactorsSupervisors: Dr J de Mello, DrP Stavrinou & Dr M Heeney

D. Beesley (M) Patterningmethods for organicelectronicsSupervisors: Prof T Anthopoulos& Dr J de Mello

M. Chaudhary (M) ChargeTransport, Injection andOptical Gain in FluoreneBased CopolymersSupervisors: Dr I McCulloch,Prof D Bradley & Dr MHeeney

R. Dattani (M)Polymer/FullereneSolution Processing: Impacton Thin Film MorphologyStingelinSupervisors: Dr N Cabral &Prof J Nelson

S. Few (M) TheoreticalStudies of Charge TransferExcitations, Absorption, and

Polarisation in OrganicPhotovoltaic MaterialsSupervisor: Prof J Nelson & Dr A Horsfield,

M. Juozapavicius (M)Mechanisms and Kinetics ofElectron Injection in Dye- ‐Sensitized Solar CellsSupervisors: Dr P Stavrinou,Dr B O'Regan & Dr M Heeney

S. Logan (M) ChargeInjection and Transport inOrganic SemiconductorsMcCulloch,Supervisors: Dr I McCulloch &Dr A Campbell,

A. MacLachlan (M) TuningMorphology of HybridOrganic/Metal Sulfide SolarCells Supervisors: Dr S Haque &Prof J Nelson

R. Piper (M) BimolecularTriplet ‐Triplet AnnihilationUpconversion forPhotovoltaics Supervisors: Dr S Haque &Dr N Ekins- Daukes

J. Shaw (M) Nanopatterningand NanoscaleCharacterisation of SolutionProcessible ElectronicsSupervisors: Prof T Anthopoulos& Dr C Mattevi

S. Wood (M) Directly ProbingThin Film Morphology - Optoelectronic PropertyRelationships in Organic andHybrid Solar CellsSupervisors: Prof J Nelson &Dr J -S Kim

Photonics

L. Chaudet (M) Micro‐opticsfor Opto ‐genetic Neuro- stimulation with Micro‐LEDArraysSupervisor: Prof M Neil

J. De Jesus Reis Lagarto (M)Development of

instrumentation forautofluorescencespectroscopy and itsapplication to tissueautofluorescence studies andbiomedical researchSupervisors: Prof P French &Dr C Dunsby

L. Fafchamps (M) ApertureCorrelation Microscopy Supervisor: Prof M Neil

H. Sinclair (M) Development of 3D-‐STEDmicroscopy and its applicationto luminescent defects indiamond, nanoparticles andbiological samplesSupervisor: Prof M Neil, Dr CDunsby & Prof P French

Photonics MREs

R. Murray (M) Nonlinearwavelength conversion withoptical fiber based technologySupervisor: Prof J Taylor

H. Sparks (M) Developmentand biomedical applicationof fluorescencelifetime imaging endoscopes Supervisors: Prof P French &Dr C Dunsby

Plasma Physics

M. Bennett (M) Experimentalstudy of differentially rotatingsupersonic plasma flowsproduced by Aluminiumwire array z‐pinchesSupervisor: Prof S Lebedev

M. Bloom (M) Studies on therelativistic electrons and x- rays generated by laserwakefield acceleratorsSupervisors: Prof Z Najmudin& Dr S Mangles

C. Davie (M) SymmetryIssues in Shock IgnitedInertial Fusion EnergySupervisors: Prof J Chittenden& Prof R Evans

J. Pecover (M) InstabilityGrowth for Magnetised LinerInertial Fusion seeded byElectro- thermal, Electro-choric and Material StrengthEffects Supervisor: Prof J Chittenden

O. Pike (M) ParticleInteractions in HighTemperature PlasmasSupervisor: Prof S Rose

N. Somboonkittichai (M)Computational and theoreticalstudies of metallic dusttransport in tokamaksSupervisor: Dr M Coppins,

L. Suttle (M) Experimentalstudy of reverse shockstructure in magnetised highenergy density plasma flowsdriven by an inverse wirearray z pinch Supervisor: Prof S Lebedev

Plasma ISP

M. Collinson (M) On thecharacterisation of shock- induced sliding atmulti- material interfacesSupervisors: Dr W Proud,& Dr D Eakins

D. Jones (M) DynamicFracture and Fragmentation:Studies in Ti‐6Al ‐4V Supervisors: Dr D Eakins & Dr W Proud

Quantum Optics andLaser Science

L. Bahmanpour (F) Theoryof ultrafast inter ‐atomic (inter- ‐molecular) electronic decayprocesses in polyatomicclusters Supervisors: Dr M Ivanov &Dr V Averbukh

J. Devlin (M) Progresstowards a more sensitivemeasurement of the electronelectric dipole moment with


Postgraduate PhD Thesis Awarded

YbFSupervisors: Prof E Hinds &Dr J Hudson

S. Driever (M) Developmentof a Ytterbium fibre basedchirped pulse amplificationlaser system for highharmonic generationSupervisors: Prof R Smith &Dr A Zair,

D. Fabris (M) Ultrafast lightsources and methods forattosecond pump‐probeexperiments Supervisors: Prof J Tisch &Prof J Marangos

J. Garvie‐Cook (M)Measurement andManipulation of UltracoldBosons using MicrofabricatedOpticsSupervisor: Prof E Hinds

S. Hutchinson (M) Apparatusdesign and experimentalstudies of XUV initiated HHGSupervisors: Prof J Tisch &Prof J Marangos

F. McGrath (F) ExtendingHHG Spectroscopy to newmolecular speciesSupervisors: Prof J Marangos& Prof J Tisch,

C. Price (M) Intense LaserInteractions with OpticallyLevitated Liquid MicrodropletsSupervisor: Prof R Smith

Space & AtmosphericPhysics

J. Chadney (M) Modelling ofthe upper atmosphereof gas ‐giant exoplanetsirradiated by low‐mass starsSupervisor: Dr Y Unruh & DrM Galand

C. Fox (F) Far ‐InfraredSpectral Radiance Studies:Application to water vapourand cirrusSupervisor: Prof J Pickering

S. Hardwick (M) Interactionsbetween vegetation andmicroclimate in aheterogeneous tropicallandscape Supervisors: Dr R Ewers &Prof R ToumiC. Newinger (F) The barrierlayer and ocean colour in theAmazon and Orinoco plume:Competing for the oceaniccontrol on tropical cycloneintensity Supervisor: Prof R Toumi

M. Schmid (M) StochasticModels of Malaysian WeatherSupervisor: Prof R Toumi

L. Sheldon (M) The role ofdeep moist convectiveprocesses in westernboundary currents -troposphere couplingSupervisor: Dr A Czaja

Theoretical Physics

J. Horner (M)Stuart Numerical Calculationof Inflationary Non-Gaussianities. Supervisor: Prof C Contaldi

S. Nagy (F) A NewGauge/Gravity Dictionary viathe Division AlgebrasSupervisor: Prof M Duff,

A. Thomson (M) Partitionfunctions in superstring theoryand SQCD Supervisor: Prof A Hanany

TSM CDT

J Alsaei (M) Theory andsimulation of electronic andoptical properties of thin filmbarium strontium titanateSupervisors: Prof N Alford, DrA Mostofi & Dr P Tangney,

R. Broadbent (M) A Modelfor Polymer MembranesSupervisors: Dr A Livingston,Dr A Mostofi & Dr J Spencer

N. Corsini (M) Pressure- induced structuraltransformations innanomaterials: towards highaccuracy large length- andtime- scale simulationsSupervisor: Prof P Haynes

A. Lim (M) Ion Channellingand Electronic ExcitationsIn Silicon Supervisors: Prof M Foulkes,& Dr A Horsfield

T. Poole (M) Calculatingderivatives within quantumMonte CarloSupervisors: Prof P Haynes,Dr J Spencer & Prof MFoulkes

T. Swinburne (M) StochasticDynamics of Crystal DefectsSupervisor: Prof A Sutton

D. Trevelyan (M) Molecularand Multiscale Simulations ofComplex Fluids Supervisors: Dr D Dini, Prof P& Dr F Bresme,

T. Zuehlsdorff (M)Computing optical propertiesof large systems Supervisors: Dr N Harrison,Prof P Haynes & Dr J Riley


PostgraduateMRes in ControlledQuantum Dynamics

Sebastien BoissierSupervisor: Ed HindsNanophotonic enhancement ofmolecular photon sources forquantum-enabled technologies

Xiaxi ChengSupervisor: Ed HindsTowards inertial force sensingusing atom interferometry in anoisy environment

Cristina CirstoiuSupervisors: David Jennings/Terry RudolphThe laws of thermodynamicsat the quantum scale

Henry HestenSupervisors: Florian Mintert/Rob NymanQuantum coherence and con-densation in driven quantumgases

Alexander JonesSupervisor: Myungshik KimMany-photon quantum inter-ference

Adam LawrenceSupervisor: Florian MintertQuantum control of spins insuperconducting cavities

David NewmanSupervisors :Ahsan Nazir/Florian MintertProbing open quantum sys-tems in the strong couplingregime (Thermo version)

Andrew SimmonsSupervisors: Terry RudolphContextuality, nonlocality,preparation independenceand the power of quantumcomputers

Sarah ThomasSupervisor: Myungshik KimIntegrated Raman memories

Zizhen XueSupervisor: Richard ThompsonEfficient production and verifi-cation of exotic quantum states

MSc in Opticsand Photonics

Siti Nabila AiditSupervisor: Alasdair CampbellCircularly polarised lightorganic light emitting diodes

Pauline BoucherSupervisor: Kenny WeirPropagation of a polaritoncondensate in a reconfig-urable potential landscape.

Erasogie EwekaSupervisor: Nicholas Ekins-DaukesDemonstrating concentratedphotovolatic solar power

Thibault FadySupervisor:Thomas AnthopoulosAdhesion lithography forcoplanar nanogap devices

Bin GaoSupervisor: James McGintyDesign and evaluation of aflexible 3-D imaging systembased on optical projectiontomography

Nicolas GoualardSupervisor: Kenny WeirFeasibility study for an endo-illuminator used in conjunc-tion with an endoscope

Hann-Rong HsuSupervisor: Nicholas Ekins-DaukesLow emissivity coatings for c-Si photovoltaic/thermal solarcells

Tianran JinSupervisor: Kenny WeirBiomimetics design and con-struction of a scatterometer toinvestigate complex opticalstructures within the naturalworld

Wei Ying LimSupervisor: Martin McCallStructurally chiral lasermodes

Qi LuSupervisor: Mark NeilAberrations in achromaticprism systems

Haoyang MaoSupervisor: Mark NeilAperture correlationmicroscopy

Teerawat PiromjitpongSupervisor: Kenny WeirElectrical and electro-opticalcharacterization of advancedmaterials for optical interconnects

Gratianus Putra DataSupervisor: Kenny WeirOptical methods for theassessment of rice quality

Aude RolaSupervisor: Kenny WeirIntense lasers for testingembedded electronics

Kai Ling SeowSupervisor: Peter TörökPolarimetric single pixel imag-ing through turbid media

Xin ShengSupervisor: Mike DamzenDiode-Pumped alexandritelasers

Illya TarasenkoSupervisor: Ortwin HessNumerical modelling of hyper-bolic metamaterials based onactive graphene

Meihui YangSupervisor: Kenny WeirHyperspectral imagingsystem based on industrialapplications

Lam Chee YongSupervisor: John TischOptimisation of hollow-fibrepulse compression for fewcycle pulses

Yue Zhu Supervisor: ThomasAnthopoulosAdhesion lithography forcoplanar nanogap organiclight-emitting diodes

MRes in Photonics

Jack MaxwellSupervisor: Carl PatersonWavefront sensor spatial fil-tering for adaptive optics inconfocal microscopy

MSc in PhysicsKawthar Al RasbiSupervisor: Richard ThompsonTheory and simulation ofsideband cooling of ions in aPenning trap

Geoffroy-Alexandre BrinksSupervisor: Ben SauerLaser cooling and slowing ofCaF molecules

Vichitra ChandraSupervisor: Stephen Brickley(Life Sciences)Is the difference in morphol-ogy of the X and Y type relayneurons in the dLGN of thethalamus responsible for thedifferences in their inhibitorypost-synaptic currents?

Ming ChenSupervisor: Florian MintertQuantum logic gate withtrapped ions beyond Lamb-Dicke limit

Hannah CollingwoodSupervisor: Patrick BrownCharging at Jupiter

Alexandra CraiSupervisor: Ortwin HessHot electrons in nanoplas-monic systems

Robert DickensSupervisor: Apostolos Voul-garakisThe effects of clouds on pho-tolysis rates and OH concen-trations in the CCMI Models

Stephen Kelly-HannonSupervisor: Jerry ChittendenModelling diagnostic datafrom inertial confinementfusion experiments

Christian KruseSupervisor: Jon MarangosThe free electron laser simu-lator: Imaging nanoparticleinjectors using strong-field-ionization time-of-flight mass-spectrometry

Siu Tung LauSupervisor: Bill ProudExperimental study of soundpropagation in granular materials

PGT Research Projects


PostgraduatePGT Research Projects

Yin Long LinSupervisor: Jonathan HalliwellGeometrical perspective ontunnelling in quantum andpost-quantum theories

Alexander LozinskiSupervisor: Adam MastersModelling magnetopausereconnection at Saturn

Jamie McMillanSupervisor: Richard ThompsonDynamics of laser cooled ionsin a Penning trap

Martin ReySupervisor: Jonathan PritchardProbing helium reionizationusing fast radio bursts

Andrea RocchettoSupervisor: Terry RudolphQuantum algorithm for aprobabilistic interpretation oflinear solvers

Lara Román CastellanosSupervisor: Peter TörökUnderstanding rice gelatinisa-tion to cook the perfect risotto

August RoosSupervisor: Stefan MaierChanging the optical proper-ties of molecules via nanoan-tennas

David SchubertSupervisor: Dimitri VvedenskyMachine learning of transportnetworks in the human placenta

Pak To SinSupervisor: Roberto TrottaConstraining cosmic expan-sion anisotropy using type 1asupernovae

Stefan SkalskySupervisor: ThomasAnthopoulosNano-electronic systems onplastics for photodection (andpotentially other applications)

Sijie TanSupervisor: Ralph Toumi Noise in the ocean

Spyridon TserkisSupervisor: Florian MintertEntanglement witnesses forthe Schmidt number of multi-partite Systems

Conor WhelanSupervisor: Roland SmithCharacterisation of a positionsensitive device for opticallylevitated liquid micro-droplets

Ziyuan ZhangSupervisor: Bill ProudSound speed in granularmaterial

MSc in Physics withNanophotonicsLinjie DaiSupervisor: Rupert OultonResearch into generating ageneral phase and polarisa-tion of light by metasurfacesmade of metallic nanorods

MSc in Physics withShock PhysicsSchöllerSupervisor: Jeremy ChittendenCylindrically convergent com-pression simulations usingthe ficitious flow method

MSc in Physics withExtended ResearchMartinus Den RondenSupervisor: Claudia Clopath(Bioengineering)Astrocytes modulate plasticity:A phenomenological model ofthe tripartite synapse

Wanchen LiangSupervisor: Mitesh PatelThe angular study of 𝐵0 →𝐾�0𝜇+𝜇− decay and searchfor new physics at LHCb

MRes in Plastic Elec-tronic MaterialsAli AfsharSupervisor: Saif Haque(Chemistry)Mesoscopic and thin filmsolar cells based upon print-able non-toxic Cu2ZnSnS4(CZTS) absorbers

Stefan Bachevillier Supervisor: Natalie Stingelin(Materials)Solution-processed line andpoint defect waveguides/dielectric mirrors and coatings

Oliver HolmesSupervisor: Ji Seon KimControlling microstructure oforganic semiconductors viasolution processing

Rebecca KilmurraySupervisor: Martyn McLachlan(Chemistry)Developing AC-Hall as acharacterisation tool fororganic semiconductors

Adam MarshSupervisor: Martin Heeney(Chemistry)Investigations of nido-carbo-ranes in electronic polymers

Nkechinyerem Adannaya OnwubikoSupervisor: Iain McCulloch(Chemistry)High performance organictransistor materials

Sebastian PontSupervisor: James Durrant(Chemistry)Functional evaluation of newmaterials for solutionprocessed organic solar cells

Adam WrightSupervisor: Laura Herz(Oxford)Photon-to-charge conversionroutes in novel hybrid solarcells

Hua-Kang YuanSupervisor: Paul Stavrinou Solution-processed line andpoint defect waveguides/dielec-tric mirrors and coatings

MSc in Quantum Fieldsand Fundamental ForcesKarl AlbertssonSupervisor: Kelly StelleF-theory and string phenome-nology

Ramtin AmintaheriSupervisor: Toby WisemandS/CFT duality in cosmology

Craig BaranyaiSupervisor: Daniel MortlockAn investigation of “no-host”gamma-ray bursts

Robert BenkelSupervisor: Jonathan HalliwellOn the decoherent historiesapproach to quantum theory

Kevin BlanchetteSupervisor: Roberto TrottaCosmological parameterinference in a Bayesian hier-archical model with redshiftdependent Hubble residuals

Santiago CabreraSupervisor: Amihay HananyAn approach to quiver gaugetheories with dual non-toricgeometries

Gianluca CarnielliSupervisor: Fay DowkerKaluza-Klein theory

Siyuan ChenSupervisor: Ali MozaffariGravitational waves in modi-fied general relativity

Ka Hei ChengSupervisor: Chris HullTopics in string theory anddouble field theory

Costas ChristoforouSupervisor: Chris HullT-duality and double fieldtheory

Christopher CooksonSupervisor: Astrid EichhornThe asymptotic safety sce-nario In quantum gravity

Yi-Hsien DuSupervisor: Arkady TseytlinIntegrable systems of gaugetheory and spin chains

Louis GallSupervisor: Chris HullKähler geometry in super-gravity

Can GaoSupervisor: Arkady TseytlinPohlmeyer reduction forstrings moving in symmetriccoset and super-coset

Eduardo Garcia ValdecasasSupervisor: Chris HullT-duality, double field theoryand its geometry


PostgraduatePGT Research Projects

David GunnewegSupervisor: Steffen GielenGroup field theory: Secondquantisation of loop quantumgravity

Christian Günther ReicheltSupervisor: Kelly StelleF-theory and grand unifiedtheories

Thomas HelferSupervisor: Astrid EichhornMulticritical behavior in sys-tems with competing orderparameters from functionalRenormalization Groups flows

Florin IancuSupervisor: Fay DowkerCausal set theory and the studyof evaporating black holes

Nikolaos IliopoulosSupervisor: Jonathan HalliwellTwo measures of quantumcorrelations and some appli-cations

Eric JonesSupervisor: Fay DowkerStress-energy in the conicalvacuum and its implicationsfor topology change

Imran KhanSupervisor: Fay DowkerCausal sets, quantum fieldtheory, and space-time entan-glement

Jonathan KhedairSupervisor: Tim EvansNetwork geometry

Doogesh Kodi RamanahSupervisor: Carlo ContaldiCosmic structure formation: Atheoretical and numericalanalysis

Adam LevySupervisor: Jonathan HalliwellNegative probabilities inphysics: a review

Daniel MatosSupervisor: Joao MagueijoModified dispersion relationsas an alternative to inflation

Aizhan MyrzakulSupervisor: Arkady TseytlinString theory in zero tension

limit and conformal covariance

Isobel NicholsonSupervisor: Kelly StelleDouble copying sources ingeneral relativity

Meera PatelSupervisor: Ali MozaffariModified gravity and the Vain-shtein effect

Mumnuna QureshiSupervisor: Jing ZhangElectronic dispersion in singlelayer molybdenum

Charles RobsonSupervisor: Kelly StelleThe black hole informationparadox

John RonayneSupervisor: Carlo ContaldiCosmic inflation: The Starobin-sky and supergravity models

Joseph SchwartzSupervisor: Amihay HananyModern methods in moduli

MSc in Quantum Fieldsand Fundamental Forces(part time)Claves Do AmaralSupervisor: Kelly StelleThe role of axions in baryoge-nesis

Stephen HalderSupervisor: Toby WisemanAdS/CFT and QCD - a review

Euibyung ParkSupervisor: Joao MagueijoCanonical gravity and itsapplication to cosmology

Havelok SymesSupervisor: Chris HullDouble field theory: A review

Anton ZajacSupervisor: Amihay HananyModuli spaces of N =4 d=2+1quiver gauge theories onbranes and nilpotent orbits

MSc in Theory and Simu-lation of MaterialsChristopher AblittSupervisors: Nicholas Bris-towe (Materials)/Arash

Mostofi (Materials/Physics)First principles lattice dynami-cal study of ferroelectric andnegative-thermal-expansiveRuddlesden-Popper oxides

Lars BlumenthalSupervisors: Johannes Lis-chner/Paul Tangney (Materi-als/Physics)Electronic excitations at solid-liquid interfaces: combiningmany-body perturbationtheory with molecular dynam-ics simulations

Robert CharltonSupervisors: Peter Haynes(Materials/Physics)/AndrewHorsfield (Materials)Computational excitonics ofdoped organic molecularcrystals for a room tempera-ture maser

Luca CimbaroSupervisor: AdrianSutton/Daniel Balint (Mechan-ical Engineering)Embrittlement of nickel-basedsuperalloys by oxygen

Jacek GolebiowskiSupervisors: Peter Haynes(Materials/Physics)/ArashMostofi (Materials/Physics)Self-diagnosing polymericCNT composites – first-principlesatomistic simulation of theeffects of CNT functionalization

Hikmatyar HasanSupervisors: VassiliVorontsov (Materials)/PeterHaynes (Materials/Physics)Designing next generationhigh-temperature Co-Al-W

based superalloys

Behnam NajafiSupervisors: Nick Jones(Mathematics)/ThomasOuldridge (Mathematics)Simulating the self-assemblyof DNA origami

Eduardo Ramos FernandezSupervisors: Daniele Dini(Mechanical Engineering)/David Heyes (MechanicalEngineering)Atomistic modelling of Hydro-dynamic lubrication and friction

Iacopo RovelliSupervisor: Adrian SuttonHigh temperature loss ofstrength in ferritic/martensiticsteels for fusion energy appli-cations

Gleb SirokiSupervisors: Vincenzo Gian-nini/Derek LeeOptical properties of topologi-cal insulator nanoparticles

Jonas VerschuerenSupervisors: Daniele Dini(MechanicalEngineering)/Daniel Balint(Mechanical Engineering)Fundamentals of dislocationsin motion

Alise VirbuleSupervisors: JennyNelson/Johannes LischnerDesign of high absorptionorganic semiconductors forapplications to solar cells andlight emission


Postgraduate Destinations

Destination GraduatesEntered Employment 29Further Study 45Seeking Employment 4Time Out / Unavailable for Work 3

Table 1 - There were 81 known destinations of the 2014postgraduates (Home & EU students

Destinations of 2014 postgraduates Comparison with previous years

Sector of employment entered


PostgraduateWhat do Physics Postgraduates do?

Examples of employers and occupations forPhysics taught-course postgraduates who enteredemployment:Examples of Employers:• Bloomberg New Energy Finance • M & C Saatchi Mobile • Royal United Services Institute

Examples of Occupations:• Media Analyst • Renewable Energy Analyst • Research Intern

Examples of courses for those Physics taught-course postgraduates who entered further study ortraining:• EngD in Optics and Photonics Technologies (Heriot-

Watt University) • MRes Controlled Quantum Dynamics (Imperial) • MSc Photonics (Imperial) • MSc Physics (Ecole Centrale Lyon & Universite Aix

Marseille) • MSc Shock Physics (Imperial) • MSc Theoretical Physics (Utrecht University) • PhD in Atmospheric Physics (Imperial) • PhD in Materials (Imperial) • PhD in Mathematical Physics (Durham University) • PhD in Mathematics (University of Cambridge) • PhD in Optical Engineering (Heriot-Watt University) • PhD in Particle Physics (Imperial) • PhD in Physics (Imperial) • PhD in Physics (University of Glasgow) • PhD in Theoretical Physics (University of Southampton) • Theoretical Physics Research (University of Bremen)

Examples of employers and occupations forPhysics research postgraduates who enteredemployment:Examples of Employers:• AWE plc. • Brunel University • Carallon • Dalcour Maclaren • Element Energy • Element Six Ltd • IIT • Imperial College London • ISAGRI • Palantir Technologies

• Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics • Permasense • TU Dortmund • University of Birmingham • Velocix

Examples of Occupations:• Business Informatics Developer • CAD Draughtsman • Consultant • Engineer • Outsourcing Manager • Plasma Physicist • Post-Doctoral Fellow • Post-Doctoral Research Associate • Research Associate • Research Fellow • Research Scientist • Software Developer • Software Test Developer

Examples of courses for those Physics researchpostgraduates who entered further study or training:• Biomedical Engineering Research (Imperial) • CDT in Controlled Quantum Dynamics (Imperial) • MPhil/PhD in Physics: Nanophotonics and Metamate-

rials (University of Southampton) • MRes Controlled Quantum Dynamics (Imperial) • PhD in Chemistry (Imperial) • PhD in Controlled Quantum Dynamics (Imperial) • PhD in Controlled Quantum Dynamics (University of

Bristol) • PhD in Plastic Electronics (Imperial) • PhD in Photonics (Imperial) • PhD in Physics (Imperial) • PhD in Physics (University of Cambridge) • PhD in Theory and Simulation of Materials (Imperial)


Prizes and AwardsPrizes & Awards 1.1.15-31.12.15

Astrophysics• Ms Emma Chapman, Awarded a Royal Astronomical

Society Fellowship• Dr Dave Clements, Received a UKSA Certificate of

recognition for work on the Planck Project• Dr Jonathan Pritchard, FoNS Award for Excellence in

Teaching

Condensed Matter Theory• Mr Max Boleininger, Received the Materials Design

Advanced Graduate Research Prize• Mr Benat Gurrutxaga Lerma, Awarded first place in the

IoP Computational Physics Group Thesis Prize• Mr Kishan Manani, PGR Symposium - winner - Oral

Session• Mr Nicola Molinari, Received the Materials Design

Graduate Research Prize• Dr Prineha Narang, Received a Royal Society Netwon

Fellowship• Prof Sir John Pendry, Received an Honorary Doctor-

ate in Science for the Hong Kong University of Sci-ence and Technology

• Prof Sir John Pendry, Received the 2015 EuropeanPhysical Society Quantum Electronics Prize

• Mr Tom Swinburne (TSM-CDT Student), Awarded aSpringer Thesis Prize

• Mr Tim Zuehlsdorff (TSM-CDT Student), Awarded aSpringer Thesis Prize

CQD CDT• Mr Matteo Lostaglio, FoNS Award for the Excellence

in Support of Teaching and Learning• Mr James Tarlton, Poster Prize - Microwaves Go

Quantum Conference, Bad Honnef, Germany

Experimental Solid State• Mr Dave Bowler, Awarded the Provost's Team Award

for Excellence in Health and Safety• Mr Jack Carter-Gartsie, PGR Symposium - winner -

Poster Session• Dr Nikolas Chastas, Received a Marie Curie Fellow-

ship• Dr Emiliano Cortes, Received a Marie Curie Fellow-

ship• Mr Jorge Costa Dantas Faria, PGR Symposium -

winner - Oral Session• Mr Alexandre de Castro Maciel – Awarded a fellowship

from CNPq• Dr Ned Ekins-Daukes, Awarded a Royal Society

Industry Fellowship• Dr Adam Gilbertson, FoNS Award for Excellence in

Health and Safety• Dr Anne Guilbert – Awarded the Thomas Young

Centre PDRA Prize• Dr Megumi Ito, FoNS Award for the Excellence in Sup-

port of Teaching and Learning• Mr Yen-Hung Lin, Received one of the 2015 MRS Fall

Meeting Graduate Student Awards• Dr Alex Mellor, Received a Marie Curie Fellowship• Dr Themis Sidiropoulos, Received a EPSRC Doctoral

Prize Fellowship• Dr Kornelius Tetzner, Received a Marie Curie Fellow-

ship• Ms Jessica Wade (PhD Student), FoNS Award for the

Excellence in Support of Teaching and Learning• Ms Jessica Wade (PhD Student), PGR Symposium -

winner - Oral Session

• Ms Jessica Wade (PhD Student), Won the Institute ofPhysics (IoP) Early Career Physics CommunicatorAward.

Facilities• Mr Malcolm Hudson, The Jan de Abela-Borg Support

Staff Award for Excellence in Health and Safety

High Energy Physics• CMS Group, Awarded the President's Award for Excel-

lence in Research 2015• Dr Sarah Malik, Awarded a STFC Ernest Rutherford

Fellowship• Dr Sarah Malik, Awarded a Royal Society University

Research Fellowship• Mr Joao Arnauth Pela, FoNS Award for the Excellence

in Support of Teaching and Learning• Mr Andy Rose, Awarded the Spokesman's Award and

Prize for Young Researcher 2015 by the CMS Collab-oration at CERN


Prizes and Awards• Dr Yoshi Uchida, Shared the Fundamental Physics

Breakthrough Prize for work on the KamLAND neu-trino experiment and also the same prize for the T2Kneutrino experiment.

• Prof Sir Tejinder Virdee, Awarded the President'sAward for Excellence in Research 2015

• Prof Sir Tejinder Virdee, Won the IoP GlazebrookMedal and Prize

ISP• Mr Michael Rutherford, Awarded 2nd Prize in the Stu-

dent competition at the Christmas High Power LaserScience Community Meeting 2015, RAL

• Mr John Winters, PGR Symposium - winner - OralSession

Photonics• Dr Irina Kabakova, Awarded a Junior Research Fel-

lowship• Dr Benjamin Sherlock, FoNS Award for the Excellence

in Support of Teaching and Learning• Mr Rob Woodward (Student), Awarded the Gold

Award for Physics (Cavendish Medal)• Mr Rob Woodward (Student), Overall winner award

(Westminster Medal)• Dr Rob Woodward, Received a EPSRC Doctoral Prize

Fellowship• Dr Edmund Kelleher, Won the IoP Paterson Medal

and Prize

Plasma Physics• Mr Jason Cole, Joint winner in the #SummerDataChal-

lenge:• Dr Nicolas Dover, FoNS Award for the Excellence in

Support of Teaching and Learning• Dr Ed Hill, Awarded a Junior Research Fellowship

Quantum Optics & Laser Science• Mr James Almond, PGR Symposium - winner - Oral

Session• Dr Dane Austin, Received an Imperial College Junior

Research Fellowship• Dr Alex Clark, Received a Marie Curie Fellowship• Mr Jon Dyne, Awarded the Provost's Team Award for

Excellence in Health and Safety• Prof Sir Peter Knight, Honorary Doctorate Glasgow

University• Prof Sir Peter Knight, Honorary Doctorate Hudders-

field University• Mr Daniel Walke, Awarded the Postgraduate Award of

the Worshipful Company of Scientific InstrumentMakers

• Mr Chris Sparrow, PGR Symposium - winner - PosterSession

• Mihai Vidrighin, PGR Symposium - winner - Oral Session

Space & Atmospheric Physics• Dr Richard Bantges, Contributing author to an article

that won the NASA Langley Rein Award• Dr Helen Brindley, Contributing author to an article

that won the NASA Langley Rein Award• Dr Jonathan Eastwood, Award from the UK Space

Agency's International Partnership Space Programme- Project 'Space Weather - the economic case'.

• Dr Marina Galand, FoNS Award for Excellence inTeaching

• Dr Hannah Nissan, Received a Fulbright Award to theUS

• Prof Steve Schwartz, Awarded a LeverhulmeResearch Fellowship

• Prof David Southwood, Reappointed to the AdvisoryCouncil Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• Mr Arjav Trivedi, PGR Symposium - winner - PosterSession

• Dr Erik van Sebille, Won the 2016 Outstanding YoungScientist Award of the European Geosciences Union(EGU) Ocean Sciences Division.

• Dr Benoit Vanniere, FoNS Award for the Excellence inSupport of Teaching and Learning

• Ms Sian Williams, PGR Symposium - winner - OralSession

Theoretical Physics• Dr Claudia de Rham – Wolfson Research Merit Award• Prof Joao Magueijo, Awarded second prize in the

2015 Gravity Research Foundation essay Competition• Dr Andrew Tolley – Wolfson Research Merit Award


ResearchResearch Groups

AstrophysicsCondensed Matter Theory

Experimental Solid State PhysicsHigh Energy Physics

PhotonicsPlasma Physics

Quantum Optics & Laser ScienceSpace and Atmospheric Physics

Theoretical Physics

Research CentresCentre for Cold MatterThe Laser Consortium

Institute of Shock PhysicsCentre for Plastic Electronics

SUN, STARS AND PLANETSUnruh, Mohanty,The radiation of the parent star andits variability is crucial to thehabitability of exoplanets.Unruh works on solar and stellarmagnetic activity and the its effecton the radiation emitted by the star.This is relevant to the influence ofthe Sun on climate change on theEarth, and to the habitability ofextrasolar planets.Thousands of planets have beendiscovered around other stars inrecent years, and it now seemslikely that every star has one ormore planets around it. Mohanty'sresearch focuses on understandinghow these planets are formed out ofthe disks of gas and dust surroundingnewborn stars; how this process islinked to the formation of the starsthemselves; and how stellar propertiesinfluence the characteristics - inparticular, the habitability - of theorbiting planets.

GALAXY AND QUASAR FORMATION AND EVOLUTIONClements, Warren, Mortlock,Pritchard

How did the population of galaxiesthat we see around us, includingspiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies,quasars and galaxy clusters, comeabout? When did the first galaxies

form, and what processesdominated their formation and led tothe evolution of the universe we seetoday? We use data across theelectromagnetic spectrum to answerthese questions, using telescopessuch as UKIRT, Herschel, JCMT, theSMA, and ALMA, with an emphasison the highest redshifts observable,z>6. Pritchard is leading activities topredict the 21cm radio signature ofneutral hydrogen from the first billionyears to study the nature and evolutionof the first stars and galaxies.

COSMOLOGYHeavens, Jaffe, Mortlock, Pritchard

We aim to develop and apply new,principled statistical methods to theinference of cosmological

parameters and model selection,focussing on the cosmic microwavebackground, weak gravitationallensing, large-scale structure and21cm radiation, with scientific goalswhich include neutrino masses,measurement of dark energyproperties and testing of Einsteingravity. The group has stronginvolvement in current and futurecosmology experiments includingPlanck, PolarBear, Euclid and theSquare Kilometer Array.

DARK MATTERTrotta, Scott

Decades of studies have led to theconclusion that 80% of the matter inthe Universe is made of a new typeof particle, and the experimentalhunt for this dark matter is now in acrucial phase. The question of thenature of dark matter is one of themost important in all physics.Our work aims to put constraints onthe physical parameters oftheoretical models for dark matter(such as Supersymmetry) bycombining four complementaryprobes: cosmology, direct detection,indirect detection and colliders. Ourgroup has developed the world-leading “global fits” approach to theproblem, allowing us to explore in astatistically convergent waytheoretical parameter spacespreviously inaccessible to detailednumerical study.

AstrophysicsThe Astrophysics group studies the Sun, the birth of stars in the Milky Way, the formation and evolution ofgalaxies over cosmic time, the cosmic microwave background, and the nature of dark matter. The sophisticateduse of statistics in interpreting astronomical data is a common theme in the group’s activities.

A schematic of the recently discovered planetary system Kepler-62, compared to our own SolarSystem. Kepler-62 hosts two super-Earths inside the habitable zone. [Credt: NASA]

The all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background radiation provided by the Planck satellite [Credit: ESA]



ResearchAstrophysics

Followup observations of extragalacticobjects uncovered by surveysconducted with the Herschel andPlanck missions continues to be highlyproductive. Many more very highredshift dusty star forming galaxies inaddition to the current distance recordholder (HFLS2 at z=6.34, Riechers etal., 2013) have been uncovered, and itis now clear that this population ofobjects is a significant challenge for thecurrent generation of galaxy formationand evolution models (Dowell et al.,2014; Asboth et al., 2016). Thecombination of Herschel and Planckobservations have also uncoveredmany candidate high redshift clustersof rapidly star forming galaxies(Clements et al., 2014; PlanckCollaboration, 2015) and these arenow being followed up at otherwavelengths so they can be confirmedand the galaxies within them can befully characterised.

[1] Riechers, D.A., Bradford, C.M., Clements,D.L., et al., 2013, Nature, 496, 329[2] Dowell, C. Darren, Conley, A., Glenn, J., etal., 2014, ApJ., 780, 75

[3] Clements, D.L., Braglia, F.G., Hyde, A.K., etal., 2014, MNRAS, 439, 1193

[4] Planck Collaboration, 2015, A&A,. 582, 30

The most important work in thisperiod is the development of aBayesian Hierarchical Model forweak gravitational lensing, whichgives the ICIC the leading analysistechnique. It is led by Imperialstudent Justin Alsing (Alsing et al2015). We have also published inPRL the first and only model-independent determination of theBaryon Acoustic Oscillation length, acrucial ruler for measuring thegeometry of the Universe (Heavenset al 2014). In a recent paper(Sellentin & Heavens 2015) weshowed that the normal method forstatistical analysis of Gaussian datais flawed, when the covariancematrix is estimated from simulateddata. We anticipate that the correctmethod presented in this paper willbecome standard in cosmology.Finally, in Planck Collaboration XVII(2015), extremely tight constraintson non-gaussianity of the primordialconditions of the Universe werepublished, ruling out many inflationand non-inflation models. This is theculmination of optimised 3-pointanalysis that began with a paper byHeavens in 1998.[1] Alsing J., Heavens A., Jaffe A., KiesslingA., Wandelt B, Hoffmann T., MNRAS in press.Arxiv:1505.07840 [2] Heavens A., Jimenez R., Verde L., PRL,113, 1302, 2014

[3] Planck Collaboration XVII A&A inpress.Arxiv:1502.01592

[4] Sellentin E., Heavens A., MNRAS inpress. Arxiv:1511.05969

Andrew Jaffe's research continuedto focus on cosmological dataanalysis. As a member of the PlanckSatellite Collaboration (along withPDRAs Ducout and Feeney andstaff members Clements, Heavens,and Mortlock), he published a seriesof papers discussing Planck dataand its cosmological interpretation.In particular, the Planck and BICEP2teams collaborated to put thestrongest limits on the cosmologicalgravity-wave background as predictedby the inflationary paradigm for theearly Universe [1], in the processdisproving the original BICEP2 claimof a detection. Further Planck resultsare forthcoming in 2015-2016. At thesame time, Jaffe remains involved insmaller-scale ground- and balloon-based CMB experiments. The lackFaraday rotation observed by thePolarbear experiment limits theinteraction of CMB photons withprimordial magnetic fields and othersources of so-called "cosmologicalbirefrigence" [2]. The difficulty ingetting these results highlight theimportance of systematic effects inpresent-day CMB experiments. Jaffehelped develop formalism and toolsfor monitoring and mitigating sucherrors in future experiments [3].[1] BICEP2/Keck and Planck Collaborations,"Joint Analysis of BICEP2/Keck Array andPlanck Data", Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 101301

[2] Polarbear Collaboration, "POLARBEARconstraints on cosmic birefringence andprimordial magnetic fields", 2015, PRD, 92,123509

Dr David Clements Professor Alan Heavens Professor Andrew Jaffe


[3] Bao, Baccigalupi, Gold, Hanany, Jaffe,Stompor, "Maximum Likelihood ForegroundCleaning for Cosmic Microwave BackgroundPolarimeters in the Presence of SystematicEffects", 2015, Astrophys. J., in press.

S. Mohanty's most important work inthis period has been a study of theatmospheres of young very lowmass stars and brown dwarfs, withhis PhD student J. Tottle. The studyfocussed on confronting state-of-the-art model atmospheres for theseobjects with photometricobservations in the infrared. Themodels were found to besystematically discrepant from thedata, indicating that dust opacities inthese atmospheres are currentlysignificantly underestimated. Theresult is a substantialunderestimation of the mass andage of young very low mass starsand brown dwarfs, with importantimplications for the shape of theinitial stellar mass function, and thusfor the theory of star formation.

[1] "Testing Model Atmospheres for YoungVery-low-mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs inthe Infrared: Evidence for SignificantlyUnderestimated Dust Opacities", Tottle, J. &Mohanty, S., 2015, Astrophysical Journal,805, 57.

Astronomy is an observational, notan experimental, science - there isonly limited freedom to design anexperiment - and so it is vital tomake the best possible use ofwhatever data can be obtained. Ihave been pioneering efforts to dothis in the most powerful way byapplying the modern statisticaltechnique of Bayesian inference to avariety of problems at the forefrontof modern astrophysics. Oneexample is the search for the originof the highest energy cosmic rays -sub-atomic particles accelerated tosuch speeds that they can hit theEarth with the energy of a tennis ballserved by Roger Federer. PhDstudent Alexander Khanin and Ihave found [1] that around half ofthese particles are probablyproduced in nearby active galacticnuclei, the most popular explanation,but that not all can come from thissource. I have also been searchingfor brown dwarfs - faint failed starsthat have just a hundredth of theSun s mass and glow primarily atinfrared wavelengths - and, with ProfSteve Warren and PhD studentNathalie Skrzypek, have compiled[2] the largest single sample of suchobjects. Finally, I have been usingdata from the most distant knownquasar [3], seen as it was when theUniverse was 5% of its current age,to chart the progress of hydrogenreionization caused by the first stars

and galaxies. A careful calculationof the absorption properties ofhydrogen have shown that theexisting standard results areinaccurate [4], leading to a re-evaluation of this important questionin cosmology.[1] A Bayesian analysis of the 69 highestenergy cosmic rays detected by the PierreAuger Observatory , Khanin, A. & Mortlock,D.J., 2016, MNRAS, submitted[2] Photometric brown dwarf classification. I.A method to identify and accurately classifylarge samples of brown dwarfs withoutspectroscopy Skrzypek, N., Warren, S.J.,Faherty, J.K., Mortlock, D.J., Burgasser, A.J.& Hewett, P.C., 2015, A&A, 574, 78

[3] A luminous quasar at a redshift of 7.085 Mortlock, D. et al., 2011, Nature, 616, 474

[4] Quasars as probes of reionization Mortlock, D., 2015, in Understanding theEpoch of Cosmic Reionization: Challenges and Progress ed. A. Mesinger

My research is focussed ondeveloping a better understanding ofthe currently unobserved first billionyears of the Universe and the natureof the first stars and galaxies. Themost exciting avenue for this is vialow-frequency radio observations ofthe redshifted 21cm line of neutralhydrogen. I am chair of the Epoch ofReionization science working groupfor the Square Kilometre Array,assisting in the telescope designand preparations for observations[1]. This has been a busy yearbeginning the formation of an

AstrophysicsResearch

Dr Subhanjoy Mohanty

Dr Daniel Mortlock

Dr Jonathan Pritchard


AstrophysicsResearchinternational collaboration to carryout this SKA science and alsobecoming more involved in HERA, aUS/SA radio array currently underconstruction that will allow us to testsome of the techniques needed forSKA. As these efforts ramp up, I wasfortunate to receive an ERC StartingGrant in 2015 – FIRSTDAWN -enabling me to build one of theleading UK groups in this area. Ourwork links theory with numericalsimulations and statisticaltechniques to develop the tools foranalysis and interpretation of early21cm data. Key results this yearinclude showing that 21cmobservations could constrain theCMB optical depth [2]; simulationsshowing the effect of neutralabsorbers on the 21cm signal [3];and developing a detailed analysispipeline for DARE [4], a proposedNASA lunar orbiter to observe thesky-averaged 21cm experiment.[1] L.V.E Koopmans, J. Pritchard, G. Mellemaet al., “The Cosmic Dawn and Epoch ofReionization with the Square KilometreArray”. PoS (AASKA14) 001 (2015)[arXiv:1505.07568]. [2] Adrian Liu, Jonathan R. Pritchard, RupertAllison, Aaron R. Parsons, Uros Seljak, BlakeD. Sherwin, “Eliminating the optical depthnuisance from the CMB with 21 cmcosmology”. PRD submitted (2015)[arXiv:1509.08463] [3] C. A. Watkinson, A. Mesinger, J. R.Pritchard, E. Sobacchi, “21-cm signatures ofresidual HI inside cosmic HII regions duringreionization”. MNRAS, 449, 3202 (2015)[arXiv:1501.01970] [4] Geraint J.A. Harker, Jordan Mirocha, JackO. Burns, Jonathan R. Pritchard,“Parametriza- tions of the 21-cm global signaland parameter estimation from single-dipoleexperiments”. MNRAS, 455, 3829 (2016)[arXiv:1510.00271]

My work is focussed on working outwhat dark matter is, and what othernew particles might be associatedwith it. I make predictions for theoutcomes of experiments like high-energy colliders (such as the LHC),gamma-ray and neutrino probes ofdark mattter annihilation, directsearches for dark matter in deepmines, and impacts of dark matteron stars. I improve the theoreticalpredictions and methods relevant forindividual experiments (like theupcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array[1]), but the bigger task is statisticallycombining the results of all experiments,to test many different theories for newphysics. My main effort in thisdirection has been the GAMBITproject [2], where I lead a large teamdeveloping a new suite of tools andapplications for these techniques.

