Research Frontiers lecture series

Talk Title: Photographing the Big Bang
Date: 2 October 2024 at 12:00 (this talk will be open to first year students only)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Carlo Contaldi

Abstract: In this lecture, I will explain how cosmologists explore the early universe using light and, now, gravitational waves. I will show how we connect fundamental physics to these observations and how discoveries over the past few decades have transformed our understanding of the universe's workings. 

Talk Title: Searches for time-reveral violation with atoms and molecules
Date: 23 October 2024 at 12:00
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Michail Athanasakis-Kaklamanakis

Abstract: To the best of our knowledge, the fundamental forces are symmetric under time reversal (T); that is, the reversal of direction in all momenta. Violation of T symmetry is needed to explain the observation that the Universe is made of matter and not antimatter. Signatures of T violation manifest in the laboratory in the form of permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) of quantum systems, such as the electron, the proton, the neutron, and even atomic nuclei.

In this lecture, I will introduce the motivation for T violation research, followed by an overview of the history of EDM measurements. Afterwards, I will focus on the state-of-the-art landscape of the techniques used to search for EDMs and T violation using atoms and molecules, including experiments taking place at the Centre for Cold Matter within the Department.

Biography: Michail Athanasakis-Kaklamanakis received his PhD in Nuclear Physics from KU Leuven, Belgium, working on laser spectroscopy of short-lived radioactive atoms and molecules at ISOLDE, CERN's radioactive ion beam facility. As a postdoctoral research associate within the Centre for Cold Matter at Imperial, Michail works on developing an experiment to measure the shape of the electron with the highest precision to date using trapped ultracold YbF molecules.

Talk Title: Magnetised Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) on the Z Facility
Date: 6 November 2024 at 12:00
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Nikita Chaturvedi

Abstract: Controlled fusion energy has been studied for several decades via various approaches. In recent years, magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) has shown considerable promise as an alternative to conventional inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) schemes. The MagLIF platform is one example of MIF, and it uses the world’s largest pulsed-power machine to create fusion-relevant conditions. An immense current is rapidly passed through a metallic cylindrical shell containing fusion fuel, forcing the shell to implode under the Lorentz force and compressing the fuel to high density and temperatures. In this talk I will describe the MagLIF platform, its challenges, and the simulations of this problem performed by the Centre for Inertial Fusion (CIFS) team here at Imperial.

Biography: I was born and raised in Singapore, and came to the UK to pursue my undergraduate studies at Imperial in 2013. After earning a Bachelor's degree in Physics, I completed an MSc in Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics in the Aeronautics department. I then joined First Light Fusion in Oxford in 2017 as a numerical physicist, where I helped develop the company's in-house codes. I returned to Imperial to do my PhD in the Plasma Physics group between 2019-2024 under the supervision of Prof. Jerry Chittenden, working to add a mesh refinement capability to the Gorgon magnetohydrodynamics code. I'm currently continuing my research in the group (now part of the SPC community), working on simulations of pulsed-power experiments for fusion and laboratory astrophysics applications. 

Talk Title:
Date: 20 November 2024 at 12:00
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Stefano Vezzoli

Abstract: Metamaterials have revolutionised the way we control light waves. By engineering light scattering on sub-wavelength scales, one can design exotic new materials and applications, like invisibility cloaks and negative refraction. Yet, static metamaterials only act on the momentum of light and thus are still bounded by Lorentz reciprocity and energy conservation. A dynamical metasurface, whose optical response can be arbitrarily modulated at the speed of light through a time-varying refractive index n(t), would offer access to the manipulation of the frequency spectrum and a whole new range of functionalities. 

Here I will discuss our first steps towards optically driven metasurfaces for photonics, based on thin layers of Indium Tin Oxide, an epsilon-near-zero material with strong nonlinearities. I will report on our recent demonstration of double-slit time diffraction [Nat Phys 19, 999 (2023)], the first step towards the creation of more complex time modulations.

I will also present our first results aimed at coupling space and time in a time-varying medium: the observation of slits that diffract light both in time and space. This represents the basic building block for the generation of complex spatiotemporal modulations and the realisation of synthetic motion, which can be easily superluminal and can be used to test extreme gravitational predictions like Hawking radiation.

Biography: I am an experimental physicist working in the field of optics in the group of Prof. Riccardo Sapienza. I am currently a Research Fellow in the Light Community at Imperial College.

My main research interests are meta-materials that are structured in space and time, nonlinear optics and nanophotonics, i.e. the study of the interaction of strong light field with nano-structured materials. In the past I also investigated the emission properties of quantum dots, 2D and other exotic materials.
I did my Ph.D. in Laboratoire Kastler Brossel and Milan University in 2013, working on quantum dots as single photon emitters.

Talk Title: The Three Neutrino Ghosts of the Universe Past
Date: 11 December 2024 at 12:00
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Stefan Soldner-Rembold

Abstract: The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, the search for physics beyond the standard model – these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the evolution of our universe. DUNE is an international neutrino experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, test the three-flavour paradigm and search for new physics. To achieve its science goals, it will employ the technology of liquid-argon time projection chambers at an unprecedented scale and precision. DUNE will comprise a far detector located at the SURF laboratory in South Dakota and a near detector close to the neutrino beam source at Fermilab near to Chicago. The colloquium will introduce the science and technology of DUNE and discuss the status of the international project.

Biography: Professor Stefan Söldner-Rembold’s research focuses on particle and neutrino physics. He is currently Head of the Department of Physics at Imperial College London and was previously Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester. Söldner-Rembold graduated from the University of Bonn and received his doctorate from the Technical University of Munich in 1992, with a research fellowship of the Max Planck Institute. He received his Habilitation in 1996 at the University of Freiburg and was a Heisenberg Fellow of the German Research Foundation from 1999 to 2003, working at CERN.

