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Tyndall Lecture - The Big Bang – is it true?

06 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

IT Carlow
Mon, 6 Feb 2012, 12:00 – 13:00

The Big Bang is one of the best known theories of modern physics, a model of the origin of the universe that has important implications. But is it true?

The theory and evidence supporting the big bang model will be explored, along with its limitations, in an engaging, interactive presentation.

Event Title: Tyndall Lecture - The Big Bang – is it true?
Speaker(s): Cormac O’Raifeartaigh
Organised by: IOP in Ireland
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Loranne Vallely, Email: VALLELY@itcarlow.ie Tel: 059 9175549

Attosecond physics: The first decade

06 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Tyndall National Institute, UCC Cork
Mon, 6 Feb 2012, 16:00 – 17:00

Electrons in motion can emit light, or carry and process information in biological systems, thereby creating, destroying, or modifying molecules.

This subsequently affects biological function. Electrons are key players in physical, chemical, and life sciences.

We will discuss key tools used to watch and control these hitherto inaccessible electron dynamics.

Event Title: Attosecond physics: The first decade
Speaker(s): Prof. Ferenc Krausz
Organised by: IOP in Ireland
Co-sponsored by: Tyndall National Institute
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Sile Nic Chormaic, Email: s.nicchormaic@ucc.ie

Tyndall Lecture - The Big Bang – is it true?

07 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

IT Waterford, Cork Road, Waterford, Co. Waterford, Ireland
Tue, 7 Feb 2012, 12:00 – 13:00

The Big Bang is one of the best known theories of modern physics, a model of the origin of the universe that has important implications. But is it true?

The theory and evidence supporting the big bang model will be explored, along with its limitations, in an engaging, interactive presentation.

Event Title: Tyndall Lecture - The Big Bang – is it true?
Speaker(s): Cormac O’Raifeartaigh
Organised by: IOP in Ireland
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Gabriel Gallagher, Email: GGALLAGHER@wit.ie, Tel: 051 302645

Attosecond physics: The first decade

07 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
Tue, 7 Feb 2012, 16:00 – 17:00

Electrons in motion can emit light, or carry and process information in biological systems, thereby creating, destroying, or modifying molecules.

This subsequently affects biological function. Electrons are key players in physical, chemical, and life sciences.

We will discuss key tools used to watch and control these hitherto inaccessible electron dynamics.

Event Title: Attosecond physics: The first decade
Speaker(s): Prof. Ferenc Krausz
Organised by: IOP in Ireland
Co-sponsored by: Tyndall National Institute
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Eamonn Cunningham, Email: Eamonn.Cunningham@dcu.ie

Colliding galaxies and exploding stars

07 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Chadwick Lecture Theatre. University of Liverpool (building #207 on university plan), L69 3DR
Tue, 7 Feb 2012, 18:30

Speaker: Dr. Phil James - Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University

How much do stars 'know' about the galaxy in which they form and evolve?

Until recently, the answer seemed to be 'Surprisingly little': stars were thought to form with similar properties (particularly masses) in all environments that could be studied in detail.

Recent observations of the violent bursts of star formation that occur in the cores of colliding galaxies are challenging this view, however.

I will discuss new evidence on this question, based on the analysis of supernova explosions which mark the deaths of the most massive stars, and will explore the consequences of different modes of star formation for our understanding of stellar populations and galaxy evolution.

Event Title: Colliding galaxies and exploding stars
Speaker(s): Dr. Phil James - Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University
Organised by: IOP Merseyside Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Louise Butcher, Email: louise.butcher@iop.org

Looking for Gravitational Waves using Pulsars

07 Feb 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Large Lecture Theatre, Poynting Physics Building, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Birmingham, B15 2TT
Tue, 7 Feb 2012, 19:30 – 20:30

Gravitational waves are at the forefront of research in fundamental physics.

This talk will show how we can use an array of pulsars which cover the sky, called a pulsar timing array (PTA), to directly detect gravitational waves from super massive black hole binaries in the centre of galaxy mergers.