I also measure the chemicalcomposition of the Sun [3] -- acrucial yardstick for all of astronomy-- and try to understand why it differsdepending on whether one looks atthe solar spectrum or helioseismology.One very intriguing possibility is thatthe discrepancy is a signature oftrapped dark matter. I recentlyshowed that the discrepancy can beexplained by one specific model fordark matter [4]. This is so far theonly solution to this conundrum thathas been shown to work.[1] Silverwood H, Weniger C, Scott P &Bertone G. A realistic assessment of the CTA

sensitivity to dark matter annihilation (2015,JCAP 03:055, arXiv:1408.4131)

[2] gambit.hepforge.org[3] Scott P, Asplund M, Grevesse N,Bergemann M & Sauval AJ. The elementalcomposition of the Sun II. The iron groupelements Sc to Ni (2015, A&A 573:A26,arXiv:1405.0287)

[4] Vincent AC, Scott P & Serenelli A.Possible indication of momentum-dependentasymmetric dark matter in the Sun (2015,Phys Rev Lett 114:081302, arXiv:1411.6626).Chosen as Editor's Pick by Physical ReviewLetters

Roberto Trotta research focused ondark matter phenomenology and'global fits' (including all availabledata from multiple probes), as wellas on early Universe cosmology. In[1], (a paper whose first author wasat the time Trotta's graduate student,who was to be awarded the BestPhysics Thesis Prize 2014) Trottaand collaborators presented statisticallysound probability maps for a 15-dimensional supersymmetric model,obtained by combining all availabledata (from colliders, astrophysicaldark matter probes, direct andindirect dark matter searches, andcosmology). This work opened thedoor to the detailed study of moresophisticated and realisticsupersymmetric models than it waspossible in the past. It also included– for the first time – ATLAS nullsearches across non-exclusivesignal regions.

In [2], Trotta and collaborators

Dr Roberto Trotta

Dr Pat Scott


considered the problem of determiningthe correct inflationary model from astatistically principled point of view, byperforming a never-before-attemptedsystematic comparison between allthe available single-field, slow-rollmodels for the inflaton potential (198models in total). The models consideredrepresented an almost complete andsystematic scan of the entire landscapeof inflationary scenarios proposed todate. The analysis singled out the mostprobable models (from an Occam'srazor point of view) that are compatiblewith Planck data. Given itsexhaustiveness, this analysis hasbecome a reference point in theliterature.[1], Profile likelihood maps of a 15-dimensional MSSM C. Strege, G. Bertone, G.J. Besjes, S. Caron, R. Ruiz de Austri, A.Strubig, R. Trotta (2014) JHEP 09(2014)081,e-print archive: 1405.0622

[2] The best inflationary models after PlanckJ. Martin, C. Ringeval, R. Trotta, V. Vennin(2014) JCAP 1403 (2014) 039, e-printarchive: 1312.3529

Being able to model the wavelengthdependence of solar and stellarvariability is at the basis ofunderstanding the effects of stellarirradiation on the atmospheres ofsolar-system and exoplanets alike.Solar variability has been monitoredclosely since the late 1970s, thoughits wavelength dependence is

subject to controversy, withdisagreements between differentmodels as well as measurements.The disagreements are most salientfor near-UV wavelengths that playan important role in modelling theresponse of the Earth'sstratosphere. In Yeo et al (2015), we show that thelower near-UV variability of theempirical model used by mostclimate models is due to thepresence of noise in solar spectralirradiance variations. At thesewavelengths, physics-based modelssuch as the SATIRE model(developed in collaboration withresearchers at the Max-PlanckInstitute for Solar SystemsResearch) provide more reliableestimates of solar variability.

In collaboration with Drs M Galandand J Chadney (Space &Atmospheric Physics Group), weinvestigated the upper atmospheresof `Hot Jupiters' that are subject toextreme and variable radiation. InChadney et al (2015) we illustratethe importance of accounting for therelative strength of extreme UV(EUV) and X-ray emission foratmospheric mass-loss calculationsand provide a new scalingprescription for stellar EUV fluxesbased on their X-ray emission.

1) KL Yeo, WT Ball, NA Krivova, SK Solanki,YC Unruh & J Morrill 2015, UV solarirradiance in observations and the NRLSSIand SATIRE-S models, Journal of Geophy.Res. 120, 6055

2) JM Chadney, M Galand, YC Unruh, TTKoskinen & J Sanz-Forcada 2015, XUV-driven mass loss from extrasolar giant planetsorbiting active stars, Icarus 250, 357

Over several years I have worked onimplementing a new deep survey ofthe sky at infrared wavelengths,called the UKIRT Infrared Deep SkySurvey (UKIDSS). The surveymapped over 3000 sq degs of thenorthern sky, in several filtersbetween 1 and 2 micron i.e. thenear-infrared. This wavelengthregion is of particular interest fordiscovering cool (< 2000K) objectsthat are very faint or invisible atoptical wavelengths. I have usedUKIDSS for a search for browndwarfs, which are collapsed cloudsof gas where the mass is too low toignite hydrogen in the core. The firstbrown dwarf was discovered in1995, and new spectral types L, T,and Y have been devised tocategorise them. Over the pastyear, with Nathalie Skrzypek, I havebeen preparing a catalogue of over1000 L and T dwarfs, that is thelargest in existence. Over the nextfew years this sample will be used toquantify the characteristics of the Land T populations, such as spacedensity, and spatial distribution.

1. Skrzypek, N, Warren, S J, Faherty, J K,2016, Photometric brown-dwarf classificationII. A homogeneous sample of 1361 L and Tdwarfs brighter than J = 17.5 with accuratespectral types, A&A in press

Professor Stephen Warren

ResearchAstrophysics

Dr Yvonne Unruh


Condensed Matter TheoryThe Condensed Matter Theory group studies properties, processes and emergent behaviour in solids,liquids,nanomaterials, metamaterials, and less obvious aggregates such as ant colonies and heart muscles.Ourresearch draws on many areas of physics including quantum and classical mechanics, electromagnetism,statistical mechanics, quantum optics, and thermodynamics.

MATERIALS PHYSICSProf Mike Finnis, Prof MatthewFoulkes, Prof Peter Haynes, Dr Arash Mostofi, Prof AdrianSutton, Dr Paul Tangney, Prof Dimitri Vvedensky

Materials have played a central rolein the development of civilisationfrom the Bronze Age to the Semi-conductor Age.We aim to understand and predictthe properties of materials and theprocesses by which they grow ortransform. We also provide guid-ance for experimental research,help to interpret observations, andseek ways to enhance materials’properties. Our theoretical work isoften helped by simulations, whichinclude accurate quantum mechani-cal calculations, atomistic and morecoarsely-grained approaches, andcontinuum models.We specialise in spanning time andlength scales by coupling methodsto achieve a consistent understand-ing all the way from electrons andatoms to the macroscopic contin-uum. Much of the software that weuse is developed in house and usedby researchers around the world

COMPLEXITY AND NETWORKSProf Kim Christensen

Through data-driven research andmodelling, we investigate the proper-ties of systems whose complexbehaviour emerges from large num-bers of interacting components. Forexample, why are ant societies,whose elaborate highly organisedmacroscopic (colony-level) propertiesemerge from microscopic interactionsbetween ants, so successful?Organs such as the brain and theheart function through the collectivebehaviour of complex networks.Understanding how their behaviouremerges can help us to identify and

treat medical conditions that arisewhen these networks malfunction.For example, simple models canhelp explain how age-related changesin a heart muscle’s underlying net-work causes atrial fibrillation.

CORRELATED QUANTUMSYSTEMSDr Derek Lee, Prof Angus MacKinnon

Using theoretical techniques fromquantum field theory and computersimulations, we study the coopera-tive collective behaviour of nano-scale quantum systems.Specific systems of interest includedissipationless phases of matter,which may be useful for quantuminformation processing, and thedynamics of nanoscale mechanicalsystems driven far from equilibrium.Our work continually throws up fun-damental questions relating to quan-tum mechanics and how thermo-dynamics may be adapted to

nanometer length scales.

METAMATERIALS AND PLASMONICSProf Sir John Pendry, Prof OrtwinHess and Dr Vincenzo Giannini

Metamaterials are artificial solidsdesigned to guide electromagneticfields or acoustic waves. The prop-erties of conventional materials aredetermined by chemical compositionand how the atoms are arranged.Metamaterials, on the other hand,consist of arrays of specially-engi-neered units organised on muchlarger length scales. They can bedesigned to manipulate photons andelectrons in ways that cannot beachieved with conventional materi-als. This has inspired scientists toconceive perfect lenses, new lasers,'invisibility cloaks’ and opened thedoor to slow and stopped broad-band light.

KNbO3 is a ferroelectric. It is almost cubic, but it spontaneously polarizes by moving each Nb(yellow) slightly towards three of its six O neighbours (red). The electron density is shown ascontours and isosurfaces.

Metamaterials are lattices of metamolecules, such as “split-ring resonators” (left). A layeredmetamaterial can slow a light packet while spatially separating its colours to make a “trappedrainbow” (right).


Research

The 21st century will becharacterised by the need to masterchronic diseases as the populationages, and among the greatestchallenges is the disrupted cardiacelectro-mechanics of the diseasedheart that leads to atrial fibrillation.Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the singlebiggest cause of stroke. Ablation,destroying regions of the atria, isapplied empirically and may becurative but with a disappointingclinical success rate. Incollaboration with Prof. Peters(Faculty of Medicine, Imperial) wehave designed a simple model ofactivation wave front propagation onan anisotropic structure mimickingthe branching network of heartmuscle cells. This integration ofphenomenological dynamics andpertinent structure shows how AFemerges spontaneously when thetransverse cell-to-cell couplingdecreases, as occurs with age forexample due to fibrosis, beyond athreshold value. We identify criticalregions responsible for the initiationand maintenance of AF, the ablationof which terminates AF. Thesimplicity of the model allows us tocalculate analytically the risk ofarrhythmia and express thethreshold value of transversal cell-to-cell coupling as a function of themodel parameters. This newmechanical insight will allow us tosuggest novel therapies for AF once

we have access to the underlyingheart muscle structure.

1. K. Christensen, KA Manani, and NSPeters, Simple Model for Identifying CriticalRegions in Atrial Fibrillation, Physical ReviewLetters, 114, 028104 (2015); DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.028104

My research in 2015 has beenfollowing 4 strands:1. Transport in Alumina. Besides theatomistic description, e.g. [1]. I havebeen developing with a studentMarkus Tautschnig (supported byBP) and his first supervsor NicHarrison, a three-dimensionalreaction-diffusion model to describethe transport of matter and chargealong grain boundaries during scalegrowth.2. High temperature ceramics. Witha postdoc Andrew Duff supported bythe XMat project we have greatlyaccelerated the method for calculatinghigh-temperature thermodynamicproperties with DFT accuracy [2, 3].We continue with a student TheresaDavey to work on the incorporation ofDFT calculations in phase diagrams.3. Hydrogen in steel. With a postdocfunded by the HEmS project and aCDT student (Chiara Liverani) wehave been working on the theory ofhydrogen transport in steel, and thestructure of iron carbides. 4. Quantum rattles. This is acollaboration with Biomaterials,

which started with ref. [4]. I amworking with a student Amanda Diazto quantify drug uptake and deliveryby hollow silica nanoparticlescontaining gold clusters.

[1] Guhl H, Lee H-S, Tangney P, FoulkesWMC, Heuer AH, Nakagawa T, Ikuhara Y,Finnis MW. Structural and electronicproperties of Σ7 grain boundaries in α-Al2O3.Acta Materialia 2015;99:16.

[2] Duff AI, Finnis MW, Maugis P, Thijsse BJ,Sluiter MHF. MEAMfit: A reference-freemodified embedded atom method (RF-MEAM) energy and force-fitting code. Comp.Phys. Commun. 2015;196 439.

[3] Duff AI, Davey T, Korbmacher D, GlenskA, Grabowski B, Neugebauer J, Finnis MW.Improved method of calculating ab initio high-temperature thermodynamic properties withapplication to ZrC. Phys. Rev. B2015;91:214311.

[4] Cecchin D, de la Rica R, Bain RES, FinnisMW, Stevens MM, Battaglia G. PlasmonicELISA for the detection of gp120 at ultralowconcentrations with the naked eye.Nanoscale 2014;6:9559.

The many-electron Schrödingerequation is capable of predictingalmost every property of moleculesand solids, but is very difficult tosolve for more than a few electrons.One of my main scientific aims is todevise techniques to tackle theSchrödinger equation for largersystems without uncontrolledapproximations.

The density matrix quantum Monte

Condensed Matter Theory

Professor Kim Christensen

Professor Mike Finnis

Professor Matthew Foulkes


ResearchCondensed Matter Theory

Carlo (DMQMC) method, inventedat Imperial College a couple of yearsago, yields the quantum statisticalproperties up to 50 interactingelectrons. We are currently usingDMQMC to look at “warm densematter” (WDM), which is warm anddense only to the astrophysicistswho named it. To us it is very hot(kBT is comparable to the Fermienergy) and no denser than ordinarymatter. WDM can be found in laserfusion and shock wave experiments,radiation damage cascades, andplanetary cores. Our DMQMCsimulations of the warm denseelectron gas [1] have just resolved aserious disagreement betweenresults obtained using other methods.

Other work this year includes theintroduction of a new technique forcoarse graining inter-atomic forcefields [2], a study of the structuraland electronic properties of grainboundaries in alumina [3], and aninvestigation of finite-size errors inQMC simulations of metals [4].

[1] Fionn D. Malone, N.S. Blunt, James J.Shepherd, D.K.K. Lee, J.S. Spencer, andW.M.C. Foulkes, Interaction Picture DensityMatrix Quantum Monte Carlo, J. Chem. Phys.143, 044116 (2015).

[2] D.M. Edmunds, P. Tangney, D.D.Vvedensky, and W.M.C. Foulkes, Free-Energy Coarse-Grained Potential for C60, J.Chem. Phys. 143, 164509 (2015).

[3] Hannes Guhl, Hak-Sung Lee, PaulTangney, W.M.C. Foulkes, Arthur H. Heuer,Tsubasa Nakagawa, Yuichi Ikuhara, andMichael W. Finnis, Structural and ElectronicProperties of Σ7 Grain Boundaries in α-Al2O3, Acta Mater. 88, 16 (2015).

[4] S. Azadi and W. M. C. Foulkes,Systematic Study of Finite-Size Effects inQuantum Monte Carlo Calculations of RealMetallic Systems, J. Chem. Phys. 143,102807 (2015)

Our research focus on light matterinteraction problems, in particular,excitation of surface plasmons inmetal nanoparticles and theirinteraction with graphene. We areexploring the possibility of usinggraphene as a plasmon wave-guidefor sensing purposes or metalnanoparticles that allow better solarcells efficiency.Recently, with Professor Peter Haynesand Dr Derek Lee we started thestudy of novel excitations intopological nanoparticles; more indetail, we analysed the excitation oflocalized surface polaritons in suchnanoparticles, a very promisingalternative to conventional, metal-based plasmonic systems for therealization of nanophotoniccomponents at low energy. We are also looking for possiblenew analytical approaches to thelight scattering formulation inplasmonics.

[1] Plasmon-induced optical anisotropy inhybrid graphene-metal nanoparticle systemsNano Lett., 15 (5), pp 3458–3464 (2015)

[2] Terahertz Waves: Perfect Extinction ofTerahertz Waves in Monolayer Grapheneover 2‐nm‐Wide Metallic AperturesAdvanced Optical Materials, 3, 5, 714-718(2015)

[3] Nanoantenna enhancement for telecom-wavelength superconducting single photondetectorsNano Lett., 15 (2), pp 819–822 (2015)

[4] Quantum plasmons on topologicalnanoparticle surface Submitted (2016)

Our work on stopped-light lasinghas uncovered new opportunities fornonequilibtium plasmons, predictingthe possibility of surface-plasmonpolariton condensation nearstopped-light singularities (wellreceived presentation andpublications at a Faraday meeting).The aspect of gain and lasing innano- plasmonics and nanoplasmonicmetamaterials has continued as astrong activity in the team with apublication in Laser and PhotonicsReview. We have continued toadvance our internationally leadingwork on extreme chirality (supportedby a new Leverhulme grant) andactive nanoplasmonic metamaterialsand started to explore opportunitiesof optical nano-woodpiles formingthe foundations for large-areametallic photonic crystals andmetamaterials. Our work on activephotoexcited graphene is beginningto generate novel insight withpapers highlighting the role ofplasmon emission. Joint work withChris Phillips and Ned Ekins-Dukeswithin the semiconductor quantumratchets project is progressing well(publications). Collaborations withintwo EPSRC Programme Grants inthe mathematics of metamaterialsand on nano-photonics to controllednano-chemistry, have seen a highly

Dr Vincenzo Giannini

Professor Ortwin Hess


productive first year with variouspublications (such on thermalemitters) with Stefan Maier and andJeremy Baumberg and colleaguesfrom Cambridge. [1] Pusch, A., De Luca, A., Oh, S. S.,Wuestner, S., Roschuk, T., Chen, Y., . . .Hess, O. (2015). A highly efficient CMOSnanoplasmonic crystal enhanced slow-wavethermal emitter improves infrared gas-sensing devices. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 5,7 pages. doi:10.1038/srep17451

[2] Wuestner, S., Hamm, J. M., Pusch, A., &Hess, O. (2015). Plasmonic leaky-modelasing in active semiconductor nanowires.LASER & PHOTONICS REVIEWS, 9(2), 256-262. doi:10.1002/lpor.201400231

[3] Ibbotson, L. A., Demetriadou, A., Croxall,S., Hess, O., & Baumberg, J. J. (2015).Optical nano-woodpiles: large-area metallicphotonic crystals and metamaterials.SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 5, 5 pages.doi:10.1038/srep08313

[4] Wuestner, S., Pickering, T., Hamm, J. M.,Page, A. F., Pusch, A., & Hess, O. (2015).Ultrafast dynamics of nanoplasmonicstopped-light lasing. FARADAYDISCUSSIONS, 178, 307-324.doi:10.1039/c4fd00181h

Topological insulators are crystallinematerials with surface states thatare robust to defects and impurities.They are protected by globalsymmetries such as time-reversalsymmetry. – In collaboration with BogdanGalilo and Ryan Barnett (Maths) [1],we have explored a way to populate

these surface states in an ultra-coldcondensate of rubidium atomstrapped in an optical lattice.Although these atoms wouldnaturally occupy a lowest statewhich extends throughout thesystem, we devised a `quantumquench' protocol which switches thesystem into an unstable state whichthen collapses into these surfacemodes. This gives a new way toachieve spatial structures in anatomic condensate without the needfor extra laser beams. Moregenerally, it may offer a new route tocontrolled quantum dynamics, animportant area of research forquantum information processing.– These insulators naturally havenaturally conducting surfaces. Incollaboration with Gleb Siroki andVincenzo Giannini, we are studyingthe optical response of a bismuthselenide nanoparticle. Beinginsulating in the bulk, we hope thatthey provide an alternative whichhas significantly less dissipationthan commonly used metallicnanoparticles.1. Bogdan Galilo, Derek K. K. Lee, and RyanBarnett, Selective Population of Edge Statesin a 2D Topological Band System, Phys. Rev.Lett. 115, 24530 (2015)

Non-Equilibrium Green’s Functionsrepresent a powerful technique for thestudy of transport in nano-scalesystems. Having generalised thisapproach to include a general time-

dependent potential, together withMichael Ridley & Lev Kantorovich(King’s) we are applying this toseveral different nano-systems.Besides standard a.c. current effectsand associated transient effects, wehave studied random or noisypotentials and quantum pumps. In aquantum pump a net current resultsfrom a periodic potential differenceacross the system, even if theaverage voltage is zero. The effect ofa noisy potential across a smallsystem is almost indistinguishablefrom a change in the couplingbetween the system and the leads.Work so far has been on simplemodel systems, but the technique haspotential to be generalised to a widerange of more realistic systems, suchas a quantum shuttle or transportthrough single molecules, as well asthe study of other quantum effectssuch as shot noise.

Our research is dedicated to theapplication and development of theoryand computational simulation tools forsolving problems in materials. We aremotivated by problems related toenergy, environment and advancedtechnology. We work predominantly atthe atomistic length-scale, eitherusing quantum mechanics or simplermodels of interatomic bonding todescribe systems of interactingelectrons and nuclei. Such theory andsimulation is invaluable for

Dr Derek Lee


Professor Angus MacKinnon

Dr Arash Mostofi



understanding the structure of matterand providing microscopic insight intothe behaviour of materials. The state-of-the-art computational tools that aredeveloped in our group are sharedwith the wider community, eitherthrough commercial, academic oropen-source license, to benefit thepursuit and dissemination ofknowledge in this field. Incollaboration with colleagues atuniversities including Cambridge andSouthampton, and the scientificsoftware company BIOVIA, wecontinue to develop the linear-scalingdensity-functional theory codeONETEP (www.onetep.org); and incollaboration with colleagues atOxford, EPFL (Switzerland), Rutgers(New Jersey), and San Sebastian, wecontinue to enhance the Wannier90code (www.wannier.org) forcomputing maximally-localizedWannier functions. Our currentresearch interests include: transportproperties of nanowires and carbonnanotube networks; surfaces,interfaces and defects in perovskiteoxide materials; and the structure andfunction of elastomer seals andpolymer desalination membranes.

[1] “Electronic transport calculations in theONETEP code: implementation andapplications”, R. A. Bell, S. M.-M. Dubois, M. C.Payne and A. A. Mostofi, Comput. Phys.Commun. 193, 78 (2015)

[2] “An updated version of Wannier90: a tool forobtaining maximally-localised Wannierfunctions”, A. A. Mostofi, J. R. Yates, G. Pizzi,Y.-S. Lee, I. Souza, D. Vanderbilt and N.Marzari, Comput. Phys. Commun. 185, 2309(2014)

Metal surfaces support electrondensity waves known as surfaceplasmons which can couple toexternally incident light waves.Since the surface plasmons havewavelengths of the order of a fewtens of nanometres or less, they canbe focussed into extremely smallareas. This extreme concentrationhas the potential for single moleculesensing, enhanced optical nonlinearity at low power input andmany other applications where anintense concentration of opticalenergy is needed. Surface plasmonproperties are extremely sensitive tosurface structure, particularly tosingular features such as twotouching curved surfaces. We usethe technique of transformationoptics, developed here in London, toexplore relationships betweengeometrically distinct structures, butwhich can be mapped into oneanother by coordinatetransformations that preserve all thespectral properties. Apparentlycomplex systems can be related tosimpler ones and their spectrasolved analytically. Furthermore ithas often proved to be the case thatthe simpler system is highlysymmetric enabling the spectrum tobe classified by the symmetryrepresentations. We call this ‘hiddensymmetry’ and it has given powerfulinsight into systems which

previously were thought to be just acomplex mathematical mess.

[1] Designing Plasmonic Gratings withTransformation OpticsKraft, Matthias; Luo, Yu; Maier, S. A.; et al.Physical Review X 5 031029 (2015).

[2] Transforming the optical landscapePendry, J. B.; Luo, Yu; Zhao, RongkuoScience 348 521-524 (2015).

[3] van der Waals interactions at the nanoscale:The effects of nonlocalityLuo, Yu; Zhao, Rongkuo; Pendry, John B.Proceedings Of The National Academy OfSciences Of The United States Of America 11118422-18427 (2014).

[4] Transformation optics and hiddensymmetriesKraft, Matthias; Pendry, J. B.; Maier, S. A.; et al.Physical Review B 89 245125 (2014).

I am a theoretical and computationalmaterials physicist working with awide range of colleagues acrossImperial College and industrialcollaborators. Our work ondislocation dynamics at high strainrates has continued apace, with thepublication of our investigation intothe attenuation of the dynamic yieldstress under conditions of shockloading [1]. We have also publishedon the mechanisms of dislocationsnucleation [2] and on imageinteractions with free surfaces atthese high strain rates. Wepublished our analytic model of theplasticity in aligned polyethylene[3].This work provided a detailed

Professor Sir John Pendry FRS

Professor Adrian Sutton FRS


molecular mechanism of plasticityand viscoelasticity in alignedpolyethylene based on thenucleation and motion of solitons.Working with two undergraduates Iwrote a paper to address theshortest distance between two grainboundaries in the five-dimensionalspace that characterises them [4].This work addressed a fundamentalproblem which arises when onewishes to interpolate physicalproperties of grain boundariesbetween those of two boundarieswhere the properties are knowneither experimentally ortheoretically. With Dr OlivierHardouin DuParc I wrote abiographical memoir of JacquesFriedel ForMemRS for the RoyalSociety. Friedel was the leadingcondensed matter physicist inFrance after the second World War.

[1] “Attenuation of the dynamic yield point ofshocked aluminum using elastodynamicsimulations of dislocation dynamics”, BGurrutxaga-Lerma, D S Balint, D Dini, D EEakins and A P Sutton, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114,174301 (2015)http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.174301

[2] “The mechanisms governing plasticresponse in aluminium at different strainrates”, B Gurrutxaga Lerma, D S Balint, DDini and A P Sutton, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 84273-292 (2015)http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2015.08.008

[3] “Theory of the deformation of alignedpolyethylene”, A Hammad, T D Swinburne, HHasan, S Del Rosso, L Iannucci and A PSutton, Proc. Roy. Soc A 471: 20150171(2015)http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2015.0171

[4] “The five-dimensional space of grainboundaries”, A P Sutton, E P Banks and A RWarwick, Proc. R. Soc. A, 471 20150442(2015)http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2015.0442.

Our recent work has focussed onunderstanding and modellingelectric fields and screening inheterogeneous oxide materials. Weare particularly interested infunctional oxides, such as thin filmferroelectrics and nanocrystals forphotovoltaic applications. In the lastyear we have developed new andmore accurate atomistic models ofthe ferroelectric (Ba,Sr)TiO3 whichcan describe the redistribution ofionic charges in response to phasetransformations or local changes inelectrostatic potential due todefects and interfaces.

We have also used atomisticmodels and density functionaltheory to study structural andelectronic properties of grainboundaries in alumina. A goodunderstanding of grain boundaries iscrucial to improving the properties ofthe oxide scales that form onaluminium-containing alloys andwhich protect them in aggressive(e.g. high T) operatingenvironments.

We have also been developingways to use atomistic models toconstruct coarser-grained modelsfor studying thermodynamics andstatistical mechanics of materials onlarge length and time scales. Thenext step will be to apply these

methods to study polarizationdomain switching processes inferroelectric devices.[1] "Free-energy coarse-grained potential forC60", Edmunds, D. M.; Tangney, P.;Vvedensky, D. D., Foulkes, W. M. C., J.Chem.Phys. 143, 164509 (2015).[2] "Structural and electronic properties of Σ7grain boundaries in α-Al2O3", Guhl, H.; H.-S.Lee; Tangney, P.; Foulkes, W. M. C.; Heuer, A.H.; Nakagawa, T.; Ikuhara, Y.; Finnis, M. W.,Acta Materialia 99, 16-28 (2015).

Theory and Simulation of Multi-scalePhenomena in Materials

Most properties of materials resultfrom interactions which are operativeover a range of spatial scales, fromthe atomic scale, which includesbonding and energy barriers, tomacroscopic scales, which is therealm of continuum mechanics. Thetheoretical description of suchproperties requires special methodsto be developed that either feed intoone another, such as theparameterization of a continuumtheory with an atomistic calculation, orby the direct incorporation of manyscales through, for example,renormalization-group methods.

We have been developing a variety ofapproaches to multiscale phenomenain various settings, including (i) theadaptation of the phase-field methodfor the epitaxial kinetics of graphene,with an application to graphene

Dr Paul Tangney


Professor Dimitri Vvedensky



growth on polycrystalline copper, (ii)Ginzburg–Landau theories anddensity-functional theories forcomplex structural phase transitions,such as martensitic transformations,the cooperative Jahn–Teller effect andthe formation of amorphous metallicalloys, (iii) Monte Carlo methods forthe evaluation of classical pathintegrals for flow through porousmedia, in analogy with the evaluationof quantum mechanical path integrals,and (iv) the applications of methods ofstatistical mechanics and machinelearning for the analysis of thevasculature of the human placenta,with the goal of obtaining clinicallysignificant results.

[1] H. Tetlow, J. Posthuma de Boer, I. Ford, D.D. Vvedensky, J. Coraux, and L. Kantorovich,Growth of epitaxial graphene: Theory andexperiment, Physics Reports 542, 195–295(2014).

[2] J. Posthuma de Boer, I. J. Ford, L.Kantorovich, and D. D. Vvedensky, Epitaxialgraphene on transition metals: Optimization ofrate theories, Journal of Physics: CondensedMatter 26, 185008 (2014).

[3] V. Dimastrodonato, E. Pelucchi, P. A.Zestanakis, and D. D. Vvedensky,`Morphological, compositional, and geometricaltransients of V-groove quantum wires formedduring metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy,'Applied Physics Letters 103, 042103 (2013).

[4] J. S. Gill, M. P. Woods, C. M. Salafia, and D.D. Vvedensky, `Probability distributions formeasures of placental shape and morphology,'Physiological Measurement 35, 483–500(2014).


Experimental Solid State PhysicsEXSS is a large group comprising 19 members of staff, 40 research staff and over 50 PhD students. Research spansall areas of solid state physics and main themes are highlighted below. The group has strong links with other centreswithin Imperial College including the Energy Futures Lab and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change.

Plastic ElectronicsT.D. Anthopoulos, D.D.C Bradley,A.J. Campbell, J.S Kim, J. Nelsonand P.N. Stavrinou

Organic semiconductors (conju-gated polymers and small mole-cules) are finding increasingapplications in light emission, dis-plays, energy conversion, sensorsengineering and healthcare. Experi-mental and theoretical programme.

Energy and efficient energy use

Solar Cell ResearchP. Barnes, K.W.J. Barnham, D.D.C.Bradley, A.J. Chatten, N.J. Ekins-Daukes, J. Nelson and C.C.Phillips

The two main drivers in solar cellresearch are the development oflowercost materials and improvingefficiencies.Organic photovoltaicmaterials such as conjugated poly-mers, fullerenes and nanoparticlescan have efficiencies around 10% -they are relatively cheap and arereadily processed from solution.Inorganic semiconductors canachieve efficiencies of 40%, particu-larly under “many suns” illumination,and are well suited to satellite appli-cations or terrestrial light concentra-tors.

Materials for Energy EfficientRefrigerationK. Sandeman, L .F. Cohen and A. D.Caplin

Utilising magnetic magnetocaloricmaterials offers a route to efficientrefrigeration which avoids the use ofenvironmentally damaging chemicals.

Nanoscience and Technology

Frustrated Magnetic NanostructuresW. R. Branford and L. F. Cohen

Arrays of magnetic nanostructuredhoneycomb lattices impose frustrationon the magnetic order resulting inmonopole defects according to “spinice” rules.

Nanostructured Narrow GapSemiconductorsL.F. Cohen and S.A. SolinNarrow gap semiconductors such asInAs exhibit high electron mobilitiesand low surface depletion makingthem ideal candidates for high sensi-tivity, ultra high resolution, ballisticnanosensors.

Quantum DotsR. Oulton, N.J. Ekins-Daukes and R.Murray

QDs have applications in lasers, opti-cal amplifiers, micro-lasers, qubits,single photon sources for quantumcryptography and tunnel junctions forefficient tandem solar cells.

Mid-infrared Imaging for CancerdetectionC.C. PhillipsMid-IR radiation is absorbed by excit-ing localised vibrations in chemical

bonds in a way that gives each bio-molecule an easily recognisable spec-tral “fingerprint”. If we image a slice ofhuman tissue at the right wave-lengths, we can “see” chemicals (e.g.the acids in DNA). Clinical trials areshowing that this technique detectscancer earlier and with greater confi-dence.

Nanophotonics, Plasmonics andMetamaterialsS. Maier, R. Oulton, L.F. Cohen, P.N.Stavrinou, C.C. Phillips and D.D.C.Bradley

Here we utilise metallic nanostruc-tures in to break the diffraction limit oflight. Examples include ultrafastnanoscaleplasmon lasers, highly sensitivebiodetectors, quantum plasmonicsand optical nanoantennas for use innonlinear nanooptics.Nanophotonic structures are alsofascinating materials for combinationwith graphene for novel optoelectronicdevices. At mid-infrared frequencies,we have developed the concept ofquantum metamaterials based onhighly doped semiconductors fornovel sub-resolution imaging applica-tions.

Plastic electronics on flexible substratesMagnetic monopole defects

Dotonic molecule Bow-Tie Plasmonic antennae


Research Experimental SolidState Physics

We are interested on understandingthe physical properties of functionalelectronic materials and applyingthis fundamental understanding todevelop improved materials /material-systems and devices forapplication in electronics, displays,lighting, energy generation / harvestingand sensor technologies [1-4]. Weare also interested in innovativemanufacturing technologies for large-area nano-electronics where device–and ultimately system– performanceis determined by key devicedimensions rather than strictly bythe physical properties of the activematerial(s) employed. Ultimate aimis the development of advancedmaterials and device concepts andtheir application in the emergingopto/electronics and bio-/sensors.

[1] Signatures of Quantized Energy States inSolution-Processed Ultrathin Layers of Metal-Oxide Semiconductors and Their Devices.Labram, John G.; Lin, Yen-Hung; Zhao, Kui;et al. Li, RP; Thomas, SR; Semple, J;Androulidaki, M; Sygellou, L; McLachlan, M;Stratakis, E; Amassian, A; Anthopoulos, TD.ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, 25,1727-1736 (2015).

[2] High-Efficiency Organic Photovoltaic CellsBased on the Solution-Processable HoleTransporting Interlayer Copper Thiocyanate(CuSCN) as a Replacement for PEDOT:PSS.Yaacobi-Gross, Nir; Treat, Neil D.;Pattanasattayavong, Pichaya; Faber, H;Perumal, AK; Stingelin, N; Bradley, DDC;Stavrinou, PN; Heeney, M; Anthopoulos, TD.ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS, 5,1401529 (2015).

3. High Electron Mobility Thin-Film TransistorsBased on Solution-Processed SemiconductingMetal Oxide Heterojunctions and Quasi-Superlattices. Y-H. Lin, H. Faber, J. G. Labram,E.l Stratakis, L. Sygellou, E. Kymakis, N. A.Hastas, R. Li, K. Zhao, A. Amassian, N. D.Treat, M. McLachlan and T. D. Anthopoulos.ADVANCED SCIENCE, 2, 1500058, (2015).

Hybrid perovskite materials offer theprospect of using cheap precursorsolutions to manufacture photovoltacisat low temperature with efficiencies(> 20%) similar to silicon solar cells.Before perovskites can becommercialised several challengesmust be overcome, in particular,improving the stability of the materials.My group has discovered that agingof these materials is related to thehysteresis observed in deviceswhere the transient current andvoltage characteristics depend ontheir operational history.[1] We havefound that a major degradationpathway is the reversible formationof hydrated phases on exposure tomoisture which results in a non-reversible increase in hysteresis.[2]Our neutron scattering studies andmodelling show that this hysteresisis unlikely to result from ferroelectriceffects which could be coupled to therotation of methylammonium dipolesin the crystal lattice,[3] and is insteadalmost certainly related to the migrationof ionic defects within the material toscreen internal electric fields.[4] Weare now developing measurementsand simulations that allow us to

directly infer the evolution of electricfields within the devices enabling usto understand the influence of ionicmigration on hysteresis enabling usto account for some remarkabledevice behaviour.[1] O'Regan, B. C. et al. Optoelectronicstudies of methylammonium lead iodideperovskite solar cells with mesoporous TiO2:Separation of electronic and chemical chargestorage, understanding two recombinationlifetimes, and the evolution of band offsetsduring J - V hysteresis. Journal of theAmerican Chemical Society 137, 5087-5099,doi:10.1021/jacs.5b00761 (2015).

[2] Leguy, A. M. A. et al. Reversible Hydrationof CH3NH3PbI3 in Films, Single Crystals,and Solar Cells. Chemistry of Materials 27,3397-3407,doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b00660 (2015).

[3] Leguy, A. M. A. et al. The dynamics ofmethylammonium ions in hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells. Nat Commun6, doi:10.1038/ncomms8124 (2015).

[4] Eames, C. et al. Ionic transport in hybridlead iodide perovskite solar cells. NatCommun 6, doi:10.1038/ncomms8497 (2015).

Professor Thomas Anthopoulos

Dr Piers Barnes

Professor Donal Bradley FRS


We have ongoing work engineeringarrays of ferromagnetic nanobars toinduce a type of magnetic frustrationknown as the Ice rules andcharacterizing their magnetic andtransport properties. Frustratedlattices such as these "artificial spinice" nanoarrays have no orderedstate and the excitations act asmobile magnetic charges. Last yearwe explored how to inject magneticcharges into specific locations tocontrol the magnetic state. To dothis we developed new methods ofexploring the dynamics of domainwalls in magnetic nanostructuresand to control the direction of flowwith the angle of the applied fieldusing focussed MOKE spectroscopy.[1]We explored the challengesassociated with controlling thedirection of propagation solely withthe chirality of the domain wall.[2]We discovered that injecting domainwalls directly into nanowires ispossible using the tip of a magneticforce microscope. We have alsoexplored the interplay betweenstructure and magnetotransportproperties in the BaFe2As2 family ofmaterials, using crystals grown atOak Ridge. These compounds canexhibit either superconductivity[3] orDirac cone transport properties[4]with correct doping. We also producedbulk and thin film samples of magneticSkyrmion crystal materials incollaboration with Lesley Cohen(EXSS) and Peter Petrov (Materials).

[1] Angular-dependent magnetization reversalprocesses in artificial spin ice. D.M. Burn, M.Chadha, and W.R. Branford, Physical ReviewB. 92(21): p. 214425 (2015).

[2] Limitations in artificial spin ice pathselectivity: the challenges beyond topologicalcontrol. S.K. Walton, K. Zeissler, D.M. Burn,S. Ladak, D.E. Read, T. Tyliszczak, L.F.Cohen, and W.R. Branford, New Journal ofPhysics. 17: p. 013054 (2015).

[3] Signatures of filamentarysuperconductivity in antiferromagneticBaFe2As2 single crystals. D. Moseley, K.A.Yates, W.R. Branford, A.S. Sefat, D.Mandrus, S.J. Stuard, S. Salem-Sugui, L.Ghivelder, and L.F. Cohen, EPL. 111(3): p.37005 (2015).

[4] Magnetotransport of proton-irradiatedBaFe2As2 and BaFe1.985Co0.015As1 singlecrystals. D.A. Moseley, K.A. Yates, N. Peng,D. Mandrus, A.S. Sefat, W.R. Branford, andL.F. Cohen, Physical Review B. 91(5): p.054512 (2015).

We have achieved breakthroughs inthe printing and nanoscalepatterning of large-area solution-processed organic electronicdevices on plastic. Such deviceshave use in foldable, wearable anddisposable displays, sensors,biomedical devices and otherelectronics. Working withcollaborators in the large-scaleintegrated EC FP7 POLARICproject, at IIT Milano, and atImperial, we have used andcombined gravure contact printing,zone-refining, nanoimprintlithography and self-alignmenttechniques to fabricate novel highperformance devices. This included

a 375 nm channel length highfrequency organic transistoroperating in the megahertz regime[1], and complementary inverterswith printed dielectric and n- and p-type semiconductors [2]. Withcolleagues in Chemistry andMaterials Science we havedeveloped ambient stable, solution-processable planar andnanostructured metal oxides as highefficiency injection layers in hybriddevices. This included achievingvery good compatibility of planarand nanoparticle metal oxides withsolution-processed polymer diodes[3], and demonstrating the firstefficient hybrid organic light emittingdiodes (OLED) using a zinc oxidenanorod array as a large surfacearea electron injection layer [4].Strong progress was also made indeveloping circularly-polarised lightemitting OLEDs in a joint projectwith CDT Ltd, as well as in the areaof printed organic transistors asbiomedical sensors.[1] “Self-aligned megahertz organictransistors solution-processed on plastic” S.G. Higgins, B. V. O. Muir, J. Wade, J. Chen,H. Gold, B. Stadlober, M. Caironi, J.-S. Kim,J. H. G. Steinke, and A. J. Campbell,Advanced Electronic Materials, 1, 1500024(2015)[2] “Bottom-Gate Complementary Inverterson Plastic with Gravure-Printed Dielectric andSemiconductors” N. L. Vaklev, Y. Yang, B. V.O Muir, J. H. G. Steinke and A. J. Campbell,IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 62,3820 (2015)

[3] “Compatibility of amorphous triarylaminecopolymers with solution-processed holeinjecting metal oxide bottom contacts” S.Logan, J. E. Donaghey, W. Zhang, I.McCulloch, A. J. Campbell, Journal ofMaterials Chemistry C 3, 7526 (2015)

[4] “ZnO Nanorod Arrays as Electron InjectionLayers for Efficient Organic Light EmittingDiodes” J. C. D. Faria, A. J. Campbell, M.McLachlan, Advanced Functional Materials,25, 4657 (2015)

Dr Will Branford


Dr Alasdair Campbell



In collaboration with the NationalPhysical Laboratory we examinedthe performance of InSb quantumwell Hall structures as multifunctionalsensors of electric, magnetic andoptical fields, utilising our newlydeveloped scanning photoconductivityrig [1]. Sensitivity to electron chargeof the order of 0.05e/√Hz from thissimple semiconductor micro-Hallcross is comparable to singleelectron transistors. We also studiedthe dynamic carrier response inhybrid graphene – nanostructuredmetal structures, finding plasmon-induced optical anisotropy andelectron temperatures in thegraphene of the order of 500K atshort timescales [2]. This has led usto think further about potentialenhancement of the graphenephotothermoelectric effect usingplasmonic nanostructures. Separate toour work at the nanoscale, is ourcontinued interest in materials forenergy applications. We examined theinfluence of the local demagnetisationfield on the nucleation and growth ofthe magnetocaloric transition [3].The work helped identify theimportance of the magnetic dipoleinteraction and thermal linkageacross the material as componentsto the transition process itself. Wealso studied the limitations of themagnetocaloric effect in managanites,showing how the intrinsic propertiesthat made this system so important

for colossal magnetoresistance twodecades ago, contribute to theirrelatively modest performance forsolid state magnetic coolingapplications [4]. [1] A. Gilbertson, et al., Multifunctionalsemiconductor micro-Hall devices for magnetic,electric, and photo-detection, Applied PhysicsLetters 107 (23) 233504 (2015)

[2] A.M. Gilbertson et al., Plasmon-InducedOptical Anisotropy in Hybrid Graphene-MetalNanoparticle Systems, Nano Letters 15 (5:3458 (2015)

[3] E. Lovell et al., Dynamics of the First-Order Metamagnetic Transition inMagnetocaloric La(Fe,Si)(13): ReducingHysteresis Advanced Energy Materials 5 (6)1401639 (2015)

[4] J.A. Turcaud, A.M. Pereira and L F Cohen,Quantifying the deleterious role of strongcorrelations in La1-xCaxMnO3 at themagnetocaloric transition, Physical Review B91 (13) 134410 (2015).

The very highest solar cell powerconversion efficiencies are achievedusing multi-junction solar cells.Much of the QPV research group’sactivity is concerned with thedevelopment of semiconductormaterials that can efficiently absorbsunlight in the 1-2um wavelengthrange which can push multi-junctionsolar cell efficiency over 50%. Acollaboration with the University ofTokyo resulted in the demonstrationof a 1.15eV sub-cell formed ofaggressively strain balancedGaAsP/InGaAs quantum wells. Weestablished that under certain

growth conditions, this strain-balanced structure spontaneouslyformed quantum wire in wellstructures with carrier lifetimes inexcess of 1µs. An alternativeapproach to this problem usingGaAsSbN has been evaluated inpartnership with IQE PLC andNangyang Technical University,SiGeSn with IQE PLC andTranslucent Inc and finally GaAsBiwith Sheffield University. Working in collaboration with StefanMaier’s research group, thepotential for using nanophotonicstructures to improve the efficiencyof solar cells was investigated aspart of a European Space Agencycontract. At a more fundamentallevel, the criteria for establishingstrong sequential absorption in anintermediate band and up-converting system was establishedas part of the Quantum Ratchetproject with Professors Chris Phillipsand Ortwin Hess.[1] Alonso-Alvarez, D. et al., 2014.InGaAs/GaAsP strain balanced multi-quantum wires grown on misoriented GaAssubstrates for high efficiency solar cells.Applied Physics Letters, 105(8), p.083124.

[2] Okada, Y. et al., 2015. Intermediate bandsolar cells: Recent progress and futuredirections. Applied Physics Reviews, 2(2),p.021302.

[3] Thomas, T. et al., 2015. Requirements fora GaAsBi 1 eV sub-cell in a GaAs-basedmulti-junction solar cell. SemiconductorScience And Technology, 30(9), p.094010.

[4] Piper, R.B. et al., 2014. Kinetic insight intobimolecular up-conversion: experiment andsimulation. RSC Advances, 4(16), pp.8059–8063.

Professor Lesley Cohen

Dr Nicholas Ekins-Daukes


Research in Plastic electronics hasa very broad scope with manypromising applications, including:displays, solar cells, transistors,biosensors and photonic devices.Despite the diversity of uses, allthese applications are based on thinfilms of functional materials and ineach case their performance iscritically dependent upon the precisearrangement and packing structureof the functional molecules. Theprincipal research in my group focuseson this fundamental issue, seekingto understand and establish thecorrelation between nanostructures offunctional materials and theperformance of associated devices,hence to develop plastic electronicsfor next generation technology(http://www.imperial.ac.uk/nanoanalysis-group/). Our current research isprogressing towards establishing asolid science platform in the field ofNanoscale Functional Materials andDevices including organic and organic/inorganic hybrids, perovskites,nanomaterials and related applications,as well as developing novelNanometrology for controlling andanalysing these functional materialsand devices. Our research is basedon a collaborative endeavourranging from material synthesis,processing, characterisation anddevice fabrication and measurement,which include collaborations withchemistry, physics, materials,engineering-based groups at

academia and in industry.[1] “Natures of optical absorption transitionsand excitation energy dependentphotostability of diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based photovoltaic copolymers”, Wood et al,Energy Environ. Sci., 2015, 8, 3222-3232,DOI: 10.1039/C5EE01974E[2] “Influence of Backbone Fluorination inRegioregular Poly(3-alkyl-4-fluoro)thiophenes”, Z. Fei et al., J. Am. Chem.Soc., 2015, 137 (21), pp 6866–6879, DOI:10.1021/jacs.5b02785[3] “1 GHz Pentacene Diode RectifiersEnabled by Controlled Film Deposition onSAM-Treated Au Anodes”, C. M. Kang et al,Adv. Electron. Mater. 2015, 1500282, DOI:10.1002/aelm.201500282[4] “Highly efficient inverted polymer light-emitting diodes using surface modifications ofZnO layer”, B. R. Lee et al., 2014, NatureComm, 5, ISSN: 2041-1723

.