Söldner-Rembold has been Spokesperson of several large science collaborations: from 2018 until 2022, he led the DUNE collaboration – currently the largest international science project based in the US. Previously, he led the DZero experiment at the Tevatron proton-antiproton collider, located at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory close to Chicago.

He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the UK’s Institute of Physics; he received a Royal Society Wolfson Research Award, the James Chadwick Medal and Prize of the Institute of Physics, and the Max Born Medal and Prize of the German Physical Society. He has served on several advisory and review boards for funding agencies in the UK, the US and Europe, including the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP) advising the US Department of Energy and the NSF.

Talk Title: The Universe as a Laboratory for Fundamental Physics
Date: 29 January 2025 at 12:00
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Sadra Jazayeri

Abstract: Over the past two decades, observational breakthroughs in mapping the distribution of light and matter across the universe have provided mounting evidence that the cosmos emerged from a period of accelerated expansion known as cosmic inflation. During this inflationary phase, quantum fluctuations on microscopic scales were stretched to macroscopic sizes, seeding the formation of the cosmic structures we observe today—ranging from dark matter halos to clusters of galaxies. Crucially, inflation establishes a link between the distribution of matter on the largest scales and the correlation functions of quantum fields during this early epoch. These 'cosmological correlators' encode invaluable information about the fundamental laws of physics at energy scales around 10^14 GeV—far beyond the reach of any terrestrial or foreseeable space-based experiments. In this talk, I will explore how these correlators serve as windows into ultraviolet physics during inflation and review the ambitious observational program aimed at refining their measurements in the next decade. 

Biography: Sadra's research lies at the intersection of high-energy physics and early universe cosmology, with a focus on the underlying physics during inflation. Throughout his career, Sadra has employed various theoretical tools from high-energy physics, including effective field theories, soft theorems, symmetries, and, more recently, innovative bootstrap methods to study the fundamental properties of cosmological correlators. In recent years, Sadra has made significant contributions to the cosmological bootstrap program, a novel approach to constructing these correlators by adhering to fundamental principles such as locality, unitarity, and analyticity.

Sadra was born and raised in Tehran and received his PhD in 2018 from the Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences in Tehran. He moved to Cambridge, UK, for his first postdoc, where he spent two years, followed by another postdoc at the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris in France. Since October 2023, Sadra has been a postdoctoral researcher in the theoretical physics group at Imperial College.

Talk Title: The impact of satellite constellations on astronomy
Date: 12 February 2025 at 12:00
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Michael Peel

Abstract: The number of satellites in orbit has drastically increased over the last few years due to constellations of communications satellites such as Starlink and OneWeb: more satellites have been launched since 2019 than the whole of 1957-2019! Constellations are in low earth orbits, and can brightly reflect sunlight in evenings/mornings, causing issues for optical astronomy. They also transmit powerful radio signals, both intentionally and unintentionally, which affect radio telescopes - and they may also be thermally bright, impacting submm observations. This talk will give an overview of the topic, and the ways astronomers are working with companies to mitigate the problem, particularly through the International Astronomical Union
(IAU) Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS).

Biography: Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net) is a postdoc at Imperial, working on sources and transient detection for the Simons Observatory cosmic microwave background project. He has previously been based in Manchester, São Paulo, and Tenerife, and works with a wide variety of radio astronomy projects. He co-leads SatHub, part of the IAU CPS, which is investigating the impact of satellite constellations on astronomical observations.

Talk Title:
Date: 26 February 2025 at 12:00
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Mark Smith

Abstract: Indirect observation is a powerful method to discern new physics. The LHCb experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider precisely measures the properties of particles called B hadrons that are sensitive to potentially very heavy unknown particles. Such particles may be beyond the reach of current or future particle accelerators. A particular class of decays, known as electroweak penguins, are particularly susceptible to effects of physics beyond the Standard Model. Over the last decade several measurements of penguin decays have shown deviations from the Standard Model predictions, giving tantalising hints for the existence of new physics. In this seminar I will present recent results in the search for new physics using measurements of such decays.

Biography: Mark is a postdoctoral researcher in the Imperial High Energy Physics group, which he joined in 2016. Previously he completed his PhD at the University of Manchester. His research is in heavy flavour physics, which he pursues with data from the LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. He has been a member of the LHCb collaboration since 2011 and received an LHCb Early Career Scientist award in 2020. His primary interests are in semileptonic B decays and rare electroweak penguins.

Talk Title: How to stop tokamak fusion from melting itself
Date: 12 March 2025 at 12:00
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Robert Kingham

Abstract: Magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) in devices such as tokamaks is a promising route to clean, abundant, energy generation using the same process as the Sun; fusion of hydrogenic nuclei. But it comes with plenty of challenges. A current critical issue is “plasma exhaust”. Plasma leaving the core at ~1000 eV temperature transmits enormous fusion power to the solid wall of the containment vessel which has a melting point below 1 eV. Left to its own devices, the tokamak would melt itself!   

This talk will describe how a tokamak works, explain some of the interesting physics involved in the plasma exhaust problem (e.g. turbulence,  extreme heat flows,  plasma-solid interaction), and outline research activities in the Physics Department contributing to taming plasma exhaust. It will also highlight some of the exciting plasma exhaust experiments on the JET and MAST-U fusion facilities here in the UK.

Biography: Dr Robert Kingham is a Reader in the Plasma Physics Group, working on theoretical and computational research projects spanning fusion physics (both ICF and MCF) and fundamental laser-plasma interactions, for ~30 years. He has lectured many UG courses in the Department (Hydrodynamics, Differential Equations, Plasma Physics, Compuational Physics) and had stints as Head of Year 2 Computing (Python and previously C++ flavours). An enduring thread of his research has been kinetic theory and modelling of electron transport including coupling to magnetic-field dynamics. His current primary focus is MCF exhaust physics. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at UKAEA and collaborates extensively with the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy.