Event Title: Looking for Gravitational Waves using Pulsars
Speaker(s): Chiara Mingarelli, University of Birmingham
Organised by: IOP Midland Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Lynne Long Email: l.long@bham.ac.uk
More info: www.birmingham.ac.uk…

Attosecond physics: The first decade

08 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Queens University Belfast, University Road Belfast, County Antrim, BT7 1NN
Wed, 8 Feb 2012, 16:00 – 17:00

Electrons in motion can emit light, or carry and process information in biological systems, thereby creating, destroying, or modifying molecules.

This subsequently affects biological function. Electrons are key players in physical, chemical, and life sciences.

We will discuss key tools used to watch and control these hitherto inaccessible electron dynamics.

Event Title: Attosecond physics: The first decade
Speaker(s): Prof. Ferenc Krausz
Organised by: IOP in Ireland
Co-sponsored by: Tyndall National Institute
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Ian Williams, Email: I.Williams@qub.ac.uk

Hydrogen for Fuel Cells

08 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Room MB51, Maudland Building, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE
Wed, 8 Feb 2012, 18:00 – 20:00

Hydrogen used in a fuel cell combines with oxygen to make water; not causing climate change by CO2 emissions.

It is also about 60% efficient compared with internal combustion engines with carbon fuels at about 30% efficiency.

The difficulty is manufacture and storage of hydrogen, particularly for mobile applications.

Event Title: Hydrogen for Fuel Cells
Speaker(s): Prof Keith Ross
Organised by: IOP Lancashire and Cumbria Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr J.M. Bradshaw Email: john.bradshaw@physics.org

What Happens Next?

09 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Rutherford Hall, Northumbria University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Thu, 9 Feb 2012, 19:00 – 20:00

What happens next? - An interactive talk.

The North East Branch of the Institute of Physics would like to invite you to attend our next talk.

Committee member David Featonby will present a Pandora's box of experiments with discrepant outcomes to baffle and bemuse.

Tea and coffee will be available from 18:30, with the talk starting at 19:00.

Event Title: What Happens Next?
Speaker(s): David Featonby
Organised by: North East Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: David Featonby

Evolution of Biological Complexity

09 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Basil Reckitt lecture theatre, Ferens Building, Hull Campus, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX
Thu, 9 Feb 2012, 19:00 – 21:00

Simple organisms like bacteria possess the ability to do all the functions of life while being but a single cell.

We, of course, have evolved to have many different types of cells specialised for various functions (nerves, muscle, eyes, etc.).

One of the most fascinating questions in evolutionary biology concerns what pressures led single cell organisms to evolve into multicellular ones, and to divide up life’s tasks among different cells.

This lecture will explain how concepts and experimental techniques from mathematics and physics can help us answer this question.

Event Title: Evolution of Biological Complexity
Speaker(s): Prof Ray Goldstein
Organised by: IOP Yorkshire Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr. Angela Dyson,, Department of Physics,, University of Hull,, Hull, HU6 7RX, Email: A.Dyson@hull.ac.uk

Astrophysics and the anthropic principle

14 Feb 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Rutherford Lecture Theatre 1, University of Kent, Canterbury. CT2 7NZ
Tue, 14 Feb 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

Astronomers and other physicists are often asked questions such as ‘Why is the speed of light 299792458 ms-1 and not a little larger or smaller?’

One typical answer is ‘If it were different we would not exist in our current form to talk about the answer’.

Poster: www.iop.org…
(PDF, 200 KB)

Event Title: Astrophysics and the anthropic principle
Speaker(s): Dr Dirk Froebrich
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Co-sponsored by: SEKAS
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr C. Isenberg Email: C.Isenberg@kent.ac.uk Tel: 01227 832768

The physics of superheroes

14 Feb 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Berrill Lecture Theatre, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Tue, 14 Feb 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

Everyone is familiar with at least one superhero. In this talk we shall discuss a wide variety of different superheroes and we shall show how their ‘unbelievable’ powers have a basis supported by the laws of physics.