Our research in the areas ofnanoplasmonics and nanophotonicsfinds novel ways of focusing light tothe nanoscale, in order to exploitultrasmall light spots of highintensity for the enhancement oflight/matter interactions. Apart fromfundamental research conductedusing numerical modelling,nanofabrication and experimentalinvestigations, we work in a numberof applied fields such as biosensing,photovoltaics, as well as opto-electronics. Highlights from this yearinclude the demonstration of surface-enhanced molecular sensing usingsilicon nanoantennas, control ofnonlinear light generation andquantum emission with plasmonicantennas, and fundamental studiesof polariton condensates.

[1] Caldarola, M., Albella, P., Cortés, E.,Rahmani, M., Roschuk, T., Grinblat, G.,Oulton, R.F., Bragas, A.V., & Maier, S.A.,Non-plasmonic nanoantennas for surfaceenhanced spectroscopies with ultra-low heatconversion, Nature Communications 6, 7915(2015) doi:10.1038/ncoms8915[2] Daskalakis,K.S., Maier, S.A., & Kéna-Cohen, S., Spatial coherence and stability ina disordered organic polaritons condensate,Physical Review Letters 115, 035301 (2015)[3] Aouani,H., Navarro-Cía, M., Rahmani, M,& Maier, S.A., Unveiling the origin of thirdharmonic generation in hybrid ITO-plasmoniccrystals, Advanced Optical Materials 3, 1059(2015)doi:/10.1002/adom.201500112[4] Rakovich, A., Albella, P., & Maier, S.A.,Plasmonic control of radiative properties ofsemiconductor quantum dots coupled toplasmonic ring cavities, ACS Nano 9, 2648(2015) doi:/10.1021/nn506433e

Finding new materials to harvestand store solar energy is critical tofuture clean energy supply. We studythe physics, chemistry, materials

Dr Ji-Seon Kim


Professor Stefan Maier

Professor Jenny Nelson

Professor Ray Murray



science and device engineering ofnew, solution processible materialsfor solar cells. These include organicsemiconductors such as conjugatedpolymers and small molecules,hybrid inorganic:organic materialsand - with Dr Piers Barnes - dyesensitised and perovskite materials.The central aim of the group’sresearch is to understand howchemical structure and physicalorganisation of materials controlsmaterial properties and devicefunction.Our main research activities span: The device physics of organic andhybrid solar cells. We study thefactors controlling current generationand charge recombination in solarcells, such as the role of trap states,doping and interface recombination.We use detailed analysis todetermine the sources of loss inpractical devices and find ways toreduce such losses.[1] Property – function relationshipsin molecular electronic materials:We use a wide range ofcharacterisation techniques to studyhow material structure controls theprocesses of light absorption,charge generation and chargetransport. A particular goal is toprobe the structure of disorderedmolecular materials, where neutronscattering combined with moleculardynamics has proved useful.[2]Multi-scale simulation of theelectronic and structural propertiesof organic electronic materials. Wehave developed methods tosimulate the physical structure ofmaterials, and the resultingelectronic and optoelectronicproperties. [3] Our long term aim isthe rational design of functionalelectronic materials. Together with the Grantham Institutefor Climate Change, we alsoresearch the potential of newrenewable technologies tocontribute to carbon emissionsreductions. [4]

[1] Jizhong Yao et al., “Quantifying Losses inOpen-Circuit Voltage in Solution-ProcessableSolar Cells” Physical Review Applied 4,014020 (2015).[2] Anne A. Y. Guilbert et al. , “Temperature-dependent dynamics of poly-alkylthiopheneconjugated polymers: A combined neutronscattering and simulation study” Chem.Mater. 27, 7652–7661 (2015).[3] Sheridan Few et al., “Models of chargepair separation in organic solar cells”Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 17,2311-2325 (2015).[4] Christopher Emmott et al., “ Organicphotovoltaic greenhouses: a uniqueapplication for semi-transparent PV?”, Energyand Environmental Science 8 , 1317-1328(2015).

Dr. Rupert Oulton’s research teaminvestigates the engineering of light-matter interactions usingmetal-optics. The stark difference incharacteristic length scales ofphotons and electrons makesoptical interactions extremely weakdespite light being our primarymeans of experiencing the worldaround us. However, thecharacteristic wavelength of lightcan be matched with that ofelectrons in materials with metal-optics. Metal surfaces supportexcitations, called surfaceplasmons, that can be squeezedinto spaces just tens of nanometresin size where light-matter interactionare greatly accelerated. While thistechnique can be used to makebrighter and more efficient lightsources, Dr. Oulton is currently

using this concept to create ultrafastlasers capable of turning on and offwithin a few hundred femtoseconds[1]. Metal-optics also allows lightfocussing down to the nanometrescale, far beyond the diffraction limitof conventional optics. In work thisyear, we have achieved nano-focussing using a silicon photonicsarchitecture [2], which could lead toincredibly strong optical nonlineareffects for telecommunicationsdevices [3]. In these work, wedemonstrate efficient light focussing100 fold stronger than the diffractionlimit and show theoretically theviability of four-wave mixing. Wehave also developed a novelapproach to localize light in bothtime and space using coupledmetallic resonator opticalwaveguide[4].[1] T. P. H. Sidiropoulos, O. Hess, S. A. Maier,and R. F. Oulton, “Ultrafast plasmonicnanowire lasers near the surface plasmonfrequency,” Nat. Phys., vol. 10, pp. 870–876,2014.

[2] M. P. Nielsen, L. Lafone, A. Rakovich, T. P.H. Sidiropoulos, M. Rahmani, S. A. Maier,and R. F. Oulton, “Adiabatic Nanofocusing inHybrid Gap Plasmon Waveguides on theSilicon-on-Insulator Platform,” Nano Lett., p.acs.nanolett.5b04931, 2016.

[3] T. J. Duffin, M. P. Nielsen, F. Diaz, S.Palomba, S. A. Maier, and R. F. Oulton,“Degenerate four-wave mixing in siliconhybrid plasmonic waveguides,” Opt. Lett., vol.41, no. 1, pp. 155–158, 2016.

[4] J. J. Wood, L. Lafone, J. M. Hamm, O.Hess, and R. F. Oulton, “Plasmonic CROWsfor Tunable Dispersion and High QualityCavity Modes,” Sci. Rep., vol. 5, p. 17724,2015.

Dr Rupert Oulton


We have assembled a team to putour “Quantum Ratchet” Solar cellidea to the test. It uses extra opticaltransitions, designed into ananostructured PV material thatenable conversion efficiencies up to~ 60%, i.e. the sort of numbers thatare critical if PV is to become asignificant contribution to carbonmitigation. We are exploringpractical implementations, withcollaborators in Japan, the US,Diamond, and Sheffield withGaAs/AlGaAs and antimonidenanostructures. The race is on to bethe first to convincingly demonstratethe sequential photon absorptionthat lies at the heart of the idea [1].We also make quantum metamaterial“superlenses”, using quantumtheory to design structures wherelight beams propagate withoutspreading by diffraction. We look atthem with a new s-SNOM microscope,that maps IR spectra at a resolutionof 100th of a wavelength, and wealso use it to measure chemicaldistributions within single cells forthe first time [2]. Our “Digistain” IRimaging method for earlier cancerdetection is undergoing clinical trialsin Charing Cross Hospital, and workwith Southampton and Bath promisesa new form of coherent radiationemitter, an asymmetric nanostructure,to generate tunable THz beams[3] inultra-strongly coupled semiconductormicrocavities [4].

[1] Y. Okada,N. J. Ekins-Daukes,T. Kita, R.Tamaki, M. Yoshida, A. Pusch, O. Hess,C. C.Phillips, D. J. Farrell, K. Yoshida, N. Ahsan, Y.Shoji,T. Sogabe,and J.-F. Guillemoles,“Intermediate band solar cells: Recentprogress and future directions”. APPLIEDPHYSICS REVIEWS 2, 021302 (2015).

[2] H. Amraniaa, L. Drummonda, R.C.Coombesb, S. Shoushab, L. Woodleyb, K.Weira, W. Harta, I. Cartera and C. C.Phillipsa. “New IR Imaging modalities forCancer detection and for Intra-Cell Chemicalmapping with a sub-diffraction mid-IR s-SNOM. Faraday Discussions, 2015, DOI:10.1039/C5FD00150A .

[3] Nathan Shammah, Chris C. Phillips, andSimone De Liberato”Terahertz emission fromAC Stark-split asymmetric intersubbandtransitions” PHYSICAL REVIEW B 89,235309 (2014).

[4] Francis J. Murphy, ,* Alexey O. Bak, MaryMatthews, Emmanuel Dupont, HemmelAmrania, and Chris C. Phillips”Linewidth-narrowing phenomena with intersubbandcavity polaritons” PHYSICAL REVIEW B 89,205319 (2014).

Solid-state "ferroic" refrigerantschange temperature when subjectedto a change of an applied field andare the working materials inpotential low energy, gas-freecooling devices [1]. ImperialCollege has coordinated an 8-partner EC-funded collaborativeproject in this area(www.drream.eu), with the aim ofreducing the use of rare earthelements in future magneticdomestic refrigerators. Our interestlies in the understanding andoptimisation of the phase change

refrigerants, using a combination ofexperimental and theoreticalmethods. High resolution neutrondiffraction at ISIS, UK providesvaluable temperature-dependentstructural parameters for materialsmodelling based on densityfunctional theory. A study of onecandidate refrigerant, based onFe2P, has demonstrated the originof strong magneto-elastic couplingpresent in this material, and themixed (localised and itinerant)nature of its magnetism [2].Meanwhile, "added value" physics isoften uncovered through the studyof phase transition materials. JanZemen's study of antiferromagnetsthat have sharp Néel transitionsresulted in the prediction of strain-induced changes in magnetisationthat may be useful in futurespintronics devices [3]. In acollaboration led by Kiyonori Suzuki(Monash University), anothercandidate magnetic refrigerant (La-Fe-Si-H) has been shown to havepotential as a hyperthermia agentfor cancer treatment [4]. [1] “Solid state cooling based on caloricmaterials”, I. Takeuchi and K.G. Sandeman,Physics Today 68 48 (2015).[2] “Magnetoelastic effects in doped Fe2P”Z. Gercsi, E. K. Delczeg-Czirjak, L. Vitos,A.S. Wills, A. Daoud-Aladine, and K. G.Sandeman, Phys. Rev. B 88, 024417 (2013).

[3] " Piezomagnetic effect as a counterpart ofnegative thermal expansion in magneticallyfrustrated Mn-based antiperovskite nitrides",J. Zemen, Z. Gercsi, and K.G. Sandeman,arXiv:1512.03470.

[4] "Extraordinary induction heating effectnear the first order Curie transition ", M. R.Barati, C. Selomulya, K. G. Sandeman, andK. Suzuki, Applied Physics Letters 105,162412 (2014).

Professor Chris Phillips


Dr Karl Sandeman

www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics Department of Physics Review 2013 -14 55

High Energy PhysicsThe High Energy Physics Group has activity across a broad front in exploiting particle physics experiments at existing facilitiesas well as designing detectors and accelerators for future experiments. These investigate the fundamental particlesand the forces between them, with a primary aim to address basic questions such as the origin of mass and thecharge-parity (CP) asymmetry between matter and antimatter. The group have also been exploring possibleapplications of accelerator technology in healthcare, working jointly with the Imperial College Medical Faculty.

HIGH ENERGY PARTICLESHigh Energy Particle Collider StudiesO. Buchmueller, D. J. Colling,P. D. Dauncey, G. J. Davies, P. J.Dornan, U. Egede, A. Golutvin, G. Hall,J. A. Nash, M. Patel, A. Tapper, T. Virdee

We have been heavily involved in theCMS detector at the LHC and in thediscovery of the Higgs since inception.The trigger (a real-time backgroundrejection) and the entire tracking detec-tor and forward calorimeters will bereplaced within the next decade. Wedevelop custom readout electronics forthe new tracker and trigger and we leadthe design of a novel high granularitycalorimeter.

The LHCb detector at the LHC is opti-mised for measuring b-quark hadrons.Imperial's main contributions to thedetector were the Ring Imaging Cherenkovdetector, and the High Level Triggerthat makes the current physics pro-gramme possible. We lead the searchfor CP violation and new physics. Wehave also continued to jointly lead Higgsstudies at DZero at the Tevatron, culmi-nating in further evidence for a 125GeVHiggs boson in fermion decays, alongwith a measurement of its spin state.

Neutrino and Charged LeptonPhysicsP. D. Dauncey, P. J. Dornan, K. Long, J. A. Nash, J. Pasternak, J. K.Sedgbeer,Y. Uchida, M. Wascko

The Tokai-to-Kamioka (T2K) experimentin Japan is the flagship of the globalneutrino oscillation programme. In 2013we published the world’s first high-sig-nificance measurement of electron neu-trino appearance and muon neutrinodisappearance.

SuperNEMO searches for neutrinolessdouble-beta decay, a process thatallows access the fundamental natureof the neutrino mass. We lead the soft-ware development. Intense beams ofmuons at high energy can give neutrinobeams with a well known compositionand energy spectrum – the so calledNeutrino Factory (NF). We lead theMICE experiment to provide the proofof principle for the technique.Many models for new physics predictlepton flavour violation, such as muon toelectron conversion. COMET/PRISM willbe sensitive to this process, withCOMET Phase-I currently under con-struction as a flagship experiment atthe J-PARC laboratory alongside T2K.

Particle PhenomenologyO. Buchmueller

The Standard Model leaves open sig-nificant questions in particle physicsand cosmology that may be answeredby new physics at TeV masses. Ourwork through the London Centre forTeraUniverse Studies is directly con-nected to our experimental activitiesand focuses on dark matter and newphysics at the LHC.

DARK MATTER AND GRAVITATIONALWAVES

Direct Dark Matter SearchesH. Araujo, T. J. SumnerWe are heavily involved in directsearches for the dark matter particles,which are thought to account for mostof the mass in the Universe. Currently,the LUX experiment at the Sanford Labin the US places the most stringentlimits on the interaction of these particleswith ordinary matter. In parallel withthis, we lead the UK programmetowards the next-generation experi-ment, LUX-ZEPLIN, which is entering

its construction phase.

Gravitational Wave DetectionT. J. SumnerThis year culminated in the success-ful launch of LISA Pathfinder by theEuropean Space Agency from Kourou,French Guiana, in December 2015.It is currently in orbit around the L1Lagrange point and carries criticalflight hardware built by Imperial College.The mission will test technology neededfor the space gravitational waveobservatory to be launched as the L3ESA mission. We have also success-fully completed the first phase of labo-ratory research on a technology updatespecifically for L3 funded by ESA.

MEDICAL APPLICATIONSAccelerator Developments andHadron TherapyK. Long, J. Pasternak, P. A. Posocco,J. PozimskiWe have established a comprehensiveprogramme on proton accelerators forscience and medical applications. Thegroup is leading the high-intensity protonbeam Front End Test Stand project totest technologies required for a NeutrinoFactory, a neutron spallation source, andLHC upgrades. The activities includethe development of a compact protonaccelerator based on laser-plasmatechnology and the design of innovativebeam gantries using FFAG technology.

e-SCIENCED. J. CollingWe have been one of the most activegroups within the GridPP distributedcomputing project since its formationand provide regional coordinationthrough our leadership of LondonGrid.We also have significant experiment-specific development activities.

The custom readout board for the CMS triggerupgrade

Limits on masses of SuperSymmetric particlesfrom LHC data

The LUX-ZEPLIN detector


ResearchHigh Energy Physics

The search for the illusive darkmatter continues apace, as excitingas ever, both with undergroundexperiments and at the LHC. TheLUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment hasstarted construction and this is mymain research activity. LZ nowcounts with over 200 scientists andengineers in 32 institutes in the US,UK, Portugal, Russia and SouthKorea. As UK Principal Investigator Icoordinate the UK contribution toLZ. We have completed most of thedesign and have started constructionof several sub-systems already, after along R&D campaign and extensivepre-screening and selection of materialsfor radioactivity. The aim is tocommission this next-generationexperiment one mile underground atthe Sanford Lab (South Dakota,USA) in 2018/19. In the meantimewe continue to operate LUX which isrunning in the same site. This yearsaw the publication of improvedlimits on the interaction of dark matterparticles following a very successfulcalibration campaign using novelcalibration sources. The publicationon spin-independent results and acompanion paper on spin-dependentinteractions were both led by ourteam at Imperial. The year-long LUXrun is still underway, due to completein mid-2016.[1] LZ Collaboration, LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ)Conceptual Design Report, LBNL-190005(2015), arXiv:1509.02910

[2] D. Akerib et al., (LUX collaboration),Improved WIMP scattering limits from theLUX experiment, arXiv:1512.03133(submitted to Phys. Rev Lett.)[3] D. Akerib et al., (LUX collaboration),Tritium calibration of the LUX dark matterexperiment, arXiv:1512.03133 (submitted toPhys. Rev. D)[4] S. Malik et al., Interplay and characterizationof Dark Matter searches at colliders and indirect detection experiments, Phys. DarkUniverse 9–10: (2015) 51–58

My work in CMS focused on the finalphysics exploitation of the RUN1 datataking campaign and the preparationfor the RUN2 of the LHC. At the endof 2015, we have released a firstpublic result for SUSY searchesusing RUN2 data. Furthermore, in 2015 I have continuedmy coordination role for the planningof the CMS trigger upgrade strategyfor the High-Luminosity LHC. Thiswork has come to a first conclusionby assembling a Technical DesignReport, to which I have made verysignificant contributions. The reportbecame public in the middle of 2015.For 2016 I have been appointed thechair of the Tracker Review board inCMS, which is another important rolein the CMS upgrade programme.In addition I have continued my workon particle physics phenomenology,especially focusing on my leadershiprole in global fits using the MasterCodeTool[http://mastercode.web.cern.ch/mastercode/] and on the characterisation ofDark Mater searches at colliders

and other experiments. Thisphenomenology activity has resultedin several publications in 2014/15.Today the MasterCode collaborationis one of the strongest scientificactivities in the field of global fits tocollider and cosmology data, and hasproduced many impact publicationsreceiving almost 1000 citations sofar. The Imperial MasterCode groupis spearheading this activity. [1] Search for new physics in final states withjets and missing transverse momentum insqrt{s} = 13 TeV pp collisions with theαTvariable CMS Collaboration 2015CMS-PAS-SUS-15-005[2] Supersymmetric Dark Matter after LHCRun 1 Aug 5, 2015. 16 pp. Published in Eur.Phys.J. C75 (2015) 500[3] The pMSSM10 after LHC Run 1Apr 13, 2015. 47 pp.Eur.Phys.J. C75 (2015) 9, 422[4] Constraining Dark Matter Interactions withPseudoscalar and Scalar Mediators UsingCollider Searches for Multijets plus MissingTransverse Energy May 28, 2015. 6 pp. Phys.Rev.Lett. 115 (2015) 18, 181802

There are two aspects to my currentresearch activities:1. Researching the properties of thenewly discovered Higgs boson atthe CMS experiment on the LHC2. Researching and developing thevery large scale computinginfrastructures required for themodern world of “Big Data”. Thisincludes the data produced by theLHC experiments.

The LHC represents one of the world's

Dr Henrique Araújo

Dr Oliver Buchmueller

Dr David Colling



greatest scientific endeavours. Atthe centre of its four experiments itcreates conditions that existedfractions of a second after the BigBang. In doing do it enables physiciststo study some how the particles andforces interact at a very basic level.In doing so we are testing the StandardModel (SM) of particle physics andlooking for physics beyond it (BSM).One of the great success of the LHCwas the discovery of the Higgs bosonin 2012. The Imperial College teamthat I lead are studying this Higgsboson (produced in the CMSexperiment at the LHC) through twoof its decay modes. The first is throughits decay to tau leptons. Throughthis decay mode we and our CMScollaborators were able to see thefirst direct evidence for the Higgscoupling to fermions. This is decaymode is also very sensitive to BSMphysics and we have managed toexclude much of the previouslyfavoured parameter space for BSMmodels. The second is through thedecay of the Higgs to invisibleparticles that cannot be detected inthe CMS detector. Such decayswould, if observed, would be a clearindication that the Higgs particlecouples to particles that would bestrong candidates for Dark Matter.

The LHC experiments currentlyproduce more data than any otherresearch activity. Yet it is possiblefor physicists to analyse the datataken by the experiments and toproduce meaningful results only afew days after it has beem collected.This is only possible because of thevery large scale R&D undertaken bythe LHC community on how tohandle and process such very largedata volumes. In the UK this activityhas (largely) been through theGridPP project. Other researchcommunities are now producingquantities of data approaching thoseof the LHC and so it is important todevelop a more general “Big Data”

architecture capable of providing forthe diverse needs of these activities.In doing this it is important to learnfrom the lessons learned by theparticle physics community and soas the GridPP Technical Director,my team and I are playing a leadingrole in the development of this newinfrastructure in the UK. [1] The CMS collaboration, “Evidence for the125 GeV Higgs boson decaying to a pair oftau leptons.” JHEP 1405 (2014) 104.

[2] The CMS collaboration, “Search forneutral MSSM Higgs bosons decaying to a pairof tau leptons in pp collisions.” JHEP 10(2014) 160.

[3] The CMS collaboration, “Evidence for thedirect decay of the 125 GeV Higgs boson tofermions.” Nature Physics. 10, pp.557-560. 2014.

[4] The CMS collaboration, “Search forinvisible decays of Higgs bosons in the vectorboson fusion and associated ZH productionmodes”. EPJC 74 (2014) 2980.

My major research project is theCMS experiment at the LHC.Following the discovery of the HiggsBoson by the CMS and ATLAScollaborations in 2012, the main aimof our work has been to characterisethe newly discovered particle asprecisely as possible. In particular,we need to check if the productionrates (in several production modes)and the decay rates (in severaldecay channels) are consistent withthe theoretical predictions. I haveconcentrated on one particular decaymode, which is Higgs to two photons.This was one of the two main channelscontributing to the discovery, mainly

because it can be reconstructedefficiently and so gives highstatistical power. As part of this, weproduced a paper [1] describing anew statistical method to allow forbackground uncertainties. The LHCrun in 2015 was at a higher energythan before but did not produce alarge enough Higgs sample toimprove on the precision of earlierdata. Much higher volumes of dataare expected over the next few years.In the longer term, a significantupgrade of the CMS experiment isplanned [2]. As part of this, I aminvolved in studies for a much-improved forward calorimeter, whichwill be used for future precision Higgsmeasurements. This upgrade will becompleted around ten years from now.[1] Handling uncertainties in backgroundshapes: the discrete profiling method, P. D.Dauncey et al., J. Inst 10 (2015) P04015.[2] Technical Proposal for the Phase-IIUpgrade of the Compact Muon Solenoid, V.Khachatryan et al., CERN-LHCC-2015-10.

My research has continued to focuson characterisation of the recentlyobserved Higgs boson, as well assearches for non-standard modelHiggs bosons, primarily with theCMS experiment at the LHC. I waseditor of the legacy Tevatron result,constraining exotic spin modelsusing fermionic decays. RecentCMS publications include improvedoverall constraints on the couplingsand mass of the Higgs boson,

Professor Paul Dauncey

Professor Gavin Davies



searches for exotic decays to tauleptons as well as strengthening ofthe so-called Higgs to invisiblelimits. Such decay modes constrainnew physics theories, including darkmatter models; the expanding teamin this area now includes a JRFFellow and a Schrodinger ScholarshipPhD student. Increased effort hasalso gone into advancing the veryexciting High Granularity Calorimeter,which CMS recently chose aspreferred option for the High-Intensity LHC upgrade. [1] Tevatron Constraints on Models of theHiggs Boson with Exotic Spin and ParityUsing Decays to Bottom-Antibottom QuarkPairs, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 (2015) 151802.

[2] Precise determination of the mass of theHiggs boson and tests of compatibility of itscouplings with the standard modelpredictions using proton collisions at 7 and 8TeV, Eur. Phys. J. C 75 (2015) 212.[3] Searches for a heavy scalar boson Hdecaying to a pair of 125 GeV Higgs bosonshh or for a heavy pseudoscalar boson Adecaying to Zh, in the final states with h→ττ,Submitted to Phys Lett B.

[4] Interplay and Characterization of DarkMatter Searches at Colliders and in DirectDetection Experiments, S. Malik et al., PhysDark Universe 9 (2015) 51.

As Professor Emeritus I now usemy time to take an overall view ofthe state of particle physics andexplore new directions which I feelcan be positive for the group. The

observation of the Higgs boson atthe LHC completes the standardmodel and although this explainsalmost all particle interactions thereremain areas such as neutrinooscillation, gravity, the matter-antimatter asymmetry and darkmatter still to be understood. Thusour experiments must now searchfor signals from the physics beyondthe standard model. New avenuesmust be explored in addition to theongoing LHC programme which hasyet to uncover any evidence.Neutrino oscillation is one observationnot predicted by the standard modeland hence the lepton sector is aprime area to search for newphysics and the great prize wouldbe to see charged lepton violationsuch as a muon changing to anelectron. I therefore now support theCOMET experiment at the JPARClaboratory in Japan to search for muto e conversion. Additionally, moreaccurate experiments are necessaryin the neutrino area and for this aneutrino factory, long supported inthis group, remains the optimalprocedure.

The exploitation of the very largedatasets produced by the LHCbexperiment located at the LargeHadron Collider has been my maininvolvement. Effort has concen-trated on looking for signatures that

can constrain the nature of darkmatter or explain the prevalence ofmatter over antimatter in the Uni-verse. A precision measurement ofthe strength |Vub| of the couplingbetween the b and the u quark hasbeen made. It was made using thebaryonic decay Λb→pµν whichallowed for a further measurementof the level of right handed cou-plings between quarks and leptonsand as such widens up an existingdiscrepancy between older meas-urements. I now work on discover-ing the purely leptonic decayB+→µ+µ-µ+υ will be able to castfurther light on inconsistencies inold |Vub| measurements and possi-bly reveal physics beyond the Stan-dard Model. Work has continued onthe analysis of B meson decayswhere new types of particles arecreated within virtual loops. A newmethod was developed to enablebetter determinations from the datawith reduced biases.

[1] Determination of the quark couplingstrength |Vub| using baryonic decays, R. Aaijet al. [LHCb Collaboration], Nature Phys. 11(2015) 743-747.

[2] Measurement of the semileptonic CPasymmetry in B0−B0 mixing, R. Aaij et al.[LHCb Collaboration], Phys. Rev. Lett. 114(2015) 041601.

[3] Method for an unbinned measurement ofthe q2 dependent decay amplitudes ofB0→K∗0μ+μ− decays, U. Egede, M. Patel,K. Petridis, JHEP 06 (2015) 084.

[4] Angular analysis of charged and neutralB→Kμ+μ− decays, R. Aaij et al. [LHCb Col-laboration], JHEP 05 (2014) 082.

Professor Ulrik egede

Professor Peter Dornan


Research

High Energy Physics

Recent results from the LHC experi-ments, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb,have provided further strong confir-mation of the Standard Model. How-ever, a number of experimentalevidence beyond the StandardModel requires further dedicatedexperiments. Together with my col-leagues, I have recently proposed anew experiment, SHiP at CERN’sSuper Proton Synchrotron. Theexperiment will search for heavyMajorana neutrinos and any othernew particles that could be messen-gers between the Standard Modelparticles and some “Hidden Sector”of new physics. I have been electedspokesperson of SHiP and repre-sent the 45 collaborating institutes.The CERN SPSC committee hasrecently reviewed the SHiP Techni-cal and Physics Proposal and rec-ommended that the SHiPcollaboration prepare a Compre-hensive Design Study.

I am also involved in the analysis ofLHCb data. The LHCb experimenthas recently started a dedicatedprogramme on the exploration ofhidden portals of the StandardModel. Analyses of large, andnearly background free, data sam-ples of B decays to the final stateswith muons have led to strong con-straints on the couplings of theMajorana neutrino and dark bosons.

[1] Technical Proposal: a facility to search forhidden particles (SHiP) at the CERN SPS,CERN-SPSC-2015-016 / SPSC-P-350(2015)[2] Search for Majorana neutrinos in B→πμμdecays, LHCb collaboration, Phys. Rev. Lett.112 (2014) 131802

[3] Observation of the rare Bs→μμ decayfrom the combined analysis of CMS andLHCb data, LHCb collaboration, Nature 522(2015) 68

[4] Search for hidden-sector bosons inB0→K*0μμ decays, LHCb collaboration,Phys. Rev. Lett. 115 (2015) 161802

During the last year I was UK PI for theCMS experiment at the CERN LHC.CMS and the LHC have not beenoperating for the last two years whileundertaking maintenance andsubstantial improvements andoperations began again in March 2015.Much of the year was devoted tocommissioning the accelerator, whichis now successfully providing collisionsat almost twice the previous energy.The data soon led to early publications,studying angular distributions ofparticles. CMS commissioned a newLevel-1 calorimeter trigger during 2015based on ideas from Imperial, and isdeveloping novel tracker detectormodules using silicon microstripsensors and a specialised front-endelectronic integrated circuit, designedby Imperial and collaborators. Themodules will select data to reconstructonline charged particle tracks emerging

from p-p collisions, and passinformation to the L1 trigger for the firsttime. This will improve the trigger,allowing CMS to be more selective indata preserved for full analysis, byassociating high transverse momentumtracks with calorimeter and muonsystem information. A full size prototypemodule was demonstrated in a CERNtest beam in November. We alsocarried out experiments on siliconcrystal channeling in CERN proton andheavy ion beams.[1] W. Scandale et al. Mirroring of 400 GeV/cprotons by an ultra-thin straight crystal. Phys.Lett., B734:1–6, 2014. [2] S. Chatrchyan et al. Description andperformance of track and primary-vertexreconstruction with the CMS tracker. JINST,9(10):P10009, 2014. [3] V. Khachatryan et al. Pseudorapiditydistribution of charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV. Phys. Lett.,B751:143{163, 2015.[4] B. Kreis et al. Run 2 Upgrades to theCMS Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger. JINST,11(01):C01051, 2016.

I remain on Leave of Absence,promoting technologies derivedfrom Particle Physics into a widertechnical and commercial sphere.Our HEP-derived company deltaDOT(based on algorithms derived fromvertex finding in b quark decays)has shown unique capability inantibody analysis and has beenadopted by the NHS, and is usedalso in diagnosis for cardiovascular

Professor Geoffrey Hall

Professor Andrey Golutvin

Dr John Hassard



disease in humans and renal failurein animals. Real-time oil and wateranalytics and production allocationbased on the same paradigm isproceeding in two GCC countries.Work pioneered by David Colling andme in HEP in the 1990s (working withEcole Polytechnique, in the area ofexplosives detection throughneutron activation γ de-excitation)has been reactivated, and in theaftermath of the Paris tragedy of13th November 2015 is attractingconsiderable interest in the US,France and GCC.

Nucleon spin structure and PolarizedParton Densities. A major controversy has raged inParticle Physics recently as towhether the angular momentum(AM) of a photon, and à fortiori agluon, can be split into physicallymeaningful, i.e. measurable, spinand orbital parts. A major review ofthe particle physics point of view waspublished in 2014, in collaborationwith C. Lorcé. The combatants inthis controversy seem, largely, to beunaware of the fact that LaserPhysicists have been measuring thespin and orbital angular momentumof laser beams for decades! Anattempt to reconcile the two points ofview has been made. Publication (1).Work on the long-term collaborativeproject, with Dubna and Sofia, ofextracting the polarized partondensities and fragmentation functionsfrom experiments on deep inelastic

lepton-hadron reactions hascontinued with interesting results,especially concerning the data fromthe HERMES experiment.Publication(2). Also noteworthy has been thederivation of key tests for thecorrectness of published informationon The Sivers, Boer-Mulders andCollins functions, which had beenextracted from experimental datausing non-trivial simplifyingassumptions. Publication (3). [1] E. Leader, “The photon angularmomentum controversy:resolution of aconflict between Laser Optics and ParticlePhysics,” arXiv:1510.03293 [hep-ph]. [2] E. Leader, A. V. Sidorov and D. B.Stamenov, “Determination of thefragmentation functions from an NLO QCDanalysis of the HERMES data on pionmultiplicities,” arXiv:1506.06381 [hep-ph].

[3] E. Christova and E. Leader, “Tests of theextraction of the Sivers, Boer-Mulders andtransversity distributions in SIDIS reactions,”Phys. Rev. D 92 (2015) 11, 114004[arXiv:1507.01399 [hep-ph]].

The neutrino is unique among theelementary particles as it has noconserved quantum numbers except,perhaps, a global lepton number.As it travels through space, theneutrino changes type, or flavor.This implies that neutrinos have atiny mass, that lepton flavour is notconserved and that the StandardModel is incomplete. The neutrinohas also shaped the history of thecosmos; perhaps removing the anti-matter created in the Big Bang and

contributing to the creation ofgalaxies in a homogeneous Universe.

To measure the properties of theneutrino with sufficient precisionrequires novel neutrino sources; inparticular, neutrino beams derivedfrom the decay of muons, which candeliver measurements with ofexquisite precision. The mostimportant technological challengethat must be addressed before sucha beam can be realised is thesqueezing (“cooling”) of the muonbeam into a space small enough forit to be accelerated. That is why wehave taken the lead in the executionof the international Muon IonizationCooling Experiment that will provethe principle of ionization cooling.Our legacy, we hope, will be a newtechnique for particle physics.

[1] "Electron-Muon Ranger: performance inthe MICE Muon Beam", MICE Collaboration(D. Adams (Rutherford) et al.). Oct 28, 2015.24 pp. Published in JINST 10 (2015) 12,P12012. DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/10/12/

[2] "The MICE Demonstration of IonizationCooling", J. Pasternak, V. Blackmore, C.Hunt, J-B. Lagrange, K. Long (Imperial Coll.,London), N. Collomb (Daresbury), P. Snopok(Fermilab & IIT, Chicago). May 2015. 4 pp.,IPAC-2015-THPF129, FERMILAB-CONF-15-387-APC

[3] "Neutrino Factory", M. Bogomilov (SofiyaU.) et al.. Dec 2014. 14 pp., Published inPhys.Rev.ST Accel.Beams 17 (2014) 12,121002, DOI:10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.17.121002

[4] "Light sterile neutrino sensitivity at thenuSTORM facility", nuSTORM Collaboration(D. Adey (Fermilab) et al.). Feb 21, 2014. 7pp., Published in Phys.Rev. D89 (2014) 7,071301, DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.89.071301

Professor Ken Long

Professor Elliot Leader

Research


High Energy Physics

Jaroslaw Pasternak's main area ofscientific interest is related to muonaccelerators and their applicationsin particle physics research, inparticular to generation of highquality neutrino beams. He wasfocusing mainly on MICEexperiment, which started takingdata in its Step IV configuration in2015. Jaroslaw continues to leadImperial MICE group, which iscurrently the largest institute withinthe collaboration and leads MICEwith Prof. K. Long as Spokesman.In parallel to the commissioning anddata taking in Step IV, a significanteffort is devoted to preparations forthe final stage of MICE experiment -the Cooling Demonstration with RFre-acceleration to be operational in2017-2018. He is also working withhis RA Dr J-B. Lagrange on theapplications of FFAG-typeaccelerators for novel neutrinobeam production. He published 2papers: one on MICE and anotheron older work for the NeutrinoFactory design within IDS-NFproject and several more are inpreparation.

[1] Bogomilov M et al., Neutrino factory,Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 17, 121002 – 8December 2014.

[2] Adams D et al., Electron-muon ranger:performance in the MICE muon beam,Journal of Instrumentation, Volume 10,December 2015.

My research is primarily focused onthe LHCb experiment at CERN'sLarge Hadron Collider (LHC). I amparticularly interested in the use ofrare decay modes as probes forphysics beyond the current"Standard Model" of particlephysics.

I have focussed on investigatingdecays where we have observedsignificant discrepancies withrespect to the Standard Model,such as B0→K∗0μ+μ−. Myresearch has developed newmethods for studying this decay, aswell as measuring relatedprocesses such as B±→π±μ+μ−and B0s→φμ+μ−. Thesemeasurements constrain theproperties of any new particles andtherefore have implications formany new physics models.

I have also recently made ameasurement of B0→D*+τν andB0→D*+μν decays that waspreviously considered impossible ata hadron collider like the LHC. Theresults are in agreement with thoseof two previous experiments butdiffer from the Standard Modelprediction that electron, muon andtau particles should behave in thesame way. I am working to makeanalogous measurements in anumber of other decay modes.

Finally, I am developing the design

of the proposed SHiP experiment atCERN. This experiment wouldsearch for new light particles thatcould help solve a number ofproblems of the Standard Model. [1] Measurement of the ratio of branchingfractions B(B0→D*+τν)/ B(B0→D*+μν), R.Aaij et al, [LHCb Collaboration], Phys. Rev.Lett. 115 (2015) 11, 111803(10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.111803)

[2] Method for an unbinned measurement ofthe q2 dependent decay amplitudes ofB0→K∗0μ+μ− decays, U. Egede, M. Patel,K. Petridis, JHEP 06 (2015) 084(10.1007/JHEP06(2015)084)

[3] First measurement of the differentialbranching fraction and CP asymmetry of theB±→π±μ+μ− decay, R. Aaij et al, [LHCbCollaboration], JHEP 1510 (2015) 034(10.1007/JHEP10(2015)034)

[4] Angular analysis and differentialbranching fraction of the decay B0s→φμ+μ−,R. Aaij et al, [LHCb Collaboration], JHEP1509 (2015) 179(10.1007/JHEP09(2015)179)

The project I am involved in isaimed at designing, manufacturingand characterising a prototype of aplasma (Gabor) lens. This devicewill be tested in the end with aproton beam accelerated by thehigh-power laser system Cerberusat Imperial College. Onceestablished the feasibility of thistechnology, the lens could be usedas the primary device to focuslaser-accelerated beams for in-vitroradiobiological studies with protons,thus expanding existing multi-disciplinary research on

Dr Mitesh PatelDr Jaroslaw Pasternak

Dr Piero Antonio Posocco



radio-resistant tumours (such asGBM) and creating new scope forcollaboration with the two UKProton Therapy Centres, UCLH andThe Manchester Christie, currentlyunder construction.

My work on particle acceleratorsand their applications had two mainfocal points in 2015. I am principleinvestigator of the Front End TestStand (FETS) project built at theRutherford Appleton Laboratory.FETS is a generic project whichaims to demonstrate the production,acceleration and clean chopping ofa high power H- beam, as requiredfor various future facilities. BesideImperial responsible for the deliveryof the main accelerator structure forFETS, a radio frequencyquadrupole, I have established acollaboration between FETS andCERN on the subject of laser aidedbeam diagnostics. The principlewas demonstrated at CERN’s newLINAC 4 at various beam energiesin 2015.The second major subject I amworking on is the use of a Gaborplasma lens to capture and focusparticle beams accelerated by theinteraction of high power laserbeams with matter. A lens has beenbuilt (the first such device in the UK)and preliminary tests have beenperformed in Surrey using aconventionally accelerated 1 MeV

proton beam. Beam tests arescheduled at Imperial with the aimto demonstrate energy selection asrequired for medical applications incancer therapy. This work isperformed in collaboration with theImperial Plasma physics group, theMedical and the BioengineeringDepartment.

My research concerns thefundamental nature of the neutrino.Within the area of neutrino physics,neutrinoless double beta decay(NDBD) - a rare, lepton-numberviolating, nuclear decay process –is of particular interest. Theobservation of neutrino oscillationsdemonstrated that neutrinos havemass; a consequence of this new,beyond the Standard Model physicsled to renewed activity in NDBDexperiments which provide the bestway to determine the fundamentalnature of the neutrino (Dirac orMajorana). In addition, NDBDexperiments offer the possibility ofdetermining the absolute neutrinomass scale. I am a member of an internationalcollaboration that is constructing anexperiment, SuperNEMO, to searchfor NDBD. This year, the firstcomponents of the detector wereinstalled in the Le LaboratoireSouterrain de Modane (LSM) inFrance, and it is planned tocomplete the first module in 2016

and then commence data-taking.The experiment is designed tosearch for NDBD as evidence forMajorana neutrino masses down toa level below 0.05eV (equivalent toa half-life of about 1026 years). Ilead the SuperNEMO group atImperial and the softwaredevelopment group within thecollaboration. The Imperial group’smain activities are development ofphysics analysis and software withcontributions also to the trackingdetector and its commissioning.

Following delivery last year of ourflight hardware for the EuropeanSpace Agency LISAPathfindermission, preparations for launchcontinued with development ofsoftware for ground station andsubsequent data analysis.LisaPathfinder was successfullylaunched on 3rd December 2015.The nine month mission is atechnology precursor for the ESAL3 mission in gravitational waves.In parallel to the LisaPathfinderflight program we have beenworking on a related technology forL3 supported by an ESA contract.This work was successfullycompleted and presented to ESAthis year. This represents thesuccessful culmination of twodecades of work in developing thetechnology and promoting thepioneering new science

Dr Julia Sedgbeer

Dr Jurgen Pozimski

Professor Tim Sumner



opportunities in the fields ofastrophysics, cosmology andparticle physics. Involvement indirect dark matter searches hascontinued with the US-led projectLUX which has published theworld’s best result to date andcontinues with a second moresensitive run at the moment. TheLUX-ZEPLIN project, which I co-founded in 2008, has gone throughan extensive design/R&D phase,selection of one of two nextgeneration direct dark mattersearch projects in the US andfunding approval in the UK (see H.Araujo).[1] First results from the LUX dark matterexperiment at the Sanford UndergroundResearch facility: Akerib, D.S.; et al.,PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS Volume: 112Issue: 9 091303 (2014), preprint(arXiv:1310.8214) [2] eLISA: astrophysics and cosmology in themillihertz regime: Amaro-Seoane, P.; et al.,Gravitational Wave Notes Volume: 6 4-110(2013), preprint (arXiv:1201.3621)[3] Improved WIMP scattering limits from theLUX experiment: Akerib, D.S.; et al.,PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS in press(2015), preprint (arXiv:1512.03506L) [4] Characterising and testing deep UV LEDsfor use in space applications: Hollington, D.,Baird, J.T., Sumner, T.J., and Wass, P.J.;CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM GRAVITY:Volume: 32 235020 (2015)

My research has focused recentlyon preparing for the restart of theLarge Hadron Collider (LHC) atCERN and analysing the data fromthe first run at its higher collisionenergy of 13 TeV in 2015. Togetherwith colleagues from ImperialCollege, Bristol, Brussels andRochester in the US, we have beensearching the data taken by theCMS experiment for evidence ofnew particles predicted by thetheory of Supersymmetry. So far noevidence has been found, but wehave been able to set stringentlimits on the allowed theoreticalparameter space.

To fully benefit from the improvedperformance of the LHC, the CMSexperiment must be upgraded.Working with colleagues fromBristol, STFC, France and the USmy group is delivering an improvedtriggering system for theexperiment. The new system wascommissioned late in 2015 and willgo live for data taking in 2016,benefiting our searches for newphysics.

[1] A. Zabi et al., Triggering on electrons, jetsand tau leptons with the CMS upgradedcalorimeter trigger for the LHC RUN II,accepted by JINST.

[2] B. Kreis et al., Run 2 Upgrades to theCMS Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger, JINST 11(2016) C01051.

[3] CMS Collaboration, Searches for thirdgeneration squark production in fullyhadronic final states in proton-protoncollisions at sqrt(s)=8 TeV, JHEP 06 (2015)116.

Neutrino physics is one of the mostexciting areas of current physicsresearch, and this was recognisedin 2015 through the awarding theUSD 3M Fundamental PhysicsBreakthrough Prize, to myself andcolleagues on the T2K neutrinooscillation experiment. I was also alaureate for this award for my workon the KamLAND experiment.I have worked on the T2Kexperiment since 2004, and in thepast few years we have discoveredthat muon neutrinos can turn intoelectron neutrinos, which in turnunlocks a new set of possiblemeasurements to search for matter-antimatter differences in neutrinos.This shapes our ongoing T2K work,our new participation in the Super-Kexperiment, and work towards thenext-generation Hyper-Kexperiment.I am also working on the COMETexperiment, where we will makeabout 1018 muons, to see if someconvert to an electron in the vicinityof an atomic nucleus. This cannothappen under physics as weunderstand it now— but is quitedifficult to exclude when we try toextend this understanding—henceis an extremely sensitive indicatortowards the next step in modelling

Dr Alexander Tapper

Dr Yoshi Uchida



the Universe. COMET Phase-I isdue to turn on in the next couple ofyears.

[1] Measurement of the electron neutrinocharged-current interaction rate on waterwith the T2K ND280 π0 detector: K. Abe etal (T2K Collaboration); Published inPHYSICAL REVIEW D91 (2015) 112010

[2] Measurement of muon anti-neutrinooscillations with an accelerator-produced off-axis beam: K. Abe et al (T2K Collaboration);PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS (submittedDecember 8 2015)

[3] COMET Phase-I Technical Report:Abramishvili, R. et al (COMETCollaboration); KEK REPORT 2015-1 May2015

[4] Measurements of neutrino oscillation inappearance and disappearance channels bythe T2K experiment with 6.6×1020 protonson target: K. Abe et al (T2K Collaboration);Published in PHYSICAL REVIEW D91(2015) 7, 072010

Over the last 25 years I haveconcentrated on the physics andexperimentation at CERN’s LargeHadron Collider and participated inall the phases of the experiment;from conception and design,through construction to theextraction of science. I was theSpokesperson of the CMSCollaboration for three years, from2007, a period that included thestart of collision data taking, andwas its Deputy Spokesperson from1993 to 2006. I pioneered some of the techniques

used in CMS’ calorimeters that werecrucial for the discovery of a Higgsboson announced by the CMSexperiment in July 2012, along withthe sister experiment ATLAS. Mycurrent work involves studies of thenewly found Higgs boson, searchfor physics beyond the standardmodel of particle physics and thedesign of the upgrades of the CMSdetector for very high luminosityLHC running that is due to start inmid-2020’s. I am pioneering a noveltechnique to replace CMS’ endcapcalorimetry that uses siliconsensors and implements very finelateral and longitudinalsegmentation.