Talk Title: Photographing the Big Bang
Date: 4 October 2023 at 12:00 (BST)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Carlo Contaldi

This talk will only be open for first year students to attend.

Abstract: In this lecture, I will explain how cosmologists explore the early universe using light and, now, gravitational waves. I will show how we connect fundamental physics to these observations and how discoveries over the past few decades have transformed our understanding of the universe's workings. 

Talk Title: The orbital evolution of circumbinary planets - how Tatooine became a desert planet
Date: 25 October 2023 at 12:00 (BST)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Anna Penzlin

Abstract: From thousands of planet detections in the last decades, it was estimated statistically, that nearly every star is host to a planetary system. Among all stars, about half are part of a stellar binary or multiple system. Many of them form together from the same core clump of gas. During the star and planet formation phase, parts of this gas create a disc of material orbiting both stars, a circumbinary disc. Such circumbinary, like any protoplanetary, disc are the cradle of planets. Disc and planets interact, pulling the planet on different orbits and creating spiral like trails in the gas. Though this is well understood for single star systems, their are still many unanswered question for circumbinary systems. How does the binary affect the disc structure? How can the planet change the shape of the disc? What  determines the final orbit of the planets? To understand the dynamics of the binary stars the surrounding disc and planets, hydrodynamic simulations can create a quantiative understanding of changing orbits and the internal disc properties necessary to reach the final observed planet configurations. In this talk we will dive into the numerical hydrodynamics to understand how circumbinary planets evolve and finally see what any circumbinary Tatooine-like planet observed can tell us about the early disc it evolved from. 

Biography: Anna Penzlin studied Physics at the University of Heidelberg and completed a PhD at the University of Tübingen, specializing in Astrophysics. Her main research interests are to understand the formation of planets and the protoplanetary environment. Recently, her research focuses on the dynamics of planets evolving around binary stars using numerical simulations. As of 2022, she joined Imperial College as a postdoc researcher.

Talk Title: The Physics of Security and Resilience
Date: 8 November 2023 at 12:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Bill Proud

Abstract:  In an interconnected world there are a range of opportunities and threats, ranging from the very tangible, guns, bombs, knives, to cyber space, viruses, ransomware, to the psychology of groups and individuals.

Where does Physics sit in this space and how can Physicists make a difference?

In this talk aspects relevant to modern challenges will be given as well as pointers towards using your skills in this space.

Biography: WG Proud, Reader in Shock Physics, Senior Security Fellow, Institute of Security and Resilience Science and Technology (ISST), Imperial College London. Has published and researched in the area of explosives, ballistics, mechanical and biological effects since 1994. 

Talk Title: Hot Stuff
Date: 22 November 2023 at 12:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Stuart Mangles

Abstract: Intense laser-plasma interactions can create some of the most extraordinary conditions on earth - reaching temperatures and densities usually only found inside stars and planets.

Of particular interest is the strange state we call “warm dense matter”, where the temperatures are too low and the densities are too high to treat the system as an ionised plasma, but yet the system is too hot to describe as condensed matter.

My group is developing tools, both experimental and theoretical to try and understand this intriguing state of matter - in particular a new type of ultra short X-ray source based on laser wakefield accelerators.

Talk Title: Superspintronics for next-generation information and quantum technologies
Date: 31 January 2024 at 12:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Niladri Banerjee

Abstract: In 1911 Kamerlingh Onnes discovered the phenomenon of superconductivity. A hallmark of this intriguing superconducting state of matter, where the electrical resistance drops to zero, is its inability to survive beyond a critical magnetic field. Nearly 100 years later, an entirely new form of superconductivity was discovered in 2010 which not only survives in a magnetic field but can permeate inside a strong magnetic material making it superconducting.

In this talk, I will discuss the origins of this new type of superconductivity and the development of the research field of superconducting spintronics (superspintronics). Following some past work, I will focus on a few exciting recent developments in the field including our own work that could initiate the development of novel logic and memory devices in information and quantum technologies.

Talk Title: JUICE, the ESA spacecraft mission to Jupiter’s icy moons
Date: 14 February 2024 at 12:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Michele Dougherty

Abstract: JUICE - JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – was successfully launched from Kourou in French Guiana in April 2023. It will spend at least three years making detailed observations of the giant gaseous planet Jupiter and three of its largest moons, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Iconic missions to the outer solar system like Voyager 1 and 2, Galileo, and Cassini gave us a close look at the giant planets’ largest moons. Once thought of as inactive, cold conglomerates of ice and rock, we know that these distant moons are planet-like worlds with rich histories. While our search for life in the universe was once restricted to Earth-like planets, with terrestrial atmospheres and surface oceans, such icy moons with potentially habitable underground oceans offer new horizons. Jupiter’s three largest icy moons — Europa, Ganymede and Callisto — all show hints of hosting liquid water oceans beneath their crusts. On Earth, life thrives in the deepest, darkest parts of our oceans near hydrothermal vents. Could life similarly evolve or survive in the oceans floors of these moons? The European Space Agency’s (ESA) boldest mission to date aims to find out.

Biography: Michele Dougherty is a Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London. She is leading unmanned exploratory missions to Saturn and Jupiter and was the Principal Investigator for the magnetometer instrument onboard the Cassini mission to Saturn as well as being the Principal Investigator the magnetometer for the JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) of the European Space Agency that launched in April 2023. She is Head of the Physics Department at Imperial College London, is a Fellow of the Royal Society, was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society Geophysics Gold medal in 2017, a CBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List, was awarded the Institute of Physics Richard Glazebrook Gold Medal and Prize and the 2024 Bakerian Medal and Lecture

Talk Title: Distinguishing between left- and right-handed molecules using tailored light
Date: 28 February 2024 at 12:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr David Ayuso Molinero

Abstract: Just like our hands, chiral molecules exist in pairs of opposite “mirror twins”, called enantiomers which behave identically unless they interact with another chiral “object”. Distinguishing them is vital, e.g. as most biomolecules are chiral, but also challenging.