The only concession that we shall make is that we shall assume that they have these powers, we shall not try to explain where they come from.

So, we’ll answer questions such as “how strong is the gravity on Krypton?”, “where does Magneto get his levitation from?”, “what is the secret of Wonder Woman’s amazonium?” etc.

To answer these questions we shall consider Newton’s law of gravitation, diamagnetism and some materials science. These are only three examples, most of your favourites will be there covering all areas of physics.

Free car parking near the lecture theatre.

Event Title: The physics of superheroes
Speaker(s): Professor Alan Davies
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Email: r.mackintosh@open.ac.uk or t.a.bartlett@open.ac.uk (secretary)

The end of the world in 2012? The astronomer’s perspective

15 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London, W1B 1NT
Wed, 15 Feb 2012, 18:00 – 21:00

What's all this about the end of the world in 2012?

In this talk Jocelyn Bell Burnell looks at the astronomical phenomena that reputedly will cause the end of the world in 2012, and reflects on what this has to say to us about science education and about the communication of science.

Tea/coffee from 18:00 and afterwards. Talk begins at 18:30.

Event Title: The end of the world in 2012? The astronomer’s perspective
Speaker(s): Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, DBE, FRS
Organised by: institute of Physics London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Branch secretary, Email: londonsoutheast@physics.org

The Future of Energy in Buildings

15 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Lecture Theatre 1, Richmond Building, University of Portsmouth, Portland Street, Portsmouth, PO1 3DE
Wed, 15 Feb 2012, 19:00

Tony Day is professor of energy in the built environment at London South Bank University and Director of the Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Buildings (CEREB), a research and teaching facility opened in June 2010.

Tony specialises in building energy analysis and the application of low and zero carbon technologies in the urban environment. He has done extensive work with the Greater London Authority and others to evaluate the impact of these technologies in London.

He works closely with industry, and has a number of active research and knowledge transfer projects. Tony is a Fellow of the Energy Institute, member of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, and Chair of the UK Solar Energy Society.

The lecture will discuss the key policy drivers for building energy consumption and show how this is expected to change over the next two decades.

Examples of monitored performance of low and zero carbon systems will be shown in order to examine how well these projections might be best met in practice.

Event Title: The Future of Energy in Buildings
Speaker(s): Professor Tony Day, London South Bank University
Organised by: Portsmouth and District Physical Society
Sponsored by: IOP South Central Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: John Scott or Martyn Gardiner, Email: padps-owner@yahoogroups.com, Email: martyn.gardiner@port.ac.uk
More info: www.port.ac.uk…

Evolution of Biological Complexity

16 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Chadwick Lecture Theatre, University of Liverpool (building #207 on university plan), L69 3DR
Thu, 16 Feb 2012, 18:30

Speaker: Prof. Raymond E Goldstein University of Cambridge

Simple organisms like bacteria possess the ability to do all the functions of life while being but a single cell. We, of course, have evolved to have many different types of cells specialised for various functions (nerves, muscle, eyes, etc.).

One of the most fascinating questions in evolutionary biology concerns what pressures led single cell organisms to evolve into multicellular ones, and to divide up life’s tasks among different cells.

This lecture will explain how concepts and experimental techniques from mathematics and physics can help us answer this question.

Event Title: Evolution of Biological Complexity
Speaker(s): Prof. Raymond E Goldstein University of Cambridge
Organised by: IOP Merseyside Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Louise Butcher, Email: Louise.butcher@iop.org

How can liquid-crystal-based spatial light modulators advance light microscopy?

20 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT

University College Cork, College Road, Cork, Ireland
Mon, 20 Feb 2012, 16:00 – 18:00

High-resolution LC-based spatial light modulators (SLM) can advance the performance of light microscopes in many ways.

For example, used as a programmable Fourier-filter, the SLM can emulate classical techniques for contrast enhancement, such as dark-field microscopy, Zernike phase contrast, or spiral phase contrast.

We will discuss these and other advances.