[1] ATLAS and CMS Collaboration,Combined measurement of the Higgs bosonmass in pp collisions at √s = 7 and 8 TeVwith the ATLAS and CMS experiments, Phys.Rev. Lett. 114 (2015) 191803

[2] CMS Collaboation, Precise determinationof the mass of the Higgs boson and tests ofcompatibility of its couplings with thestandard model predictions using protoncollisions at 7 and 8 TeV, EurophysicsJournal C 75 (2015) 212

[3] CMS Collaboration, Observation of thediphoton decay of the Higgs boson andmeasurement of its properties, EurophysicsJC 74 (2014) 3076

[4] CMS Collaboration, Technical Proposalfor the Phase-II Upgrade of the CMSexperiment, CERN-LHCC-2015-10, June2015.

Dr Morgan Wascko

Professor Sir Tejinder Virdee FRS


PhotonicsThe Photonics Group conducts fundamental research into optical science and develops and applies newtechnologies for the physical and life sciences, medicine and ICT. Our projects are mostly interdisciplinary and wework closely with industry and external agencies.

LASER TECHNOLOGYProf R. Taylor, Prof M. Damzen,Dr S. Popov, Dr E. Kelleher, Dr G.Thomas

We conduct a world-leading researchactivity on fibre and all-solid-statelasers developed for many real-worldapplications from precision laser man-ufacturing, remote sensing through tomedical imaging and therapeutics.

Fibre LasersThis activity is currently focused ondevelopment of compact and highpower fibre laser sources, engineeredto create new wavelengths and ultra-short pulse formats including: super-continuum generation in photoniccrystal fibres; visible fibre sources byRaman or parametric conversion of IRfibre-lasers; near and mid-infraredsources based on novel Bismuth andThulium-doped fibre lasers; ultrashortpulse generation using carbon nan-otubes or graphene as ‘universal’ sat-urable absorbers that can operateacross all wavelength regions.

Diode-Pumped Solid-State LasersThis activity develops all-solid-statelasers and nonlinear optical technolo-gies to provide efficient sources ofhigh energy pulses including: diode-pumped micro-slab lasers (commer-cialised by Mike Damzen’s spin-outcompany, Midaz Lasers Ltd); world-leading diodepumped Alexandritelasers, supported by the EuropeanSpace Agency (ESA) for next-genera-tion satellite-based remote sensingand future femtosecond laser applica-tions; and resilient “selforganising”lasers based on dynamic nonlinearoptical holography that selfcorrect forthermally-induced aberrations in highpower lasers.

BIOPHOTONICS

Prof P. French, Prof M. Neil, Prof P.Török, Dr C. Paterson, Dr C. Dunsby,Dr J. McGinty

Our optical imaging and metrologyencompasses technology develop-ment for biomedical applications inresearch, drug discovery and health-care, including microscopy, endoscopyand tomography as well as automated

imaging for high content analysis andsensing and manipulating pathogenicbacteria. We have particular strengthsin fluorescence lifetime imaging(FLIM) for quantitative molecular con-trast, including of protein-protein inter-actions, superresolved microscopy(including STED, PALM and STORM)for imaging below the diffraction limit,and confocal Brillouin scatteringmicroscopy to measurethe micromechanical properties of bio-logical tissues. Our fluorescenceimaging and measurement technologyis being applied in hospitals to clinicaldiagnostic challenges for cancer,osteoarthritis, heart disease and oph-thalmology and to preclinical tomo-graphic imaging of disease models.

Programmable lightBuilding on our heritage of computer-based optical design, we utilise adap-tive optics and structured illuminationto manipulate optical wavefronts forapplications ranging from ophthalmol-ogy to metrology of astronomicaloptics, exploiting segmented mirrorand spatial light modulator technolo-gies. For imagingwe use structured illumination to

realise wide-field optical sectioning(with Mark Neil’s spin-out company,Aurox Ltd) and adaptive optics tech-niques to measure and correct aber-rated wavefronts, including for in vivostudies of the retina for ophthalmol-ogy. Non-imaging applications of pro-grammable light include precisionopto-genetics and optical tweezers.

ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY &PHOTONIC STRUCTURESProf M. McCall, Prof P. Török, Dr K.WeirRigorous electromagnetic theory andexperimental analysis is applied tophotonic and nanophotonic structuressuch as chiral media and metamateri-als. The theoretical development of“space-time cloaking” was founded inour group; ultrahigh-resolution microp-olarimetry is being applied to plas-monics, metamaterials, micro-magnetics and to optical data storageusing polarisation to encode multiplebits into each pit of an optical disc.

a) fibre laser supercontinuum source; b) satellite-based remote sensing laser application

a) fibre laser supercontinuum source; b) satellite-based remote sensing laser application


ResearchPhotonics

We are investigating and developingnovel high power all-solid-state lasertechnologies and optical andnonlinear optical techniques. Onelarge current programme of activityis on the development of lasers tobe put into space for atmosphericremote sensing and EarthObservation. With on-going fundingsupport from the European SpaceAgency (ESA) we have madebreakthrough development ofbroadly wavelength-tunable (nearinfrared) diode-pumped Alexandritelaser technology offering newscience and applications overexisting technology. Previously weperformed the world-first high power(multi-ten Watt) development ofdiode-pumped Alexandrite withbroad wavelength tunability [ref. 1].Building on this work we recentlydemonstrated the first short pulse,high pulse rate mode of thistechnology for altimetry/vegetationmonitoring applications [ref 2]. Thetunable laser technology is alsobeing configured for other compact,high precision applications includingbiophotonics and quantumtechnologies. We have also implemented aversatile pulsed neodymium-dopedvanadate solid-state laser source at1064nm with independent control ofpulse parameters suitable forindustrial manufacturing applications[ref. 3]. The method uses a low

power pulse controllable diode seedlaser amplified to high power bynovel ultrahigh gain solid-stateamplifiers. We have also continuedresearch of mid-IR laser generationnear 3micron wavelength [ref 4].

[1] “High efficiency >26 W diode end-pumpedAlexandrite laser”, A.Teppitaksak, A. Minass-ian, G. M. Thomas, and M. J. Damzen, OpticsExpress, 22, 16386 (2014)

[2] “High energy Q-switching and cavitydumped Q-switching from a diode-pumpedAlexandrite laser”, G.M. Thomas, A. Minass-ian, A. Teppitaksak, and M. J. Damzen,Advanced Solid-State Lasers Conference,Berlin Germany (2015).

[3] “Investigation of a versatile pulsed lasersource based on a diode seed and ultra-highgain bounce geometry amplifiers”, OpticsExpress, 23, 12328 (2015)

[4] “Judd-Ofelt analysis and stimulated-emis-sion cross-sectios for highly doped (38 at%)Er:YSGG laser crystal”, Journal of Lumines-cence, 171, 226 (2016)

Over the last year CD publishedwork using autofluorescencespectroscopy and lifetimemeasurements to study the failingheart [1] and continued to lead anEPSRC funded project developingmultiphoton microscopy techniquesfor clinical applications incollaboration with the University ofBath. Resulting papers include worktowards clinical hand-heldmultiphoton microscopy with axial

motion compensation [2],miniaturised multiphotonmicroscopes using bundles of singlemode polarisation maintaining fibresand the use of negative curvaturefibres for delivering ultrafast pulsedradiation for multiphotonmicroscopy. CD also continued towork on oblique plane microscopy, atype of light sheet microscope,which was applied to the study ofcalcium wave origins in isolatedcardiac myocytes [3]. This work wasfeatured in a news article on theImperial webpage and in Microscopyand Analysis magazine. CD alsocontinued to collaborate withcolleagues in Bioengineering atImperial and at King’s CollegeLondon on super-resolutionultrasound imaging usingmicrobubble contrast agents, andpublished the first in vivodemonstration of this technique [4]showing that it is capable ofmapping the microvasculature andblood velocity in a mouse ear. Thisteam has recently been awarded anEPSRC grant to continue this work.[1] Application of time-resolved autofluorescenceto label-free in vivo optical mapping of changes intissue matrix and metabolism associated withmyocardial infarction and heart failureJ. Lagarto*, B. T. Dyer*, C. Talbot, M. B. Sikkel, N.S. Peters, P. M. W. French, A. R. Lyon* and C.Dunsby*Biomedical Optics Express, 6 (2), pp. 324-346,2015http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/BOE.6.000324

[2] Fibre-coupled handheld multiphoton micro-scope with active motion compensationB. Sherlock, S. Warren, J. Stone, M. Neil, C.Paterson, J. Knight, P. French and C. DunsbyBiomedical Optics Express 6(5) 1876-1884(2015) http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/BOE.6.001876

[3] High speed sCMOS-based oblique planemicroscopy applied to the study of calciumdynamics in cardiac myocytesM. B. Sikkel, S. Kumar, V. Maioli, C. Rowlands, F.Gordon, S. E Harding, A. R Lyon, K. T MacLeod,C. DunsbyAccepted for publication in Journal of Biophoton-ics 2015http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jbio.201500193

Professor Michael Damzen

Dr Christopher Dunsby


ResearchPhotonics

[4] In Vivo Acoustic Super-Resolution and Super-Resolved Velocity Mapping Using MicrobubblesK. Christensen-Jeffries, R. J. Browning, M.-X.Tang*, C. Dunsby* and R. J. Eckersley*IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 34 (2),pp. 433-440, 2015http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TMI.2014.2359650

In 2015 I published 12 papers workingclosely with Chris Dunsby, JamesMcGinty and Mark Neil on thedevelopment and biomedicalapplication of fluorescence-basedtechnology. We have developed anovel high content analysis platformexploiting fluorescence lifetimeimaging (FLIM) to readout proteininteractions and have developed afully open source platform supportedby an EPSRC IAA award. We havealso developed preclinical 3-D imagingtechnology for larval and adultzebrafish disease models including 3-D tracking of cell migration and global3-D imaging of apoptosis in livezebrafish. With the MRC ClinicalSciences Centre, we have developednew super-resolved microscopysystems, uniquely combiningstructured illumination microscopy withFLIM and developing low costSTORM instrumentation, and havealso initiated new optical approachesto mapping epigenetics. We aredeveloping low cost 3-D imaginginstruments for the Crick Institutewhere we are establishing a satellitelaboratory. For clinical applications wehave developed an adaptive optics

based approach to realiseultracompact endoscopy with no distalcomponents and single point fibre-optic probes for studies of heartdisease and osteoarthritis. I co-chairedan international workshop inWashington, DC., to identify barriers toclinical translation of label-free opticaltechnologies, from which I am co-writing a white paper. [1] Automated multiwell fluorescence lifetimeimaging for Förster resonant energy transferassays and High Content Analysis, D. J.Kelly, S. C. Warren, D. Alibhai, S. Kumar, Y.Alexandrov, I. Munro, A. Margineanu, J.McCormack, N. J. Welsh, R. A. Serwa, E.Thinon, M. Kongsema, J. McGinty, C. Talbot,E. J. Murray, F. Stuhmeier, M. A.A. Neil, E. W.Tate, V. M. M. Braga, E. W.-F. Lam, C.Dunsby and P. M.W. French, Analytical Meth-ods, 7 (2015), 4071-4089, DOI:10.1039/C5AY00244C

[2] Accelerated Optical Projection Tomogra-phy Applied to In Vivo Imaging of Zebrafish”,T. Correia 1, N. Lockwood, S. Kumar, J. Yin,M-C Ramel, N. Andrews, M. Katan, L.Bugeon, M J Dallman, J McGinty*, P.Frankel*, P. M W French* and S. Arridge*PLoS ONE 10(8): e0136213,doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0136213

[3] Adaptive multiphoton endomicroscopeincorporating a polarization-maintaining multi-core optical fibre Y. Kim, S. C. Warren, J. M. Stone, J. C.Knight, M. A. A. Neil1, C. Paterson, C.Dunsby and P. M. W. French,IEEE J Selected Topics in QE, 22 (2015)Article #: 6800708, DOI:10.1109/JSTQE.2015.2488283

[4] Visualising apoptosis in live zebrafishusing fluorescence lifetime imaging with opti-cal projection tomography to map FRETbiosensor activity in space and timeN. Andrews, M-C Ramel, S. Kumar, Y.Alexandrov, D. J. Kelly, S. C. Warren, L.Kerry, N. Lockwood, A. Frolov, P. Frankel, L.Bugeon, J. McGinty, M. J. Dallman* and P.M. W. French*Early view J. Biophotonics 1–11 (2016) / DOI10.1002/jbio.201500258

Over the last year, my researchactivity has continued to bridge theinterface between fundamentalcomputational and applied nonlinearoptics, including: soliton anddissipative soliton formation andpropagation; parametric processes;Raman amplification; frequency comband supercontinuum generation.Exploiting such processes, my worktargets the development of high-energy, ultrashort pulse light sourcescovering regions of the UV, visible,near-IR and mid-IR for applicationsranging from super-resolution opticalmicroscopy to electron spectroscopy.Specifically, this has involved thedevelopment and demonstration of awatt-level average power picosecondsource at 560 nm, and the designand implementation of a broadlytunable mid-infrared femtosecondsource based on difference frequencygeneration in poled nonlinear crystals,developed in conjunction with theUniversity of British Columbia.

I also continue to have a stronginterest in the optical characterisationand application of low-dimensionalnanomaterials, in particular two-dimensional (2d) crystals, such astransition metal dichalcogenides,for the development of advancedphotonic and plasmonic devices.Through collaborative programswith the University of Cambridge

Professor Paul French

Dr Edmund Kelleher


ResearchPhotonics

and Nanjing University, China, Ihave published a number of papersinvestigating the unique opticalproperties of 2d layered semi-conductors, including MoS2 andMoSe2, as well as a number ofinvited review papers summarizingtheir application in short-pulse lasertechnology. [1] “Few-layer MoS2 saturable absorbers forshort-pulse laser technology: current statusand future perspectives [Invited]”R.I. Woodward, R.C.T. Howe, G. Hu, F.Torrisi, M. Zhang, T. Hasan and E.J.RKelleher Photonics Research 3, A30 (2015)[2] “Fiber grating compression of giant-chirped nanosecond pulses from an ultra-long nanotube mode-locked fiber laser”R.I. Woodward, E.J.R. Kelleher, T.H. Runcorn,S. Loranger, D. Popa, V.J. Wittwer, A.C.Ferrari, S.V. Popov, R. Kashyap and J.R.Taylor Optics Letters 40, 387 (2015)[3] “2D Saturable Absorbers for Fibre Lasers[Invited]”R.I. Woodward, and E.J.R. Kelleher, AppliedSciences 5, 1440 (2015)[4] “Duration-tunable picosecond source at560 nm with watt-level average power”T.H. Runcorn, R.T. Murray, E.J.R. Kelleher,S.V. Popov and J.R. Taylor Optics Letters 40,3085 (2015)

Our recent research has sought tounderstand some of the implications ofour introduction of the so-calledSpacetime cloak in 2011. This newtype of cloak was based on aradically novel interpretation oftransformation optics which allowedthe concealment of events ratherthan objects. It was subsequentlydemonstrated experimentally. We

have studied how event cloaks canbe designed for simple wave systems,and have examined their directionalnature – events concealed in onedirection are visible, but distorted, inanother. We have consideredapplications in optical processing,where an ‘interrupt-without-interrupt’functionality potentially allowspriority processing whilst a clocksignal remains undistorted, despitebeing temporally suspended. Novel metamaterial designs havealso considered effects of opticalaxis orientation in hyperbolic media. In another project, we have recentlybeen able to calculate the modes ofa laser for which the active mediumis structurally chiral. Such lasersissue circularly polarized light, ofpotential interest and application to3-D display technology. [1] Transformation Optics and Cloaking:McCall, M.W., CONTEMPORARY PHYSICS,Volume: 54 Issue: 6 273 (2013). [2] Optic axis-driven new horizons for hyper-bolic metamaterials: Boardman, A.D., Egan,P. and McCall, M.W. EPJ APPLIED METAMA-TERIALS, Volume 2 Issue: 11 (2016).[3] The futures of transformtations and meta-materials, Kinsler, P. and McCall, M.W., PHO-TONICS AND NANOSTRUCTURES, Volume:15 10-23 (2015) .[4] Modes of structurally chiral lasers: Topf, D.M. and McCall, M. W., PHYS. REV. A.,Volume: 90 853824 (2014).

My main area of research is centredon developing techniques forquantitative 3-D optical imaging of

mesoscopic sized samples (∼mm-cm), with particular emphasis onbiological and biomedical applications.One such imaging technique for 3-D imaging of transparent samplesthat is scalable to cm sized volumesis optical projection tomography(OPT). OPT is the optical analogueof X-ray CT, where wide-fieldimages of a transparent sample areacquired while the sample rotates. Ihave been working on improvementsto enhance both the spatial resolutionand light efficiency while minimisingthe acquisition time. The conditionfor transparency can be realised forex vivo samples by chemicalclearing processes – essentiallyexchanging the water in the samplefor a liquid of higher refractive indexthat matches that of the tissue andtherefore suppresses the scatteringof light. For in vivo imaging, samplesthat are inherently transparent canbe used, for example the nematodeworm and the zebrafish embryo(∼mm scale). In addition to producing3-D structural reconstructions, I amalso translating the quantitativetechniques applicable in microscopyto OPT. In particular I am workingon techniques to realise time-lapse3-D imaging of dynamic processesand fluorescence lifetime imagingfor measuring protein interactionsusing Förster resonance energytransfer. [1] N. Andrews, M-C Ramel, S. Kumar, Y.Alexandrov, D.J. Kelly, S.C. Warren, L. Kerry,N. Lockwood, A. Frolov, P. Frankel, L.Bugeon, J. McGinty, M. J. Dallman, P.M.W.French “Visualising apoptosis in live zebrafishusing fluorescence lifetime imaging with opti-cal projection tomography to map FRETbiosensor activity in space and time.” J. Bio-phot. 9, (2016) [2] T. Correia, N. Lockwood, S. Kumar, J. Yin,M.C. Ramel, N. Andrews, M. Katan, L.Bugeon, M.J. Dallman, J. McGinty, P.Frankel, P.M.W. French “Accelerated opticalprojection tomography applied to in vivoimaging of zebrafish.” PLoS One. 10, (2015)e0136213.

[3] L. Chen, Y. Alexandrov, S. Kumar, N.Andrews, M.J. Dallman, P.M.W. French, J.McGinty “Mesoscopic in vivo 3-D tracking of

Professor Martin McCall

Dr James McGinty


ResearchPhotonics

sparse cell populations using angular multi-plexed optical projection tomography.”Biomed. Opt. Exp. 12, (2015) 1253-1261.[4] L. Chen, S. Kumar, D. Kelly, N. Andrews,M.J. Dallman, P.M.W. French, J. McGinty“Remote focal scanning optical projectiontomography with an electrically tunable lens.”Biomed. Opt. Exp. 5, (2014) 3367-3375.

This year has seen continuedresearch in the key themes ofprogrammable light and opticalimaging. Projects using spatial lightmodulators to produce controllableoptical traps for single cell analysisand micro-nano fluidics applicationsare coming to an end. These havebeen great interdisciplinaryresearch opportunities with theChemistry department at Imperialand other researchers based atDurham, Strathclyde and Astonuniversities, which have culminatedin a slot in the prestigious 2015Royal Society Summer ScienceExhibition. Applications of spatiallight modulators to projects inimaging and microscopy have beensuccessful too this year within thephotonics group with theconstruction of systems for imagingthe orientation of single fluorescentemitters such as molecules anddiamond colour centres, dynamiccorrection and control of light inmulti-core fibre endoscopes (withPF, CD and CP) and for generationand control of focussed light beamsin super-resolution microscopy.Other super-resolution microscopy

projects include the improvement ofour own STED and localisationsystem with the MRC CSC labs atthe Hammersmith hospital (with PFand CD) and some particularlypromising results on a new super-resolution imaging technique usingspinning-disk structuredillumination. New collaborationsare starting with the centre fordoctoral training inNeurotechnology and theBioengineering department atimperial in optical imaging andstimulation techniques foroptogenetics.

[1] Koleva, M. V., Rothery, S., Spitaler, M.,Neil, M. A. A., & Magee, A. I. (2015). Sonichedgehog multimerization: A self-organizingevent driven by post-translational modifica-tions?. MOLECULAR MEMBRANE BIOL-OGY, 32(3), 65-74.doi:10.3109/09687688.2015.1066895

[2] Sherlock, B., Warren, S., Stone, J., Neil,M., Paterson, C., Knight, J., French, P.,Dunsby, C. (2015). Fibre-coupled multiphotonmicroscope with adaptive motion compensa-tion. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS, 6(5),1876-1884. doi:10.1364/BOE.6.001876

[3] Bolognesi, G., Hargreaves, A., Ward, A.D., Kirby, A. K., Neil, M., Bain, C. D., & Ces,O. (2015). Microfluidic generation and opticalmanipulation of ultra-low interfacial tensiondroplets. In J. M. Fedeli (Ed.), INTEGRATEDPHOTONICS: MATERIALS, DEVICES, ANDAPPLICATIONS III Vol. 9520 (pp. 11 pages).Barcelona, SPAIN: SPIE-INT SOC OPTICALENGINEERING. doi:10.1117/12.2178964

[4] Casey, D., Wylie, D., Gallo, J., Dent, M.,Salehi-Reyhani, A., Wilson, R., Brooks, N.,Long, N., Willison, K., Klug, D., Neil, M.,Neale, S., Cooper, J., Ces, O. (2015). Anovel, all-optical tool for controllable and non-destructive poration of cells with single-micron resolution. In Optics in the LifeSciences. Vancouver, BC: Optical Society ofAmerica. doi:10.1364/BODA.2015.BW1A.5

My research is in developing novelimaging technology, the main focusbeing biological and biomedicalimaging. We have continued in ourwork applying adaptive optics andwavefront sensing techniques to theproblem of microscopy with aberratingand scattering samples. In relatedwork, we have also been applyingadaptive optics technology for multi-photon endoscopy (with Paul French,Chris Dunsby and Mark Neil) toachieve imaging without the needfor distal scanning optics. Anotherresearch direction is the developmentof Brillouin spectroscopic microscopyimaging (with Peter Török) and itsapplication to the study ofbiomechanical properties of tissue.We are using the technique toimage in 3-D at micron resolutionthe stiffness properties of thehuman cornea and its influence onthe growth and differentiation of stemcells for regenerative medicine. Thiswork is being carried out incollaboration with Che Connon ofUniversity of Newcastle.

[1] Kim, Y., Warren, S. C., Stone, J. M.,Knight, J. C., Neil, M. A. A., Paterson, C., . . .French, P. M. W. (2016). Adaptive Multipho-ton Endomicroscope Incorporating a Polar-ization-Maintaining Multicore Optical Fibre.IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS INQUANTUM ELECTRONICS, 22(3), 8 pages.doi:10.1109/JSTQE.2015.2488283

[2] Antonacci, G., Lepert, G., Paterson, C., &Toeroek, P. (2015). Elastic suppression inBrillouin imaging by destructive interference.

Professor Mark Neil

Dr Carl Paterson


ResearchPhotonics

[3] APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS, 107(6), 3pages. doi:10.1063/1.4927400Sherlock, B., Warren, S., Stone, J., Neil, M.,Paterson, C., Knight, J., . . . Dunsby, C.(2015). Fibre-coupled multiphotonmicroscope with adaptive motioncompensation. BIOMEDICAL OPTICSEXPRESS, 6(5), 1876-1884.doi:10.1364/BOE.6.001876

Roy Taylor’s research has beendirected towards the developmentof wavelength, pulsewidth andrepetition rate versatile laser sourcesfor various application. The sourcesare based upon the concept of themaster-oscillator power fibre amplifier(MOPFA) integrated with a fibrebased nonlinear convertor. Thesecompact and efficient single passschemes can be readily powerscaled, while the seeding of highlyefficient fibre amplifiers in theMOPFA allows wavelength tunabilityand selection along with variation ofthe seed pulse width from picosecondto nanosecond and at variable andselectable repetition rates, primarilydetermined by the direct modulationschemes deployed. Followed byparametric mixing in integratedconventional as well as photoniccrystal fibres allows extendedwavelength tunability in the visibleand near infra-red, with 662 nmbeing the shortest achieved to date.Pump sources and nonlinear fibresare being developed to extend thisshort wavelength limit. Shorter

wavelengths have been achieved atmulti-watt average powers usingseeded fibre Raman based schemesfollowed by frequency doubling infibre integrated poled crystalassemblies. Wavelength as short as530 nm have been achieved withpulse widths from 50 ps – 5 ns andrepetition rates from 10s MHz- 100sMHz at watts level average powers.Such systems can be applied tononlinear microscopy. The techniqueshave currently been applied throughdifference frequency generation togive similar performance withextensive tunability in the mid infra-red, which is of importance inspectral fingerprinting. [1] “Duration-tunable picosecond source at560 nm with watt level average power”, T.H.Runcorn, R.T. Murray, E.J.R. Kelleher, S.V.Popov and J.R. Taylor , Optics Letters 40,3085 (2015)[2] “Supercontinuum sources for BiophotonicApplications”, J R Taylor, Understanding Pho-tonics, Pan Stanford Publishing, ISBN 978-981-4411-77-6, Chapter 12, pp 571-608(2015)[3] “Fiber-integrated frequency-doubling of apicosecond Raman laser to 560 nm”, T.H.Runcorn, T. Legg, R.T. Murray, E.J.R. Kelle-her, S.V. Popov and J.R. Taylor, OpticsExpress 23, 15728 (2015)

Our group is developing advancedtechniques in optical imaging,sensing and microscopy. Our workon Brillouin scattering sensing andimaging, done in collaboration withCarl Paterson from Physics and

Rob Krams and Darryl Overby fromBioengineering, includes sub-cellular resolution confocal Brillouinmicroscopy to observe elasticproperties of endothelial cells of theSchlemm canal, both low and highresolution Brillouin imaging to studythe stiffness of coronary artery wallsand Brillouin endoscopy to providein-vivo analysis of membranestiffness of plaques in coronaryarteries. Our Brillouin microscope isalso used to study mechanicalproperties of biofilms and thosematrices they populate. This work iscarried out in collaboration withThorsten Wohland and YehudaCohen of NUS. Simultaneously, in collaborationwith Stefan Maier, capitalising onour earlier work on Müller matrixpolarimeter microscopy, we are inthe process of building aspectroscopic version of thismicroscope that will permit 3Dfunctional imaging of plasmonicstructures and photonic crystals.We also have developed, togetherwith Stefan Maier, a novel form ofsuper-resolving optical microscopeto map the electromagnetic fieldaround subwavelength plasmonicstructures, such as nanoantennaethat cannot be observed by anyother means. [1] Macias-Romero C, Foreman MR, MunroPRT, Török P, 2014, Confocal polarizationimaging in high-numerical-aperture space,OPTICS LETTERS, Vol: 39, Pages: 2322-2325, ISSN: 0146-9592[2] Antonacci G, Foreman MR, Paterson C,Török P, 2013, Spectral broadening in Bril-louin imaging, APPLIED PHYSICS LET-TERS, Vol: 103, ISSN: 0003-6951[3] Foreman MR, Sivan Y, Maier SA, Török P,2012, Independence of plasmonic near-fieldenhancements to illumination beam profile,PHYSICAL REVIEW B, Vol: 86, ISSN: 1098-0121[4] Foreman MR, Török P, 2011, Spin-orbitcoupling and conservation of angularmomentum flux in non-paraxial imaging offorbidden radiation, NEW JOURNAL OFPHYSICS, Vol: 13, ISSN: 1367-2630

Professor Peter Török

Professor Roy Taylor


We are one of the largest plasma physics groups in the world, and deal with plasmas ranging from the lowdensities and temperatures found in industrial processes to the extreme conditions at the centre of a laser drivencapsule of fusion fuel or the core of a star. The group's research links experiments, many performed on in-housefacilities to complex theory and numerical simulations using super computers. We also host the Centre for InertialFusion Studies which connects high energy density science to the search for fusion energy production, and theInstitute of Shock Physics which creates and studies materials and systems under extremes of pressure.

STRONGLY MAGNETISED PLASMASS Lebedev, RA Smith, J Chittenden,S Bland, F Suzuki-Vidal.

We build and operate multi-terawatt(1012W) electrical machines andshort-pulse lasers to create and studyexotic plasma conditions. The group’s1.4 million amp Z-pinch MAGPIE isthe largest open-access machine ofits kind in the world and linked to theUK's largest University based lasersystem Cerberus. MAGPIE allows usto creates plasmas from arrays ofwires or foils and then accelerate or‘pinch’ them with strong magneticfields. We use this to launch highspeed ~100 kms-1 plasma jets orshock waves which simulate astro-physical processes such as starformation in the laboratory.The group’s experimental work is sup-ported by complex computer simula-tions using tools we develop such asthe 3D Magneto-hydrodynamics com-puter code GORGON. This is nowused to simulate plasma dynamics inexperiments in laboratories across theworld including the 26 mega-amp Zfacility in the US. Gorgon is also usedto simulate complex laser basedexperiments such as the stability ofNIF inertial fusion implosions.

HIGH ENERGY DENSITY PLASMASZ Najmudin, S Mangles, RA Smith, RKingham

The group creates and studies highenergy density plasmas using power-ful lasers, both at Imperial and majorlaboratories worldwide. Lasers canaccelerate particles to very high ener-gies over remarkably short distancesand we have produced GeV electronbeams in just 1 cm of plasma. Thesebeams can be used to create ultra-bright x-ray sources and could oneday replace low energy synchrotrons.We have used them to trial new appli-cations including medical imaging andwe are also exploring similar laserdriven techniques for cancer therapy,where the short stopping distance of aproton beam may be used to targettumours with low collateral damageand high precision.

INERTIAL FUSIONS Rose, J. Chittenden, R Kingham,Z Najmudin

Compressing and heating a mix ofhydrogen isotopes can lead to ther-monuclear fusion and potentially ahuge energy release that might oneday underpin a new generation ofpower stations. In fusion ignitionexperiments the plasma density andtemperatures created far exceedthose at the centre of the sun.Through experiment and computersimulations we study both fundamen-tal plasma processes at these condi-tions, and advanced fusion conceptssuch as "fast ignition" and "shockignition" that may allow us to reach"breakeven", the point where moreenergy is released from the plasmathan required to heat and confine it.

The tools and concepts we developfor inertial fusion research also allow

us to study in the laboratory scalemodels of some of nature's mostextreme phenomena. In "laboratoryastrophysics" experiments we probethe formation of accretion disksaround black holes and the dynamicsof supernova explosions.

MAGNETIC CONFINEMENT FUSIONM Coppins, S Cowley, M. Lilley

We investigate magnetic confinementfusion using a doughnut shapedTokamak, in which a low densityplasma is held inside strong magneticfields and heated over multiple sec-onds with a combination of electriccurrent, microwaves and particlebeams. The world’s largest and mostsuccessful Tokamak JET is based atCulham, along with a more compactmachine, MAST.

Tokamaks are affected by dust, smallgrains of solid material that are carriedalong with the plasma. Dusty plasmasoccur naturally in space and are alsofound in industry and affect the pro-duction of materials and components.We study them because of theirpotential to trap radioactive tritium anddisrupt future magnetic fusion testmachines.

Cylindrically converging supersonic plasma streams imaged inside a wire array z-pinch (left)and a 3D simulation of a NIF laser fusion implosion (right).

A 3D tomogram of a ~2mm cube of human boneimaged using laser driven betatron radiation.

Plasma Physics


ResearchPlasma

A new interferometer for accuratelymeasuring the low plasma densitiesfound in mega-ampere switches hasbeen developed (1), and is beingextended to determine the ratio ofneutral/ionised species. The inter-ferometer will be fielded in upcomingMAGPIE experiments, where Thomsonscattering diagnostics will also befielded to providing important inputsto theory and MHD simulations ofradiography sources.Working with colleagues at the CAEPand AWE, the first high pressurephysics experiments have beenperformed on the MACH facility, withcopper, aluminium and siliconsamples being driven to multi-GPapressures (2). To measure macroscopicproperties of these materials wehave developed a fibre optic probethat monitors velocity in multipledirections simultaneously.Furthermore an X-pinch system isbeing optimised to provide hard X-rayprobing of the materials microscopicstate with X-ray diffraction (3) andabsorption spectrometry being usedto examine high pressure phasechanges. With Sandia National Laboratory weare exploring using 3D convergentgeometries to drive liquid deuteriumto multi-GBar pressures; whilst withcolleagues at CEA we are planningthe first ever pulsed power drivenHEDP experiments on a synchrotron,with the aim of directly measuring

ultra-dense, high temperature plasmasin a collapsing plasma column. [1] “A fibre based triature interferometer formeasuring rapidly evolving, ablatively drivenplasma densities” J. Macdonald, S.N. Bland,J. Threadgold, RSI 86 (8) ARTN 083506 (2015)[2] “Initial isentropic compression experimentson the MACH facility”, S.N. Bland, K.H. Kwek,K. Omar et al, Bull APS 60 (8) (2015) [3] “Characteristics of a molybdenum X-pinchX-ray source as a probe source for X-ray dif-fraction studies” F. Zucchini, S.N. Bland, C.Chauvin et al, RSI 86 (6) ARTN 033507 (2015)

Our work concentrates on numericalmodelling of high energy densityphysics relating to Inertial ConfinementFusion and magnetised Z-pinchplasmas. Recently we have beenusing our 3D radiation hydrodynamicsmodel ‘Chimera’ to investigatephysical processes related to indirectdrive inertial confinement fusion onthe National Ignition Facility. We arestudying how structure of the ablationregion in an ICF capsule is sensitiveto the details of the material opacity;how three dimensional effects changethe intrinsic growth of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities and how theconfinement of a fusion hotspot isaltered in asymmetric implosions.Our analysis of the fusion hotspotrelies on calculating the expectedresponse from a range of neutrondiagnostics on NIF [1]. Using our 3DMHD code, Gorgon, we areinvestigating similar processes ininertial fusion plasmas which aremagnetically driven using pulsed

power generators [2]. Recently, wehave established that in MagLIFexperiments (where the fusion fuel iscompressed inside a metallic cylinder),material strength plays an importantrole in determining the extent ofRayleigh-Taylor growth [3]. Wecontinue to use the models developedin fusion research for a range ofother studies, including applicationsin space physics, laboratoryastrophysics and fundamental highenergy density physics [4].[1] B. Appelbe and J. P. Chittenden“Relativistically correct DD and DT neutronspectra”, High Energy Density Physics 11,30, (2014).

[2] B. Appelbe and J. Chittenden, “Neutronspectra from beam-target reactions in denseZ-pinches”, Physics of Plasmas 22, 102703(2015);

[3] J. D. Pecover and J. P. Chittenden“Instability growth for magnetized liner inertialfusion seeded by electro-thermal, electro-choric, and material strength effects” Physicsof Plasmas 22, 102701 (2015).

[4] D. Mariscal, C. McGuffey, J. Valenzuela,M. S. Wei, J. P. Chittenden, N. Niasse, R.Presura, S. Haque, M. Wallace, A. Arias, A.Covington, H. Sawada, P. Wiewior and F. N.Beg, “Measurement of pulsed-power-drivenmagnetic fields via proton deflectometry”Appl. Phys. Lett. 105, 224103 (2014).

Our work on dusty plasmasconcentrates on the basic physicsof dust-plasma interactions, anddust in tokamaks. We collaboratewith John Allen (Oxford), UmbertodeAngelis (Naples), and AlexRobinson (RAL) . Here four topics

Dr Simon Bland

Professor Jeremy Chittenden

Dr Michael Coppins


ResearchPlasma

are highlighted. Firstly, we haveextended our previous work on thesource-collector system to includeelectron emission [1]. This indicatesthat a potential well can form adjacentto the emitting surface, consistentwith the postulated existence of apotential well which is a feature ofthe charging model used for emittingdust in our Tokamak dust transportcode, DTOKS. Secondly, a newmodel of the charging of large dustgrains has been proposed, alsobased, in part, on the source-collectorwork. Thirdly, we have studied thetrapping of ions around dust grainsthrough collisions, in the presheath/sheath region. Even grains muchsmaller than a Debye length can beentirely shielded by the orbitingpopulation, completely altering theirbehaviour (e.g., their charge).Finally, we have developed the firsttheoretical model of the charging ofnon-spherical dust grains. Thisindicates that the conventional chargingtheory gives reasonable values ofthe grain potential for moderatedepartures from spherical shape, butnot for significantly distorted grains.[1] N. Rizopoulou, A.P.L. Robinson, M. Cop-pins, M. Bacharis , Electron emission in asource-collector sheath system: A kineticstudy, Phys. Plasmas 21, 103507 (2014).[2] N. Rizopoulou, A.P.L. Robinson, M. Cop-pins, M. Bacharis , Charging of large dustgrains in flowing plasmas, Physical Review E91, 063103 (2015).[3] R. Cameron, M. Coppins, Collisionalcharging of dust in a collisionless plasmapresheath, paper presented at 2015 APSConference on Plasma Physics, DPP15-2015-001165.[4] J.T. Holgate, M. Coppins, Charging ofnon-spherical macroparticles in a plasma(submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett)

The centres of stars and planetscontain material in extreme conditionswhich present a significant theoreticaland computational modelling challengeas well as being difficult to replicateand diagnose in the laboratory. Myresearch during my Junior ResearchFellowship, begun this year, willtackle this modelling challenge usingnew methods and will be complimented,and tested, by experimentalreplication of the materials by StuartMangles and his team.

In the last year, I have continued todevelop the novel atomic physicsmethods for modelling hightemperature plasmas[1,2] which willform the basis of the JRF, whichhas led to a new collaboration withthe Lawrence Livermore NationalLaboratory in California. I have alsoworked on the modelling of themechanisms of the laser-plasmainteractions[3] (particularly inextending the codes used to modelthese interactions to include thebehaviour of the radiation in thematerial) which will be used byStuart and his team to heat materialsto the millions of degrees Centigradeneeded to emulate the inside of astar. At temperatures a thousandtimes higher than that, matter andantimatter are spontaneously createdin the plasma – my research in thisfield[4] will continue this year with avisit to Japan for an invited talk and

collaboration in May.[1] “Calculation of unit tensor operators usinga restricted set of Slater determinants” HillE.G. JQSRT, 140, 1-6 (2014)[2] “Fractional parentage coefficients using arestricted set of Slater determinants” HillE.G. JQSRT, 147, 71 (2014)[3] “In-depth Plasma-Wave Heating of DensePlasma Irradiated by Short Laser Pulses”Sherlock M., Hill E.G. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett.113, 255001 (2014)[4] “Non-thermal enhancement of electron–positron pair creation in burningthermonuclear laboratory plasmas” Hill E.G.and Rose S.J. HEDP 13, 1574 (2014)

We have continued our theoreticaland computational work on ICF andHED plasmas, concentrating ondevelopment and use of our Vlasov-Fokker-Planck codes to studykinetic effects in electron transportself-consistently with magnetic fielddynamics on both picosecond [1]and nanosecond timescales. Wehave performed the first calculationsof ns laser propagation through pre-magnetized under-dense plasma,including beam diffraction and non-local transport. This shows Nernstinhibition of thermal beam channellingand the susceptibility to themagnetothermal instability [2]. Incollaboration with colleagues at theUniversity of Michigan, we havepreformed the first VFP calculationof the B-field dynamics in an entiremagnetized hohlraum, seeingsignificant kinetic modifications tobulk motion [3]. In collaboration with

Dr Robert Kingham

Dr Edward Hill


ResearchPlasma

the University of York and LLNL,with have made progress atvalidating and improving reducednon-local models for calculatinglaser hot-spots in NIF hohlraums.These capabilities were used todesign and support a successfulexperiment led by Prof. Woolsey(York) on the ORION laser this year.Lastly, we commenced (i) upgradeof the hydro-package in our VFPcodes to improve future applicabilityto direct-drive ICF and (ii) work onthe national rad-hydrocode ODIN inconjunction with 3 other Universities.[1] Generation of shock waves in dense plasmasby high-intensity laser pulses: Pasley J. et al.,NUKLEONIKA 60, 193 (2015),

[2] The influence of magnetised electron trans-port on thermal self-focusing and channelling ofnanosecond laser beams: Read M. P.;KinghamR. J.; Bissell J. J., submitted to Journal ofPhysics: Conference Series (JPCS); 9th confer-ence on Inertial Fusion Science and Applications2015.

[3] Nernst Effect in Magnetized Hohlraums:Joglekar A. S.; Thomas A. G. R.; Ridgers C. P.;Kingham R. J., submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.

My research group conductsexperimental work at ImperialCollege’s MAGPIE pulsed powerfacility, concentrating on studies ofhigh energy density plasmas and ondevelopment and implementation ofadvanced plasma diagnostics suchas collective Thomson scattering,Faraday rotation and interferometry.We continued our work in the areaof Laboratory Astrophysics: we

investigated formation and stabilityof differentially rotated plasmasformed by ablation flows in wirearrays; characterised the structureof the interaction region formed atcollisions of supersonic magnetisedplasma flows in a magneticreconnection geometry, observingpile-up of the magnetic field at theshock front; investigated developmentof cooling instabilities in bow shocksformed in the interaction of plasmajets with ambient medium, underconditions scalable to the dynamicsof magnetised astrophysical jets.We continued work on the physicsof wire array z-pinches, focusing onmeasurements of collisionlessinterpenetration of counter-streamingions and advection of magnetic fieldby the plasma flows, and oncharacterisation of the currentswitching mechanism in two-stagewire array z-pinches. We continuecollaborations on this work withcolleagues at Rochester, Cornell,Rice and Sorbonne Universities. [1] Characterisation of the current switchmechanism in two-stage wire array Z-pinches: Burdiak G.C., Lebedev S.V., Harvey-Thompson, A.J.; et al., PHYSICS OFPLASMAS, Volume: 22, 112710 (2015).[2] Interpenetration and deflection phenom-ena in collisions between supersonic, mag-netized, tungsten plasma flows diagnosedusing high resolution optical Thomson scat-tering: Swadling, G. F.; Lebedev, S.V.;Harvey-Thompson, A.J.; et al., PHYSICS OFPLASMAS, Volume: 22, 072706 (2015).

[3] Bow shock fragmentation driven by a ther-mal instability in laboratory astrophysicsexperiments: Suzuki-Vidal, F.; Lebedev, S.V.;Ciardi A. et al., THE ASTROPHYSICALJOURNAL, Volume: 815, 96 (2015).

[4] Formation of radiatively cooled, supersoni-cally rotating, plasma flows in Z-pinch experi-ments: Towards the development of anexperimental platform to study accretion diskphysics in the laboratory: Bennett M.; Lebe-dev S.V.; Hall G.N.; et al., HIGH ENERGYDENSITY PHYSICS, Volume: 17, 63 (2015).

This year has seen us furtherdevelop laser wakefield acceleratorsand the electron and X-ray beamsthey produce so that they can beused in a range of applications. Incollaboration with the faculty ofmedicine we have published workdemonstrating that our X-ray sourcecan be used to make detailedtomographic reconstructions ofhuman bone samples [1]. Incollaboration with Queen’s UniversityBelfast we have shown that ourelectron beams can be used toproduce neutral-jets of electron-positron plasma suitable for laboratoryastrophysics experiments [2] andwe have demonstrated a gamma-ray source with unprecedented peakbrightness created by scattering anintense laser from one of our electronbeams [3]. This year we have alsoperformed experiments on theCLF’s Astra Gemini laser at theRutherford to investigate RadiationReaction effects (in collaborationwith QUB, York and Strathclyde)and to use our X-rays to imagerapidly evolving laser-driven shock(in collaboration with the Institute ofShock Physics).Our studies of the wakefieldacceleration process itself havecontinued, resulting in the first truesnapshots of the structure of awakefield [4] as well as experimentsat RAL to investigate and controlthe properties of the electron beam.

Dr Stuart Mangles

Professor Sergey Lebedev


ResearchPlasma

[1] Cole, J. M., J. C. Wood, N. C. Lopes, K.Poder, R. L. Abel, S. Alatabi, J. S. J. Bryant et al."Laser-wakefield accelerators as hard x-raysources for 3D medical imaging of human bone."Scientific reports 5, 13244, (2015).

[2] Sarri, Gianluca, K. Poder, J. M. Cole, W.Schumaker, Antonino Di Piazza, B. Reville, T.Dzelzainis et al. "Generation of neutral and high-density electron-positron pair plasmas in the lab-oratory." Nature Communications 6, 6747,(2015).