Traditional optical methods rely on the (chiral) helix that circularly polarised light creates in space. However, the pitch of this helix, determined by its wavelength, is orders-of-magnitude larger than the molecules. Consequently, the tiny molecules perceive this helix as a planar circle, hardly feeling its chirality.

In this lecture, I will show how we can overcome this fundamental limitation: by encoding chirality not in space, but in time. This synthetic chiral light enables the highest possible degree of control over chiral light-matter interactions: it can force one of the two enantiomers to emit bright light at new optical frequencies while its mirror twin remains completely dark, reaching the ultimate efficiency limit of chiral sensitivity: 100%.

Biography: David Ayuso obtained his PhD from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 2015, with Alicia Palacios and Fernando Martín. His PhD focused on modelling ultrafast electronic dynamics in molecules driven by ultrashort laser pulses. After that, he joined Olga Smirnova’s group at the Max-Born-Institut Berlin, to develop new strategies for imaging chiral molecules using tailored light. In 2020, he joined Imperial College London with a University Research Fellowship. His team is developing new optical methods for ultrafast and highly efficient imaging and control of molecular chirality.

Talk Title: Nuclear Fusion: A Year of Ignition
Date: 13 March 2024 at 12:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Aidan Crilly

Abstract: Recent inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments have greatly increased their fusion energy output to exceed the laser energy used to drive the system. These ICF experiments compress and heat hydrogen isotopes (deuterium and tritium) to pressures and temperatures comparable to the cores of stars. This leads to a rapid rate of nuclear fusion, releasing large amounts of energy in the form of alpha particles and neutrons. If the initial pressures obtained are high enough and the fuel is well confined, then the fusion heating can lead to positive feedback and ‘ignite’ the fuel. This ignition process has been demonstrated in the last couple of years. Along with developments in magnetic confinement fusion, this marks a great step in nuclear fusion research. In this talk I will describe the work performed at Imperial's Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies in numerically modelling these ICF experiments.

Biography: Dr Aidan Crilly attended Downing College, Cambridge for his undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences. He then completed a PhD in 2020 at Imperial College under the supervision of Professor Jeremy Chittenden. His PhD focussed on the modelling of observable signals in inertial fusion experiments. After a number of years of postdoctoral work at the Centre of Inertial Fusion Studies at Imperial, Aidan won a Schmidt Futures AI in Science Fellowship at I-X in early 2023. His current research considers the modelling of and inference in high energy density and nuclear fusion experiments, accelerating and improving these processes using machine learning.

Talk Title: Black Holes and Quantum Spacetime
Date: 27 October 2022 at 17:00 (BST)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Jerome Gauntlett, Theoretical Physics Group

Abstract: Black holes are structures in the fabric of spacetime and are amongst the most extraordinary objects known to exist in the universe. In addition to their astrophysical significance, black holes also provide profound clues in the ongoing quest of constructing a theory of quantum gravity that unifies Einstein's theory of General Relativity with the quantum laws of physics. Developments in string theory, a most promising framework for quantum gravity, have illuminated our understanding of the quantum properties of black holes and the nature of quantum spacetime. The goal of the talk is to give a flavour of some of these striking theoretical developments. 

Talk Title: Clouds in the Earth System - the impact of pollution
Date: 10 November 2022 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Ed Gryspeerdt,



Abstract: Clouds are an important part of the Earth system, not only as part of the water cycle, but for regulating the amount of energy absorbed and emitted by the Earth. The physics of clouds spans many orders of magnitude, from atmospheric aerosol nucleation processes at a nanometre scale to the dynamics of storm systems at 1000 km across. These processes interact in complex ways, making changes in cloud properties in response to human activity one of the largest uncertainties in past and future climate change. In this talk, we will show how multiple different satellite instruments (visible/IR imagers, radar and passive microwave) can be used to understand cloud and measure behaviour at a global scale. Combining these large datasets with information about pollution from ships and aircraft, we show how satellite data can quantify the response of clouds to human activity, monitor international pollution agreements and help us better understand our changing climate.

Talk Title: Imprints of birth: how the birth cluster can affect stars and planetary systems
Date: 24 November 2022 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Christina Schoettler, Astrophysics Group



Abstract: Most stars form in grouped or clustered environments with other stars. These star-forming regions can survive for millions of years but can change dramatically over just a short period of time - either collapsing under their own gravity or expanding. So what we see today might not be what they looked like initially during their formation. While a cluster is contracting or expanding, stars can pass very close to each other. This can lead to stars being flung out of the birth region to become runaway stars. Planets that might already exist in an exoplanet system may have their orbits altered compared to their formation, be ejected from their systems or stolen by passing stars. 

In this lecture, I will discuss how simulations and observations can be used to investigate these interactions. I will talk about how the number and distribution of runaway stars can tell us something about the initial conditions of these regions. How observations from telescopes like Gaia, which orbits in space with the Earth around the Sun, can be used to search for these ejected stars in the night sky. I will then move on to the planetary systems and how they are affected and possibly altered by interactions in their birth environment. This can have implications for our understanding of their formation mechanisms. 

