QECDT Science Busking at At Bristol18 December 2015Quantum Engineering CDT students brought some close-up science to the masses, at the after hours event hosted by At Bristol science museum.
QECDT student heads to space (kind of!)11 December 2015QECDT Student Sam Pallister attended the 2015 Alpbach Summer School, held in the beautiful Austrian Tyrol. This year’s meeting, focused on quantum and fundamental physics in space.
Professor Carrington gives Pippard prize lecture11 December 2015Pippard prizewinner Professor Tony Carrington gave a lecture on his recent research at the winter meeting of the Institute of Physics Superconductivity Group.
Art of Science Competition24 November 2015The annual Art of Science competition has come to the end of a week long exhibition in the Life Sciences atrium. The exhibition has been enjoyed by many over the past week and the winners of the competition have been announced.
CQP and QECDT Staff and Researchers visit DWave17 November 2015During the last week of October, the first year Quantum Engineering CDT (QECDT) cohort travelled to D-Wave labs and headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, to visit the start-up company claiming to have built the “the worlds first commercial quantum computer”.
Professor Hugh Brady opens state-of-the-art University Cleanroom12 November 2015The Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Hugh Brady, has officially opened the new University of Bristol Cleanroom. This multi-million pound facility is the jewel in the crown for research groups at Bristol who specialise in micro- and nano-fabrication.
School of Physics Newsletter, November 201527 October 2015Recent investment in facilities for our undergraduate students were supported by the generosity of our alumni. Read about these, and how philanthropic support for the work of postgraduate students is resulting in innovative science.
CQP Researchers win New Enterprise Competition16 October 2015A new technology by CQP researchers which will help to ensure data is secure has won the University of Bristol's equivalent to Dragon's Den and a share of over £35,000 prize money.
Transmission of torque at small scales: the nanoclutch6 October 2015A model microscopic system to demonstrate the transmission of torque in the presence of thermal fluctuations – necessary for the creation of a tiny 'clutch' operating at the nanoscale – has been assembled at the University of Bristol as part of an international collaboration.
CQP at Bristol Bright Night & Ujima Radio interview29 September 2015On the 25th of September, students from Centre for Quantum Photonics took part in Bristol Bright Night as part of outreach with BOSS (Bristol Optical Student Society.)
Students join team to cycle 1,000 km in three weeks - for Women Asylum Seekers Together17 September 2015Physics undergraduate student Aidan Cassidy will be part of a team of cyclists who will cycle 1,000 km to raise money for a Manchester asylum seekers' charity. The team began their cycle ride on 6 September in Macedonia at Lake Ohrid, and will ride to Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Rowing Champion in Physics17 September 2015Sven Friedemann, lecturer in physics, won a gold medal at the 2015 FISA World Rowing Masters Regatta in Hazewinkel, Belgium. At the University of Bristol, he studies superconductors and other electronic materials at extreme conditions. In his spare time he is a competitive rower for more than twenty years having competed for German clubs and universities and English clubs.
Bristol physicists get knotted at Orkney International Science Festival16 September 2015On a Monday evening in early September, Bristol theorists Keith Alexander and Professor Mark Dennis explained to a packed audience how knots appear in physical science. Topics covered, from knotted whirlpools of water to topological quantum field theory, highlighted Bristol research on knotted optical vortices and tangled protein configurations.
An Afternoon of Optics10 September 2015The Bristol Optical Students’ Society (BOSS), comprised predominantly by CQP students, recently organised and ran “An Afternoon of Optics". This society is a Student Chapter funded by the Optical Society (OSA) aiming to promote discussion and cross-talk between different areas of science that use or are related to optics.
CQP Summer School in Quantum Photonics8 September 2015In early August 2015, the Centre for Quantum Photonics (CQP) organised its first Summer School. Aimed at encouraging more young people to study physics by introducing them to world-class science and research, the school was attended by 14 young people from as far away as Rome all of whom came to Bristol to learn more about the growing and exciting field quantum photonics.
Current Vacancies within CQP8 September 2015Deadlines are quickly approaching for positions within the Centre for Quantum Photonics (CQP) and the newly established Quantum Engineering Technology Labs (QET Labs) within the University of Bristol.
Growing Collaboration between Kyoto and Bristol2 September 2015This summer we have been strengthening the link between Centre for Quantum Photonics (CQP) and the Quantum Optoelectronics Laboratory (QOL) at Kyoto University.