[3] Sarri, G., D. J. Corvan, W. Schumaker, J. M.Cole, Antonino Di Piazza, H. Ahmed, C. Harveyet al. "Ultrahigh brilliance multi-MeV Γ-ray beamsfrom nonlinear relativistic Thomson scattering."Physical review letters 113, 224801 (2014)

[4] Sävert, A., S. P. D. Mangles, M. Schnell, E.Siminos, J. M. Cole, M. Leier, M. Reuter et al."Direct observation of the injection dynamics of alaser wakefield accelerator using few-femtosec-ond shadowgraphy." Physical Review Letters115, 055002 (2015)

As part of the John Adams Institute, wecontinue to develop next-generationlaser-driven particle accelerators.Collaborating with the IOQ Jena, wedirectly imaged the disturbance inthe plasma due to a laser wakefieldaccelerator [1]. This was made possibleby ‘freezing’ the motion of therelativistic structure with a probepulse of duration down to ~5 fs.With QUB Belfast, we used our GeVwakefield electron source driven bythe Gemini laser (at Rutherford Lab.) toproduce copious numbers of positronsfrom a lead target. For an optimizedlength, the positron beam has densitiescomparable to its generating electronbeam, leading to the demonstrationof a high-density neutral electron-

positron plasma [2]. We have alsopioneered the use of the betatron x-ray emission by wakefield acceleratedelectrons. Recently, we demonstratedfull 3D tomographic reconstruction ofbone samples at microscopic (<50µm) resolution [3]. At BrookhavenLaboratory, we were able to controlthe generation of narrow energyspread proton beams from shockacceleration. We improved on ourprevious ground-breaking experiments,by using a prepulse that spatiallymodified the density profile of aoverdense gas jet for the laser tointeract with [4].[1] A. Sävert, S. P. D. Mangles, M. Schnell, etal, “Direct Observation of the InjectionDynamics of a Laser Wakefield AcceleratorUsing Few-Femtosecond Shadowgraphy,”Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 115, no. 5, 055002, 2015.

[2] G. Sarri, K. Poder, J. M. Cole, et al,“Generation of neutral and high-densityelectron-positron pair plasmas in the laboratory.,”Nat. Commun., vol. 6, p. 6747, 2015.

[3] J. M. Cole, J. C. Wood, N. C. Lopes, et al,“Laser-wakefield accelerators as hard x-raysources for 3D medical imaging of humanbone,” Sci. Rep., vol. 5, 13244, 2015.

[4] O. Tresca, N. P. Dover, N. Cook, et al,“Spectral Modification of Shock AcceleratedIons Using a Hydrodynamically Shaped GasTarget It,” Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 115, 094802,2015.

My research group works in the areaof High Energy Density Physics(HEDP) which is the study of matterin the plasma state at temperaturestypically in excess of a milliondegrees at solid density and above.

Our work is theoretical and wedevelop new models of HED plasmas.We are also involved in the designand analysis of experiments to testthe validity of those models.Our recent work has focussed on afresh exploration of the interactionbetween charged particles in aplasma. We have extended thetraditional description of transportproperties of plasmas to therelativistic regime and also developedmodels to include all collisionsbetween charged particles (usuallythese are restricted to glancingcollisions). We have also looked indetail at collisions through numericalsimulations of many chargedparticles and have discovered twopreviously unknown heatingmechanisms whereby laser energyis transferred to the plasma. Onemechanism involves inducing frictionbetween the ions of a plasma whichresults in very rapid heating whichwe believe to be probably thefastest known heating rate ofmacroscopic material. We are nowworking on how to demonstrate thatfast heating rate in a laser-plasmaexperiment. [1] "Ultra-fast driven collisional ion heating byelectrostatic shocks" A E Turrell, M Sherlock, andS J Rose, Nature Communications 6, 8905(2015).http://dx.doi:10.1038/ncomms9905[2] "Self-consistent inclusion of classical large-angle Coulomb collisions in plasma Monte Carlosimulations", A E Turrell, M Sherlock and S JRose, J Comp Phys, 299, 144 (2015).http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2015.06.034[3] "Plasma wave heating of dense plasma irradi-ated by short laser pulses", M Sherlock, E G Hill,R G Evans, S J Rose and W Rozmus, PhysicalReview Letters, 113, 255001 (2014).http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.255001[4] "Dynamical friction in a relativistic plasma", OJ Pike and S J Rose, Phys. Rev. E, 89, 053107(2014).http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.89.053107

Professor Steven Rose

Professor Zulfikar Najmudin


ResearchPlasma

My research focuses on developingand exploiting ultra-short and ultra-high-intensity lasers to create andprobe exotic states of matter. Thisranges from laboratory scalesimulations of supernovas andplasma jets launched during starformation, through laser shockedmaterials similar to Jupiter's core tothe sub-femtosecond dynamics oflaser irradiated optically levitatedmicrotargets and nanometer scale"atomic clusters". To underpin ourexperiments we operate the UK'slargest University based laserCerberus, which delivers high energyns and sub-ps pulses to multipleexperimental areas. Cerberus is alsolinked to MAGPIE, one of the world'slargest Z-pinches where it enablesadvanced plasma diagnostics such asFaraday rotation imaging of magneticfields. This combination of pulsedpower and lasers allows us to explorethe complex behaviour of plasmasin which magnetic fields play adominant role. Here we are beginninga new project to investigate turbulentmagnetic field acceleration of cosmicrays with colleagues at Oxford.This year we are also starting a newproject co-funded by the UK and USto develop and exploit mid-infraredlasers as the strong scaling of electronenergy with laser wavelength willallow us to access much higherparticle energies in the laboratory todrive new x-ray light sources.

[1] C. J. Price, T. D. Donnelly, S. Giltrap, N.H. Stuart, S. Parker, S. Patankar, H. F. Lowe,D. Drew, E. T. Gumbrell and R. A. Smith."An in-vacuo optical levitation trap for high-intensity laser interaction experiments withisolated microtargets". Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86,033502 (2015).DOI 10.1063/1.4908285[2] S. Patankar, E. T. Gumbrell, T. S. Robinson,H. F. Lowe, S. Giltrap, C. J. Price, N. H. Stuart,P. Kemshall, J. Fyrth, J. Luis, J. W. Skidmore,and R. A. Smith. "Multiwavelength interferometrysystem for the Orion laser facility". Appl.Opt. Vol. 54, Iss. 36 pp 10592-10598 (2015).DOI: 10.1364/AO.54.010592[3] G. F. Swadling, S. V. Lebedev, A. J.Harvey-Thompson, W. Rozmus, G. Burdiak,L. Suttle, S. Patankar, R. A. Smith, M.Bennett, G. N. Hall, F. Suzuki-Vidal, S. Blandand J. Yuan. "Interpenetration and deflectionphenomena in collisions between supersonic,magnetized, tungsten plasma flows diagnosedusing high resolution optical Thomson scattering".Phys. Plas. Vol. 22, Iss. 7 p 072706 (2015).DOI 10.1063/1.4926579[4] Swadling, GF, Lebedev, SV, Hall, GN,Patankar, S, Stewart, NH, Smith, RA,Harvey-Thompson, AJ, Burdiak, GC, deGrouchy, P, Skidmore, J, Suttle, L, Suzuki-Vidal, F, Bland, SN, Kwek, KH, Pickworth, L,Bennett, M, Hare, JD, Rozmus, W and Yuan,J. "Diagnosing collisions of magnetized, highenergy density plasma flows using a combinationof collective Thomson scattering, Faradayrotation, and interferometry". Rev. Sci. Inst.Vol. 85, Iss. 11, Art. No. 11E502 DOI: 10.1063/1.4890564

My research focuses on studyingastrophysical phenomena by themeans of carefully scaled laboratoryexperiments, an emerging field knownas Laboratory Plasma Astrophysics. Iconduct experiments on different High-

Energy Density (HED) facilities suchas the MAGPIE pulsed-power facilitybased in the Blackett Laboratory, withastrophysical applications ranging fromthe formation of jets from young starsand supersonic, magnetised plasmaflows and shocks. I also performexperiments on world-class, high-power lasers looking at the physics ofradiative shocks, which are prevalentin supernova remnants and accretiondisks. I was principal investigator ofexperiments on the world-class Orionlaser at AWE Aldermaston. Access tothis facility was granted through ahighly-competitive academic accessproposal. In addition, I was co-PI onexperiments performed at the PALSlaser in Prague, Czech Republic. Bothlaser experiments are part of on-goingcollaborations with internationalresearchers including Observatoire deParis (France) and Universidad de lasPalmas de Gran Canaria (Spain). [1] Bow shock fragmentation driven by a thermalinstability in laboratory astrophysics experiments.Suzuki-Vidal, F.; Lebedev, S. V.; Ciardi, A., et al.,The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 815, Issue 2,96 (2015).

[2] Plasma Physics: How to spark a field: Suzuki-Vidal, F. Nature Physics, Volume 11, Issue 2, pp98-99 (2015).

[3] Ablation dynamics in wire array Z-pinchesunder modifications on global magnetic fieldtopology. Veloso, F; Muñoz-Cordovez, G;Donoso-Tapia, L; Valenzuela-Villaseca, V;Suzuki-Vidal, F., et al. Physics of Plasmas,Volume 22, Issue 7 (2015).

[4] Collisional-radiative simulations of asupersonic and radiatively cooled aluminumplasma jet. Espinosa, G.; Gil, J. M.; Rodriguez,R.; Rubiano, J. G.; Mendoza, M. A.; Martel, P.;Minguez, E.; Suzuki-Vidal, F., et al. High EnergyDensity Physics, Volume 17, p. 74-84 (2015)

Dr Francisco Vidal Suzuki

Professor Roland Smith


Synchrotron X-ray Studies ofExtreme ProcessesDr Daniel Eakins, Dr David Chapman

We are developing a new capability forthe X-ray imaging of extreme physicalprocesses which leverages the bril-liance of third generation light sources.Classically our understanding of mate-rials under extreme conditions isdetermined indirectly using non-pene-trating diagnostics (visible light); theuse of X-rays provides a uniqueopportunity to probe within a materialwhile it is dynamically loaded, todirectly study its equation of state,strength and failure properties.By integrating a purpose-built impactsystem with the I12 high-energybeamline at the Diamond LightSource, we have performed the firstexperiments involving time-resolvedsynchrotron X-ray imaging of dynamiccompression in high-Z materials. Thispioneering experimental work will enablemore faithful macroscopic representationof statistical microstates in heteroge-neous systems, the study of shockenergy localization during instabilitygrowth, and direct density probing ofmaterial states under extreme condi-tions. The team also collaboratesinternationally participating in dynamicX-ray experiments in both Europe andthe US. A recent highlight is theinvolvement in the first EXAFS experi-ment on Fe driven to Mbar pressuresusing a high-power laser at the ESRF.

Royal British Legion Centre forBlast Injury StudiesDr William G Proud

CBIS conducts research into under-standing the process of blast injury on

people. It has strong links to the Instituteof Shock Physics. The institute hasdesigned and instrumented a range ofloading devices for the centre includ-ing shock tubes and Split HopkinsonPressure Bars (SHPB).Our overall aim is to ensure that theloading conditions on these complexmaterials are understood and are inthe correct pressure-time space forblast processes.Two specific research projects highlightthe synergistic nature of the interaction.(a) examining the effect of representa-tive pressure pulse from the blastwaves on STEM cells. The SHPB wasused to provide the loading and asample cell was developed which hadto be fully calibrated mechanically, able towithstand the pressures imposed on itand also be biologically inert. Theresults indicate that pressures as lowas 100 atmospheres for 100 microsec-onds can result in the destruction of10% of STEM cells. The debris fromthese cells is biologically active andmay cause longer term pathologies(b) Modifying the output of the ShockTube to produce the blast loading seenfrom a range of explosive masses, overdistance through a variety of mitiga-tion. This required precise control ofthe shock tube operation. As a resultof this we can produce blast loadingsequivalent to 25 kg of TNT at 2 m dis-tance or, at the other extreme, theloading produced inside a vehicle froma small external charge.

Pulsed Power driven High PressurePhysics ExperimentsDr Simon Bland, Dr Jeremy Chittenden

We are developing a series of newcapabilities to drive matter into high

pressure states without the use ofshock waves. Such capabilities allownew areas of the equation of state tobe explored, enabling low temperaturephase changes to be examined andprovide the basis for studying thecores of giant planets. The new 2Mega-Ampere current generator,MACH, has recently begun operations,demonstrating methods of tailoring thepressure drive onto an target. Simulta-neously the use of convergent targets,to significantly increase the availablepressures, has been explored usingthe world leading Gorgon MHD code.To directly probe the states producedin these experiments, a new, nstimescale, multi-KeV X-ray source isbeing developed with colleagues atCEA Gramat. Already this source hasbeen used to demonstrate X-ray dif-fraction and future experiments willexplore its use in X-ray absorptionspectrometry.

Over the past few years the Institute of Shock Physics has established a diverse research profile probing theresponse of condensed matter under ultra-fast and extreme compression. These necessarily multi-scale, multi-disciplinary studies require both experimental and computational activities extending to MBar pressures,intermediate to very high strain rate regimes, and from kilometers to sub-micrometer length scales. Supported bya unique suite of state-of-the-art experimental facilities the institutes’ research activities aid our understanding offundamental processes occurring in materials under extreme conditions, find relevance to a wide range ofapplications in both natural and man-made environments; from fusion technologies to astrophysical events suchas interplanetary impact.

Time sequence of synchrotron X-ray images captured during the impact loading of a high-Z rapid prototyped lattice.

Diffraction pattern produced using an X-pinch at CEA Gramat.

Acknowledgements ; The Institute acknowl-edges the support of Imperial CollegeLondon and AWE, Aldermaston

The Institute of Shock Physics


ResearchInstitute of Shock Physics

My research focuses on the extremephysical behaviour of condensedmatter under the rapid and intensecompressions that accompanycertain natural and man-madeprocesses. One area of particularinterest is in understanding thelimits of material strength underhigh velocity impact or high-powerlaser irradiation, with specificattention to the processes of ultrafastinelastic deformation (defectgeneration, plasticity, localisation,fracture, etc.). My work seeks toresolve the relationship between thestructure of solid phases and theirpathway through various defectstates, from the early moments ofloading to their bulk and oftencatastrophic conclusions. Within thisarea, I am presently studying theeffect of bulk temperature andimpurities on ultrafast elastoplasticity,new analytical methods for simulatingtrue dislocation dynamics underdynamic loading, and the temperaturedependence of dynamic fracturemechanisms.Another important research thrust isthe exploration of new X-ray probingtechniques for sub-surfaceinterrogation of shocked states.This past year my group performedthe first demonstrations of single-bunch X-ray imaging of extremedynamic states at the DiamondLight Source and ESRF synchrotrons,capturing single bunch X-ray phasecontrast images of 3D printed metal

lattices for tailored energy absorption,spall failure in magnesium foils, andcompaction of astrophysical powdersto understand asteroid formation.[1] B. Gurrutxaga-Lerma, D.S. Balint, D. Dini,D.E. Eakins, and A.P. Sutton, PhysicalReview Letters 114, 174301 (2015).

[2] D.R. Jones, D.J. Chapman, and D.E.Eakins, JoVE (Journal of VisualizedExperiments) e52463 (2015).

[3] D.E. Eakins and D.J. Chapman, Reviewof Scientific Instruments 85, 123708 (2014).

[4] M.E. Rutherford, D.J. Chapman, T.G.White, M. Drakopoulos, A. Rack, and D.E.Eakins, Journal of Synchrotron Radiation (inpress).

The area of Shock Physics studiesthe effect of high-transientpressures in materials. Researchareas include the development ofwell-calibrated diagnostic andloading platforms capturing datawith nanosecond (or better)resolution. My research areasinclude (a) granular materials (b)polymers and biological materialsand (c) energetic materials.Granular Materials are widelyencountered and are used asmitigants against impact, sound andblast. We investigate the dynamicsof projectile impact and developshock tubes to study blastmitigation. The mechanical properties ofpolymer and biological materials areexamined for the effect of damage.We have examined skin, trachea,

and STEM cells over a wide rangeof loading conditions from quasi-static to blast and shock. Thisresearch is conducted with theRoyal British Legion Centre forBlast Injury Studies to understandthe immediate and long-termmedical consequences of blastinjury. Polymer studies havefocused on the effect of smalldefect/flaws in polymer structureschange the mechanical behaviourof the system with temperature andstrain rate. For energetic materials theresearch is to understand how suchmaterials behave under impact, theoutput and how they interact withthe environment, addressing theneed to make such materials saferfor transport and use.

[1] Shock response of magnesium singlecrystals at normal and elevated temperatures, GIKanel, GV Garkushin, AS Savinykh, SVRazorenov , T de Resseguier, WG Proud, MRTyutin, J. App. Phys, (2014) 116(14):9 ARTN143504

[2] The Use of Digital Speckle Radiography toInvestigate the Internal Flow Fields During theBallistic Penetration of Sand, J.W. Addiss, A.L.Collins, S.M. Walley, W.G. Proud, Chapter 7 in‘Rapid Penetration Into Granular Media’, M.Iskander, S. Bless, M. Omidvar (eds), Springer,Berlin , 2015.

[3] The Use of Glass Anvils in Drop-WeightStudies of Energetic Materials, S. M. Walley, J.E. Field, R. A. Biers, W. G. Proud, D. M.Williamson and A. P. Jardine, PropellantsExplos. Pyrotech. 2015, 35, 1 – 16

[4] Diagnostic techniques in deflagration anddetonation studies, W. G. Proud, D. M.Williamson, J, E. Field and S. M. Walley,Chemistry Central Journal (2015) 9:52

Dr William Proud

Dr Daniel Eakins


Quantum Optics and Laser ScienceThe research mission of QOLS is to carry out basic science using lasers and to investigate, utilize and controlphotonic and material states and processes down to the quantum level.

LASER CONSORTIUMJon Marangos, Vitali Averbukh,Leszek Frasinski, Peter Knight, JohnTisch and Amelle Zair

This major grouping of experimentaland theoretical physicists is con-cerned with the interaction of high-intensity and ultra-short laser pulseswith matter.Attosecond (As) Science We are pio-neering new methods to measureelectron motion in matter in real time.Through this we are learning howelectrons move inside molecules andsolids on a timescale of ~100 As vitalfor revealing the correlations in manyelectron quantum systems. Ultrafastscience with X-ray free electronlasers Free electron lasers are open-ing new frontiers in the imaging ofmatter at the nanoscale with full timeresolution. We are studying ways tomake few-fs time resolved measure-ments using these instruments.Development of ultrafast, high power,laser sources. The group has pio-neered the development of newsources including high power fiberbased systems. High energy densityscience with intense lasers In collab-oration with the Plasma Physicsgroup this research uses varioushigh power laser facilities at CLF aswell as our in-house Cerberus lasersystem.

CENTRE FOR COLD MATTEREd Hinds, Jony Hudson, Rob Nyman,Ben Sauer, Danny Segal, Mike Tar-butt and Richard Thompson

Cold atoms and Molecules: We usethe techniques of laser cooling andtrapping to control and manipulatematter onto microchips (Atom chips)at temperatures a few billionths of adegree above absolute zero . Withthese devices, we aim to build ultraprecision sensors and componentsfor quantum information processing.Ultracold molecules offer new oppor-tunities because of increaseddegrees of freedom and becausethey interact strongly with appliedelectric fields and with one another,allowing for the study of the physicsof strongly-interacting many-bodyquantum systems. Electron electric

dipole moment We measure theshape of the electron – its electricdipole moment. This is a test ofphysics beyond the Standard Modelof particle physics and a test of time-reversal symmetry violation.Quantum nanophotonics Single pho-tons are the essential building blocksfor photonic information processing.We use single organic dye moleculesat cryogenic condition because theycan serve as an efficient source ofindistinguishable single photons.Bose-Einstein condensation of pho-tons At low temperature and highdensity, the properties of a fluiddepend on the quantum nature of itsconstituents, whether they arebosons or fermions. Bosons tend tobunch together, and in extremecases form a giant wave called aBose-Einstein Condensate (BEC).We are making a room temperatureBEC of photons. Our aim is to under-stand how photon BECs form, studytheir properties and their interactions.Ion traps Here we use laser-cooledions held in a Penning ion trap. Wecan cool an ion to the ground state ofits motion, using optical sidebandcooling, and have demonstrated anextremely low heating rate. Such asystem can be used in applicationssuch as quantum simulation. We alsoinvestigate the fascinating physics of

"ion Coulomb crystals" which areformed when clouds of ions are lasercooled. We also work with col-leagues at GSI Darmstadt to test thepredictions of Quantum Electrody-namics (QED) using highly-chargedions in a trap.

CONTROLLED QUANTUM DYNAM-ICS THEORYDavid Jennings, Myungshik Kim,Peter Knight, Florian Mintert, GeoffNew and Terry Rudolph

The theoretical research interest of thegroup is the control and manipulation ofphysical systems to exhibit manifestlyquantum mechanical effects such asquantum correlations and quantuminterference. The emphasis is on usingthese effects to perform novel protocolsin e.g. quantum computing in hybridarchitectures, quantum communicationand quantum simulations or to uncoverthe subtle role quantum mechanics mayplay in natural phenomena. Our generalapproaches can also be used, forinstance, to elucidate the role of funda-mental symmetries in nature, as well asmetrology (precision measurement).Finally, the study of controlled quantumdynamics may lead us to new insightsin the foundations of quantum mechan-ics itself.


Research Quantum Optics and LaserScience

We have been recently exploringseveral directions of research, someof them completely new to our group.In the attosecond physics domain,we have predicted a new Auger-typeprocess, ultrafast collective decay ofdouble inner-valence holes inmolecules that has been successfullymeasured by the Swedish group ofR. Feifel and co-workers [1]. We havegeneralised our theory of electronicdecay to triplet initial states relevant forPenning ionisation and collaboratedwith the leading experimental groupof Ed Narevicius (Weizmann Institute,Israel) on Penning ionisation in ultracoldcollisions [2]. Moreover, we have forthe first time explored the use of themodern dataflow computer architecturesin first-principles many-body quantummechanical computations. Incollaboration with Wayne Luk(Computing) and Maxeler Technologies,we have successfully implementedthe second-order perturbation theory(MP2) algorithm on dataflow engines,leading to ~50x acceleration factorover a single-core CPU [3]. Finally,we have used our recently developedB-spline ADC method to predictcoherence of ionic state populationin the course of molecular ionisation.This latter capability is crucial for theunderstanding of hole migration inphotoionised molecules. and moreare in progress.[1] R. Feifel, J. H.D. Eland, R. J. Squibb, M.Mucke, S. Zagorodskikh, P. Linusson, F.Tarantelli, P . Koloren c, and V. Averbukh,

Ultrafast molecular three-electron Auger decay,accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett.[2] Y. Shagam, A. Klein, W. Skomorowski, R.Yun, V. Averbukh, C. P. Koch, and E.Narevicius, Molecular hydrogen interactsmore strongly when rotationally excited at lowtemperatures leading to faster reactions,Nature Chemistry 7, 921 (2015).[3] B. Cooper, S. Girdlestone, W. Luk, P.Knowles, G. Gaydadjiev and V. Averbukh,Acceleration of the density fitting secondorder Moller-Plesset algorithm on dataflowengines, to be submitted.[4] M. Ruberti, M. Ivanov and V. Averbukh,Ionic coherence in short-pulse IR ionisation ofmolecules, to be submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.

My research has been concentratedon the development of the covariancemapping technique and on applicationsof this technique to experimentalstudies of molecules exposed toshort, intense x-ray pulses. Theexperiments have been performedat the free-electron laser, known asthe Linac Coherent Light Source(LCLS) at Stanford University,California. This research aims atunderstanding electron dynamicsunder intense x-ray irradiation ofincreasingly larger and larger molecules.Ultimately, complex biologicalmolecules, such as viruses, will beprobed with atomic resolution on thefemtosecond timescale.[1] “Disentangling formation of multiple-coreholes in aminophenol molecules exposed tobright X-FEL radiation” V Zhaunerchyk, MKamińska, M Mucke, R J Squibb, J H DEland, M N Piancastelli, L J Frasinski, J Grilj,M Koch, B K McFarland, E Sistrunk, M Gühr,R N Coffee, C Bostedt, J D Bozek, P v d

Meulen, P Linusson, R D Thomas, MLarsson, L Foucar, J Ullrich, K Motomura, SMondal, K Ueda, R Richter, K C Prince, OTakahashi, T Osipov, L Fang, B F Murphy, NBerrah and R Feifel, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt.Phys., 48 244003 (28 October 2015) [DOI:10.1088/0953-4075/48/24/244003][2] “Auger electron and photoabsorptionspectra of glycine in the vicinity of the oxygenK-edge measured with an X-FEL” A Sanchez-Gonzalez, T R Barillot, R Squibb, P Kolorenc,M Agaker, V Averbukh, M J Bearpark, CBostedt, J D Bozek, S Bruce, S CarronMontero, R N Coffee, B Cooper, J P Cryan,M Dong, J H D Eland, L Fang, H Fukuzawa,M Guehr, M Ilchen, A S Johnsson, C Liekhus-S, A Marinelli, T Maxwell, K Motomura, MMucke, A Natan, T Osipov, C Ostlin, MPernpointner, V S Petrovic, M A Robb, CSathe, E R Simpson, J G Underwood, MVacher, D J Walke, T J A Wolf, VZhaunerchyk, J-E Rubensson, N Berrah, P HBucksbaum, K Ueda, R Feifel, L J Frasinskiand J P Marangos, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt.Phys., 48 234004 (8 October 2015) [DOI:10.1088/0953-4075/48/23/234004][3] “Covariance mapping of two-photondouble core hole states in C2H2 and C2H6produced by an x-ray free electron laser” MMucke, V Zhaunerchyk, L J Frasinski, R JSquibb, M Siano, J H D Eland, P Linusson, PSalén, P v d Meulen, R D Thomas, MLarsson, L Foucar, J Ullrich, K Motomura, SMondal, K Ueda, T Osipov, L Fang, B FMurphy, N Berrah, C Bostedt, J D Bozek, SSchorb, M Messerschmidt, J M Glownia, J PCryan, R N Coffee, O Takahashi, S Wada, MN Piancastelli, R Richter, K C Prince and RFeifel, New J. Phys. 17 073002 (2 July 2015)[DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/17/7/073002] [URI:http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/25798]

Dr Vitali Averbukh

Professor Leszek Frasinski

Dr Jony Hudson



My research deals with theoreticalaspects of quantum information. Acore goal is to separate classicalcomponents from genuinely quantum-mechanical components. Entanglement and quantum coherenceare central aspects to such endeavours,and featured prominently in my workover the past year. In particular, akey focus has been the analysis ofquantum coherence within quantumthermodynamics. For example, whatdoes the second law of thermo-dynamics mean when a system isnot macroscopic, or when theysystem displays coherence and/orentanglement? In work published inNature Communications [3] weargued that a full treatment ofirreversibility in such regimes cannotbe based exclusively on free energy,but additional intrinsically quantummechanical measures must beincluded in the accounting. We builton this with a Phys. Rev. X article [2]that explains the role that asymmetryunder time-translation plays inthermodynamics. Another highlight of the yearinvolved the algorithmic notion of“randomness processing”, and itsextension into quantum regimes. Inanother Nature Communicationspublication [1], we showed thatquantum mechanics is provably morepowerful than classical mechanics inthis regard, and moreover providesdramatic speed-ups that could be

implemented experimentally in thenear future. [1] Provable Quantum Advantage inRandomness Processing H. Dale, D. Jennings, T. Rudolph Nature Communications 6 8203 (2015) [2] Quantum coherence, time-translationsymmetry and thermodynamics M. Lostaglio, K. Korzekwa, D. Jennings, T.Rudolph Phys. Rev. X 5, 021001 (2015)

[3] Description of quantum coherence inthermodynamic processes requires constraintsbeyond free energy M. Lostaglio, D. Jennings, T. Rudolph Nature Communications 6, 6383 (2015)

[4] Continuum tensor network field states, pathintegral representations and the encoding ofspatial symmetries D. Jennings, C. Brockt, J Haegeman, T. J.Osborne, F. Verstraete New J. Phys. 17 063039 (2015)

The existence of quantumsuperposition states has inspiredmany paradoxes one of which is theSchrödinger’s cat paradox.Numerous attempts, to varyingdegrees of success, have been madeto produce superposition states. Inour collaboration with experimentalistsin Florence [1], we consider aparadigm shift in this effort to moreclosely follow Schrödinger’sparadox. Examining it more carefully,we realize that the main ingredientof the story is not the cat inside thebox, but rather the superposition ofthe two operations, namely ‘kill it’ or‘leave it alive’. Rather than

producing a specific statesuperposition, which has alwaysbeen the way to investigate theparadox, we propose andexperimentally superpose distinctquantum operations to produce anylinear superposition of an arbitraryinitial state and its most distinctstate, its orthogonal. As in theparadox, our macroscopic operationis conditioned on detection of amicroscopic system: the single photon.Maxwell’s demon is a thoughtexperiment questioning the meaningof the second law of thermodynamics.We propose and implement theMaxwell’s demon experiments usinga simple photonic setup and showhow the information on the systemplays a role in thermodynamics [2].

[1] A.S. Coelho et al., Universal continuous-variable state orthogonalizer and qubitgenerator, Phys. Rev. Lett. In press

[2] M. D. Vidrighin et al, Photonic Maxwell’sdemon, Phys. Rev. Lett. In press

As Director of the BlackettLaboratory Laser Consortium I haveled the research in the Attosecondand Strong Field ScienceProgramme. This is funded by threegrants (EPSRC Programme Grant“Attosecond electron dynamics inmolecular and condensed phasesystems”, EPSRC/DSTL MURI on“Interaction of intense MIR fieldswith matter”, and ERC AdvancedGrant “Attosecond science by

Dr David Jennings

Professor Myungshik Kim

Professor John Marangos


Quantum Optics and LaserScience

Researchemission and transmission of X-rays”). Important recent resultsinclude the work reported in NaturePhotonics on two-coloursynchronised attosecond pulsegeneration and in Optica onmeasuring the photoelectronwavepacket emitted from non-monocrystalline surfaces. In thepast year my personal researchfocus has been particularly on thedevelopment of the techniques oftime-resolved X-ray spectroscopyand applications to themeasurement of electronic andnuclear dynamics of matter followingsudden photoexcitation. I highlighttwo areas in which we have madeprogress in this period: (a)development of HHG sources forattosecond pump-probeexperiments where we have madeadvances on generation of isolatedattosecond pulses and thedevelopment of a new beam-line forattosecond resolved X-rayabsorption pump-probe studies [1],(b) experiments with X-ray FELsources (LCLS in California andSACLA in Japan) measuringphotoexcitation dynamics with sub-10 femtosecond temporal resolution[2][3][4].[1] E.Simpson et al, A beamline forattosecond pump-probe experiments:Towards tracking ultrafast electron dynamicsin atoms and molecules ULTRAFASTNONLINEAR IMAGING ANDSPECTROSCOPY III Book Series:Proceedings of SPIE Volume: 9584Article Number: 958402 (2015)

[2] C.E.Liekhus-Schmltz et al, “Ultrafastisomerization initiated by X-ray coreionization”, Nature Communications, 6, 8199(2015)

[3] A.Sanchez-Gonzalez et al, “Augerelectron and photoabsorption spectra ofglycine in the vicinity of the oxygen K-edgemeasured with an XFEL”, J.Phys. B, 48,234004 (2015)

[4] T.Tachibana et al, “Nanoplasma formationby high intensity hard X-rays”, ScientificReports, 5, 10977 (2015)

In the last year we have beenworking on characterisation andcontrol of quantum coherence.For decades we were used to thefact that interference phenomenarequire coherence properties, butbeyond that qualitative relation,there was not rigorous connection.We have identified a relation thatcharacterises the maximal contrastin an interference experiment thatcan be achieved with givencoherence properties [1].The decay of such quantumcoherence is induced by interactionsof a system with its environment.Describing such situations typicallyrequires several approximations.As a result, one often obtainsdescriptions that are not in line withthe probabilistic interpretation ofquantum mechanics. We developeda framework that permits to test if agiven model is such that allquantities that we interpret asprobabilities can indeed not becomenegative [2]. Rather robustcoherence properties are found intopologically protected systems. Inour work on control of quantumsystems, we have identified acontrol mechanism that permits theclean implementation of suchtopological states in atoms stored inan optical lattice [3]. One of themost prominent applications of

states with pronounced quantumcoherence is the precise sensing ofmagnetic fields. We had developedcontrol sequences that permit tosubstantially enhance the sensitivityof such sensors, and this year wecould see our control sequencesexperimentally implemented in ourcollaboration with experimentalpartners from the TU Vienna [4].[1] Contrast in Multipath Interference andQuantum Coherence, Kai von Prillwitz,Łukasz Rudnicki & F.M., Phys. Rev. A, 92,052114 (2015)

[2] Complete positivity of non-Markovianquantum dynamics, Björn Witt, ŁukaszRudnicki, Yoshitaka Tanimura & F.M.,arXiv:1506.03638

[3] Tunable Chern insulator with optimallyshaken lattices, Albert Verdeny & F.M., Phys.Rev. A, 92, 063615 (2015)

[4] Smooth optimal quantum control forrobust solid state spin magnetometry, TobiasNöbauer, Andreas Angerer, Björn Bartels, M.Trupke, Stefan Rotter, Jörg Schmiedmayer,F.M. & Johannes Majer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115,190801 (2015)

My scientific interests lie in wherestatistical mechanics andthermodynamics meet quantum optics.My main project involves Bose-Einsteincondensates (BEC) of photons in dye-filled microcavities, where the dyepermits the light to come to thermalequilibrium at room temperature. Myteam was only the second in the worldto create this unusual quantum state oflight [1], and we have studied how andwhen thermal equlibrium is a good

Dr Florian Mintert

Dr Robert Nyman



description. With a theory collaborator, Ihave looked into methods ofmeasuring the interactions in photonBEC, which are expected to be veryweak, but nevertheless play a role insuperfluid behaviour [2]. I also maintaininterests in atomic quantum gases, forexample studying two-time correlationsin trapped BECs [3].

[1] J. Marelic and R.A. Nyman, Phys. Rev. A91, 033813 (2015).

[2] R.A. Nyman and M.H. Szymańska, Phys.Rev. A 89, 033844 (2014).

[3] M. Kohnen and R.A. Nyman, Phys. Rev. A91, 033612 (2015).

At present my interests are basedaround the following general questions: - How much more powerful is quantuminformation, and where does thisadvantage fundamentally arise from?(e.g. [1]). - How should thermodynamics bechanged when we have very smallenvironments, and our systems havequantum coherence? (e.g. [2]). - How can we build an all-in-silicon,photonic quantum computer? (e.g. [3])Although these seem reasonablydisparate, in fact the mathematicaltools and insights of quantuminformation science are used to tackleall three. [arXiv:1405.2188 [pdf, other]Thermodynamic laws beyond free energyrelations Matteo Lostaglio, David Jennings, TerryRudolph(Acceptance to Nature Communications appearslikely)

[1] Provable Quantum Advantage inRandomness Processing, Howard Dale, DavidJennings, Terry Rudolph, NatureCommunications 6, 8203 (2015)

[2] Quantum coherence, time-translationsymmetry and thermodynamics, MatteoLostaglio, Kamil Korzekwa, David Jennings,Terry Rudolph, Physical Review X 5, 021001(2015),.

[3] From three-photon GHZ states to ballisticuniversal quantum computation, MercedesGimeno-Segovia, Pete Shadbolt, Dan E.Browne, Terry Rudolph, Physical Review Letters.115, 020502 (2015)

My research activity has two mainstrands: continuing to improve theapparatus using to measure the per-manent electric dipole moment ofthe electron and developing tech-niques for direct laser cooling ofsimple polar molecules. The formerhas involved new combinedradiofrequency-optical pumpingtechniques and the design and con-struction of thin film high voltageplates for reduced Johnston noise.The first results from the laser cool-ing experiments are summarized in[1]. The apparatus has been signifi-cantly upgraded over the last yearwith all solid-state laser system andhas recently shown that CaF mole-cules can be slowed from 180 m/sto rest with frequency chirped laserlight.

[1] V. Zhelyazkova et al., Laser cooling andslowing of CaF molecules, Phys. Rev. A 89,053416 (2014).

I work on the production of ultracoldmolecules and their applications infundamental physics. Last year Imeasured the magnetic propertiesof calcium fluoride molecules [1] andthen used these data to assess thebest method for magneto-opticaltrapping of molecules [2]. I built andcharacterized a microwave trap [3]where molecules can be confinedand cooled, and I simulated theprocess of sympathetic cooling ofmolecules by ultracold atoms [4].

[1] “Measurements of the Zeeman effect inthe A and B states of calcium fluoride”, J.Devlin, M.R. Tarbutt, D.L. Kokkin and T.C.Steimle, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 317, 1 (2015).

[2] “Modeling magneto-optical trapping ofCaF molecules”, M. R. Tarbutt and T. C.Steimle, Phys. Rev. A 92, 053401 (2015).

[3] “A high quality, efficiently coupledmicrowave cavity for trapping coldmolecules”, D. P. Dunseith, S. Truppe, R. J.Hendricks, B. E. Sauer, E. A. Hinds and M. R.Tarbutt, J. Phys. B, 48, 045001 (2015).

[4] “Modeling sympathetic cooling ofmolecules by ultracold atoms”, J. Lim, M. D.Frye, J. M. Hutson and M. R. Tarbutt, Phys.Rev. A 92, 053419 (2015).

Dr Ben Sauer

Professor Terry Rudolph

Dr Mike Tarbutt


Quantum Optics and LaserScience

Research

My research within the BlackettLaboratory Laser Consortium isconcerned with Attosecond Scienceand Technology and can be dividedinto three interconnected themes: i)the development of state-of-the-artultrafast laser technology, ii) the useof (i) to develop novel short-wavelength (UV to X-ray) coherentlight sources, with focus on thoseproviding attosecond (10-18 sec)pulse durations, iii) the application of(i) and (ii) to implement noveltechniques for tracking attosecondtime-scale electron dynamics inmatter. In collaboration with the TUVAustria we have demonstrated theability to control, on the attosecondtimescale, the electron quantumtrajectories involved in the processof high harmonic generation [1].This control was exercised usingtailored high-intensity light fieldsproduced by multi-colour laser fieldsynthesis. We have shown the firsttime the generation of synchronisedVUV and XUV attosecond pulses forpump probe experiments, withsupport from collaborators inHannover [3]. In collaboration withthe EPFL, Lausanne and the ETH,Zurich, we have developed novelapparatus allowing ultrafastphotoelectron studies of liquidsamples [2]. We have made the firstmeasurements of temporalbroadening of attosecond

photoelectron wavepackets fromsolid surfaces [4], in collaborationwith Imperial colleagues from theEXSS group and from CFEL inHamburg.[1] S. Haessler et al. "Optimization ofquantum trajectories driven by strong-fieldwaveforms." Physical Review X 4, 021028(2014)

[2] C.A. Arrell, et al. "A simple electron time-of-flight spectrometer for ultrafast vacuumultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy ofliquid solutions." Review of ScientificInstruments 85.103117 (2014)

[3] D. Fabris, T. Witting, W. A. Okell, D. J.Walke, P. Matia-Hernando, J. Henkel, T. R.Barillot, M. Lein, J. P. Marangos, and J. W. G.Tisch. "Synchronized pulses generated at 20eV and 90 eV for attosecond pump–probeexperiments." Nature Photonics 9 383 (2015)

[4] Okell, W. A., T. Witting, D. Fabris, C. A.Arrell, J. Hengster, S. Ibrahimkutty, A. Seiler,M. Barthelmess, S. Stankov, D.Y. Lei, Y.Sonnefraud, M. Rahmani, T. Uphues, S.A.Maier, J.P. Marangos, J.W.G. Tisch "Temporalbroadening of attosecond photoelectronwavepackets from solid surfaces." Optica 2383 (2015)

My research involves experimentalstudies of trapped ions in a Penningtrap. Our main efforts in the lastyear have been in using opticalsideband cooling techniques toprepare an individual calcium ion inthe quantum mechanical groundstate of its motion in the trap andthen to study its coherenceproperties. We are the first group toperform ground state cooling in aPenning trap and our measured

heating rate is lower than all othermeasurements in ion traps [1]. Wehave also measured long coherencetimes in this system, which points toits suitability for applications inquantum information processing.We are making studies of ionCoulomb crystals and havedemonstrated that we canunderstand and control theconformation of ion crystals in ourtrap [2]. Theoretical work carriedout in my group has resulted in arecent proposal for the use of ions ina Penning trap for thedemonstration of simple error-correcting protocols [3]. I am alsocollaborating with a group at GSI(Darmstadt) for a measurement ofthe ground state hyperfine splittingof highly-charged beryllium ions,which can give a test of QED in veryhigh fields [4].[1] Goodwin, JF, Stutter, G, Thompson, RC,Segal, DM, Sideband cooling an ion to thequantum ground state in a Penning trap withvery low heating rate,http://arxiv.org/abs/1407.6121 (2014)

[2] Thompson RC, Mavadia S, Goodwin JF,Stutter G, Bharadia S, Crick DR, Segal DM,Control of the Conformations of Ion CoulombCrystals in a Penning Trap, 11th InternationalWorkshop on Non-Neutral Plasmas,Publisher: American Institute of Physics,ISSN: 0094-243X (2015).

[3] Goodwin JF, Brown BJ, Stutter G, Dale H,Thompson RC, Rudolph T, 2015, Trapped-ionquantum error-correcting protocols using onlyglobal operations, Physical Review A, 92,032314 (2015)

[4] Ullmann J et al., An improved value for thehyperfine splitting of hydrogen-like Bi-209(82+), Journal of Physics B, 48, 144022(2015)

Professor John Tisch

Professor Richard Thompson


The group studies interplanetary space and planetary environments, as well as the Earth's atmosphere and oceans.A major part of the group’s activity is the development and operation of numerical models and sensitiveinstrumentation for space science and Earth observation.

SPACE PLASMA PHYSICSDr Jonathan Eastwood, Dr Bob Forsyth,Prof Tim Horbury, Prof Steve Schwartz

Fundamental Plasma Processes:Magnetic reconnection, turbulence, andshock waves govern much of thedynamics of plasmas, giving rise to thetransport of momentum and energy whileaccelerating charged particles to highenergies in the process. Our interna-tionally recognised leadership in under-standing these fundamental plasmaprocesses employs spacecraft data,theory and modeling. We lead the mag-netic field instruments on important cur-rent spacecraft (ESA’s Cluster andCassini missions) and future missions(ESA’s Solar Orbiter and JUICE). Appli-cations of Space Plasma Physics: Inter-planetary space is pervaded by asupersonic solar wind emanating fromthe Sun’s corona. Variability in thatsolar wind, due to solar activity anderuptions from the solar surface, oftentermed “Solar Storms” leads to “SpaceWeather” which can energise the Earth’sradiation belts and lead to spectacularaurorae. Space Weather also has ahuge impact on satellites and ground-based systems (e.g., electricity grids)representing risks to vital services andexpensive infrastructure, and now forms amajor element in the national risk register.

PLANETARY PHYSICSDr Marina Galand, Prof MicheleDougherty FRS, Dr Ingo Mueller-Wodarg

Planetary research is focused on theCassini mission to Saturn and itslargest moon Titan, which has a dense“Earthlike” atmosphere. The groupleads the magnetometer team andinvestigates Saturn’s magnetosphere,its plasma boundaries, as well as theinternal magnetic field of the planet. Westudy planetary ionospheres, some, suchas Titan, hosting heavy organics, others,such as at Saturn, playing a key role inclosing the global magnetospheric cur-rents which arise. We study the upperatmosphere of Saturn using our SaturnThermosphere Ionosphere model. Welead the Venus Express Atmosphericdrag experiment and use it to determinethe polar thermosphere structure atVenus. We lead the operation of thePlasma Consortium suite of instrumentson board ESA’s Rosetta mission to the

comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko.We lead the magnetometer team onthe JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer)mission to Jupiter and its icy moonsand are designing the instrument inorder that it can resolve induced currentsflowing in the liquid water oceans atGanymede, Callisto and Europa.

CLIMATE PHYSICSDr Helen Brindley, Dr Arnaud Czaja,Dr Heather Graven, Prof Joanna HaighFRS, Dr Juliet Pickering, Prof Ralf Toumi,Dr Apostolos Voulgarakis

Modelling: We study the physicalprocesses and composition in theatmosphere and ocean using idealised,regional and global models (e.g.HadGEM, NASA GISS). Key expertiselies in the impact of key physicalprocesses on our climate system, suchas solar variability, the coupling of tropi-cal and extra-tropical storms with theocean, the impact of changes in atmos-pheric composition on radiation andprecipitation, and the role of fires in theEarth System.Earth Observation: Scientific lead forthe Geostationary Earth RadiationBudget (GERB) project, the only instru-ment to observe the broadband energyemitted and reflected by the Earth athigh temporal resolution. GERB dataare used to quantify, the diurnal vari-ability in Saharan dust net radiative

forcing at the top of the atmosphere,the surface, and within the atmosphere.Our Tropospheric Airborne FourierTransform Spectrometer (TAFTS) par-ticipates in national campaigns toassess the radiative effect of cirrusclouds across the electromagneticspectrum, again with the ultimate aimof using observations to improve mod-elling capability. Satellite observationsfrom instruments such as the Tropos-pheric Emission Spectrometer (TES)and Infrared Atmospheric SoundingInterferometer (IASI) play a vital role tobetter understand feedbacks operatingin the Earth system. A new activityrelates to the carbon cycle via meas-urements and modelling of atmosphericCO2 and CO2 isotopes.

INSTRUMENTATIONChris Carr, Dr Helen Brindley, Dr Heather Graven, Dr Juliet Pickering

Our research is underpinned by instru-mentation projects for spaceflight,research aircraft, and in the laboratory.Our magnetometers fly on the Cluster,Cassini, Solar Orbiter and JUICE mis-sions. the Plasma Consortium instru-mentation on the Rosetta mission, andthe GERB instruments for the Meteosat2nd Generation spacecraft. In the labo-ratory, our unique visible-vacuum ultra-violet Fourier Transform Spectrometerstudies atomic and molecular spectra

of importance for interpreta-tion of spectral measure-ments of planetaryatmospheres and astro-physical objects. Measure-ments of atmospheric CO2and its isotopic compositionare being developed tostudy anthropogenic emis-sions and their impacts onthe global carbon cycle.