Talk Title: LhARA; a step on the way to precision, personalised particle-beam therapy
Date: 8 December 2022 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Kenneth Long



Abstract: Cancer is the second most common cause of death globally. In 2018, 18.1 million new cancer cases were diagnosed, 9.6 million people died of cancer-related disease, and 43.8 million people were living with cancer. Radiotherapy (RT) is used in 50% of cancer patients and is involved in 40% of cancer cures. It is estimated that 26.9 million life-years could be saved in low- and middle-income countries if capacity could be scaled up.  The beam characteristics that can be exploited in proton- and ion-beam therapy (IBT) facilities today are restricted to low dose rates, a small number of temporal schemes, and a small number of spatial distributions. The use of novel beams with strikingly different characteristics has led to exciting evidence of enhanced therapeutic benefit. This evidence, together with developments in our understanding of personalised medicine based on the biology of individual tumours, now provides the impetus for a radical transformation of IBT.  

The ‘Laser-hybrid Accelerator for Radiobiological Applications’, LhARA, is conceived as a novel, uniquely flexible facility dedicated to the study of radiobiology. The technologies that will be demonstrated in LhARA have the potential to allow particle-beam therapy to be delivered in a completely new regime, combining a variety of ion species in a single treatment fraction and exploiting ultra-high dose rates. The laser-hybrid approach will allow the exploration of the vast “terra incognita” of the mechanisms by which the biological response is modulated by the physical characteristics of the beam. I will describe the motivation for LhARA, present the status of its development and summarise the programme upon which the LhARA consortium has embarked to drive a step-change in clinical capability. 

Talk Title: First Results and Status of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment 
Date: 2 February 2023 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Nicolas Angelides

Abstract: The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) direct dark matter detection experiment is currently operating at the Sanford Underground ResearchFacility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota. LZ recently set new world-leading limits on WIMP-nucleus interactions above 9 GeV/c^2 with its first science run (SR1). This talk will detail these results, the status and outlook of the project. 

Talk Title: Engineering Magnonic Metamaterials for Low Energy Neuromorphic Computing
Date: 16 February 2023 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Jack Carter-Gartside

Abstract: TBC

Talk Title: Measuring ultrafast processes in physics, chemistry, biology and materials with short x-ray pulses 
Date: 2 March 2023 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Jon Marangos

Abstract: This will review the current state of scientific progress using ultrafast x-ray sources, from high harmonic laser driven sources to x-ray free electron lasers. The basic measurement methods of x-ray spectroscopy and x-ray scattering will be briefly introduced, followed by an overview of recent high impact results using XFELs. It will highlight recent work in Blackett using high harmonics to study exciton dynamics in organic photovoltaics and discuss how XFELs are now uncovering the attosecond quantum dynamics in following photoionisation of matter. It will examine the Science Case for a new next generation XFEL that may be built in the UK.

Talk Title: Can a discrete spacetime finally solve the dark energy puzzle
Date: 16 March 2023 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Santanu Das

Abstract: Various cosmological observations indicate that the universe is dominated by dark energy with a negative pressure, one possibility for which is a cosmological constant. If dark energy is a cosmological constant, a fundamental question is: Why has it become relevant at so late an epoch, making today the only time in the history of the universe at which the cosmological constant is of order the ambient density. A novel dark energy model,  known as Ever-present Lambda, explores an answer to this question, drawing on ideas from unimodular gravity, and causal set theory. In this model, the universe is fundamentally discrete, and dark energy has a density that is always of the order of ambient energy density. In this talk I will explain the present status and the research work that is going on in the Ever-Present Lambda model.

Talk Title: Laser Wakefield Accelerators: a particle accelerator in a university lab?
Date: 05 October 2021 at 12:00 (BST)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Stuart Mangles, Plasma Physics Group
Watch the lecture recording

Due to capacity restrictions, Lecture Theatre 1 will only be open to Year 1 students in Groups G,H,I,J,K and L for this talk. All other students will be able to live-stream the talk or watch the recording once the talk has finished.

Abstract: Particle accelerators are amazing tools for scientific discovery – but why do they have to be so big? Using the world’s most powerful lasers and the plasmas they create we are developing particle accelerators that are much more compact. In this talk I will explain how these laser-plasma accelerators work, their current capabilities and limitations, and some of the exciting experiments that their unique properties are enabling.

Talk Title: Nuclear Fusion: Bringing Star Power to the Lab
Date: 08 October 2021 at 11:00 (BST)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Aidan Crilly, Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies, Plasma Physics Group
Watch the lecture recording

Due to capacity restrictions, Lecture Theatre 1 will only be open to Year 2 students in Groups A,B,C,D,E and F for this talk. All other students will be able to live-stream the talk or watch the recording once the talk has finished.

Abstract: Recent inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments have greatly increased their fusion energy output to approximately 70% of the laser energy used to drive the system. These ICF experiments compress and heat hydrogen isotopes (deuterium (D) and tritium (T)) to pressures and temperatures comparable to the cores of stars. This leads to a rapid rate of nuclear fusion, releasing large amounts of energy in the form of alpha particles and neutrons. The alpha particles can couple their energy back to the fusion fuel, heating it and further increasing the fusion rate. If the initial pressures obtained are high enough and the fuel is well confined, then this alpha heating process can lead to positive feedback and ‘ignite’ the fuel. This has the potential to release more energy than used to compress and heat the fuel. In this talk I will describe the work performed at the Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies in numerically modelling these ICF experiments. In particular, I will describe our work on neutron measurements, the other product of DT fusion which gives us a direct view into the burning plasma.

Talk Title: The Mystery of Missing Magnetic Monopoles
Date: 28 October 2021 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Arttu Rajantie, Theoretical Physics Group
Watch the lecture recording

Due to capacity restrictions, Lecture Theatre 1 will only be open to Year 2 students in Groups G,H,I,J,K and L for this talk. All other students will be able to live-stream the talk or watch the recording once the talk has finished.