Tough Mudders in Particle Physics28 August 2015Particle Physics PhD students are Tough Mudders. The Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile extreme obstacle course designed by the British Special Forces. On Saturday 22 August, three Bristol Particle Physics PhD students, Eugenia Price, Nicole Skidmore and Sophie Richards as well as recent PhD graduate David Voong, completed Tough Mudder with team mates Beki Price, Siphiwe Manda and Emma Runesson.
A strategic relationship: Oxford Instruments and the University of Bristol's School of Physics sign memorandum of understanding24 August 2015Oxford Instruments and the University of Bristol's School of Physics new strategic relationship aims to bring together Oxford Instruments as a training partner and collaborator with the three EPSRC funded Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) within the school – the Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, the Centre for Doctoral Training in Condensed Matter Physics and the Centre for Doctoral Training in Quantum Engineering.
Charting the slow death of the Universe - Galaxy and Mass Assembly survey releases first data at Honolulu19 August 2015An international team of astronomers, including a Bristol professor and several Bristol alumni, studying more than 200 000 galaxies, has measured the energy generated within a large portion of space more precisely than ever before. This represents the most comprehensive assessment of the energy output of the nearby Universe. Their findings were presented at the International Astronomy Union (IAU) General Assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii. They confirm that the energy produced in a section of the Universe today is only about half what it was two billion years ago and find that this fading is occurring across all wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the far infrared. The Universe is slowly dying.
New optical chip lights up the race for quantum computer14 August 2015The microprocessor inside a computer is a single multipurpose chip that has revolutionised people’s life, allowing them to use one machine to surf the web, check emails and keep track of finances.
Now, researchers from the University of Bristol in the UK and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in Japan, have pulled off the same feat for light in the quantum world by developing an optical chip that can process photons in an infinite number of ways.
Professorship for Mark Thompson7 August 2015Congratulations to Mark Thompson of the Centre for Quantum Photonics who has recently been promoted to Professor of Quantum Photonics.
CQP Research workshop summary3 July 2015On 3rd July researchers from the Centre for Quantum Photonics held their annual research workshop. The internal workshop is a way of bringing together researchers from all different projects within the group to enjoy a day of collaboration, discussion and presentations.
EPSRC quantum technologies fellowships9 June 2015The Centre for Quantum Photonics is pleased to announce that two of their academics Prof. John Rarity and Dr Jonathan Matthews have been awarded highly competitive fellowships in the EPSRC quantum technologies fellowship programme.
Entangled photons unlock new super-sensitive characterization of quantum technology28 May 2015Scientists and engineers from the University of Bristol, UK, and the Centre for Quantum Technologies in Singapore have published work in the June issue of Optica. They demonstrate a new protocol for estimating unknown optical processes, called unitary operations, with precision enhanced by the unique properties of quantum mechanics. This could lead to both dramatically better sensors for medical research and new approaches to benchmark the performance ultra-powerful quantum computers.
Can time go backwards?28 May 2015Can time go backwards? It seems the stuff of science-fiction, but various aspects of present-day physics, from intricate distortions of space-time due to gravity to strange quantum effects, suggest that at least some form of backward-in-time influences are possible.
Bristol physicist to row across the Atlantic21 May 2015More people have been sent into space or climbed Everest than those who have rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. A test of such physical endurance teamed with a wide range of dangerous obstacles unique to the vast ocean environment is not for the faint-hearted. Yet second year Bristol Physics and Astrophysics student Jay Olenicz is one of those preparing for this year’s Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which at just under 3500 miles is one of the world’s most arduous and intense races. Undergraduate student Aimee Nevill reports:
Focus on international students8 May 2015The University of Bristol attracts excellent students from all over the world, and the School of Physics is no exception: students from every continent are studying at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Engineering quantum science into quantum reality16 April 2015The University of Bristol has today launched its new state-of-the-art Quantum Engineering Technology (QET) Labs. The QET Labs will provide unique world-leading facilities, bringing together industrial and academic collaborators to build devices that span numerous areas of quantum technology development from the nano-fabrication of quantum devices to a city-scale Quantum Key Distribution network.
Dr Thompson receives IUPAP prize10 April 2015The IUPAP Commission 17 has awarded Dr Mark Thompson a Young Scientist Prize for outstanding contributions of an applied nature to his field.
Quantum Communications Hub Launch10 April 2015Members of the Centre for Quantum Photonics attended the Quantum Communications Hub launch event at the Ron Cooke Hub building at the University of York on 4th June.