Space and Atmospheric Physics


My research focuses primarily onmeasuring the Earth’s RadiationBudget, quantifying its variability ata variety of different spatial andtemporal scales and analysing factorsthat influence this behaviour. Thiswork uses a wide range of EarthObservation data in combination within-situ and ground based measure-ments and relevant modelling tools.As PI for the Geostationary EarthRadiation Budget (GERB) instrumentthis year I have led work exploitingthe data to provide the first estimateof the climatological radiative effectof mineral dust aerosol on the Top-of-Atmosphere over the Red Sea,linking this to the correspondingimpact on the surface radiationbudget and atmospheric heating.GERB-4, the last in the GERB serieswas successfully launched in Julyand preparations for the scientificrelease of a new ERB data productfrom the mission at a higher spatialresolution than is currently availableare well in hand. I have continued tolead Imperial’s involvement in NASA’sCLARREO and NPL’s TRUTHSmissions, designed to provideobservations of spectrally resolvedsolar reflectance and, for CLARREO,emitted outgoing longwave radiation,with higher absolute accuracy thanhas previously been possible fromspace. The goal for both thesemissions is to act as in-orbit calibrationstandards for the Global ClimateObserving System and reduce the

uncertainty in key climate feedbackprocesses. I am also joint divisional director ofthe Earth Observation Data and Modelevaluation section within the NationalCentre for Earth Observation (NCEO).My responsibilities include coordinatingNCEO research efforts focused on thecreation and exploitation of long-termclimate quality datasets from spaceand EO activities centred on examiningand quantifying links between theenergy and the water cycles. [1] Spectral signatures of Earth’s climatevariability over 5 years from IASI: Brindley H.,Bantges, R., Russell, J., Murray, J. et al., J.Climate, 28, 1649-1660, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00431.1, (2015)[2] An assessment of the quality of aerosolretrievals over the Red Sea and evaluation ofthe climatological cloud-free dust directradiative effect in the region: Brindley, H.,Osipov, S., Bantges, R., Smirnov, A., et al., J.Geophys. Res., 120, doi:10.1002/2015JD023282, (2015)[3] Advances in understanding mineral dustand boundary layer processes over theSahara from Fennec aircraft observations:Ryder, C., McQuaid, J., Flamant, C.,Rosenberg, P., et al., Atmos. Chem. Phys.,15, 8479-8520, doi: 10.5194/acp-15-8479-2015, (2015)[4] Impact of individual atmosphericparameters on CPV system power, energyyield and cost of energy: Chan, N., Brindley,H. and Ekins-Daukes, N., Prog. inPhotovoltaics, 22, 1080-1095, doi:10.1002/pip.2376, (2014)

I work on the development of magneticfield instruments in support of spaceand planetary physics research inthe group. Together with colleaguesin the ‘Space Magnetometer

Laboratory’ we recently deliveredour flight-hardware contribution tothe magnetometer instrument on-board ESA’s BepiColombo spacecraft,due for launch towards Mercury in2017. Recent developments inminiaturised magnetoresistiveinstruments, by Patrick Brown, ledto adoption of this design by ESA fortheir space-weather ‘SOSMAG’magnetometer. Our instrumenttechnology has also been re-licensed by Imperial Innovations, forthe purposes of satellite attitudemeasurement and control, and anew award of a NSTP (NationalSpace Technology Program)‘Pathfinder’ grant will allow us todevelop commercialisation potentialwith our industry partners UltraElectronics and NewSpace Systems.Much of our attention has beenfocussed on ESA’s Rosetta missionto comet 67P-Churyumov-Gerasimenko, with operation of theRosetta Plasma Consortiuminstruments coordinated from Imperialby Emanuele Cupido. Rosetta and67P passed perihelion in August2015, and the mission – recentlyextended by ESA – will continuethrough 2016. We continue tosupport our four magnetometers onESA’s ground-breaking ‘Cluster’mission, still delivering new scienceafter 15 years in space. [1] Auster, H. -U., Apathy, I., Berghofer, G.,Fornacon, K. -H., Remizov, A., Carr, C., . . .Glassmeier, K. -H. (2015). The nonmagneticnucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. SCIENCE, 349(6247),aaa5102. doi:10.1126/science.aaa5102[2] Nilsson, H., Wieser, G. S., Behar, E.,Wedlund, C. S., Gunell, H., Yamauchi, M.,Lundin, R., Barabash, S., Wieser, M., Carr,C., . . . Rubin, M. (2015). Birth of a cometmagnetosphere: A spring of water ions.SCIENCE, 347(6220), 4 pages.doi:10.1126/science.aaa0571[3] Leitner, S., Valavanoglou, A., Brown, P.,Hagen, C., Magnes, W., Whiteside, B. J., . . .Baumjohann, W. (2015). Design of theMagnetoresistive Magnetometer for ESA'sSOSMAG Project. IEEE TRANSACTIONSON MAGNETICS, 51(1), 4 pages.doi:10.1109/TMAG.2014.2358270

Dr Helen Brindley

Mr Chris Carr

Research Space and AtmosphericPhysics



[4] Balikhin, M. A., Shprits, Y. Y., Walker, S.N., Chen, L., Cornilleau-Wehrlin, N.,Dandouras, I., Santolik, O., Carr, C., . . .Weiss, B. (2015). Observations of discreteharmonics emerging from equatorial noise..NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 6, 6 pages.doi:10.1038/ncomms8703

Efforts in my group have recentlyfocused on understanding how warmand fast ocean currents such as theKuroshio and the Gulf Stream impacton storms and atmospheric motionsof larger scales in the extra-tropics.Using a combination of high resolutionnumerical experiments (UK MetOffice Model) and atmosphericreanalysis data (ERA interim, 1979-present), we have shown that theGulf Stream affects both the coldand warm sectors of cyclones,although with very differentmechanisms (shallow convection andmoist inertial instability, respectively).We have also shown that atmosphericheat transport in the storm track issporadic in nature, with a largecontribution to the mean arisingfrom shirt-lived and extreme burstsof heat transport. [1] O'Reilly, C. and A. Czaja: The response ofthe Pacific storm track to Kuroshio variability,Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc.,DOI:10.1002/qj.2334 (2014).

[2] Parfitt, R. And A. Czaja: On thecontribution of transient eddies to the meanstate in the North Atlantic basin, in press,Quart. J. Met. Soc. (2015).

[3] Messori, G. and A. Czaja: Someconsiderations on the spectral properties ofmeridional heat transport by transient eddies,Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc, DOI:10.1002/qj.2224(2013).

[4] Sheldon, L. and A. Czaja, Seasonal andinterannual variability of an index of deepconvection over western boundary currents,Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., DOI:10.1002/qj.2103. (2013)

My research continues to focus onunderstanding the physics of magneticreconnection. This plasma processlies at the heart of many solar, spaceand astrophysical plasma phenomenasuch as solar flares and geomagneticstorms. I am now analysing datafrom the new NASA MagnetosphericMultiScale mission, a flagshipheliophysics mission which launchedsuccessfully in March 2015 and ismaking the best-ever observationsof reconnection in the Earth’smagnetosphere. This significantlyenhances our on-going work usingother satellites such Cluster, THEMISand Wind where we have recentlypublished new research showing:the nature of ion acceleration inreconnection jets in the Earth’smagnetotail; the nature of ionthermalization in the magnetotail;and properties of reconnection inthe solar wind. This work has beenextended to other planets, in particularSaturn’s magnetic environment.Using data from Cassini we showedfor the first time the existence ofmagnetic reconnection in Saturn’smagnetotail where it enables therelease of planetary material.This research is intimately related tothe applied science of space weather. Ilead Imperial’s participation in theFP7 project HELCATS, which is

studying coronal mass ejections usingSTEREO. I am working with ICBusiness School to understand theeconomic impact of space weather,funded by UK Space Agency and incollaboration with the Met Office. Ihave also been collaborating withAirbus Defence and Space on thedevelopment of future space weathermonitoring satellites, in particularthe Carrington mission concept.[1] Eastwood, J. P., M. V. Goldman, H.Hietala, D. L. Newman, R. Mistry, and G.Lapenta, Ion dynamics near magnetotaildipolarization fronts associated with magneticreconnection, J. GEOPHYS. RES. SPACEPHYSICS, 120, 511-525, 2015.[2] Arridge, C. S., J. P. Eastwood, C. M.Jackman, G.-K. Poh, J. A. Slavin, M. F.Thomsen, N. André, X. Jia, A. Kidder, L.Lamy, A. Radioti, N. Sergis, M. Volwerk, A. P.Walsh, P. Zarka, A. J. Coates, and M. K.Dougherty, Cassini in situ observations oflong duration magnetic reconnection inSaturn’s magnetotail, NATURE PHYSICS,Advance Online Publication, 2016.[3] Hietala, H., J. F. Drake, T. D. Phan, J. P.Eastwood, and J. P. McFadden, Iontemperature anisotropy across a magnetotailreconnection jet, GEOPHYS. RES. LETT.,42, 7239-7247, 2015.[4] Mistry, R., J. P. Eastwood, T. D. Phan andH. Hietala, Development of bifurcated currentsheets in solar wind reconnection exhausts,GEOPHYS. RES. LETT., 42, 10513-10520, 2015.

I am the Principal Investigator of themagnetometer instruments onboardthe NASA-ESA Cassini-Huygensmission to the Saturn system and onthe ESA JUICE mission to Jupiterand it s moons (in particular

Professor Michele Dougherty FRS

Dr Arnaud CzajaDr Jonathan Eastwood


Ganymede) due for launch in 2022.As a result my work focuses on amix of analysis of magnetic fielddata from Cassini, planning for theCassini end of mission orbits whichwill go closer to Saturn than anyother spacecraft has gone, as wellas ensuring that the magnetic fieldinstrument which is presently beingdesigned and built for the JUICEspacecraft mission will be able toachieve the science return wepromised in our proposal.For Cassini research we continue togain a better understanding of theplasma processes occurring withSaturn s magnetosphere as well ashow this plasma interacts with themoon orbiting around Saturn. Weare also focusing on gaining a betterunderstanding of the planetary periodoscillations which change with bothseason and hemisphere, this workwill be critical for our end of missionscience (September 2017) since weneed to subtract these oscillationsfrom the data in order to focus onthe signal coming direct from Saturns interior. This will allow us toresolve the internal dynamo field atSaturn and hopefully finally resolvehow long a day is on Saturn!

Since summer 2014, the EuropeanSpace Agency (ESA) probe Rosettahas been orbiting comet 67P, whichreached perihelion in summer 2015.Through our close involvement inRosetta instruments – the Rosetta

Plasma Consortium (RPC) andRosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ionand Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) – ourgroup has focused on the evolution ofthe coma probed for the first time overseasons, local times, and heliocentricdistances (1, 2). We have also usedour recently developed cometary ionmodel in order to interpret the firstanalysed ion composition dataset (3). With nearly 2000 planets discoveredoutside our Solar System, the newfrontier in exoplanetary science is thecharacterization of atmospheres oftransiting exoplanets and theirsuitability for life. We have led multi-disciplinary research extending fromstellar physics to planetary,atmospheric physics. Our group hasfocused on the energy deposition in theupper atmosphere of gas-giantexoplanets irradiated by low mass stars(4). Escape rates from the absorptionof XUV stellar radiation in exoplanetaryatmospheres have been derived for thefirst time for the case of M-type and K-type stars. Such rates have implicationon the atmospheric evolution ofexoplanets. Closer to Earth, we havepursued our gas-giant interest in theJovian system through our involvementin the plasma package and UVspectrometer onboard the ESA/JupiterIcy Moon Explorer (JUICE).[1] Time variability and heterogeneity in the comaof 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: Hässig, M., etal. (including Galand, M.), Science, 347,aaa0276, doi: 10.1126/science.aaa0276 (2015).

[2] On the electron to neutral number densityratio in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: Guiding expression and sourcesfor deviations: Vigren, E., M. Galand, A.I.Eriksson, N.J.T. Edberg, E. Odelstad, and S.J.Schwartz, Astrophys. J., 812, 54,doi:10.1088/0004-637X/812/1/54 (2015).

[3] ROSINA/DFMS and IES observations at C-G:Ion-neutral chemistry in the coma of a weaklyoutgassing comet: Fuselier, S.A., et al. (includingGaland, M.), Astron. and Astrophys., 583, A2.1-13, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201526210(2015).

[4] XUV radiation from active stars absorbed inthe thermosphere of gas-giant planets: Chadney,J.M., M. Galand, Y. Unruh, T. Koskinen, and J.Sanz-Forcada, Icarus, 250, 357-367,

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.icarus.2014.12.012,(2015).

My research focuses on the globalcarbon cycle and the investigation ofnatural and human-induced carbonexchanges by combining observationsand models. In 2015, I was awardeda European Research Council StartingGrant to develop new observationsto investigate the sources of methaneto the atmosphere using radiocarbon.Methane is the second most importantgreenhouse gas contributing toclimate change and it has a mixtureof sources, both natural and human-produced, that currently have largeuncertainties. Since 2013, I havebeen leading a project to investigateCO2 emissions in California usingatmospheric observations andmodels, with funding from NASA. Iam leading an international workinggroup on atmospheric observationsand modeling through the NASACarbon Monitoring System, and Iam co-organizing the biogeochemicalsimulations for the next CoupledModel Intercomparison Project(CMIP6). I have developedcollaborations with researchers atseveral institutes in the UK,including the Met Office, OxfordUniversity, Bristol University and theUniversity of East Anglia. A notablepaper I authored in 2015 waspublished in the Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences; the

Research

Dr Marina Galand

Dr Heather Graven

Space and AtmosphericPhysics



study investigated changes inatmospheric radiocarbon throughthe year 2100 resulting fromdifferent scenarios for fossil fuel use,and the potential impacts ofatmospheric radiocarbon changeson various fields that useradiocarbon such as archaeologyand ecology. The paper was citedwidely in the news media. Otheroutreach activities includeparticipation at the Imperial Fringe,and a Briefing Paper and a blog postfor the Grantham Institute.[1] Graven, HD, 2015. Impact of fossil fuelemissions on atmospheric radiocarbon andvarious applications of radiocarbon over thiscentury, Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Sciences, 112(31), 9542-9545,doi:10.1073/pnas.1504467112.

[2] Goldberg, SJ, GI Ball, B Allen, GSSchladow, AJ Simpson, H Masoom, R Soong,H Graven, and LI Aluwihare, 2015. RefractoryDissolved Organic Nitrogen Accumulation inOligotrophic Lake Tahoe Shows BiologicalActivity Attenuates Nutrient Imbalance,Nature Communications, 6, 6347,doi:10.1038/ncomms7347.

[3] Sitch, S, P Friedlingstein, N Gruber, SDJones, G Murray-Tortarolo, A Ahlström, SCDoney, H Graven, C Heinze, C Huntingford, SLevis, PE Levy, M Lomas, B Poulter, N Viovy,S Zaehle, N Zeng, A Arneth, G Bonan, LBopp, JG Canadell, F Chevallier, P Ciais, REllis, M Gloor, P Peylin, S Piao, C Le Quéré,B Smith, Z Zhu, R Myneni, 2015. Trends anddrivers of regional sources and sinks ofcarbon dioxide over the past two decades,Biogeosciences, 12, 653-679,doi:10.5194/bg-12-653-2015.

[4] Lucas, DD, C Yver Kwok, P Cameron-Smith, H Graven, D Bergmann, TPGuilderson, R Weiss, and R Keeling, 2015.Designing optimal greenhouse gas observingnetworks that consider performance and cost,Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods andData Systems, 4, 121-137, doi:10.5194/gi-4-121-2015.

My work concerns how variations insolar UV radiation influence thestructure of the stratosphere3 andhow changes in the stratosphereinfluence the climate below1. Toaddress this data gap, in such animportant climate variable, we haveproposed a new approach formeasuring the solar spectrum4. Thebasis of the method is to takemeasurements of atmosphericozone, and other parameterssensitive to solar irradiance, and toanalyse variations in these todeduce what changes in thespectrum must have produced them.To date we have demonstrated thestatistical methods but not produceda robust change in solar spectrumNevertheless the technique ispromising and we are developingnew ways in which it might berefined.

Our work has continued to focus onthe role of UV radiation indetermining the structure andcomposition of the atmosphere, onstratospheric ozone and ondynamical links between thestratosphere and troposphere. In acollaborative project with the MetOffice we have assessed howassimilation of ozone data intoweather forecasting models mayimprove extended forecasts andfound that, in the case of largeanomalies such as the Antarctic

ozone hole, there is an improvementin stratospheric predictions acrossthe Southern Hemisphere andtropics. Errors in troposphericforecasts, however, are dominatedby the spread of ensemblemembers2. Using models ofstratospheric photochemistry wehave investigated the potentialimplications of different(inconsistent) measurements ofsolar UV radiation for ozoneconcentration. We have found that,even in the middle stratosphere, theinfluence of transport by winds isfundamental to the distribution1 andalso that current knowledge ofvariations in spectral irradiance isnot sufficient to warrant robustconclusions concerning the impactof solar variability on theatmosphere2. We have contributeda book on solar-climate links to thePrinceton Primers in Climateseries4.[1] Dhomse, S.S., M.P. Chipperfield, W. Feng,W.T. Ball, Y.C. Unruh, J.D. Haigh, N.A. Krivova,S.K. Solanki, and A.K. Smith 2013 StratosphericO3 changes during 2001–2010: the small role ofsolar flux variations in a chemical transportmodel. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 10113-10123,doi:10.5194/acp-13-10113-2013

[2] Cheung, J.C.H., J.D. Haigh and D.R. Jackson2014 Impact of EOS MLS ozone data onmedium-extended range ensemble weatherforecasts. J. Geophys. Res. 119, 9253–9266,doi:10.1002/2014JD021823.

[3] Ball, W.T., N.A. Krivova, Y.C. Unruh, J.D.Haigh and S.K. Solanki 2014 A new SATIRE-Sspectral solar irradiance dataset for solar cycles21–23 and its implications for stratosphericozone. J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 4086-4101.

[4] Haigh, J.D. and P. Cargill 2015 The Sun’sinfluence on climate. 216pp. Princeton UniversityPress. ISBN: 9780691153841

Professor Jo Haigh FRS


Our work to build the magnetometerinstrument for the Solar Orbitermission, due to launch in 2018,proceeds apace. During 2015 theinstrument team, led by theInstrument Manager Helen O’Brien,undertook testing of our EngineeringModel. The next 12 months will becritical, culminating in the delivery ofthe Flight Model in November 2016.Our scientific focus is turningtowards the inner solar system,where Solar Orbiter will explore.Working with and Junior ResearchFellow Chris Chen, Lorenzo Matteiniand STFC PhD student DavidStansby, we are exploring kineticand turbulent processes in the solarwind plasma, as well as theimplications of short-lived jets ofsolar plasma whose origins remainunclear.[1] Archer MO, Horbury TS, Brown P,Eastwood JP, Oddy TM, Whiteside BJ,Sample JG et al., 2015, The magic of cinema:first in-flight science results from aminiaturised anisotropic magnetoresistivemagnetometer, Annales Geophyicae, Vol: 33,Pages: 725-735, ISSN: 0992-7689 [2] Matteini L, Horbury TS, Pantellini F, VelliM, Schwartz SJ et al., 2015, Ion kineticenergy conservation and magnetic fieldstrength constancy inmulti-fluid solar windalfvenic turbulence, Astrophysical Journal,Vol: 802, ISSN: 1538-4357 [3] Chen CHK, Matteini L, Burgess D,Horbury TS et al., 2015, Magnetic fieldrotations in the solar wind at kinetic scales,Monthly notices of The Royal AstronomicalSociety, Vol: 453, Pages: L64-L68, ISSN:

0035-8711 [4] Matteini L, Horbury TS, Neugebauer M,Goldstein BE et al., 2014, Dependence ofsolar wind speed on the local magnetic fieldorientation: Role of Alfvenic fluctuations,Geophysical Research Letters, Vol: 41,Pages: 259-265, ISSN: 0094-8276

My research concerns planetarysystems, focusing on the structure anddynamics of both planetary and moonmagnetospheres. Assessments of howthe fundamental process of magneticreconnection operates at the boundaryof both Saturn’s and Neptune’smagnetosphere has recently beenreported. In the case of Saturn this hasanswered the long-standing question ofwhether the solar wind is capable ofdriving the planetary magnetosphere –generally not, except under very rareand extreme solar wind conditions.Work with international collaborators isongoing, covering a range of topics,e.g., Jupiter’s mysterious transientauroral emissions.Preparations for the European SpaceAgency’s first flagship planetarymission is well underway. The JupiterIcy Moons Explorer (JUICE) missionwill answer a broad range of sciencequestions about the Jupiter system,and investigate Jupiter’s moonGanymede – a potential habitat. I holda multi-disciplinary role as co-lead ofone of four science working groups,coordinating input from instrumentteams in order to plan future operationswhen the spacecraft enters Jupiter

orbit, and then Ganymede orbit. I havealso taken up roles concerningexploration of Europa, Jupiter’s othermoon of great interest, and concerningthe planning of a future mission toeither Uranus or Neptune in theoutermost Solar System.[1] Magnetic reconnection at Neptune’smagnetopause, A. Masters, Journal ofGeophysical Research: Space Physics, , Volume120, pp. 479-493, Published online in Jan 2015, DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020744.

[2] The dayside reconnection voltage applied toSaturn’s magnetosphere, A. Masters,Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 42, DOI:10.1002/2015GL063361.

[3] Quasiperpendicular high Mach numbershocks, A. H. Sulaiman, A. Masters, M. K.Dougherty, D. Burgess, M. Fujimoto, G. B.Hospodarsky, Physical Review Letters, Volume115, 125001, DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.125001.

[4] Transient internally driven aurora at Jupiterdiscovered by Hisaki and the Hubble SpaceTelescope, T. Kimura, S. V. Badman, C. Tao, K.Yoshioka, G. Murakami, A. Yamazaki, F.Tsuchiya, B. Bonfond, A. J. Steffl, A. Masters, S.Kasahara, H. Hasegawa, I. Yoshikawa, M.Fujimoto, J. T. Clarke, Geophysical ResearchLetters, Volume 42, pp. 1662-1668, DOI:10.1002/2015GL063272.

Focus of my work have beenstudies of the atmospheres ofVenus, Saturn and Titan, while myPhD student Mehdi Ben Slama hasbeen exploring the electro-magneticsignals produced by the internaloceans of Jupiter’s moonsGanymede and Europa. DuringJune/July 2014 the Venus Express

Dr Adam Masters

Dr Ingo Mueller Wodarg

Professor Tim Horbury




spacecraft made flybys throughVenus’ atmosphere down to 130 kmaltitude, deep enough for theatmospheric drag on the spacecraftto be detectable by on-boardaccelerometers. This aerobrakingexperiment which we led producedthe first ever in-situ measurementsof atmospheric densities on Venusnear 75˚N latitude and 130-140 kmaltitude. We detected a plethora ofatmospheric waves, includingplanetary waves of 5-day period,unexpected at those altitudes(Mueller-Wodarg et al., 2016). Ourstudies of Titan’s upper atmospherefocused on its large variability,including atmospheric waves, detectedby the Cassini Ion and Neutral MassSpectrometer (INMS). Simulationswith our Titan General CirculationModel (GCM) successfully reproducedthe INMS observations for the firsttime, illustrating that Titan’s upperatmosphere is forced primarily by itsstratosphere and troposphere. OurSaturn GCM has contributed toanalyses of Cassini UV occultationdata (Koskinen et al., 2015) as wellas determination of the influx ofwater from Saturn’s rings (Moore etal., 2015). Furthermore, we have madeimportant progress on resolving the“energy crisis”, unexpectedly largetemperatures observed in Saturn’sthermosphere. We find the key toresolving this decade-old problem tolie in wave-induced momentum dragwhich enables the global redistributionof energy from ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling. Mucheffort went into our preparations forthe forthcoming Jupiter Icy MoonExplorer (JUICE) mission, in particularin context with the Radio and PlasmaWave Instrument (RPWI) which weco-lead with the Swedish Institutefor Space Physics (IRF).

[1] Müller-Wodarg, I. C. F., S. Bruinsma, J.-C.Marty, and H. Svedhem (2016), In–situobservations of waves in Venus’ polar lowerthermosphere with Venus Expressaerobraking, in press, Nature Physics.

[2] Koskinen, T. T., B. R. Sandel, R. V. Yelle,D. F. Strobel, I. C. F. Müller-Wodarg, and J. T.Erwin (2015), Saturn's variable thermospherefrom Cassini/UVIS occultations, Icarus, 260,174-189.

[3] Moore, L., J. O'Donoghue, I. C. F. Müller-Wodarg, M. Galand, and M. Mendillo (2015),Saturn ring rain: Model estimates of waterinflux into Saturn's atmosphere, Icarus, 245,355-366.

Our team working with our uniqueFar-IR (infrared) radiometer (TAFTS,Tropospheric Airborne FourierTransform Spectrometer) hasundertaken field campaigns basedout of Prestwick flying with the FAAM(Facility for Airborne AtmosphericMeasurements) in a NERC fundedproject CIRCCREX (Cirrus CoupledCloud Radiation Experiment), acollaboration involving the UK MetOffice, Manchester and HertfordshireUniversities. The resulting uniquedatasets are being used to understandthe radiative properties of cirrusclouds across the electromagneticspectrum and currently poorlyunderstood in the Far-IR. This isexpected to have impacts in improvedmodelling of cirrus in both climateand numerical weather predictionmodels. We have also publishednew measurements of the watervapour continuum from TAFTS’deployment in Alaska [1]. Our laboratory spectroscopy teamhas continued to provide urgentlyneeded new atomic data forastrophysics applications, supportedby the STFC. An example is new

atomic data for iron being used inlarge scale Galactic surveys (GaiaESO, APOGEE) involving observationsof several 100,000 stars to understandGalactic evolution. We also use ourFourier Transform spectrometers toinvestigate spectra of key elementsused in industrial analytical applications,in particular Glow Discharge opticalemission spectroscopy, whereunderstanding effects of tracemolecular gases in the analyticallight source will allow more accurateapplication of this technique, forexample in the steel industry.[1] Fox C, Green PD, Pickering JC, HumpageN , 2015, Analysis of far-infrared spectralradiance observations of the water vaporcontinuum in the Arctic, Journal ofQuantitative Spectroscopy & RadiativeTransfer,155, 57-65doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2015.01.001

[2] Heiter U, Lind K, Asplund M, et al.HeiterU, Lind K, Asplund M, Barklem PS,Bergemann M, Magrini L, Masseron T,Mikolaitis S, Pickering JC, Ruffoni MP, 2015,Atomic and molecular data for optical stellarspectroscopy, Physica Scripta, 90(5), Art.054010 DOI: 10.1088/0031-8949/90/5/054010

[3] Weiss Z, Steers EBM, Pickering JC, 2015,Transition rates and transition rate diagramsin atomic emission spectroscopy: A review,Spectrochimica Acta Part B-atomicSpectroscopy, 110, 79 doi10.1016/j.sab.2015.05.013

Work, with post-doc Matteini hasexplored the dynamics of differentsolar wind ions in the presence ofinterplanetary turbulence. Wediscovered a hitherto little explored

Professor Steve Schwartz

Professor Juliet Pickering


instability that is applicable to thevery tenuous environment of comet67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko asmall, weakly out-gassing cometcurrently accompanied in its orbit bythe European Space Agency’scomet chaser Rosetta. That work islinked to concepts pioneered byMatteini for understanding thebehaviour of alpha particles in thesolar wind turbulence. Ongoingcollaborations with colleagueGaland and post-doc Beth exploredthe electrodynamics of the highly-inhomogeneous ionisation regionaround 67P. Work has begun onNASA’s prime new mission, MMS,which consists of four spacecraft inclose formation to study small-scaleelectron processes in the Earth’smagnetosphere. Currently onsabbatical at the MMS operationscentre at LASP in Boulder, I haveestablished a small teamconcentrating on the Earth’s bowshock, building on the key resultsobtained previously with post-docMitchell and longstandingexperience with multi-spacecraftanalysis dating from ESA’s Clustermission.[1] Archer MO, Turner DL, Eastwood JP,Schwartz SJ, Horbury TS et al., 2015, Globalimpacts of a Foreshock Bubble:Magnetosheath, magnetopause and ground-based observations, Planetary and SpaceScience, Vol: 106, Pages: 56-66, ISSN: 0032-0633[2] Matteini L, Hellinger P, Schwartz SJ, LandiS et al., 2015, Fire hose instability driven byalpha particle temperature anisotropy,Astrophysical Journal, Vol: 812, ISSN: 0004-637X[3] Matteini L, Horbury TS, Pantellini F, VelliM, Schwartz SJ et al., 2015, Ion kineticenergy conservation and magnetic fieldstrength constancy in multi-fluid solar windAlfvenic turbulence, Astrophysical Journal,Vol: 802, ISSN: 0004-637X[4] Matteini L, Schwartz SJ, Hellinger P, 2015,Cometary ion instabilities in the solar wind,Planetary and Space Science, Vol: 119,Pages: 3-12, ISSN: 0032-0633

Our principal work is on regionalclimate modelling (1-4) andstochastic weather generators togain a physical understanding ofprocesses particularly as they relateto extreme events such as cyclonesand floods. We are stronglyengaged with industry. In theClimate KIC we lead the OASISproject (www.oasislmf.org) which isan exciting project to develop opensource catastrophe modelling toolsfor insurance and other sectors.Tropical cyclone research highlightsare that we have demonstrated howthey are affected by ocean colour(2) and how the ocean surface wavefootprint increases rapidly withtemperature (4).

[1] Broadbridge, Maria B.; Toumi, Ralf Thedeep circulation of the Faroe ShetlandChannel: Opposing flows and topographiceddies JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICALRESEARCH-OCEANS, 120, 9,5983 59962015 [2] Hardwick SR, Toumi R, Pfeifer M, TurnerEC, Nilus R, Ewers RM The relationshipbetween leaf area index and microclimate intropical forest and oil palm plantation: Forestdisturbance drives changes in microclimate,Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 201,187-195, 2015.[3] Newinger, C.; Toumi, R ; Potential impactof the colored Amazon and Orinoco plume ontropical cyclone intensity. JOURNAL OFGEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS, 120,2 1296-1317, 2015[4] Phibbs, Samuel; Toumi, Ralf Modeleddependence of wind and waves on oceantemperature in tropical cyclones

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS , 41,20, 7383-7390, 2014

I joined the department in March2015, in a joint appointment with theGrantham Institute. I am anoceanographer, studying how oceancurrents heat, plankton and plasticmaterial around the globe and whatthat means for climate and theenvironment. I am interested in howdifferent parts of the ocean areconnected on timescales of years todecades, and how large-scaletransport patterns emerge from thechaotic and turbulent nature of theocean circulation. I am alsointerested in how ocean currentsshape ecosystems, in particularwhere marine life is most at risk tofloating plastic litter. I am a member of the UnitedNations Joint Group of Experts onthe Scientific Aspects of MarineEnvironmental Protection(GESAMP), in which I have beenco-writing a report, to be publishedin early 2016 on ‘Sources, fate andeffects of micro-plastics in themarine environment’.I have received funding fromEPSRC to scope out new ways todeal with Big Data, focussing onhow to analyse pathways of waterparcels within the next generation ofpetascale ocean circulation models.In 2015, I have published 15 peer-reviewed journal papers, 4 of whichas first author, in journals including

Professor Ralf Toumi

Dr Erik van Sebille




Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Sciences, NatureCommunications (2x) and GlobalChange Biology. I have also donemore than 50 interviews withinternational media including CNN,NBC, BBC, Sky News, New YorkTimes, and the Guardian on oceancirculation and climate change.

[1] van Sebille, E., Scussolini, P., Durgadoo,J. V., Peeters, F. J. C., Biastoch, A., Weijer,W., et al. (2015). Ocean currents generatelarge footprints in marine palaeoclimateproxies. Nature Communications, 6, 6521.http://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7521[2] Wilcox, C., van Sebille, E., & Hardesty, B.D. (2015). Threat of plastic pollution toseabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing.Proceedings of the National Academy ofSciences, 112, 11899–11904.http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1502108112[3] Cetina-Heredia, P., Roughan, M., vanSebille, E., Feng, M., & Coleman, M. A.(2015). Strengthened currents override theeffect of warming on lobster larval dispersal &survival. Global Change Biology, 21, 4377–4386. http://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13063[4] van Sebille, E., Wilcox, C., Lebreton, L. C.M., Maximenko, N. A., Hardesty, B. D., vanFraneker, J. A., et al. (2015). A globalinventory of small floating plastic debris.Environmental Research Letters, 10, 124006.http://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/12/124006

The Composition-Climate teamwithin SPAT investigates theinteractions between atmosphericconstituents and climate change,from regional to global scales. Forthis, global climate models thatinvolve interactive composition areused in conjunction withobservations, especially fromsatellites. A major focus over thepast few years is the study of fire-atmosphere interactions. Recentrelated work in the team investigatesthe variability of fire-generatedpollution, its linkages to climate, andits impacts on human health(Voulgarakis et al., 2015a; 2015b).Our group is also developing thefirst interactive fire scheme for theMet Office’s global climate model(PhD student Stephane Mangeon),while we are also collaborating withteams at NASA on a variety of fire-related topics (e.g. Mangeon et al.,2015). A further focus of the teamhas been on understanding the roleof aerosols in modulating global andregional climate (PhD studentKasoar et al., 2015), with anemphasis on Asia (PhD studentDilshad Shawki; collaborativeproject with IISc Bangalore). Also,ongoing work investigates theinfluence of clouds on pollutants inthe atmosphere (PhD student SunilVarma). Apostolos Voulgarakis, theleader of the team, is currentlyanalysis lead for the international

Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative(CCMI), member of the ScientificSteering Committee of thePrecipitation Driver and ResponseModel Intercomparison Project(PDRMIP), and participant in theFire Model Intercomparison Project(FireMIP). [1] Kasoar, M., A. Voulgarakis, J.-F.Lamarque, D.T. Shindell, N. Bellouin, W.J.Collins, G. Faluvegi, K. Tsigaridis, and Atmos.Chem. Phys., 2016.: Regional and globalclimate response to anthropogenic SO2emissions from China in three climatemodels. doi:10.5194/acp-2015-1017.[2] Mangeon, S., R.D. Field, M. Fromm, C.McHugh, and A. Voulgarakis, 2015: Satelliteversus ground-based estimates of burnedarea: A comparison between MODIS basedburned area and fire agency reports overNorth America in 2007. Anthropocene Rev.,early on-line,doi:10.1177/2053019615588790.[3] Voulgarakis, A., M.E. Marlier, G. Faluvegi,D.T. Shindell, K. Tsigaridis, and S. Mangeon,2015a: Interannual variability of tropospherictrace gases and aerosols: The role ofbiomass burning emissions. J. Geophys. Res.Atmos., 120, no. 14, 7157-7173,doi:10.1002/2014JD022926.[4] Voulgarakis, A., and R.D. Field, 2015b:Fire influences on atmospheric composition,air quality, and climate. Curr. Pollut. Rep., 1,no. 2, 70-81, doi:10.1007/s40726-015-0007-z.

Dr Apostolos Voulgarakis


Theoretical PhysicsThe research of the Theoretical Physics Group covers a wide range of areas bound together by the theme offundamental questions in cosmology, gravity, particle physics, and quantum theory.

STRING/M-THEORY AND QUANTUM FIELD THEORYDuff, Gauntlett, Hanany, Hull, Stelle,Tseytlin, Waldram, Wiseman

Within this subtheme we work onthe physical and mathematicalstructure of string/M-theory as a pro-posed frameworkfor unifying theStandard Model of Particle Physicswith General Relativity.In addition, string/M-theory providesdeep insights into the non-perturba-tive structure of quantum fieldtheory.

The AdS/CFT correspondence,which relates strongly coupledquantum field theory to weakly cou-pled gravitational descriptions inhigher spacetime dimensions, is oneof the most profound discoveries instring/M-theory and is a major focusof the group. Our activities of theGroup in this area are supportedby two ERC Advanced Grants. Oneis focussed on exploring integrabilitystructures present in particular sys-tems. The second Is focussed ontrying to apply the AdS/CFT corre-spondence to poorly understoodstrongly coupled systems that arisein condensed matter physics, suchas the high temperature supercon-ductors. The properties of blackholes play a central role in this work,as they do in other areas ofresearch in this subtheme.The Group also actively investigatesthe very rich mathematical structureof string/M-theory. This line ofresearch could lead to a precisemathematical definition of whatstring/M-theory is. It is also impor-tant in connecting string theory withparticle phenomenology and inobtaining exact non-perturbativeresults in quantum field theory. Thisarea is supported by an EPSRCProgramme Grant.

COSMOLOGY AND QUANTUMFIELD THEORYContaldi, Dowker, Magueijo,Rajantie, Wiseman.Emeritus: Jones, Kibble and Rivers

The principal objective in this sub-theme is to discover ways of testing

innovative particle physics andquantum gravity theories againsthard astrophysical data. A particularstrength of the Group is the leadingexpertise in both theoretical cosmo-logical models and the extraction ofphenomenology from the data.We have made significant contribu-tions to the inflationary theory ofcosmological perurbations, usingboth analytical and lattice tech-niques. One focus is on the physicsarising at the end of inflation, partic-ularly in relation to defect production.Alternatives to inflation are alsoinvestigated including cyclic uni-verse models and varying speed oflight theories. Modified theories ofgravity obviating the need for darkmatter are another focus. The cos-mology group has been pioneeringthe extraction of phenomenologyfrom quantum gravity in severalguises and testing it against data.On the more observational side, wecontinue to work on the develop-ment and application of methods ofCMB data analysis, includinginvolvement in a number of experi-mental efforts such as Planck andSpider.

QUANTUM GRAVITY AND FOUNDATIONS OF QUANTUMMECHANICSDowker, Halliwell. Emeritus: Isham

The Group also works on otherapproaches to quantum gravityincluding causal set theory, whichposits that spacetime is fundamen-tally discrete. The foundations ofquantum mechanics, including theemergence of classicality, are inves-tigated both in connection to lowenergy phenomenology and to pro-vide insights into the structure ofquantum gravity.

COMPLEXITY AND NETWORKSEvans Emeritus: Rivers

The group also has a keen interestin statistical physics arising in classi-cal systems. This ranges from appli-cations of graph theory, to discretespace times, to citation networksand to studies of how spatial con-straints alter the structure of net-works, both in theoretical modelsand in data from actual

Image © R. Dijkgraaf


Research

This past year I have finalised amethod for the numerical calculationof the non-gaussian signature forgeneral inflationary scenarios [1,2].The aim of this research is to allowfor the general time variation ofslow-roll parameters whencalculating the bispectrum, enablingmore sensitive probes of theeffective potential of inflation usingfuture data. The calculations aretechnically challenging as a fullmode-by-mode integration must becarried out. In parallel with this Iimplemented an alternative data-driven constraint on the landscapeof inflationary models based on theHamilton-Jacobi generation ofinflationary trajectories [3]. TheHamilton-Jacobi approach allows usto generate viable inflationarysolutions that are modelindependent, or rather, independentof any assumed potential. Byparametrising the solutions viaHubble flow parameters we wereable to obtain model independentconstraints on the parameters and,in turn, relate these to allowedfunctional forms of the inflationarypotential itself.

A highlight of this past year was thefirst flight of the Spider CMBpolarisation telescope aroundAntarctica in December 2014. Alarge part of my research effort thisyear has been working on the

analysis and interpretation of theresulting data. Spider will attempt todetect the faint signal of primordialgravitational waves. A detection ofthe primordial background throughtheir B-mode CMB signature wouldhave a profound effect ontheoretical physics, confirming acrucial prediction of the simplestmodels of inflation and opening anew window on fundamentalphysics [4].

In recent work I also showed howthe signature of parity violation inthe CMB can be estimated usingcoordinate space based methodsinstead of previously consideredharmonic methods. The fact thatcoordinate space is ideally suited tothis task had been overlookedbecause the result is less intuitive.The methods pioneered in this workhave opened a new line of researchinto non-standard cosmologicaleffects.

[1] ``Non-Gaussian signatures of generalinflationary trajectories'',J. S. Horner and C.R. Contaldi, JCAP 1409 (2014) 001

[2] `The bispectrum of single-field inflationarytrajectories with $c_{s} \neq 1$'', J. S. Hornerand C.R. Contaldi, arXiv:1503.08103

[3] ``BICEP's acceleration'',C. R. Contaldi,JCAP 1410 (2014) 10, 072

[4] ``Suppressing the impact of a high tensor-to-scalar ratio on the temperatureanisotropies'',C. R. Contaldi, M. Peloso andL. Sorbo, JCAP 1407 (2014) 014

[5]`Ìmaging parity-violation in the CMB'',C.R.Contaldi, arXiv:1510.02629

In the causal set approach toquantum gravity spacetime isconjectured to be a discrete partialorder. A major question is whethersuch a parsimonious structure cancontain within itself enoughinformation to recover anapproximate continuum manifold. Iprovided further evidence that theanswer to this is yes by discovering,with my collaborators, a family ofcausal set functions that correspondto the Gibbons Hawking Yorkgravitational boundary term [1]. Wealso discovered that the Benincasa-Dowker causal set action, evaluatedon a causal interval in flatspacetime, has a value that is equalto the area of the 2-sphere ``joint’’ ofthe interval in Planck units. In otherwork I argued that the discretenessof spacetime could haveimplications for the understanding ofthe nature of time in physics [2]. Isuggest that the reason there is noconsensus on whether scienceadequately accounts for ourexperience of time is that we do notyet have a theory in which todescribe those experiences. Ifspacetime is fundamentally discrete,the process of the coming into beingof discrete atoms of spacetimecould be the passage of time,providing an objective correlate forour conscious experience. [1] M. Buck, F. Dowker, I. Jubb, and S.Surya, “Boundary Terms for Causal Sets,”

Professor Carlo Contaldi Professor Fay Dowker

Theoretical Physics


arXiv:1502.05388, Class. Quant. Grav.Volume 32, Number 20, 22 October 2015, pp.205004-205022(19)

[2] F. Dowker “The Birth of Spacetime Atomsas the Passage of Time”, Ann N Y Acad Sci.2014 Oct;1326:18-25 arXiv:1405.3492.

My recent work is devoted to findinga consistent quantum theory ofgravity. We address the question ofwhether gravity, a force traditionallydescribed by Einstein’s generalrelativity, can be regarded as theproduct of two Yang-Mills theories(quantum field theories used in thestandard model of particle physicsto describe the strong, weak andelectromagnetic forces). If so, oneshould be able to derive thecomplicated symmetries of gravityfrom the simpler ones of Yang-Mills.Following on from our success inderiving the {\it global} gravitationalsymmetries in this way we are nowaddressing the {\it local} ones suchas general coordinate invarianceand local supersymmetry. In firstapproximation, these work too [1]and the challenge is show thisexactly. A related question is themembrane origin of the globalsymmetries [2], which invokes the''double geometry’’ and ‘exceptionalgeometry’’ I introduced in 1989 and1990. Two other areas of interestwere the introduction of asupersymmetric extension ofquantum mechanics called‘’superqubits’’ [4] and the nature of

fundamental physical constants [ 3]. [1] Gravity as the square of Yang–Mills? L.Borsten (Dublin Inst.), M.J. Duff (ImperialColl., London). 2015. 14 pp. Phys.Scripta 90(2015) 108012 DOI: 10.1088/0031-8949/90/10/108012

[2] Membrane Duality Revisited M.J. Duff(Imperial Coll., London), J.X. Lu (Hefei,CUST), R. Percacci (SISSA, Trieste & INFN,Trieste), C.N. Pope (Texas A-M & CambridgeU., DAMTP), H. Samtleben (Lyon U. & Lyon,Ecole Normale Superieure), E. Sezgin (TexasA-M). Sep 9, 2015. 21 pp. Published in Nucl.Phys. B901 (2015) 1-21USTC-ICTS-15-08, MI-TH-1529 DOI:10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2015.10.003 e-Print:arXiv:1509.02915

[3] How fundamental are fundamentalconstants? M.J. Duff (Imperial Coll., London).Dec 5, 2014. 30 pp. IMPERIAL-TP-2014 MJD05 DOI: 10.1080/00107514.2014.980093ePrint: arXiv:1412.2040

[4] The structure of superqubit states L.Borsten, K. Brádler, M.J. Duff. Nov 26, 2014.12 pp. IMPERIAL-TP-2014-MJD-04 DOI:10.1393/ncr/i2015-10115-y e-Print:arXiv:1411.7311

Please note that as well as beingpart of the Theoretical Physicsgroup in Physics, I am also amember of two cross-disciplinary,inter-departrmental groups/centres:-1. Centre for Complexity Science2. Social and Cultural Analytics Lab,Data Science Institute. My work looks at complexity, and inparticular network structures, fromtheory to social scienceapplications. My major interest is tounderstand how we should change

the way we study networks whenthere is a strong constraint on thesystem.My temporal networks research ispart of wider trend to considernetworks embedded in spacesother than ordinary Euclideanspace. I demonstrated how citationnetworks have a well-definedMinkowski space-time dimension(Clough & Evans 2016). Forinstance we found the hep-tharchive (largely string theory) had alower dimension than parts ofarXiv.org. This suggests stringtheory is a much narrower field thanother areas. My approach also ledto the development of a new modelfor citation networks (Goldberg et al2015). I had the chance to presentmy approach to citation networks atthe major international conferenceof bibliometrics (Clough & Evans2015).My continuing collaboration with anarchaeologist looking at spatialnetworks led to my participation in aconference and contributing to abook covering all aspects ofmaritime network analysis, fromancient ships to modern containervessels (Rivers et al, 2015).