Abstract: We have all been taught that a magnet always has two poles, north and south, but is that really true? There are good theoretical reasons to believe that magnetic monopoles, elementary particles with a single north or south pole, should exist, but in spite of extensive searches, they have not been found. In this talk, I will explain why we believe magnetic monopoles should exist, how we are trying to find them, what we can learn from our failure to find them so far, and what we could do if we found them.

Talk Title: Revealing undiscovered forces using an array of ultracold molecules
Date: 11 November 2021 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Live online via MS Teams
Speaker: Dr. Jongseok Lim, Centre for Cold Matter
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Abstract: The Standard Model of particle physics is one of the greatest achievements of modern science. It has been fabulously successful in classifying the fundamental particles and explaining how they behave. Nevertheless, it is widely accepted that the Standard Model is incomplete because it fails to explain several important observations. One prominent example is the excess of matter over antimatter in the universe. The Standard Model predicts almost equal amounts of matter and antimatter, but observations show the universe contains only matter. This contradiction is one of the great unsolved problems in modern physics and a major deficiency of our most fundamental theory.

To build a more complete picture of the universe, physicists are striving to reveal what lies beyond the Standard Model. This is an important objective of much of the research being done at gigantic particle accelerators. There is an alternative, and ingenious, way to explore the same problem – measure the shape of an electron. The new forces needed to explain the matter/antimatter imbalance make electrons slightly non-spherical. This distortion – known as the electric dipole moment - changes the energy of an electron in an electric field, and that tiny change is amplified when the electron is bound to a molecule. In this seminar, I will present my plan on how to build an apparatus that uses an array of molecules cooled to microkelvin temperatures to make an extremely precise measurement of the electron’s shape. With very careful measurements, such table-top experiments will enable us to probe energies equal to, or even above, those reached by the particle accelerators.

Biography: Dr. Jongseok Lim is an Ernest Rutherford Fellow at the Department of Physics, Imperial College London. His research interests are in ultrafast quantum optics and ultracold molecular physics. He is especially interested in the applications of ultrafast and ultracold technologies in quantum science and tests of fundamental physics via precision measurement. His research work opens a path to the use of ultracold molecules for low-energy precision measurement that can test physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics up to 1000 TeV energy scale.


Talk Title: The Cassini Spacecraft Mission at Saturn
Date: 25 November 2021 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Michele Dougherty, Space and Atmospheric Physics Group
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Abstract: In September 2017, the NASA/ESA Cassini-Huygens spacecraft mission ended its 20 years in space by burning up in Saturn’s atmosphere. The end of mission orbits were designed to better understand the interior of Saturn and its magnetic field. These end of mission results will be described as well as some of the other surprising discoveries made during the orbital tour at Saturn, including water vapour plumes at the small moon Enceladus and implications this has for potential habitability.

Biography: Michele Dougherty is a space physicist who is leading unmanned exploratory missions to Saturn and Jupiter. Amongst other important findings, her work led to the discovery of an atmosphere containing water and hydrocarbons around Saturn’s moon Enceladus — opening up new possibilities in the search for life.

Talk Title: Superconducting Spintronics
Date: 9 December 2021 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Live online via MS Teams
Speaker: Prof Lesley Cohen, Experimental Solid State Physics Group
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Abstract: At temperatures near absolute zero, some metals lose their electrical resistance and become superconductors of electricity. Prof. Lesley Cohen of Imperial College London describes how superconductivity was discovered, and its underlying quantum nature with electric current carried by particles behaving coherently. She will touch upon the longstanding search for superconductivity at room temperature; and her own research in the area of superconducting spintronics marrying the spin polarization properties of ferromagnets with the zero ohmic loss properties of superconductors.

Biography: Lesley Cohen is head of Experimental Solid State Physics in the Blackett laboratory at Imperial College. Her research work is positioned at the interface between fundamental understanding and enabling science in magnetic, superconducting and semiconducting materials with an emphasis on materials for energy efficient use. She has been fortunate to work with many brilliant young people and collaborators across the world with whom she has published over 400 research papers with an h index of 47. Lesley won the first Julia Higgins Medal in 2013 for her work as an Ambassador for Women in Science. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Applied Physics Letters.

Talk Title: Exoplanets: Searching for Habitable Worlds Beyond our Solar System
Date: 3 February 2022 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Dr Subhanjoy Mohanty, Astrophysics Group
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Due to capacity restrictions, Lecture Theatre 1 will only be open to Year 1 students for this talk. All other students will be able to live-stream the talk or watch the recording once the talk has finished.

Abstract: Thousands of exoplanets -- planets beyond our own solar system, orbiting stars other than our sun -- have been discovered over the last twenty years; indeed, we now know that our galaxy contains more planets than stars. The study of exoplanets has now moved on from the discovery phase to the characterisation of all these planets, with the ultimate goal of understanding whether some of them are habitable, and whether any actually harbour life. In this talk, I will discuss how we find and study exoplanets, what we have learned so far about their properties and habitability, and prospects for identifying the signatures of alien life in the near future. 

Biography: Dr Subhanjoy Mohanty undertook his undergraduate studies at Harvard University, and obtained a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of California at Berkeley. He was subsequently a NASA Spitzer Fellow in the Centre for Astrophysics at Harvard, before moving to Imperial College London, where he is now a Reader in Astrophysics in the Physics department. He specialises in the theory and observations of how planets and stars form and evolve.

Talk Title: Dynamics of two mutually coupled semiconductor lasers in an integrated Photonic circuit
Date: 3 March 2022 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Live online via MS Teams
Speaker: Dr Masoud Seifikar, Physics Education Group
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Abstract: We theoretically investigate a system of two mutually delay-coupled semiconductor lasers, in a face to face configuration for integration in a photonic integrated circuit. This system is described by single-mode rate equations, which are a system of delay differential equations with one fixed delay. Several bifurcation scenarios involving multistabilities are presented, followed by a comprehensive frequency analysis of the symmetric and symmetrybroken, one-color and two-color states.