Event Title: How can liquid-crystal-based spatial light modulators advance light microscopy?
Speaker(s): Prof Monika Ritsch-Marte
Organised by: IOP in Ireland
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Sile Ni Chormaic, Email: s.nicchormaic@ucc.ie

Why string theory, and why not? Can we construct a theory of everything?

21 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

The St John’s Suite at the White Hart, Salisbury, SP1 2SD
Tue, 21 Feb 2012, 19:00

Professor David Bailin from Sussex University will describe in non-technical terms the architecture of the current so-called Standard Model of Particle Physics, what's wrong with it, and why we are led to believe the fundamental building blocks of matter are not particles but strings, membranes and other higher-dimensional objects. The hope is that string theory will eventually lead to an elegant theory of all of the interactions of nature, truly a theory of everything! I will also discuss the allegation that string theory is "not science" and invite the views of the audience. Attendance is free and non-members are welcome.

Coffee and tea from 7.00pm
Talk starts at 7.30pm

Event Title: Why string theory, and why not? Can we construct a theory of everything?
Speaker(s): Professor David Bailin - Sussex University
Organised by: IOP South West Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Email: juliaabel99@yahoo.co.uk

Sounding the Sun and Stars

21 Feb 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Large Lecture Theatre, Poynting Physics Building, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Birmingham, B15 2TT
Tue, 21 Feb 2012, 19:30 – 20:30

It is an exciting time to be involved in the study of the Sun and stars, in particular given the recent launch of the NASA Kepler Mission.

The lecture will describe how "sunquakes" and "starquakes" give us remarkable insights on our own Sun, and on distant stars, and how Kepler - which is searching for planets around other stars - is providing unprecedented results on other stellar systems, i.e. extra-solarplanetsandtheir hoststars.

Event Title: Sounding the Sun and Stars
Speaker(s): Prof Bill Chaplin, University of Birmingham
Organised by: IOP Midland Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Lynne Long Email: l.long@bham.ac.uk
More info: www.birmingham.ac.uk…

The Power of Super Symmetry: exact results in field and string theories

21 Feb 2012 19:35:00 GMT

Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PQ
Tue, 21 Feb 2012, 19:35 – 21:05

He will take a tour through string theory and supersymmetric field theories and concentrate on quantities which can be calculated exactly.

The theories he explores are similar to the one describing subatomic particles (known as the standard model of particle physics), but not identical.

Though at a superficial level they look very complicated (in particular more complicated than the standard model), they have some hidden beauty.

This allows one to perform calculations, like the strength of the force
between charged particles exactly - at arbitrary distance and arbitrary strength of the coupling constant.

In fact, we have several very different ways of viewing these theories and where the same physical quantity is expressed as different questions, but we indeed find from them identical answers.

Event Title: The Power of Super Symmetry: exact results in field and string theories
Speaker(s): Dr. Nadav Drukker (Kings College London)
Organised by: IOP in Scotland
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Robert Thomson, Email: R.R.Thomson@hw.ac.uk

How can liquid-crystal-based spatial light modulators advance light microscopy?

22 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT

NUI Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland
Wed, 22 Feb 2012, 16:00 – 18:00

High-resolution LC-based spatial light modulators (SLM) can advance the performance of light microscopes in many ways.

For example, used as a programmable Fourier-filter, the SLM can emulate classical techniques for contrast enhancement, such as dark-field microscopy, Zernike phase contrast, or spiral phase contrast.

We will discuss these and other advances.

Event Title: How can liquid-crystal-based spatial light modulators advance light microscopy?
Speaker(s): Prof Monika Ritsch-Marte
Organised by: IOP in Ireland
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Nicholas Devaney Email: nicholas.devaney@nuigalway.ie

Young Persons Physics Lecture Competition

22 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

John Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6BH
Wed, 22 Feb 2012, 18:30 – 20:00

The Institute of Physics Manchester Branch is holding a Young Persons Lecture Competition on Wednesday 22 February 2012 and is looking for speakers. The lecture should concern a topic relevant to Physics and be accessible to a general audience. It should be a maximum of 10 minutes long and will be followed by 2 minutes for questions from judges.