[1] Clough, J.C. & Evans, T.S., What is thedimension of citation space? Physica A 448(2016) 235-247 [arXiv:1408.1274, DOI:10.1016/j.physa.2015.12.053].

[2] Clough, J. & Evans, T.S., Time andCitation Networks, in Proceedings of ISSI2015 Istanbul: 15th International Society ofScientometrics and Informetrics Conference,p.1073-1078[http://www.issi2015.org/en/Proceedings-of-ISSI-2015.html ].

[3] Goldberg, S.; Anthony, H. & Evans, T.S.,Modelling Citation Networks, Scientometrics,105 (2015) 1577-1604 [arXiv:1408.2970,DOI: 10.1007/s11192-015-1737-9 , altmetricid 2604194]

[4] Rivers, R.; Evans, T. S. & Knappett, C.,From Oar to Sail; The role of technology andgeography in Bronze Age Mediterraneannetworks, in Maritime networks: Spatialstructures and time dynamics, CésarDucruetto (Ed.), Routledge, 2015, ch5, p63-76.

Dr Tim Evans

Professor Michael Duff FRS

ResearchTheoretical Physics



The AdS/CFT correspondence, whicharose out of string theory, is a powerfultheoretical tool which, quiteremarkably, allows one to studystrongly coupled quantum fieldtheories using gravitationaldescriptions in higher spacetimedimensions. In recent years there hasbeen a concerted effort to apply these`holographic' techniques to illuminatevexing condensed matter systemssuch as high temperaturesuperconductors and strange metalphases using novel black holesolutions, which are interesting in theirown right.

A very important observable to studyis the DC thermoelectric conductivityof a material. In a series of papers,culminating in [1]-[3], we proved thatthis physical observable can becalculated on the gravitational side,exactly, by solving the Navier-Stokesequations on the black hole horizon.This is a new connection betweenblack holes and fluid dynamics thatallows one to study transport ofstrongly coupled systems in afundamentally new way and shouldhave many implications in the field.[1] Navier-Stokes Equations on Black HoleHorizons and DC Thermoelectric ConductivityA. Donos, J. P. Gauntlett [arXiv:1506.01360]Phys.Rev. D92 (2015) 121901

[2] Thermoelectric DC conductivities andStokes flows on black hole horizons E.Banks, A. Donos, J. P. Gauntlett[arXiv:1507.00234] JHEP 1510 (2015) 103

[3] DC Conductivity of MagnetisedHolographic Matter A. Donos, J. P. Gauntlett,T. Griffin, L. Melgar [arXiv:1511.00713],JHEP, 2016(1), 1-37.

I continue my long-term programmeon non-trivial temporal aspects ofquantum theory, the Zeno effect andthe emergence of classicalbehaviour from quantum theory.With three MSci students, I wrote apaper explaining in physicallyintuitive terms why the standardarrival time operator in quantummechanics fails to be self-adjoint.We also offered a new, self-adjointarrival time operator with the featurethat it has a more obviousconnection to measurements thanthe standard one. I also initiated anew programme of research on theLeggett-Garg inequalities, whichconcern the degree to which asingle system measuredsequentially in time can exhibitcorrelations beyond those expectedon classical grounds, a temporalanalogue of the Bell inequalities. Insimple terms, the question of, “Is themoon there when no-one looks?”. Ioffered a new way of understandingsuch systems which makes use ofquasi-probabilities analogous to theWigner function. This work hasattracted some interest fromexperimentalists, a possibility Iintend to pursue.[1] Halliwell JJ, Evaeus J, London J, Malik Y.,2015, A self-adjoint arrival time operator

inspired by measurement models, PhysicsLetters A, Vol:379, 2445-2451.

[2] Halliwell JJ ,The Leggett-Garg Inequalitiesand No-Signalling in Time: A Quasi-Probability Approach. arXiv:1508.02271v5

During 2014-2015 Amihay Hananypublished 7 research papers thatcover various topics insupersymmetric gauge theories andin quiver gauge theories. Fewnotable projects are on:I. the difficult problem of finding theHiggs branch of a 5d theory atinfinite couplingII. Brane Tilings and their extensionto larger families of N=1supersymmetry.III. Coulomb branch formula for 3dN=2 theoriesIV. The study of nilpotent orbits asmoduli spaces of vacua for quivergauge theories[1] Quiver Theories for Moduli Spaces ofClassical Group Nilpotent Orbits Amihay Hanany, Rudolph Kalveks. Jan 15, 2016.67 pp. arXiv:1601.04020[2] Highest Weight Generating functions forhyperKahler T*(G/H) spaces Amihay Hanany, Sanjaye Ramgoolam, DiegoRodriguez-Gomez. Jan 11, 2016. 15 pp. arXiv:1601.02531[3] Consistency and Derangements in BraneTilings Amihay Hanany, Vishnu Jejjala, SanjayeRamgoolam, Rak-Kyeong Seong. Dec 30, 2015.20 pp. IMPERIAL-TP-15-AH-05, QMUL-PH-15-24,KIAS-P15061 arXiv:1512.09013[4] Construction and Deconstruction of SingleInstanton Hilbert Series Amihay Hanany, Rudolph Kalveks (Imperial Coll.,

Professor Amihay HananyProfessor Jonathan Halliwell

Professor Jerome Gauntlett


London). Sep 3, 2015. 99 pp. Published in JHEP1512 (2015) 118 DOI:10.1007/JHEP12(2015)118 arXiv:1509.01294

I have continued my researchprogramme into the geometry ofstring theory and M-theory, and inparticular into double field theory,which I introduced in joint work withZwiebach in a highly cited paperfrom 2009. String theory has dualitysymmetries, which allow theconstruction of non- geometricbackgrounds. String theory on atorus requires dual coordinatesconjugate to winding number and aT-duality symmetry. This leads tophysics and novel geometry in adoubled spacetime. I recentlyinvestigated the gauge symmetry ofdouble field theory and found anew form for finite gaugetransformations that reveals thegeometric structure of the doubledspace and the close relationshipwith generalised geometry. In workwith my student NipolChaemjumrus, these results weregeneralised to Extended FieldTheories, in which spacetime isfurther extended to incorporate U-duality symmetries.

[1] N. Chaemjumrus, C.M. Hull., 2015, FiniteGauge Transformations and Geometry inExtended Field Theory, arXiv:1512.03837

Not a lot to report! Much of my activityin the last two years has been directedtowards giving historical talks about theorigins of the Higgs mechanism andthe unified electroweak theory, or thewider standard model. None has beenpublished yet, but one, given atDICE2014 in Castiglioncello will bepublished next year. A semi-popularinvited talk I gave at the annualmeeting of the Academia Europaea inWrocław has been published [1]. I alsoprovided some theoretical input to aproject undertaken by Richard Lieu andhis student Lingze Duan of theUniversity of Alabama at Huntsville onpossible methods of improvingastrophysical measurements, of whichthe first has been published [2]. Thereis however an ongoing dispute aboutthe validity of this work.[1] T.W.B. Kibble, The standard model of particlephysics, European Rev. 23, 36–44 (2014)

[2] Richard Lieu, T.W.B. Kibble and Lingze Duan,Measurement of the dispersion of radiation froma steady cosmological source, Ap. J. 778, 73(2013)

I continued to investigate thecosmology of models with deformeddispersion relations, and theirrelation to dynamical dimensionalreduction, as seen in many quantumgravity schemes. A novel approachwas found, and UV dimensionalreduction and the power spectrumof vacuum fluctuations wereexamined in all of these theoriesand its variations, with highlights in[1]. An appraisal of the main findingsresulted in an essay submitted tothe Gravity Research Foundationcompetition [2], which received thesecond prize (out of 5 and manyhonourable mentions), behind NobelLaureate Gerard’t Hooft, whocoincidentally defended a similarthesis in his essay, starting from atotally different angle. I also finishedand submitted for publication [3] thefirst instalment of the work onstatistical evidence for cosmologicaltheories, hoping to provide a moreequitable judgment of the successesof inflation and the value ofalternatives.

Professor Sir Tom Kibble FRS Professor João Magueijo

Professor Chris Hull FRS




A key aim of my research isunderstanding the dynamics of theHiggs boson and other quantum fieldsin the very early universe. Theproperties of the Higgs boson make itparticularly interesting for cosmology,with potentially observableconsequences that may be used toprobe fundamental physics at energyscales far beyond the reach of theLHC. By considering the dynamics ofthe Higgs field during and after inflation,I have been able to constrain the valueof the last unknown parameter in theStandard Model, the coupling betweenthe Higgs field and spacetimecurvature. In today’s Universe,curvature is so low that this parameteris almost impossible to measure, but itwas very important in the highly curvedearly Universe. I have also worked on magneticmonopoles, developing methods forcalculating their properties fromquantum field theory. This is importantfor the new MoEDAL experiment whichis searching for them at the LHC.[1] M. Herranen, T. Markkanen, S. Nurmi and A.Rajantie, “Spacetime curvature and Higgsstability during inflation”, Physical Review Letters113 (2014) 211102.[2] M. Herranen, T. Markkanen, S. Nurmi and A.Rajantie, “Spacetime curvature and Higgsstability after inflation”, Physical Review Letters115 (2015) 241301.

The focus of my research during the2014-15 period has been in twoprincipal areas:1. The localisation of gravity on abraneworld subsurface of spacetimewith an infinite transverse space [1].This work circumvented a purported'no-go' theorem claiming to rule out aneffective theory of massless gravity insuch a system. This was achievedthanks to an asymptotic hyperbolicstructure of spacetime which generatesa mass gap between the masslesslower dimensional graviton and thecontinuum of Kaluza-Klein massivegravity states. It also exploited a subtleasymptotic conformal invariance andcorresponding self-adjointness featuresof the associated Schrödinger problem.2. Spherically symmetric solutions inhigher-derivative gravity. Essentiallyevery approach to the quantisation ofgravity involves quadratic curvatureterms in the gravitational effectiveaction. Finding spherically symmetricsolutions to the resulting fourth-orderfield equations has been a challengefor many years, but was achieved inpapers [2,3]. In addition to the classicSchwarzschild solution, a new branchof black-hole solutions was found,together with horizonless solutions thatcouple to shell distributional sources,and also 'wormholes' in topologicallynontrivial spacetimes.

In addition, a review was written [4] ofearlier work on the symmetry orbits of

black-hole solutions to supergravitytheories.[1] B. Crampton, C.N. Pope and K.S. Stelle,"Braneworld localisation in hyperbolicspacetime", JHEP 1412 (2014) 035. [arXiv:1408.7072]

[2] H. Lü, A. Perkins, C.N. Pope and K.S.Stelle, "Black Holes in Higher DerivativeGravity", Phys.Rev.Lett. 114 (2015) 17,171601. [arXiv: 1502.01028]

[3] H. Lü, A. Perkins, C.N. Pope and K.S.Stelle, "Spherically symmetric solutions inhigher-derivative gravity", Phys.Rev. D92(2015) 12, 124019. [arXiv: 1508.00010]

[4] K.S. Stelle, "Symmetry orbits ofsupergravity black holes", Theor.Math.Phys.182 (2015) 130-140. [arXiv: 1408.6057]

One of the main directions of ourresearch remained the integrability-based approach to AdS/CFT duality.We constructed supergravitybackgrounds corresponding tospecial integrable deformations ofthe Green-Schwarz superstringaction in AdS5 x S5 and in similarlow-dimensional spaces. We havedemonstrated that two importantclasses of integrable deformationsare related by a special limit anduncovered intricate role of T-dualityfor the corresponding backgroundswith linear dilatons along warpedisometric directions.

Another direction was the study ofquantum properties of higher spintheories containing infinite numberof massless fields of any spin thatplay central role in simplest

Professor Kellogg Stelle

Professor Arkady Tseytlin

Professor Arttu Rajantie


vectorial examples of AdS/CFTduality. We have shown that theone-loop partition function of suchtheories in flat and AdS space istrivial, suggesting their hiddensimplicity. We also suggestedgeneral expressions for all Weylanomaly coefficients insupersymmetric 6-dimensionalsuperconformal theories. [1] B. Hoare and A.A. Tseytlin, On integrabledeformations of superstring sigma modelsrelated to AdSn x Sn supercosets, Nucl.Phys.B 897, 448 (2015)

[2] B.Hoare and A.A.Tseytlin, Type IIBsupergravity solution for the T-dual of theeta-deformed AdS5 x S5 superstring, JHEP1510, 060 (2015)

[3] M. Beccaria and A.A. Tseytlin, On higherspin partition functions, J. Phys. A 48, no. 27,275401 (2015)

[4] M. Beccaria and A.A.Tseytlin, Conformalanomaly c-coefficients of superconformal 6dtheories, JHEP 1601, 001 (2016)

My work has focused on understandingthe geometric structures underlyingstring theory generalisations of Einsteingravity, with implications for the AdS/cftcorrespondence, flux compactificationsand the symmetry structure underlyingM-theory. The central developmentwas the discovery of a new extensionof conventional Riemmanian geometry,called “generalised” geometry, whichunifies the massless string degrees offreedom and symmetries. This hasimportant implications for a wide rangeof problems in string theory. In [1] Ianalysed the structure of string and

quantum corrections to type IIreductions on SU(3) structuremanifolds, showing that they closelymirror the correction on conventionalCalabi-Yau manifolds. In [2] we showedhow the string corrections to heteroticsupergravity could also be describedusing generalised geometry. In apreprint with Charles Strickland-Constable and André Coimbra, Iintroduced a new notion of “generalisedspecial holonomy”, showing that itcaptured the geometry of genericminimally supersymmetricbackgrounds. Finally in a preprint withStrickland-Constable and KanghoonLee we showed that a new class SO(8)gauged supergravity theories could notbe realised in any conventional way asa truncation of string theory, althoughthey could be realised as “non-geometrical” backgrounds, the physicalmeaning of which remains unclear. [1] Quantum Corrections in StringCompactifications on SU(3) StructureGeometries , M. Grana, J. Louis, U. Theis and D.Waldram, JHEP 1501, 057 (2015).[2] Generalised geometry for string corrections,A. Coimbra, R. Minasian, H. Triendl and D.Waldram, JHEP 1411, 160 (2014)

During the period 2014-2015 myresearch has been focussed on theAdS-CFT correspondence. I havecontinued to attempt to betterunderstand how the gauge theoryon one side of this correspondencecan encode the physics of quantumgravity on the other. In the papers

[1] and [2] I focussed onunderstanding how black holes areencoded in the gauge theory at finitetemperature. In fact we found rathersurprisingly that a particular set ofdegrees of freedom in the gaugetheory appear to naturally encodemuch of the behaviour of blackholes. In the other direction I havestarted a new program of usinggeometric techniques to study thegravitational side of thecorrespondence and makeinferences about strongly coupledgauge theory. In [3] I studied howthe gravitational theory geometry isrelated to the low energy dynamicsin the gauge theory. In [4] Iintroduced geometric tools to makevery general statements about basicphysical quantities in the gaugetheory. This is an ongoing programwith great potential for interestingphysical results.[1] “Warm p-soup and near extremal blackholes”T. Morita, S. Shiba, T. Wiseman and B.Withers Class.Quant.Grav. 31 (2014) 085001 [2] “Moduli dynamics as a predictive tool forthermal maximally supersymmetric Yang-Millsat large N” T. Morita, S. Shiba, T. Wisemanand B. Withers JHEP 07 (2015) 047 [3] “Null infinity and extremal horizons in AdS-CFT” A. Hickling, J. Lucietti and T. WisemanClass.Quant.Grav. 32 (2015) 3, 035008 [4] “AdS/CFT and the geometry of an energygap” A. Hickling and T. WisemanClass.Quant.Grav. 33 (2016) 3, 035007

Dr Toby Wiseman

Professor Daniel Waldram


Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics 101Department of Physics Review 2013 -14 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics

Technical Development, Intellectual Property andCommercial Interactions, the Blackett Laboratory

Industry Club

Research in the Physics Department at Imperial Col-lege is a mix of fundamental and end-user-inspiredinterdisciplinary science. This profile promotes the pri-mary role of physics in advancing elemental knowledgeand also highlights its crucial role in stimulating eco-nomic growth, and in tackling key global issues.

We engage with over 60 external companies throughcollaborative research, consultancy, knowledge transferand patenting/licencing of our intellectual property. Wealso contribute to economic growth through setting upcommercially successful spinout companies.

We collaborate with the commercial sector at all levelsand of course PhD students within the Department ben-efit from direct industrial sponsorship and EPSRCCASE awards.

The Department set up an industry club in 2010 in orderto interact on a more regular basis with companies whoare interested to recruit our students and postdocs andengage with the department on collaborative researchprojects.

The technology developments and commercial activitieswithin our research groups include the following:

AstrophysicsBoth the Herschel and Planck teams continue thedevelopment of data reduction and analysis software forthese two missions. For Planck our work is aimed at thedetermination of beam shapes and focal plane geome-try from actual survey data using either scans acrossindividual bright sources or through combination of dataon large numbers of fainter sources. This work is crucialto the science goals of the Planck mission. For Her-schel we are coordinating the development of datareduction and analysis software for the whole of theSPIRE instrument and have special responsibility formapmaking codes through a contract from the Euro-pean Space Agency which will be used for both theSPIRE and PACS instruments.

Condensed Matter TheoryThe group has a wide-ranging computational and theo-retical research portfolio with a strategic focus on mate-rials for structural, electronic and photonic applications,providing theoretical and computational expertise.Many projects have direct relevance to the next genera-tion of technologies. Our work on metamaterials hasshown how to create perfect lenses that beat the dif-fraction limit, how to harvest light efficiently, and how tomake objects invisible. Our work on functional andstructural materials includes studies of radiation


Technical Development, Intellectual Property andCommercial Interactions, the Blackett LaboratoryIndustry Club

damage in fusion and fission reactors, surfaces andgrain boundaries in perovskites for functional applica-tions, the high-temperature corrosion of Ni- and Fe-base structural alloys, thermoelectrics for powergeneration, capacitors for energy storage, and plasticityunder shock loading.

The Group enjoys working relationships with Accelrys,Astron, Antenova, Argonne National Laboratory, BakerHughes, BP, BAE, Element Six, Materials Design, Pla-cental Analytics, Rolls-Royce, the UK Atomic EnergyAuthority, the UK Defence Science and TechnologyLaboratory, and the US Air Force Office of ScientificResearch. We hold several patents.

Experimental Solid State PhysicsThe Experimental Solid State Physics Group developstechnologies across a broad range of areas that haveimpact on the displays and lighting sector, the informa-tion and communication technologies sector, the solarenergy sector, and the health care and security sectors.Our innovations derive largely from expertise in molecu-lar electronic materials and devices, inorganic semicon-ductors and devices, nanomagnetism and transitionmetal oxides and devices. Programmes span materialsdesign, synthesis and processing, device fabricationand optimization and applications assessment. Well-developed skills in optical and electrical materials anddevice characterization and modelling underpin thisactivity. Much of the work in the group proceeds throughcollaborative research programmes frequently involvingindustrial partners. Leading international companiesthat have supported our work include BP Solar, Merck,DuPont Teijin Films, Sumitomo Chemical Co., PhilipsResearch Labs., Solvay, Unilever, CDT, Toshiba, BASF,LG, Solenne B.V., Toyota, and Oxford Instruments. The

group also benefits from collaborations with the NPL atTeddington.

The group also has a strong record of protecting intel-lectual property and exploiting it through spinout com-panies such as QuantaSol and Molecular Vision.

High Energy PhysicsThe dark matter experimental part of the High EnergyPhysics group is dedicated to the development ofadvanced particle detectors for 1- 100 keV energiesand associated technology (high precision ultra-highvacuum technology in copper, partper-billion level gaspurification, charge/light readout technologies, cryogen-ics). A joint development programme has being under-taken with UK-based ET Enterprises Ltd (formerlyElectron Tubes Ltd) to develop a photomultiplier tubewith ultra-low radioactive background. This work is inits final stages and promises to deliver the world’s mostradio-pure phototube, which will find world-wide applica-tion in large experiments for neutrino detection, darkmatter searches, and neutrinoless double-beta decay.The underground laboratory at Boulby represents asymbiotic relationship between industry (CPL mine) anduniversity research. The gravitational-wave projectdrives charge control systems and associated technol-ogy (UV light sources, particle guns, satellite instrumen-tation). For this work the group collaborates with EADS(Astrium UK, Astrium Germany), Carlo Gavazzi Space(Italy), ETL, the European Space Agency, SciSys andSEA.

Plasma PhysicsThe Group is engaged in work involving the develop-ment and exploitation of high-voltage pulsed power sys-tems and high-power lasers. Our research using lasershas led to developments in the field of 'compact'plasma-based particle accelerators with many potentialapplications ranging from advanced light sources tomedical imaging and hadron therapy. We also investi-gate dusty plasmas, an understanding of which isimportant in integrated circuit manufacture and forfuture fusion power plant designs.

We collaborate with many companies and organisationsthat provide support for our activities in a broad range ofways including commercial contracts, knowledge trans-fer secondments, PhD support and through joint grantawards. These include UKAEA Culham, the RutherfordAppleton Laboratory, AWE Aldermaston plc, SandiaNational Laboratory, the Laboratory for Laser Energet-ics (University of Rochester), the Institute of Laser Engi-

www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics 103


neering (University of Osaka), the US Naval ResearchLaboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Labo-ratory. We also host the Centre for Inertial Fusion Stud-ies (CIFS) and the Institute of Shock Physics (ISP)which has substantial links with commercial and indus-trial organisations, include QinetiQ, THALES and BAEas well as its major sponsor, AWE. These involve inves-tigations of high-speed impacts e.g. on electronic com-ponents, high strain-rate loading of engineering andbiological materials and the development of robust pre-dictive capabilities for systems under extremes of strainand pressure.

Laser ConsortiumOur technology is associated with developing highintensity and ultra short laser pulses. Theoreticaldescriptions of the effect of these intense fields have ledto technology that can be used to produce microscopicoptical structures by laser induced modification (throughmultiphoton ionisation) of media. The attosecond basictechnology programme promises to open up new fieldsof ultra high time resolution measurement in surface sci-ence etc. Technology recently developed as part of thisproject has been spun out and a second custom systemfor hollow fibre pulse compression to generate 10 fspulses has been delivered to RAL under contract. Abroadband phase shaper for high intensity laser pulsesis also in the process of being patented. Plasmas pro-duced by interaction of short pulse lasers with subwavelength clusters and micronscale objects are apromising source for x-ray generation at lithographicallyimportant wave-lengths. They also produce high energydensity plasmas of interest for the testing of numericalcodes. Blast waves in extended cluster media can beused to model astrophysical and other strongly drivensystems and produce high quality data useful in thebenchmarking of complex radiation hydrocodes. Wehave an active collaboration with AWE including fund-ing, personnel exchange and equipment loan.

Quantum Optics and Laser ScienceThe Group applies cutting edge laser technology, quan-tum-enhanced technology and detailed numerical mod-eling to a broad range of measurement and controlproblems in information processing, metrology, sensingand basic physics research. The Centre for Cold Matterhas an ongoing collaboration with the K. J. Lesker com-pany investigating transparent conductive films for poly-mers. There are also links with PG Technology(Precision machining company) on design of moleculardecelerators, and with Shimadzu Research Laboratories(Europe) on the development of novel THz detectors

which has recently resulted in a joint patent.There are ongoing collaborations with the NationalPhysical Laboratory (NPL) on ion trapping and thedevelopment of ultra-stable lasers. This has includedsupervision of students funded by the NPL who carryout most of their experimental work there, but who areregistered as students at Imperial College. The Quan-tum Information Theory sub group has links with anumber of companies including Toshiba and NTT.

PhotonicsIn the Photonics group, most of our projects are interdis-ciplinary and we work closely with industry. Direct sup-port for research into high throughput andmultidimensional fluorescence imaging, particularly fluo-rescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) has come from PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences (UK) Ltd and GEHealthcare. ‘In kind’ support has come fromAstraZeneca UK Ltd, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, KentechInstruments Ltd, Leica Microsystems (UK) Ltd, OlympusOptical Co UK Ltd. We also have a founding interest inAurox Ltd, a spin-out from Oxford University, manufac-turing optical microscopy equipment. Our fibre laser pro-gramme addresses wavelength and pulse lengthversatile, all-fibre configurations primarily deployingMOPFA (Master Oscillator Power Fibre Amplifier) tech-nology including development of versatile compact seedsources, to generate high average power, spectrallybright single mode sources. The fibre laser work haslong-standing collaboration and support from the IPGGroup of Companies. Direct support in the area of highpower diode-pumped solid-state lasers and nonlinearoptics has come from the Electro-Magnetic RemoteSensing (EMRS) Defence Technology Centre, estab-lished by the UK Ministry of Defence and run by anindustrial consortium of SELEX Sensors and Airborne


Systems, Thales Defence, Roke Manor Research andFiltronic. This involves novel adaptive sensors and lasersources for enhancing signal and information retrieval incomplex remote sensing scenarios. Pilkington Optronics(now Thales) have supported CASE awards and ‘in kind’support has come from Shell Research Labs, Spectra-Physics and Spectron Laser Systems. The EuropeanSpace Agency is sponsoring the development of newhigh efficiency tunable lasers for next generation satel-lite-based remote sensing for atmospheric and earthscience addressing climate change, weather predictionand monitoring the health of the Earth’s bio-system.

Space and Atmospheric PhysicsThe group has a long history of leading magnetometerinstruments for space research. Our continued collabo-ration with Ultra Electronics Ltd has resulted in a newfluxgate design which at 100g is half the mass of anysensor we have previously flow in space. We completeda collaboration with EADS Astrium, MSSL (UCL) andSciSys Ltd to validate new data-handling architecturesfor future small satellites where processing power andresources will need to be shared amongst many users.We have also completed a first stage of testing new,commercially available, solid state magnetoresistivesensors, with promising results.

As part of an EU Marie Curie Research Training Net-work GLADNET we are also studying the characteristicsof Glow Discharges, used as an analytical method inindustrial applications for example in quality testing ofthin coatings.

The group is strongly engaged with the Climate knowl-edge Innovation Community (KIC) and is developing thenext generation catastrophe model software for theinsurance sector.

Theoretical PhysicsThe dominant part of the Group's activities lie in study-ing theories of the fundamental nature of the universeand associated commercial applications arise in thevery long term. However, there are some subsidiaryconsultancy activities.Tim Evans is a consultant with Digital Sciencehttp://www.digital-science.com/ who produce software tocollate and analyse information for academics and aca-demic institutions, for instance Digital Science producesSymplectic's Elements software which manages thepublications of academics at Imperial College. He isalso a Scientific Advisor to NewsfFlo http://www.news-flo.net who produce software to collate and analyse

information from News outlets for academic institutions. Jerome Gauntlett is a Scientific Advisor for the Arts Clubin Mayfair and he was the Theoretical Physics consult-ant for the film the Theory of Everything.

Physics and Corporate Partnerships 2015The FoNS Corporate Partnerships team, Dr BeckyWilson and Dr Kay Penicud, have been working with theDepartment of Physics throughout 2015 to build partner-ships with industry.

Corporate Partnerships organised the Imperial SpaceLab Annual Conference in September 2015, whichattracted over 200 people ranging from academia,industry and government. Physics was well represented,with Dr Gabrielle Thomas and Dr Peter Wass deliveringpresentations, and a number of PhD students exhibitingposters. The keynote presentation was given by JonathanFirth, the Executive Vice President of Spaceport andProgram Development at Virgin Galactic. The event hasled to several follow up meetings with industry, and dis-cussions on new collaborative projects are ongoing.

The Corporate Partnerships team worked with Profes-sor Lesley Cohen to invite industry contacts to the PhDSymposium and arrange an Industry Lunch, enablingmembers of the Department to network with a numberof industry contacts of Imperial. Further support hasincluded working with Professor Kim on the EPSRCQuantum Training Hub bid, including securing Letters ofSupport.

The Corporate Partnerships team frequently promotesthe research capabilities of the Department to a widerange of companies. In 2015, potential research collab-orations involving members of the Department were dis-cussed with partners including AWE, Qinetiq, Samsung,Dstl, BASF, Airbus Defence and Space, the SatelliteApplications Catapult, the Centre for Process Innovation,Inmarsat, e2v, EDF, Solar Century, Evonik, NorthropGrumman, Lockheed Martin, National Physical Laboratory,Johnson Matthey, Shell, BP – and many more. Thesediscussions have led to a number of new industry col-laborations.

New initiatives planned for 2016 include the launch of anew training programme in working with external part-ners including those from industry, and a refresh of thedefence and space mailing list managed by CorporatePartnerships, which aims to broaden the connectionsbetween a number of defence and space sector part-ners and academics across Imperial.


BLACKETT LABORATORY INDUSTRY CLUB

In 2010 the department set up the Industry Club, withthe aim to enhance the good working relationships thatexist between the Imperial College Physics Departmentand a number of companies and to develop such rela-tionships with new partners. The department set aboutcreating two departmental wide events per year invitingall Industry club members. The PGR Research Sympo-sium event which is held in June each year, is a showcasing event where all second year PhD students pres-ent posters and all third year PhD students give talks.Industry club members are involved in choosing posterprize winners. The second major event of the year is theindustry club recruitment event, which is a more tradi-tional career fair. Both events are well attended.

In 2015, the industry club co-sponsored our internationalundergraduate summer research exchange programme(i-UROP) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Uni-

versity of British Columbia,and Seoul National Univer-sity creating the opportunity for seven of our third yearPhysics undergraduates to enjoy a state of the artresearch experience.

The industry club also sponsors a PhD thesis prize andtwo of our club members AWE and Winton Capital alsosponsor their own named post graduate thesis prize.

2015 Industry Club members include:AWE,BP, Bloomberg, Electronic Arts National PhysicalLaboratory, Oxford Instruments, , Qioptiq, RBS, Ren-ishaw, TTP, Toshiba, Winton Capital.

Bespoke recruitment events were held in 2015 for Ren-ishaw and Electronic Arts.




Outreach

The Department has a dedicatedOutreach Unit, managed by SeniorTeaching Fellow Dr Mark Richards(Head of Physics Outreach), andemploying two other full- timemembers of staff: Vinita Hassard(Outreach Coordinator and OgdenScience Officer), and Dr SimonFoster (Outreach Officer).Funding in support of theseactivities has been awardedby the Ogden Trust and theRCUK School UniversityPartnership Initiative. SimonFoster trains and supportsstaff and students toparticipate in outreach andpublic engagement, as wellas undertaking his ownbespoke Outreach activitiesassociated with the threeEPSRC funded Centres forDoctoral Training.In 2015 the department hasundertaken numerousactivities such as talks,workshops and interactivedemonstrations withschools, local societies,teacher groups, charities,and other likemindedinstitutions (such as the

Institute of Physics). We haveattended HE fairs, science careersevents and national science events(including the Expo Science Fair, theCheltenham science festival, the BigBang fair, Science Uncovered, andthe Royal Society SummerExhibition).

In 2015 Physics staff memberspresented many outreach and publicunderstanding talks. These activitiesare listed athttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics/about/outreach. In addition, theOutreach Unit has played an increasingrole in assisting researchers in theDepartment with the disseminationof their research through bespokepublic engagement initiatives.

Engaging Young People

Insights Work ExperienceProgramme: In 2015, the department ran itsflagship Insights work experiencescheme for the fourth year. Thescheme is designed for year 12students in schools with littleprevious connection to the College.This offers an opportunity for ablestudents who attend schools withlittle or no previous history of applyingto Imperial; with the aim of wideningaccess to such schools. Students on

Interaction with Schools and the General Public


Outreachthe scheme obtain a glimpse intoresearch as well as experiencing thelife of an undergraduate.. We receivedover 350 applications for the 2015insights scheme, and recruited acohort of 20 students. The successof the scheme has now been replicatedacross several other departmentsincluding Electrical Engineering,Chemistry, and the National Heartand Lung Institute. All applicationsare now handled by College centrally,and it is expected that many otherdepartments across Imperial willfollow suite over the coming years.

Open Days:The Department Open Days continueto be a great success, showcasingrecent research, providing an insightinto physics courses and examplesof the many careers that can resultfrom a physics degree. We welcomedapproximately 1500 students in 2015.

Outreach activities 2015

International Year of Light –GoPhoton!

The year 2015 was designated byUN resolution the International Yearof Light as a global celebration of theimpact of light and photonics in ourlives. The year fell at the conjunctionof several anniversaries (e.g. 1015Al-Hazen’s first book on optics, 1865Maxwell’s equations, 1965 Kao’s workon optical fibres, etc.). The EU-fundedGoPhoton! programme was conceivedto deliver throughout 2015 a series ofhigh-profile physics outreach events,

aimed at audiences ranging fromschool children to entrepreneurs. Theevents included several presentationsto the general public at the Scienceand Natural History Museums, a‘Light-Late’ Fringe evening at Imperial,a Photonics Congress for 6th Formers,‘The Future’s Bright’ meeting (forentrepreneurs and industry), twoOpen Days, and the creation of the‘Light-Zone’ for the Imperial Festivalover the weekend 9th-11th May. Ofthe 15,000 public visitors, around2,500 attended the Light Zone. As well as numerous interactiveoptics-based displays (light painting,polarization, optical lie detector, laserprojection microscope, solar cells,laser balloon popping, etc.) the LightZone area hosted a 45-minute splashshow including a science rapper, alaser harpist and a professionallychoreographed display – the MaxwellHip Hop – designed to illustrate keyfeatures of electromagnetic wavepropagation through the medium ofcontemporary dance.

List of GoPhoton! Activities

19th February 2015 – Lit Up FringeFestival, Imperial College - World ofPolarization20th March 2015 – Fresnel Lecture,GoPhoton! Art of Polarization, RoyalInstitute 22nd April 2015 – Photonics OpenEvening, Blackett Lab 9th-11th May 2015 – The PhotonicsSplash, Imperial Festival, ImperialCollege8th May 2015 – The Future’sBright, Light Talks, Blackett Lab27th May 2015 – Light In/Visibility,Art of Polarization at Light Lates,Science Museum25th June 2015 – PhysicsDepartment Open Day (talksfocusing on Photonics) Blackett Lab25th September 2015 – ScienceUncovered, Natural HistoryMuseum 21st November 2015 – Light andDark matters, Light In/Visibility Art


Outreachof Polarization Tate Modern2nd December 2015 – Girls &Boys Photonics Congress, SAFbuilding Imperial College

Outreach highlightsProf Terry Rudolph’s Inaugurallecture: Prof. Rudolph gave hisinaugural lecture on 28th October2014, but in the past year it hasgone ‘viral’ and now has over725,000 views on Youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKGZDhQoR9E) It’s Imperial topranking video and one of the mostpopular videos discussing Quantumtheory on Youtube.

The CQD ‘Quantum Show’: Eachyear the new cohort of PhD studentsin the Controlled Quantum Dynamics(CQD) doctoral training centre puton a public show to explain theprinciples of Quantum mechanics.The aim is to get the studentsprepared for discussing the researchwith the public in the future, which isan important part of being a scientists.As part of this the students allreceive training through their firstterm in the DTC and its hoped thatafter the show they will put their newfound skills to use by undertakingadditional talks whilst at Imperial.

This year’s show was in front of anaudience of 200 people, from A levelstudents to senior citizens!

Royal Institution lates: Dr SimonFoster took part in the ‘Gunpowder,Treason and Plot’ Ri lates event onFriday 6th November. Simon gavethe main lecture on the history ofGunpowder in the iconic theatre toover 400 people.http://rigb.org/whats-on/events-2015/november/lates-gunpowder-treason-and-plot

Greenlight for girls: Greenlight forgirls is an international organisationaimed at inspiring girls of all agesand backgrounds to undertake acareer in the STEM subjects. Eventshave previously been held in the USAand Europe (which Imperial studentsand researchers have taken part in) andin September 2015 G4G held theirUK launch at Imperial College. Theevent was organised by Jess Wadefrom the Centre for Plastic Electronicsand more than 200 students aged 12-16 took part in the day. Not only weretalks and workshops given by Imperialresearchers and academics, but Jessalso managed to get a whole host ofexternal groups to come along andrun activities, such as CISCO, The

Royal Astronomical Society, INTEL,RSC, IET and Bletchley park evenbrought along one of their Enigmamachines to let the students have aplay with! The feedback was amazingand everyone took part was inspiredby Jess and the day’s activities (NBJess has the data and numbers).http://greenlightforgirls.org/g4g-dayimperial-college-london-2015

Women in Physics day: On April22 2015 we hosted our annual eventaimed at girls in years 10-11-12 underthe ‘Go Photon’ heading. We hadone hundred and fifty participantsthis year who were welcomed to thedepartment by Dr Mark Richardsand heard talks given by Prof JennyNelson on Organic Solar Cell research,Dr Marina Garland on the developmentof the Rossetta Mission, and JessWade on the PhD student journey.Juliet Pickering gave guidance onthe admissions process to thedepartment.

Jess Wade winning the IoP ‘earlycareer physics communicator’award: Jess Wade won the IoPearly career physics communicatoraward for her excellent activities inOutreach and Public Engagement.http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_26-11-2015-15-55-38

Tim Peake/Principia launch event:SPAT and Astrophysics both tookpart in the Principia launch event atthe science museum to celebrate thelaunch of Time Peake to theInternational Space Station. TheSPAT group took along a replica ofthe solar orbiter satellite that will belaunched in 2018 to study the Sunand heliosphere and theAstrophysics took along the newImperial Planetarium and wowedaudiences with their research. Inaddition Dr Simon Foster undertookvarious media activities during theday to discuss the launch speakingon ITV news, CNN and Forces TV.


Outreach

Science uncovered at the NHM:This is the ‘European researchersnight’ held annually at the NHM.Lot’s of groups took part, but withthis year being the ‘internationalYear of Light’ the photonics grouphad a large display, with a variety ofthings on display.http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/eventssummary/event_3-8-2015-10-19-34

Imperial Festival 2015: A variety ofdifferent groups took part in thisyear’s festival, with several havingdisplays in the marquee. Also, aspart of the ‘International Year ofLight’ the photonics group took overthe great hall and held a programmeof inspiring activities. Vinita andMartin McCall will be able to advisemore on this.

Pint of Science: The Theory andSimulation of Materials (TSM) grouphosted the physics section of thePint of Science event called ‘Atomsto Galaxies’. Pint of science is ascience festival which takes place inpubs across the country, wherescientists speak to members of thepublic in a less formal environment

(a pub) to break down the barriersbetween scientists and the public.This year’s speakers included TobyWiseman, Steven Schwartz, ArthurTurrell and Emily Drabek-Maunderfrom the Department of Physics. Pintof science has been identified by thePrime Minister as one of the ‘Pointsof Light’https://www.pointsoflight.gov.uk/pint-of-science/

Duck Quacks Don’t Echo: DrSimon Foster and Imperial alumniMaggie Aderin-Pocock are scientistson Sky One’s Science entertainmentshow Duck Quacks Don’t Echo,aired in September and October2015. Weekly viewing figures were

around 500,000 per showInterrobang: Interrobang is a nightof art, comedy and science,designed to provoke discussion andideas. The October event took placearound the topic of the climatecoinciding with the UN conferenceon climate change being held inParis. Dr Simon Foster spoke aboutthe Sun’s influence on the climate,alongside international fashiondesigner Vivienne Westwood andwriter, actress and comedian SaraPascoe.http://omnibus-clapham.org/event/perception-festival-voice-interrobang-artcop21/

Girls science club: Beth Rice(postgraduate in Physics) runs agirls science club at the BaytreeCentre in Brixton. The centre is aneducation and social inclusioncharity for women and girls in thelocal area. The club is for primaryaged children (6-11 years old) andeach week the pupils undertake adifferent hands on experiment toteach them something about scienceor just how to think like a scientist.

List of Main Physics OutreachActivities

22nd April 2015 – Women inPhysics, Blackett Lab (talks, demos,and departmental tours) 17th June 2015 – GCSE Open Day,Blackett Lab (talks, demos, anddepartmental tours)18th June 2015 – UG Project OpenDay, Blackett Lab (talks, demos, andtours)24-25th June 2015 – Science &Engineering Open Days, ImperialCollege (talks, demos and tours) 19th September 2015 – Science &Engineering Open Day, ImperialCollege (“)

29th June-10th July 2015 – InsightsWork Experience, Blackett Lab


School and Public Talks

Arttu Ranjante

12 Mar 2015, “Big Bang andExpanding Universe”, Nower HillHigh School 29 Jun-5 Jul 2015, “MonopoleQuest” exhibit at the Royal SocietySummer Science Exhibition17 Oct 2015, “What Does the HiggsSay?” The Prince’s TeachingInstitute Physics New TeacherSubject Day, Pimlico Academy3 Nov 2015, “Big Bang andExpanding Universe”, UTC Reading5 Nov 2014, “Magnetic Monopoles”,Simon Langton Grammar School forBoys26 Nov 2014, “What Does the HiggsSay?” The Bishop’s Stortford HighSchool

Roberto Trotta

January 14th – WinchesterScience Centre, WinchesterFebruary 12th – Royal Institution,London [sold out]March 16th – Airware, SanFrancisco [private event]March 26th, The Oldest Light in theUniverse, Imperial College London

April 10th – NationalMuseum of ScotlandApril 10– EdinburghScience Festival April 10 – The BigBang Bash,Edinburgh ScienceFestival April 2015, TheOldest Light in theUniverse, EdinburghInternational ScienceFestivalMay 2015, DoesDarkness Matter?Performance for theopening of “All ThereWas”, Institute for Contemporary Artstudio, LondonMay 9th – Imperial Festival, LondonJune 2015, The Great CosmicCookery Show, The TimesCheltenham Science FestivalJune 27th – Zurich Dalkey BookFestival, Dalkey, IrelandJune 2015, The Great CosmicCookery Show, The TimesCheltenham Science FestivalJuly 10th - Graduate SchoolSummer Research Symposiumkeynote, Imperial College LondonAugust 28th– INSAP IX Conference,Gresham College, LondonOct 2015, The Power of Simplicity,

Imperial Horizons guest lecture,Imperial College London Oct 2015, How big is space? AcrossRCA workshop, Data ScienceInstitute, Imperial College London,Oct 2015Oct 2015 The AstrophysicalEvidence for Dark Matter, TheBlackett Colloquium, ImperialCollege London Nov 2015 The Science of Star Trek,Royal Albert Hall Science Museum Principia Lates,Dec 15th 2015

Other Events 20th October 2015- Science Centreat Barton Pevril College opened byProf Joanna Haigh

Outreach


Alumni gather to celebrate graduation milestonesRead the article by Jenn Bywater 30 June 2015

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperi-alcollege/newssummary/news_29-6-2015-14-48-11

The Physics Class of 1965 gather with Imperial's fireengine mascot Jezebel to celebrate the 50thanniversary of their graduation

Former classmates gathered across South Kensingtonon Saturday 20 June to celebrate the milestone anniver-saries of their graduation.

Touring a workshop withPaul Brown

Blackett Laboratory Alumni Events 2014-15


Exploring dark matterin the inaugural Blackett Colloquium

Professor Jordan Nash, Head of the Department ofPhysics, welcomes guests at the inaugural BlackettColloquium on Dark Matter

On 24 October, more than 100 alumni and guests joinedleading Imperial scientists to explore one of the biggestmysteries in physics, dark matter.Read the article by Jenn Bywater 29 October 2015 andwatch the lecture at http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperi-alcollege/newssummary/news_27-10-2015-14-30-15

Welcoming guests to the event, Professor Jordan Nash(Head of the Department of Physics) explained that thenew Blackett Colloquium lecture series would be anannual opportunity for alumni and members of the publicto find out more about the Department’s work.

Dr Sarah Malik, Dr Henrique Araujo, Dr Roberto Trottaand Professor Jordan Nash taking questions fromthe audience

Dr Roberto Trotta (Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics) pre-sented the evidence for dark matter coming from a vari-ety of astrophysical and cosmological observations. Hehighlighted the need for a cross-disciplinary approach tothe dark matter problem, arguing that a combination ofall available experimental probes is much more powerfula tool to understand dark matter than any of them takenin isolation.

Dr Sarah Malik (researcher attached to the LargeHadron Collider Physics Centre) spoke about the col-lider approach to searching for dark matter, introducingthe class of new subatomic particles that are consideredgood candidates for dark matter, and discussing theLarge Hadron Collider at CERN.

Dr Henrique Araujo (experimental astroparticle physicistwith the High Energy Physics group) explained how‘direct search’ experiments are looking for galactic darkmatter using very sensitive particle detectors installed indeep underground laboratories. He described twoexperiments, both of which use the liquid xenon technol-ogy which was partly pioneered at Imperial.

Following the presentations, guests were invited to thePhysics Common Room for a champagne and canapéreception overlooking the South Kensington Campusand Royal Albert Hall, giving them an opportunity tomeet the speakers and discuss their work further.

Alumnus Brian Smale(BSc Physics 1964)

“To be able to discussmy strong amateurinterest in cosmologywith such learnedresearchers was bothunexpected andrewarding and I will

now be able to follow developments in this area withoutthe uncertainties that concerned me previously” saidBrian Smale (BSc Physics 1964). “It was a surreal expe-rience to sit in that lecture theatre after more than 50years, finding that it had not noticeably changed at all. Iwill never forget the quality of teaching that I enjoyed atImperial, which laid a firm foundation for ways of think-ing that helped me continually throughout my workinglife.”

Mr Peter Boldon (BSc Physics 1968, MSc Electrical andElectronic Engineering 1970) and Mrs Marilyn Boldon(BSc Physics 1968) said: “We’ve recently become inter-



ested in science again and especially Imperial. We oftenvisit London to see our children so when we saw thisevent online we planned our trip around it.”Professor Nash had earlier suggested that although sci-entists are perhaps not as politically influential today asthey were in Blackett’s time, Imperial’s science gradu-ates, who spread out far beyond science into a wide net-work of influence, are the ones who really have theability to influence the political world now.