Biography: Masoud Seifikar is a Strategic Teaching Fellow in the Department of Physics, with an interest in pedagogy and instructional design, especially using the instructional tools and technological solutions to implement active learning in Physics classes. Before joining Imperial College in 2019, he was a lecturer in the Department of Physics at University College Cork, Ireland. He graduated from the Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, and Master’s Degree in Teaching and Learning in HE courses in UCC in 2017, 2018 and 2020, respectively. During the MA thesis, he researched the instructional tools for active learning in teaching Physics in a large classroom. His research background is in Optics and Photonics, with a focus on the interaction between the coupled semiconductor lasers in a Photonic Integrated Circuit.

Talk Title: Development of advanced microscopy techniques for biomedicine
Date: 17 March 2022 at 17:00 (GMT)
Location: Blackett Lecture Theatre 1
Speaker: Prof Paul French, Photonics Physics Groups
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Abstract: Optical microscopy is one of the most ubiquitous tools in biomedical research, enabling cells to be resolved for the diagnosis and study of disease within the limitations of the diffraction of light. The last decade has seen a step-change in the capabilities of optical microscopes, increasingly enabling researchers to probe biomolecular processes beyond the diffraction limit and complementing advances in resolution with advances in information processing and imaging speed.

Talk Title: The Cassini Spacecraft Mission at Saturn
Date: 05 October 2020 at 12:00 (BST)
Speaker: Prof Michele Dougherty

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Abstract: In September 2017, the NASA/ESA Cassini-Huygens spacecraft mission ended its 20 years in space by burning up in Saturn’s atmosphere. The end of mission orbits were designed to better understand the interior of Saturn and its magnetic field. These end of mission results will be described as well as some of the other surprising discoveries made during the orbital tour at Saturn, including water vapour plumes at the small moon Enceladus and implications this has for potential habitability.

Talk Title: Theory and simulation of materials: understanding and designing materials from the atomic scale up
Date: 08 Octotober 2020 at 13:00 (BST)
Speaker: Prof Arash Mostofi

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Abstract: Computational science now sits firmly alongside pure theory and experiment as one of the key pillars of scientific investigation. The challenges in physics, chemistry, biology and materials research that researchers are tackling in order to help address some of the most interesting technological (and societal) problems of both today and tomorrow are often of such complexity that it is impossible to make progress without a computational approach. I will focus on my principal area of expertise in theory and simulation of materials at the nanoscale using quantum mechanical simulations. I will largely avoid the underlying philosophical difficulties with quantum theory and instead highlight the development and practical application of quantum mechanics for understanding and predicting the behaviour of materials using specific examples of work from my research group.

Talk Title: Phosphine Gas in the Cloud Decks of Venus
Date: 19 October 2020 at 12:00 (BST)
Speaker: Dr Dave Clements

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Abstract: Measurements of trace-gases in planetary atmospheres help us explore chemical conditions different to those on Earth. Our nearest neighbour, Venus, has cloud decks that are temperate but hyper-acidic. We report the apparent presence of phosphine (PH3) gas in Venus’ atmosphere, where any phosphorus should be in oxidized forms, based on single line millimetre-waveband spectral detections (quality up to ~15 sigma) from the JCMT and ALMA telescopes. Atmospheric PH3 at ~20 parts-per-billion abundance is inferred. There is no other plausible line-identification, and exhaustive study of steady-state chemistry and photochemical pathways finds no viable abiotic phosphine-production routes in the atmosphere, clouds, surface and subsurface, nor from lightning, volcanic or meteoritic delivery. Phosphine could originate from unknown photochemistry or geochemistry, or, by analogy with biological production of phosphine on Earth, from the presence of life. Other PH3 spectral features should be sought, while future in-situ cloud and surface sampling could examine sources of this gas.

Talk Title: Artificial Quantum Matter
Date: 09 November 2020 at 12:00 (GMT)
Speaker: Dr Hannah Williams

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Abstract: Matter is made up of interacting particles, in order to truly understand how the universe around us behaves on a quantum level we need to simulate such systems. Theorists have done a good job so far of creating the maths and tools we need to achieve this, but they hit a brick wall when trying to simulate systems of more the 40 particles. To overcome this Feynman suggested building a computer out of "quantum mechanical elements which obey quantum mechanical laws", and this is exactly what many people are trying to do. I am working on an experiment which uses individual atoms trapped in an array of optical microtraps "tweezers". In this talk I will tell you why quantum simulators are important, describe the experimental setup and show exciting new results where we go far beyond what is possible with a classical computer.

Talk Title: Modelling Burning Thermonuclear Plasmas
Date: 23 November 2020 at 12:00 (GMT)
Speaker: Prof Steven Rose

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Abstract: Considerable progress towards the achievement of thermonuclear burn using Inertial Confinement Fusion has been achieved at the National Ignition Facility in the USA in the last few years. When a burning thermonuclear plasma is achieved in the laboratory it will provide a unique and extreme plasma environment and this talk will look at our modelling of such a plasma. We will examine how fundamental plasma processes, many, but not all of which have been studied in astrophysical plasma environments, play an important role. We will see how the use of machine learning has allowed us to improve our design of experiments. Finally we will also look at the possibilities that a burning thermonuclear plasma would give us to study fundamental physics, including studies of Quantum Electrodynamics and the replication and exploration of conditions that last occurred in the first few minutes after the Big Bang.