The aim of the competition is to provide an atmosphere of friendly competition to enable young people to seek to improve their presentation skills, as well as providing an event to entertain and educate those with an interest in Physics.

The competition will start at 6.30pm with sandwiches and drinks available from 6pm. We aim to finish by 8pm.

Competition details (PDF, 223 KB): www.iop.org…

Event Title: Young Persons Physics Lecture Competition
Organised by: IOP Manchester and District Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Dr Sarah Haigh, Email: ioplecturecomp@gmail.com

Do we owe everything to the stars?

22 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Lindop Building College Lane Campus, Hatfield, AL10 9AB
Wed, 22 Feb 2012, 19:00 – 21:00

The discovery of hundreds of extrasolar planets has raised the possibility of discovering life elsewhere in the next few decades, and yet the origin of life on Earth remains one of the key questions for science.

The talk will cover how stars play a key role, not only in producing the
elements for life, but also in providing the unique handedness in the building blocks of life.

Professor James Hough is former Director of the Centre for Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire. This event is free but places may need to be reserved.

Do we owe everything to the stars? (Poster) (PDF, 390 KB)

Event Title: Do we owe everything to the stars?
Speaker(s): Professor James Hough
Organised by: London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Dr Diane Crann Email: d.crann@herts.ac.uk

Geophysics in Archaeology and Forensics

22 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

University of Worcester. EE G089, Main Building, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ
Wed, 22 Feb 2012, 19:00 – 21:00

Stratascan is a local company specialising in near-surface geophysics with applications in archaeological, engineering, forensic and environmental underground mapping.

Ms Graham will illustrate her talk with some examples from archaeology and forensics and describe the techniques used to detect and identify underground features and artifacts.

Event Title: Geophysics in Archaeology and Forensics
Speaker(s): Ms Claire Graham, BA. Stratascan, Upton-upon-Severn.
Organised by: Midland Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: J E Beale Tel: 07801-365 204, Email: john.beale@physics.org, Dr A C Smith Tel: 01684-569503, Email: alancsmith@physics.org

What would you do if you could be in two places at once?

22 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Lecture Theatre M, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH
Wed, 22 Feb 2012, 19:00 – 20:00

We have put atoms trapped inside a silicon crystal into a state that is both oscillating and not oscillating at the same time.

This control is providing us with a new way of performing computing logic - just think how powerful you could be if you could do two things at once!

Atoms really can, and we all have to adjust our perceptions of reality to cope with these ideas.

This spooky property was made famous by Erwin Schrödinger with his thought experiment involving a cat in a box that is hooked up to a quantum system, which forces the cat to be both alive and dead at the same time.

It is only in the 21st century that electronic information technology is beginning to utilise this strange property.

Next to iron and ice, silicon is the most important inorganic crystalline solid to man.

This is because of its incredible electrical conductivity properties that can be controlled via chemical and electrical means.

Silicon devices – most notably the field-effect transistor – can be understood using an intuitive, classical, picture of electrons moving through the material like tiny balls: when the transistor is ‘on’ they move freely as though rolling downhill, and when it is ‘off’ it is though there is a hill blocking their path.

However, electrons are quantum entities and can be made to exist in superpositions of more than one state at once. This counterintuitive picture is not currently exploited in silicon information technologies.

The primary goal of our research programme is to develop completely new, single-atom-derived devices in silicon with functions based on quantum principles – namely those of long-lived quantum states and interactions between them and radiation fields.

We envisage devices where information can be transferred along chains of quantum entangled impurities in silicon, manipulated, and read out electrically.

We have recently demonstrated the control of quantum superpositions, and we have begun to make devices built from single atoms embedded in the silicon.