Dr Roberto Trotta chatting to guests following his pres-entation

The opportunity to engage with alumni was as muchappreciated by the presenters as by the guests. “I wasdelighted to have the opportunity to discuss the impor-tance and relevance of such fundamental research forsociety”, said Dr Trotta. “This was a great way to con-nect with alumni, and it was fantastic to see theirengagement with our work. I loved their well-informedand searching questions about the context of ourresearch and why we should be leading on it.”

Dr Sarah Malik mingles with alumni and guests prior toher presentation

General relativity anniversary: a celebrationwith Imperial physicists

Imperial physicists led a huge celebration of Einstein'sground-breaking theory of general relativity, which turns100 this week.

100 years of general relativityOn the 23rd of November 2015, 700 people joinedmembers of Imperial's Theoretical Physics Group to cel-ebrate the centenary of the theory of general relativity,which was discovered by Einstein in November 1915.Professor Fay Dowker gave a talk titled "Inner space,outer space, a meditation on General Relativity”. Thiswas followed by a talk by Professor Jerome Gauntlett,the Head of the Theoretical Physics Group, titled "Blackholes and the unity of physics". The evening alsoincluded some introductory remarks from ProfessorStephen Hawking who was originally due to talk, but hadto cancel due to ill health.

A video of the talks can be found on you tube athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLqBp0YC7tI

and further discussion of the evenings events can befound in the article by Hayley Duninghttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperi-alcollege/newssummary/news_24-11-2015-12-11-43



Juno Transparency and Opportunity Committeehttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics/staff/juno


In September, the Department wasrecognized with the Athena SWANSilver award, which it has held since2009, having been previouslyrenewed in 2012. This awardrecognizes the continuing efforts ofthe Department in ensuring equalityof opportunity, transparency in itsprocedures, and maintaining anenvironment that encourages allmembers of the community.

Two Juno Committee members wererecognized with awards: Liz Elvidge,head of the Postdoctoral DevelopmentCentre, was awarded the Julia HigginsMedal, in recognition of her work withfemale postdocs and early careeracademics, and Jessica Wade, apostgraduate student in theExperimental Solid State group, wonthe IoP Early Career PhysicsCommunicator Award for her wide-ranging activities, including schoolvisits, setting up a Student Womenin Physics Group at Imperial College,running an outreach lecture series atan east London school and servingon the Young Women’s Board ofWomen Into Science andEngineering (WISE).

Other key activities either initiated orsupported by the Juno Committeeare:

• The Committee has previousdesigned a new form for the PersonalReview and Development Plan(PRDP). The new form is designedfor use across all job categories andto focus the interview on thepersonal and career development ofthe appraisee, rather than on pastachievements. For some staffcategories, this provides the mainforum for an open discussion with aline manager or other senior staffmember. The return rates this yearacross all staff categories. In the2015 cycle, 95.5% of all staffcompleted their PRDP, indicating awidespread acceptance of the newform and procedures.

• The Committee produced a set ofguidelines for the recruitment ofacademic staff that encourageswomen to apply to the Departmentand to improve the gender balancein the hiring of new academic staff.Some of the guidelines were alreadybeing implemented, but the Junodocument provides a checklist forgood practice at all stages of thehiring process, from ensuring thatsuitable female candidates areencouraged to apply, torecommendations for post-interviewprocedures.

• Following the formation of theImperial College Student Women inPhysics (IC student WiP) cohort in2015, several student lunches andother events have been held, toencourage women to choosephysics as an undergraduate degreeand carry this enthusiasm into theacademic world. Such activities areessential in addressing the “leakingpipeline” effect that sees diminishingnumber of women in physics from A-levels to academic appointments.

Juno Transparency and Opportunity Committeehttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics/staff/juno


Monday 9th March 2015

To celebrate International Women’sDay (March 8th) the Imperial CollegeWomen in Physics (WiP) Cohortheld a lunch to recognise quite howlucky we are to work with suchexciting female academics, supportstaff, technicians and researchers.There are very few women workingin STEM subjects (5.3 % of women-in-work, vs. 31.3 % of men) and evenfewer in leadership roles. Only 11.6% of the highest paid academic rolesand 10.7 % of board directorshipsare held by women.1 Women makeup 22 % of the undergraduate and15 % of the postgraduate physicscommunity. The lunch representedthe launch of the WiP cohort. Thecohort will organise a range of eventsto ensure women are inspired tochoose physics as an undergraduatedegree, explore as a postgraduateand carry this enthusiasm into theacademic world.

Programme for WiP AcademicLunch

Time Activity

13:00-13:15 Arrive and get food

13:15-13:40 Focus GroupsFemale Researchers and Why they LeaveHow to have an impactHow to be assertive and confidentHow to have presenceBoost your profile through networkingManage your team and your boss

13:40-14:00:

Presentation from PGsHelp for hosting first UG WiP ConferenceAdvertise WiP cohort to physics departmentOpen online WiP community webspace

14:00-14:15Wrap up and feedback

The focus groups were a major

success: informal discussionbetween postgraduates at differentstages of their careers in differentphysics research groups, who wouldotherwise not have met.The attendees were asked a seriesof questions related to their experienceof being a female scientist at Imperial.Questions ranged from “What wouldyou like done to address genderawareness and the issues aroundwomen in science?”, to whetherfemale postgraduate students feltthey were “treated differently to theirmale colleagues”.The presentations were kept briefand text free. We discussed themotivation, the idea for the community,the events we were already organisingand how to be involved. None of theevents would be possible without thefunding and support of the GraduateSchool. The Women in Physicscohort will have a committee offriendly postgraduate students.There will be a website where we willshare internal and external events,resources and information onfunding. There will be a structuredmentoring system, Women inPhysics Champions, each with adifferent set of expertise (for example,“how to have a family and complete

your PhD”). .The aim of the event was to encourageinteractions between the Mastersand PhD level Women in Physicsacross every research group.Scientific research is demanding andcompetitive, and often women godays surrounded by only men.Despite how dated they are, theperceptions of sexism in theworkplace that put so many younggirls off studying STEM subjects arenot entirely unfounded. The lunchattempted to attract more women tocontinue research beyondpostgraduate level using a numberof approaches: Positive female role models fromdiverse backgrounds: celebratingquite how lucky we are to be fromsuch an international community Information on the range ofdifferent careers available Promote examples of how Imperialare making changes to the workingenvironment to ensure that women(and women with families) arewelcome and progress on merit Create a network which wouldoffer advice and supportWe are very grateful for all of thesupport (financially and emotionally!)provided by the graduate school at

Women in PhysicsReport for the Graduate School on PhysicsWomen in Physics Academic Lunch

all stages of our scientific careers.The responses to some of the focusgroup questions are shown below.Facts and Figures:A short online survey was circulatedonline for feedback. The event was attended by over70 members of the postgraduatecommunity. The majority of attendees werePhD students in year 2. 100 % of the people would like toattend more WiP events. 0 % of people came with a friendand didn’t speak to anyone new. 80 % of attendees only spoke topeople they had never met. 35 % had never been to anotherevent celebrating Women in Scienceat Imperial College. 25 % of attendees said they feltthey were treated differently by theirsupervisor to their male colleagues. 25 % of attendees are alreadysigned up to attend another eventorganised by WiP committee (andfunded by the graduate school) People praised Imperial Collegefor: flexible working hours,supervision, societies/committeeinvolvement and options formaternity leave The WiP community think thatmentoring and coaching (our

‘Champion’ scheme) is a great ideafor addressing gender issues They suggest courses on genderawareness and issues surroundingbarriers to women in science be partof the graduate school program 10 people signed up to be Womenin Physics Champions 3 people agreed to run a seminaron Barriers Facing Women in theirCareers for UGs in years 3 & 4 5 people agreed to help run a PGRUG open day for years 1 & 2


Women in PhysicsReport for the Graduate School on PhysicsWomen in Physics Academic Lunch


Grants AwardedASTRORoyal Astronomical SocietyDr Emma Chapman, Research Fellow-ship: Detecting and constraining theEpoch of Reionisation using foregroundremoval and state-of-the-art simulations

£159,961

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilDr David Clements, Herschel Post Oper-ations Support £112,325

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Andrew Jaffe, Planck addi-tional funding £51,971

Commission of the European Com-munitiesDr Jonathan Pritchard, ERC StartingGrant: FirstDawn - Imaging the cosmicdawn and the first galaxies with 21cmand atomic line intensity mapping

£1,068,014

CMTHResearch Council of NorwayProfessor Kim Christensen, Numericalmodelling of fires £69,396

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Michael Finnis, Carbides forFuture Fission Environments (CAFFE)

£10,925

Office Of Naval Research GlobalDr Vincenzo Giannini (Co-I: ProfessorStefan Maier), Localized phonon polari-ton resonances a highly efficient IRgraphene plasmon launchers £54,999

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilDr Johannes Lischner, RS Fellow -EPSRC grant (2014): Ab initio many-body theory of plasmons in nanomaterials

£162,448

EXSSCommission of the European Com-munitiesDr Nikolaos Chastas, Horizon 2020Marie Sktodowska-Curie Fellowship:Supersol - Solution processed low-dimensional oxide semiconducting struc-tures and devices £144,781

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Lesley Cohen, Tailoring ofmicrostructural evolution in impregnatedSOFC electrodes £129,566

Commission of the European Com-munitiesDr Emiliano Cortes, Horizon 2020 MarieSktodowska-Curie Fellowship:HOTSPOT - Accessing hot-spots inplasmonic nanoantennas £135,893

EMRP / NPLDr Ned Ekins-Daukes, Research inMetrology for multi-junction solar cells

£72,207

European Institute of Innovation andTechnologyDr Ned Ekins-Daukes, KIC SMEVoucher: Solar monitor £31,705

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilDr Ned Ekins-Daukes (Co-I: ProfessorStefan Maier), High Temperature, HighEfficiency PV-Thermal Solar System

£465,183

The Royal SocietyDr Ned Ekins-Daukes, Industry Fellow-ship: Near-Infrared Absorbers for HighEfficiency Multi-Junction Solar Cells

£141,259

Samsung Electronics Co LtdDr Ji-Seon Kim, High-PerformanceOrganic Near-IR Photodetectors viaAdvanced Molecular Structure Controland Analysis £46,875

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Stefan Maier, Impact Activitiesfor Optical Fabrication and ImagingFacility for three-dimensional sub-microndesigner materials for bioengineeringand photonics £13,158

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Stefan Maier (Co-I: ProfessorLesley Cohen & Dr Rupert Oulton), Pro-gramme Grant led by Kings: ReactivePlasmonics - Optical control of elec-tronic processes at interfaces fornanoscale physics, chemistry andmetrology £2,480,546

Commission of the European Com-munitiesDr Alex Mellor, Horizon 2020 MarieSktodowska-Curie Fellowship: PVFIFTY- Towards a 50% efficient concentratorsolar cell and a 40% efficient spacesolar cell £135,893

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Jenny Nelson, SUPERGEN +

£93,309

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Jenny Nelson, Hysteresis andmesostability £151,793

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Jenny Nelson, High resolutionmapping of performance and degradationmechanisms in printable photovoltaicdevices £1,130,570

Imperial College EPSRC ImpactAcceleration AccountDr Rupert Oulton, Pathways to Impact:Chromatic aberration sensing of lenseswith Metal-Optics (ChASM-O) £32,086

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilDr Themistoklis Sidiropoulos, DoctoralPrize Fellowship £54,040

Commission of the European Com-munitiesDr Paul Stavrinou, ERC Proof of Concept(N Stingelin): Anti-reflection coating fromsolution-processable, high-refractiveindex inorganic/organic hybrid materials

£26,062

Commission of the European Com-munitiesDr Paul Stavrinou, ITN: INFORM - Inter-faces in opto-electronic thin film multi-layer devices £238,888

Commission of the European Com-munitiesDr Kornelius Tetzner, Horizon 2020Marie Sktodowska-Curie Fellowship:FlexChic - Flexible ComplementaryHybrid Integrated Circuits £135,892

Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics 119Department of Physics Review 2013 -14 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics

HEPHScience and Technology FacilitiesCouncilDr Henrique Araujo, The LUX-ZEPLIN(LZ) Dark Matter Search £2,503,518

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilDr David Colling, GridPP+ £384,773

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilDr David Colling, GridPP4 Hardware

£125,500

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Paul Dauncey (Co-Is: ProfessorGavin Davies, Professor TejinderVirdee), Proof of Principle for CMS High-Granularity Calorimeter £213,292

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Paul Dauncey (Co-Is: Dr HenriqueAraujo, Dr Oliver Buchmueller, Dr DavidColling, Professor Gavin Davies, ProfessorUlirk Egede, Professor Andrey Golutvin,Professor Geoff Hall, Professor Ed Hinds,Dr Jony Hudson, Professor Ken Long,Professor Jordan Nash, Dr JaroslawPasternak, Dr Mitesh Patel, Dr JurgenPozimski, Dr Ben Sauer, Dr Julia Sedge-beer, Dr Alex Tapper, Dr Mike Tarbutt,Dr Yoshi Uchida, Professor TejinderVirdee, Dr Morgan Wascko), ConsolidatedGrant: The study of elementary particlesand their interactions £9,204,415

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Paul Dauncey, ConsolidatedGrant: The study of elementary particlesand their interactions - capital equip-ment £145,067

The Leverhulme TrustProfessor Elliot Leader, Emeritus Fel-lowship £12,560

Imperial College STFC Impact Accel-eration AccountProfessor Ken Long, Pathways toImpact: Generating Impact from the2016 Neutrino conference £7,500

The Royal SocietyDr Sarah Malik, University ResearchFellowship: Where Particle Physicsmeets Cosmology : Searching for Dark

Matter at the LHC £595,957

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilDr Jurgen Pozimski, Secondment forFETS Research £191,295

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilDr Jurgen Pozimski (Co-I: Dr JaroslawPasternak), FETS £365,898

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Tim Sumner, LISA Pathfinder -Mission Support 2 £216,783

Commission of the European Com-munitiesProfessor Tejinder Virdee, ERCAdvanced Grant: Novel Calorimetry -Exploring the Terascale at LHC withNovel Highly Granular Calorimeters

£2,092,488

PHOTONICSBiotechnology and Biological Sci-ences Research CouncilProfessor Paul French (Co-I: Dr ChrisDunsby), High content analysis of 3-Dcell cultures with multidimensional fluo-rescence imaging £506,497

Biotechnology and Biological Sci-ences Research CouncilProfessor Paul French, Building a NextGeneration Image Repository: MolecularAnnotation and Cloudbased Data Pro-cessing and Analysis £72,900

The Royal SocietyProfessor Paul French (Co-I: Dr JamesMcGinty), Brian Mercer FeasibilityAward £30,000

Imperial College BBSRC ImpactAcceleration AccountDr James McGinty (Co-I: Professor PaulFrench), Pathways to Impact: Novelplatform for 3-D optical mesoscopicimaging £13,721

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Roy Taylor, Tuneable, visible,integrated, fibre-based sources withselectable pulsewidth and repetition ratefor biophotonic application £293,020

Imperial College EPSRC ImpactAcceleration AccountProfessor Roy Taylor, Pathways toImpact: Fibre laser based visiblesources £55,230

Imperial College EPSRC ImpactAcceleration AccountProfessor Peter Torok, Pathways toImpact: Measuring tissue elasticity usingBrillouin microscopy £70,472

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilDr Robert Woodward, Doctoral PrizeFellowship £49,792

PLASUS Department of Energy via CornellDr Simon Nicholas Bland (Co-Is: Profes-sor Jerry Chittenden, Professor SergeyLebedev), Centre for Pulsed PowerDriven High Energy Density PlasmaPhysics further funding £156,588

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Jerry Chittenden (Co-Is): DrRobert Kingham, Professor StevenRose), CCP Flagship: A radiation-hydro-dynamics code for the UK laser-plasmacommunity £447,925

AWE PlcDr Daniel Eakins, PhD studentship sup-port for Tom Ota: Enhancement of tem-perature diagnostics with application todynamically compressed materials

£35,077

US Department of Energy viaRochesterProfessor Sergey Lebedev (Co-Is: Pro-fessor Jerry Chittenden, Dr SimonBland), Resolving the Issue: TheDynamics of Magnetized AstrophysicalJets through Pulsed Power HEDP Labo-ratory Studies further funding

£244,961

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilDr Stuart Mangles, Laser-Plasma Inter-actions at the Intensity Frontier: theTransition to the QED-Plasma Regime

£258,892

Grants Awarded


Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Zulfikar Najmudin, AWAKEadditional equipment £30,221

Office of Naval Research (USA)Dr William Proud (Co-I: Dr DanielEakins), The effects of dynamic and pre-damage on heterogeneous materials

£181,262

AWE PlcProfessor Steven Rose, Part-time PhDstudentship for Daniel Burridge - Investi-gation into the Atomic physics of plasmas

£44,360

QOLSCommission of the European Com-munitiesDr Alex Clark, Horizon 2020 MarieSktodowska-Curie Fellowship: Q-MoPS- Quantum Molecular Photon Source

£135,893

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilDr Joseph Goodwin, Doctoral Prize Fel-lowship £45,947

Defence Science and TechnologyLaboratory (DSTL)Professor Ed Hinds (Co-Is: Dr JonyHudson, Dr Ben Sauer, Dr Mike Tarbutt),Navigator Accelerometer Demonstrator

£3,866,489

The Royal SocietyProfessor Myungshik Kim, Wolfson MeritAward £50,000

Commission of the European Com-munitiesProfessor Jon Marangos, ITN: HICONO- High-Intensity Coherent NonlinearOptics £170,491

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Jon Marangos (Co-Is: Profes-sor Misha Ivanov, Dr Stuart Mangles,Professor Zulfikar Najmudin, ProfessorRoland Smith; Professor John Tisch),MIR – MURI £2,750,588

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilDr Mike Tarbutt (Co-Is: Professor EdHinds, Dr Jony Hudson, Dr Ben Sauer),Magneto-optical trapping and sympa-thetic cooling of molecules £1,486,008

Imperial College EPSRC ImpactAcceleration AccountProfessor John Tisch, Pathways toImpact: Femtosecond Laser Pulse Com-pression System £91,532

SPATScience and Technology FacilitiesCouncilMr Chris Carr, Cluster FGM 2015-2016

£273,894

European Space AgencyMr Chris Carr, Technical Assistance insupport of the FGM instrument of theCluster mission further funding

£80,000

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Michele Dougherty (Co-I: MrPatrick Brown), JUICE: Build Phase(2015-2022) £4,144,516

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Michele Dougherty (Co-I:Masters, Dr Adam), Cassini 2015-2016

£704,858

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilDr Jonathan Eastwood, THOR Mag-netometer Technical Definition £68,894

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Tim Horbury, Solar Orbiteradditional funding £113,708

Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncilProfessor Steven Schwartz, ClusterCSC 2015 – 2016 £79,493

The Leverhulme TrustProfessor Steven Schwartz, ResearchFellowship: Collisionless Shock Waves

£49,736

European Institute of Innovation andTechnologyProfessor Ralf Toumi, OASIS+ phase1

£74,460

Commission of the European Com-munitiesProfessor Ralf Toumi, KIC - WatEner-Cast £37,006

Met OfficeProfessor Ralf Toumi, A new regionalatmosphire-ocean-wave coupled modelof West Pacific Tropical CyclonesNewton Fond Climate Science for ServicePartnerships (CSSP)

£299,685

Commission of the European Com-munitiesProfessor Ralf Toumi, European ClimateObservations, Modelling and Services -2 - ECOMS2 £226,481

Natural Environment Research CouncilDr Jan Zika, Independent Fellowship: Athermodynamic view of ocean warming

£329,050

THEOThe Royal SocietyDr Francesco Benini, UniversityResearch Fellowship : Quantum fieldtheories at strong coupling: exact com-putations and applications £554,728

Engineering & Physical ScienceResearch CouncilProfessor Daniel Waldram, Geometryfor Sting Model Building £TBA

Grants Awarded


Academic, Researchand Support StaffProfessorsProf Thomas Anthopoulos, BEng, PhD[Experimental Physics]Prof Jeremy Chittenden, BSc, PhD, DIC,CPhys, MInstP [Physics]Prof Kim Christensen, PhD [TheoreticalPhysics]Prof Lesley Cohen, BSc, PhD [Solid StatePhysics]Prof Carlo Contaldi, MSci, PhD [TheoreticalPhysics]Prof Steven Cowley, BA, MA, PhD, FRS[Plasma Physics]Prof Michael Damzen, PhD [ExperimentalLaser Physics]Prof Paul Dauncey, BA, DPhil [ParticlePhysics]Prof Gavin Davies, BSc, PhD [High EnergyPhysics]Prof Michele Dougherty, BSc, PhD, FRS[Space Physics]Prof Fay Dowker, BA, MA, PhD [Physics]Prof Ulrik Egede, BSc, PhD [Physics]Prof Michael Finnis, BSc, PhD [MaterialsTheory and Simulation]Prof Matthew Foulkes, PhD [Physics]Prof Leszek Frasinski, MSc, PhD, FInstP[Atomic and Molecular Physics]Prof Paul French, PhD [Physics]Prof Jerome Gauntlett, BSc, PhD,FInstP[Physics]Prof Andrey Golutvin, PhD [Physics]Prof Joanna Haigh, MA, MSc, DPhil, FInstP,FRMets, FRS, CBE [Atmospheric Physics]Prof Geoffrey Hall, BSc, PhD, DIC, ARCS[Physics]Prof Jonathan Halliwell, BSc, PhD [Physics]Prof Amihay Hanany, BA, PhD [TheoreticalPhysics]Prof Alan Heavens, PhD [Astrostatistics]Prof Ortwin Hess, PhD [Metamaterials]Prof Edward Hinds, BA, DPhil, FRS [QuantumOptics]Prof Timothy Horbury, BSc, PhD [Physics]Prof Christopher Hull, BA, PhD, FInstP, FRS[Physics]Prof Misha Ivanov, MSc, PhD [Physics]Prof Andrew Jaffe, BS, MS, PhD, MInstP,FRAS [Astrophysics and Cosmology]Prof Myungshik Kim, BS, MSc, MBS, PhD,PGCHET [Theoretical Quantum Information]Prof Sergey Lebedev, MS, PhD, FInstP, F.APS[Plasma Physics]Prof Kenneth Long, BSc, DPhil [ExperimentalParticle Physics]Prof Angus Mackinnon, PhD [Physics]Prof Joao Magueijo, BA, PhD [Physics]Prof Stefan Maier, PhD [Nanophotonics]Prof Jonathan Marangos, PhD, ARCS, DIC[Laser Physics]Prof Martin McCall, PhD [Theoretical Optics]Prof Raymond Murray, BSc, PhD [Solid StatePhysics]

Prof Zulfikar Najmudin, BA, PhD [Physics]Prof Jordan Nash, BSc, PhD [Physics]Prof Mark Neil, BA, MA, PhD [Physics]Prof Jenny Nelson, BA, PhD, FRS [Physics]Prof Sir John Pendry, MA, PhD, FRS [Theo-retical Solid State Physics]Prof Christopher Phillips, MA, PhD, DIC,CSci, CPhys, FInstP [Physics]Prof Juliet Pickering, BA, MA, PhD, DICProf Arttu Rajantie, BSc, MSc, PhD [TheoreticalPhysics]Prof Steven Rose, BA, DPhil, CPhys, FInstP[Plasma Physics]Prof Terence Rudolph, BSc, PhD [QuantumPhysics]Prof Steven Schwartz, BSc, PhD [Space andAtmospheric Physics]Prof Roland Smith, BSc, PhD [Laser Physics]Prof Kellogg Stelle, AB, PhD, FInstP [TheoreticalPhysics]Prof Timothy Sumner, BSc, DPhil, CPhys,FInstP, FRAS [Experimental Astrophysics]Prof Adrian Sutton, BA, MSc, PhD, FRS [Nan-otechnology]Prof Roy Taylor, BSc, PhD [Ultrafast Physicsand Technology]Prof Richard Thompson, MA, DPhil [Physics]Prof John Tisch, BSc, PhD [LaserPhysics]Prof Peter Török, DPhil, DSc [Optical Physics]Prof Ralf Toumi, BSc, PhD, ARCS [AtmosphericPhysics]Prof Arkady Tseytlin, MS, PhD [Physics]Prof Tejinder Virdee, PhD, FRS [Physics]Prof Dimitri Vvedensky, PhD [TheoreticalSolid State Physics]Prof Daniel Waldram, BA, MA, PhD [TheoreticalPhysics]Prof Stephen Warren, MA, PhD [Astrophysics]Prof Jing Zhang, BSc, PhD, DIC, ARCS[Physics]

ReadersDr Henrique Araujo, PhD

Dr Oliver Buchmueller, PhD

Dr Alasdair Campbell, BSc, MSc, PhDDr David Colling, BSC, BA, PhDDr Michael Coppins, BSc, PhDDr Arnaud Czaja, PhDDr Christopher Dunsby, MSci, PhDDr Robert Forsyth, BSc, PhDDr John Hassard, BSc, PhDDr Ji-Seon Kim, PhDDr Arash Mostofi, PhDDr Ingo Mueller-Wodarg, MSc, PhDDr Carl Paterson, BA, PhDDr Sergei Popov, MSc, PhDDr Jürgen Pozimski, BSc, MSc, PhDDr William Proud, BSc, PhD, FlnstP, CPhys,CChemDr Benjamin Sauer, BA, PhD

Dr Paul Stavrinou, BEng, PhDDr Michael Tarbutt, MPhys, DPhilDr Yoshiyuki Uchida, BA, PhDDr Yvonne Unruh, MSc, PhDDr Toby Wiseman, PhD

Senior LecturersDr Vitali Averbukh, PhDDr Will Branford, MSc, PhDDr Helen Brindley, BSc, PhDMr Christopher Carr, BScDr David Clements, BSc, PhD, DICDr Ned Ekins-Daukes, MSci, MSc, PhDDr Timothy Evans, BA, PhDDr Marina Galand, PhDDr Robert Kingham, BSc, PhDDr Derek Lee, BA, PhDDr Stuart Mangles, MSci, PhDDr Florian Mintert, PhDDr Subhanjoy Mohanty, PhDDr Jaroslaw Pasternak, PhDDr Jonathan Pritchard, PhDDr Karl Sandeman, PhDDr Julia Sedgbeer, PhD, DICDr Paul Tangney, BSc, PhDDr Alex Tapper, PhDDr Roberto Trotta, PhDDr Morgan Wascko, BA, MSci, PhDDr Kenneth Weir, BSc, PhD

LecturersDr Simon Bland, MSci, PhDDr Daniel Eakins, PhDDr Jonathan Eastwood, PhDDr Vincenzo Giannini, PhDDr Heather Graven, PhDDr Jonathan Hudson, MPhys, DPhilDr Adam Masters, PhDDr James McGinty, PhDDr Daniel Mortlock, PhDDr Rupert Oulton, MSci, PhDDr Mitesh Patel, PhDDr Peiro Posocco, PhDDr Erik Van-Sebille, PhDDr Apostolos Voulgarakis, BSc, MSc, PhD

Research FellowsDr Raymond Beuselinck, BSc, PhDDr Joachim Hamm, PhDDr Jonathan Murray, PhDDr Gary Perkins, PhDDr David Raymond, BSc, MSc, PhDDr Jacqueline Russell, BSc, PhDDr Patrick Scott, PhDDr Christopher Seez, PhDDr Jan Zika, PhD

Department of Physics Review 2014 -15 www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics122 Department of Physics Review 2013 -14

Outreach/TeachingDr Caroline Clewley - Teaching FellowDr Mark Richards - Teaching FellowDr Vijay Tymms - Teaching Fellow

Academic LeaversProf Donal Bradley, BSc, PhD, ARCS, FRSA,CPhys, FInstP, FRS [Experimental Physics]Dr Amanda Chatten, BSc, PhDProf Michael Duff, BSc, PhD, DIC, FInstP, FRS[Theoretical Physics]Prof Peter Haynes, BA, PhDDr Worawut Khunsin, PhDProf Martin Plenio, PhD (Dr. rer. nat)[Physics]Prof Daniel Segal, BSc, DPhil [QuantumOptics]Dr Stuart Solin, PhD

Honorary Association

Senior Research InvestigatorsEmeritus Prof Peter Cargill, BSc, PhDDr Aboubaker Dangor, BSc, DScProf. Peter Dornan, BA, PhD, FRSProf Michael Duff, BSc, PhD, DIC, FInstP, FRS[Theoretical Physics]Prof. Roger Evans, BSc, PhD, FInstPEmeritus Prof. Bruce Joyce, DSc, FRSProf. Thomas Kibble, MA, PhD, FRSProf. Sir Peter Knight, BSc, DPhil, FRSProf. Elliot Leader, BSc, MS, PhDProf. Geoffrey New, MA, DPhilProf David Southwood, BA, DIC, PhD

Distinguished Research FellowsDr Trevor Bacon, BSc, PhDEmeritus Prof. Andre Balogh, MSc, DICEmeritus Prof. Keith Barnham, PhDEmeritus Prof. David Caplin, MA, MSc, PhDEmeritus Prof Jean Patrick Connerade,PhD, ARCS, DICDr Jack Connor, BSc, PhDProf. Christopher Dainty, PhDDr Michel Della Negra, BSc, PhDProf. John Harries, BSc, PhD, CPhys, FInstP,FRMets Emeritus Prof. Christopher Isham, BSc,ARCS, PhD, FInstPEmeritus Prof. Gareth Jones, BSc, PhDDr Hugh Jones, BA, PhDEmeritus Prof Peter Meikle, PhD, FRASEmeritus Prof. Gareth Parry, BSc, PhD,DIC, FREngEmeritus Prof. John Quenby, BSc, PhD,DIC, ARCSEmeritus Prof Raymond Rivers, BA, MA,PhD, FInstPProf. Michael Rowan-Robinson, BA, PhD,FInstP, FRAS

Prof. Robin Smith, MA, PhD, DICLady Anne Thorne, MA, DPhilEmeritus Prof. David Websdale, PhD,ARCS

Honorary Research FellowsDr Julian Lyubina, PhDMr David Price, MA, DICDr Khadija Tahir, BSc, MSc, PhDMrs Prudence Wormell, BScDr Wenyi Zhong, MSc, PhD

Honorary LecturersDr Ken Bignell, BSc, PhD, ARCSDr Anne Curtis, PhDMr Edward Judd, HNCMr Kevin Middleton, BSc, MScDr Matthew Owens, PhDDr Alex Robinson, BA, MSc, PhDDr Alex Schekochihin, PhD

Visiting ProfessorsProf. John Allen, MA, PhD, DScDr Jezsef Baranyi, PhDProf. Farhat Beg, PhD, MPhil, MSc, BScProf Anthony Bell, MA, PhD, MInstP, CPhys,FRASDr Seton Bennett, PhD, CBEProf Donal Bradley, BSc, PhD, ARCS, FRSA,CPhys, FInstP, FRS [Experimental Physics]Dr Jeremy Burroughes, BSc, PhDDr Gilbert Collins, PhDDr William Dorland, BS, PhD,Prof. Sergei Dudarev, BS, PhDDr Malcolm Dunlop, BSc, PhDDr. Anthony Dunne, BSc, PhD, DIC, ARCSProf. John Ellis, BA, PhDDr Lyndon Evans, BSc, PhDProf. Vladimir Fortov, MSc, PhDProf. Patrick Gill, BSc, DPhilDr Mark Glaser, MB BS, M.R.C.S.L.R.C.P, FFR(R.C.S.I), D.M.R.T, F.R.C.RDr Gianluca Gregori, PhDDr Mikhail Gryaznevich, PhDDr Edward Gumbrell, PhDProf. Richard Harrison, PhDProf. Timothy Hender, BSc, PhDDr Nicholas Hopps, PhDProf. Henry Hutchinson, BSc, PhDProf Chan Joshi, PhDProf. Gannady Kanel, PhDProf. Karl Krushelnick, BSc, MA, PhDProf. Michael Lockwood, PhDProf. Leon Lucy, BSc, PhDDr. Louis Lyons, BSc, DPhilProfessor Kirpal Nandra, BA, PhDDr Peter Norreys, BSc, MSc, PhDProf Martin Plenio, PhD (Dr. rer. nat)[Physics]Dr Andrew Randewich, Cphys, FLnstP

Prof. Sergey Razorenov, PhDDr Peter Roberts, BSc, PhDProf Carlos Silva, PhDProf. David Smith, PhD, ARCSProf. Nigel Smith, BSc, PhDProf Paul Smith, PhDDr Michael Tatarakis, BSc, MSc, PhDProf. John Thompson, MA, PhDProf Michael Thompson, MA, PhDDr Adrian Tuck, BSc, PhDProf. David Wark, BSc, MS, PhD, FRSProf. Ronald Winter, FInstP, PhD

Visiting ReadersDr Katherine Brown, PhD

Honorary Association LeaversProf March Burchell, PhD

Research

Research AssociatesDr Pablo Albella-EchaveDr Yuriy AlexandrovDr Diego Alonso-AlvarezDr Paula Alvarez-CartelleDr Hemmel AmraniaDr Louise AndersonDr Hussain AnwarDr Brian AppelbeDr Paloma Arroyo-HuidobroDr Dane AustinDr Minas BacharisDr Robert BainbridgeDr James BanksDr Thomas BarillotDr Piers BarnesDr Daniela BauerDr Francesco BeniniDr Arnaud BethDr Victoria BlackmoreDr Avraham BraunDr Maria BroadbridgeDr Nicolas BruneauDr Aaron BundockDr Guy BurdiakDr Nelson Carreira-LopesDr Stefano CasassoDr David ChapmanDr Emma ChapmanDr Nikolaos ChastasDr Christopher ChenDr Alexander ClarkDr Bridgette CooperDr Emiliano CortesDr Alastair CurrieDr Robert Currie

Academic, Researchand Support Staff


Dr Philip de GrouchyDr Angela DemetriadouDr Jack DevlinDr Carlo Di FrancoDr Adam DobbsDr Emil Drabek-MaunderDr Anne DucoutDr Astrid EichhornDr Hendrik FaberDr Alberto FavaroDr Stephen FeeneyDr Sebastian FischettiDr Noah FitchDr Gediminas GalinisDr Edwin Garcia-CastanoDr Dimitra GeorgiadouDr Steffen GielenDr Joseph GoodwinDr Tom GriffinDr Gustavo GrinblatDr Giulia GubitosiDr Anne GuilbertDr Stina GuldbrandDr Ahmet GumrukcuogluMr Edward HarryDr Edward HillDr Daniel HollingtonDr Rosalind HopwoodDr Nicholas HyltonDr Ivan IsakovDr David JenningsDr Irina KabokovaDr Christos KamperidisDr Edmund KelleherDr Vratislav KruparDr Sunil KumarDr Ajit KurupDr Kwasi KwakwaDr Jean-Baptiste LagrangeDr Rebecca LaneDr Guillaume LepertDr Yi LiDr Jongseok LimDr Yen-Hung LinDr Johannes LischnerDr Brais Lopez-ParedesDr Anne-Marie MagnanDr Robert MahenDr Robert MaherDr Suman MajumdarDr Sarah MalikDr Janusz MartyniakDr Kazunobu MaruyoshiDr Luca MastrolorenzoDr Lorenzo MatteiniDr Michael McCannDr Paul McFaddenDr Ito MegumiDr Luis Melgar-Del-Pozo

Dr Alexander MellorDr Davide MoiaDr Robert MurrayDr Nicolas-Pierre NiasseDr Alexander NikitenkoDr Robert A NymanDr Sang Soon OhDr Patrick OwenDr Rhys ParfittDr James PecoverDr Bjorn PenningDr Mark PesaresiDr Joao Piroto-Pereira-DuarteDr Alexander PlatoDr Dmitry PonomarevDr Andreas PuschDr Aliaksandra Rakovich Dr Duncan RandDr Alexander RichardsDr Christopher RosenDr James R RufusDr Karthik SasihithluDr Peter ShadboltDr Mark SherlockDr Yuri ShitovDr Themistoklis SidiropoulosDr Christian StruberDr Minwon SuhDr Lee SuttleDr Francisco Suzuki-VidalDr Jonathan TandyDr Matthew TaylorDr Andrew TelfordDr Kornelius TetznerDr Gabrielle ThomasDr Alfredo Tomas-AlquezarDr Hagen TriendlDr Stefan TruppeDr Sachetan TuladharDr Kirika UchidaDr Melissa UchidaDr Benoit VanniereDr Thomas WallDr Peter WassDr Tobias WittingDr Jorgen WulffDr Ying YangDr Japheth YatesDr Karen YatesDr Peng YeDr Amelle Zair Dr Seth Zenz

Research Associate Leavers2014/15Dr Giuseppe AntonacciDr Heykel AouaniDr Emma ArbabzadahDr Morteza Aslaninejad

Dr Sam AzadiDr Alexey BakDr Giovanni BarontiniDr Milan BratkoDr Benjamin BrownDr David BurnDr Eoin ButlerDr Megha ChadhaDr Joshua ChadneyDr Luke ChipperfieldDr Jian CuiDr Maria Dasi-EspuigDr Konstantinos DaskalakisDr Florent DeledalleDr Zsolt DivekiDr Sean DonnellanDr Nicholas DoverDr Nokuthula DubeDr John EstesDr Cecilia FloriDr Cathryn FoxDr Yan FrancescatoDr Markus FuhrerDr Zsolt GercsiDr Adam GilbertsonDr Richard HendricksDr Heli HietalaDr Euihun JoungDr Asher C KabothDr Georgia KarapostoliDr Youngchan KimDr Paul KinslerDr Mikhail KustovDr Yu-Hung LienDr Yu LuoDr Matthew MalekDr Katalin MecsekiDr Claire MitchellDr Dorota NiedzialekDr Hannah NissanDr William OkellDr Olof Olsson-SaxDr Stergios PapantonisDr Siddharth PatankarDr Ajay PerumalDr Susarla RaghuramDr Mohsen RahmaniDr Tyler RoschukDr Matthew RuffoniDr Matteo ScalaDr Benjamin SherlockDr Nathalie SkrzypekDr Peter SpencerDr Suren SukiasyanDr George SwadlingDr Tommaso TufarelliDr Jeremy TurcaudDr Arthur TurrellDr Sean Warren



Dr Benjamin YuenDr Katharina ZeisslerDr Jan Zemen

Research AssistantsMr Federico ArmataMr Dylan Banahene-SabulskyMr David BoldrinMr Riccardo BorsatoMs Francesca BottacchiMr Javier CambiassoMr Mohammad ChaudharyMr Jason ColeMr Niccolo CorsiniMr Stefano Dal-FornoMr Frederik DielemanMr Sylvain GennaroMr Samuele GrandiMr Farhang HaddadfarshiMr Moritz HambachMr George HicksMr Vincent JarlaudMr Sebastian JaroschMr Allan JohnsonMr Manoj JoshiMr Kyle MajorMs Paloma Matia-HernandoMr Thomas NutzMr Adam PageMr Oliver PikeMr Kristjan PoderMr Luca RigovaccaMr Marco RubertiMr Timothy RuncornMr James SempleMr Graham StutterMr Quentin ThiburceMr Bjorn WittMr David WoodMr Robert Woodward

Research Assistant Leavers2014/15Mr Jim BaileyMr Iain BarrMiss Laura BethkeMiss Rachael BoddyMr Lionel ChaudetMr James CleggMr Kees de VriesMr Christopher EmmottMr Lionel FafchampsMr James Garvie-CookMr Philip HamiltonMs Catherine HughesMr Lukas MedisauskasMr Christopher PriceMs Maria Richter

Mr Joseph ShawMr Hugh SparksMiss Helen Tamura-WicksMr Jonathan TottleMr Sunil VarmaMr Albert Verdeny-VilaltaMr Mihai-Dorian VidrighinMiss Catherine WatkinsonMr Thomas White

Research Support Staff

Experimental Solid StateDr Xuhua Wang - CPE Glove Box Facility Officer

High Energy PhysicsDr Saad Mishal Hamid Alsari - ElectricalEngineerMr Geoffrey Barber - Project EngineerDr Abdulkadir Farah – Computer System Sup-port/Administrator Mr Simon Fayer - Computing SystemSupport/Administrator in Grid ComputingDr Gregory Michiel Iles - Electronics EngineerDr Per Jonsson – Senior Instrument ManagerDr Andrew Rose - Electronic EngineerMr Trevor Edward Savidge - Project Engineer

Photonics GroupMr Ian Munro - Research Officer

Space & Atmospheric Physics Dr Seyed Adeli – Instrument EngineerDr Leah-Nani Soledad Alconcel - ScientificDr Anthony Allen - ScientificDr Richard John Bantges - ScientificMr Maciej Bendyk – Instrumentation EngineerMr Patrick Brown - Senior Research OfficerMr Emanuele Cupido – Instrument ManagerMr Jose Dominguez-Mateos – InstrumentEngineerDr Peter Fox – Instrument Calibration EngineerMr Stephen Kellock - Senior Research OfficerMr Christoph Landorfer – InstrumentationEngineerMs Helen O’Brien - Research OfficerMr Timothy Oddy - Spacecraft Operations Engi-neerDr Adri Peter Slootweg - Research OfficerMr Lawrence Soung-Yee – Instrument Engi-neerDr Nathan Sparks – Innovations ResearcherMr Karol Stephien – Instrument MechanicalEngineerMr Barry Whiteside – Instrumentation Engineer

Research Support Leavers in 2014/15Dr Jonathan Fulcher – Data AcquisitionSystem Computing SpecialistMr Michael Huffman - Computing SystemSupport/AdministratorMr Stephen Johnson – Hypersonis & HighSpeed Impact Laboratory SupervisorMr Md Rashid – Software DeveloperMr Peter James Savage - Project EngineerDr James Spencer – Computational ScienceSupport Specialist

Administrative and Support Staff

Head of Department's OfficeKalvinder Chana - Senior AdministratorLouise Hayward – Research Operations ManagerLinda Jones - Operations Manager for PhysicsCaroline Jackson - Executive Assistant

Research GroupsCluster Office (Astrophysics, Space &Atmospherics)Mr Paul Grocott – Senior Group AdministratorMrs Magdalena Vidler - Group Administrator

Condensed Matter Theory & Experi-mental Solid State Physics GroupsCarolyn Dale - Senior Group AdministratorJuraci Didone - Administrative Assistant

High Energy Physics GroupPaula Brown - Group AdministratorPaula Consiglio – Assistant Group Administrator

Institute of Shock Physics (ISP)Ciara Mulholland - Senior Administrator for ISP

Optics (Photonics & Quantum OpticsGroups)Judith Baylis - Senior Group AdministratorMarcia Salviato - Deputy Group AdministratorSanja Maricic - PA to the Centre for Cold MatterProf Ed Hinds FRS

Plasma PhysicsAzra Sabadosh - Temporary Senior Administrator

Theoretical Physics GroupGraziela De Nadai-Sowrey - Group Adminis-trator

DTCMs Lisa Cheung – Administrative AssistantDr Simon Foster – Outreach OfficerMiss Miranda Smith – Senior Administrator toDTCMiss Veena Dhulipala - DTC Administrator



Student AdministrationPostgraduate OfficeLoli Sanchez Rey - Postgraduate AdministratorDr Andrew Williamson - Postgraduate Devel-opment Officer

Undergraduate OfficeVictor Urubusi – Examinations and InformationsOfficerMery Fajardo - Admissions AdministratorAmira Hussain – Undergraduate Administratorand Year in Europe CoordinaotDerryck Stewart - Undergraduate EducationManagerGeetika Tewari – Undergraduate Administrator

FacilitiesPaul Brown - Mechanical Instrumentation Work-shop ManagerVivienne Frater - Departmental Facilities ManagerSimon Graham - MaintenanceDelavine Henry - Common Room AssistantMalcolm Hudson - Departmental BuildingsManagerAlice Powell - Common Room AssistantNeal Powell - ReprographicsMeilin Sancho - ReprographicsHarry Vine - Departmental Services Manager

OutreachMs Vinita Hassard – Outreach Coordinator

Teaching Laboratory TechniciansHarish Dawda - 1st Year LaboratoryRobert Whisker - 1st Year LaboratoryGraham Axtell - 2nd Year LaboratoryPaul Beaumont - 2nd Year LaboratoryGeoffrey Green - 3rd Year LaboratoryLee Parker - 3rd Year Laboratory

Mechanical Instrumentation Work-shop and Groups TechniciansTrevor Beek (SPAT)Sofia Bekou (EXSS)David BowlerStephen Cussell (EXSS)Jonathan Dyne (QOLS)Alan Finch (PLAS)Andrew Gregory (QOLS)Simon Johnson (PHOT / QOLS)Kevin Ladhams (HEPH)Alan Last (SPAT)Stephen MaineGiovanni Marinaro (QOLS)Steven NelsonConor O’Donovan (QOLS)Melvyn Patmore (PHOT)Martin PettiferDavid Pitman (ISP)Alan RaperAndrew RochesterPeter Ruthven (QOLS)James Stone (PHOT / QOLS)Brian Willey (QOLS)David Williams

Electronics Workshop TechniciansValerijus GerulisShahid HanifSusan ParkerBandula Ratnasekara

High Energy Physics Group Mechanical WorkshopDavid ClarkIan Clark

High Energy Physics Group Electronics WorkshopSarah GreenwoodVera KaseyMaria Khaleeq

Optical Mechanical WorkshopMartin Kehoe

Research and Administrative SupportStaff LeaversDr Sophie Armstrong-Brown - ProgrammeManagerRachel Barker – Senior Group AdministratorCarol Barlow - Experiments ManagerSandie Bernor - Group AdministratorVictoria Garland – Executive Assistant (maternitycover)Anna Lal – AdministratorAlice Moore – Programme ManagerBhavna Patel – AdministratorRanjana Poudel - Common Room Assistant


Documents

Department of Physics - Imperial College London