Talk Title: Unconventional Laser from Nanostructure Materials
Date: 07 December 2020 at 12:00 (GMT)
Speaker: Dr Riccardo Sapienza

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Abstract: Conventional nanophotonic schemes minimise multiple scattering to realise a miniaturised version of beam-splitters, interferometers and optical cavities for light propagation and lasing. Here instead, we introduce a nanophotonic network built from multiple paths and interference, to control and enhance light-matter interaction via light localisation. The network is built from a mesh of subwavelength waveguides and can sustain localised modes and mirror-less light trapping stemming from interference over hundreds of nodes. With optical gain, these modes can easily lase, reaching ~100 pm linewidths. We introduce a graph solution to the Maxwell’s equation which describes light on the network and predicts lasing action. In this framework, the network optical modes can be designed via the network connectivity and topology, and lasing can be tailored and enhanced by the network shape. Nanophotonic networks pave the way for new laser device architectures, which can be used for sensitive biosensing and on-chip optical information processing.

Talk Title: Solving the Many-Electron Schrödinger Equation with Deep Neural Networks
Date: 01 February 2021 at 12:00 (GMT)
Speaker: Prof Matthew Foulkes

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Abstract: Given access to accurate solutions of the many-electron Schrödinger equation, nearly all chemistry could be derived from first principles. Exact wavefunctions of interesting chemical systems are out of reach because they are NP-hard to compute in general, but approximations can be found using polynomially-scaling algorithms. The key challenge for many of these algorithms is the choice of wavefunction approximation, or Ansatz, which must trade-off between efficiency and accuracy. Neural networks have shown impressive power as accurate practical function approximators and promise as a compact wavefunction Ansatz for spin systems, but problems in electronic structure require wavefunctions that obey Fermi-Dirac statistics. Here we introduce a novel deep learning architecture, the Fermionic Neural Network, as a powerful wavefunction Ansatz for many-electron systems. The Fermionic Neural Network is able to achieve accuracy beyond other variational quantum Monte Carlo Ansätze on a variety of atoms and small molecules. Using no data other than atomic positions and charges, we predict the dissociation curves of the nitrogen molecule and hydrogen chain, two challenging strongly-correlated systems, to significantly higher accuracy than the coupled cluster method, widely considered the most accurate scalable method for quantum chemistry at equilibrium geometry. This demonstrates that deep neural networks can improve the accuracy of variational quantum Monte Carlo to the point where it outperforms other ab-initio quantum chemistry methods, opening the possibility of accurate direct optimisation of wavefunctions for previously intractable molecules and solids.

Talk Title: Exploring the Complex Problem of Plasma Turbulence from Space
Date: 03 February 2021 at 12:00 (GMT)
Speaker: Dr Julia Stawarz

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Abstract: From our own solar system to black hole accretion discs and even galaxy clusters, the Universe is filled with a churning gas of charged particles, known as plasma, that undergoes complex, seemingly chaotic, turbulent motions. Describing such turbulent motions in environments such as the ocean and atmosphere on Earth has long been one of the major unsolved problems in classical physics and, in the case of plasmas, the interaction with electric and magnetic fields and potential lack of particle collisions provides additional layers of complexity. Fortunately, a number of recently launched spacecraft missions, such as NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and Magnetospheric Multiscale missions and ESA’s Solar Orbiter, are providing unprecedented new measurements of the plasma in our solar system. In this talk, I will discuss why plasma turbulence is such a challenging, yet important, phenomenon to study and how cutting-edge spacecraft, including those in which Imperial College is playing a leading role, are providing unique new opportunities to explore the fundamental physics of this enigmatic phenomenon.

Talk Title: Evaluating greenhouse gas emissions using atmospheric measurements
Date: 15 February 2021 at 12:00 (GMT)
Speaker: Dr Heather Graven

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Abstract: Emissions of greenhouse gases are causing global climate change and its impacts, such as sea level rise and more frequent extreme weather events. Fossil fuel combustion is the main cause of greenhouse gas concentrations increasing in the atmosphere but other process such as deforestation, farming and waste management are also important. Accounting techniques are typically used to calculate emissions from each activity, but these calculations could be biased or miss out some sources. I will present on methods we are developing to evaluate greenhouse gas emissions using atmospheric measurements. By observing variations in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, we can estimate the fluxes of the greenhouse gases at Earth's surface. To do this we need to account for how the gases are mixed and transported in the atmosphere using an atmospheric model. We also need to separate the influence of human activities from natural processes. In our work we use a wide range of physics including laser spectroscopy, accelerator mass spectrometry, fluid dynamics and computing.


Talk Title: Advancing biomedical imaging using nonlinear fibre optics
Date: 01 March 2021 at 12:00 (GMT)
Speaker: Dr Timothy Runcorn

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Abstract: When very intense laser light interacts with ordinary materials such as glass, new colours of light can be generated through nonlinear optical processes. Optical fibres, which are the backbone of the internet, can be used to both generate very intense laser light and simultaneously are an ideal medium for nonlinear optical interactions. By harnessing these nonlinear optical effects, intense laser light can be generated with colours that no existing laser technology can produce. One important application of this technology is in developing light sources for microscopes, where intense visible light is needed to excite and manipulate the cells and molecules in our bodies. In this talk, I will give an overview of how nonlinear fibre optics can be used to advance the state of the art in biomedical imaging with potential future applications in, for example, bowel cancer screening.


Talk Title: Hard Electronics with Soft Processable Materials
Date: 15 March 2021 at 12:00 (GMT)
Speaker: Prof Ji-Seon Kim

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Abstract: Solution-processable organic (molecular) semiconductors combine the semiconductor properties traditionally associated with inorganic materials with the more desirable properties of soft plastics. Moreover, the organic syntheses of these materials allow for great flexibility in the tuning of their electronic and optical properties. By combining these properties, the field of soft electronics using organic semiconductors has developed rapidly over the last 30 years from fundamental laboratory discovery into a significant materials and manufacturing technology for a range of thin-film electronics applications including displays, solar cells, transistors and biosensors. In this talk I will highlight the progress and key challenges in this area.