Event Title: What would you do if you could be in two places at once?
Speaker(s): Professor Benedict N Murdin
Organised by: Institute of Physics South Central Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Paul Stevenson Email: p.stevenson@surrey.ac.uk

Visit to Centronic Ltd

23 Feb 2012 10:00:00 GMT

King Henry’s Drive, New Addington, Croydon, CR9 0BG
Thu, 23 Feb 2012, 10:00 – 16:00

10:15 - 10:45 Meet at Wimbledon Station, 10:45 - 11:30 Coach to Centronic followed by talk, lunch & tours.

Centronic Ltd started life as 20th Century Electronics Ltd. in 1945 making atomic radiation detectors. Gilbert Tomes became a single owner when the limited company was set up.

He had developed his own detector from the standard Geiger Muller tube. The company still supplies detectors for atomic piles etc and developed the BF3 neutron detector.

The cameras for use in high levels of radiation are still based on vacuum tubes but new types are coming along.

Costs £20. This meeting has been organised by George Freeman. This is a high security company because of its work and radioactive testing. No cameras please.

Event Title: Visit to Centronic Ltd
Speaker(s): Robert McKeag
Organised by: London and South East Branch Retired Members Section (REMS)
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: John Belling Email: john.a.belling.secrems@gmail.com Tel: 07986 379935
More info: www.centronic.co.uk

Sailors, sea-dogs and storms: how old naval documents help us to understand climatic change

23 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Henry Charnock Lecture Theatre, National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Southampton, SO14 3ZH
Thu, 23 Feb 2012, 18:00 – 19:00

The UK has a uniquely rich heritage of Royal Navy logbooks, many from as early as the late 17th century.

Over the past few years an international team of researchers has been abstracting the wealth of climate information that they contain.

This information is now being used to help scientists understand the nature of past climate change and to assist in producing better forecasts of what the future might hold.

Please note if you are driving to NOC, you go through the manned dock security (don't be put off by this, you aren't going the wrong way!) If you are planning to arrive by car before 18:00, please mention this in your registration email.

Event Title: Sailors, sea-dogs and storms
Speaker(s): Dr Dennis Wheeler
Organised by: Environmental Physics Group, South Central Branch and Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Southampton
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Sally Brown Email: sb20@soton.ac.uk
More info: www.soton.ac.uk…

CANCELED - Medicine & physics: case studies in cancer

23 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Thu, 23 Feb 2012, 18:30

Event Title: CANCELLED - Medicine & physics: case studies in cancer
Speaker(s): Prof. Sir Michael Brady Joint meeting with Liverpool Medical Institution
Organised by: IOP Merseyside Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Email: louise.butcher@iop.org

How can liquid-crystal-based spatial light modulators advance light microscopy?

24 Feb 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Queens University Belfast, University Road Belfast, BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland
Fri, 24 Feb 2012, 14:00 – 16:00

High-resolution LC-based spatial light modulators (SLM) can advance the performance of light microscopes in many ways.

For example, used as a programmable Fourier-filter, the SLM can emulate classical techniques for contrast enhancement, such as dark-field microscopy, Zernike phase contrast, or spiral phase contrast. We will discuss these and other advances.

Event Title: How can liquid-crystal-based spatial light modulators advance light microscopy?
Speaker(s): Prof Monika Ritsch-Marte
Organised by: IOP in Ireland
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Prof Robert Bowman Email: r.m.bowman@qub.ac.uk

The Genius of Faraday

28 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

The Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sheffield University, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield, S3 7RH
Tue, 28 Feb 2012, 17:00 – 19:00

Lord Rutherford said of Michael Faraday that he was one of the greatest experimenters ever; Albert Einstein believed that Faraday was responsible for the greatest change in the intellectual structure of physics since Newton.

There is little doubt that Faraday bequeathed a greater corpus of useful knowledge than any other physical scientist.

How did it come about that Faraday, a deeply religious man who left school at thirteen to become an errand boy and then an apprentice to a bookbinder (a young man who never attended high school or university and knew no mathematics), could reach such pinnacles?

In terms that are intelligible to non-scientist and interested lay persons, the speaker shall endeavour to answer the above and related questions.

The tale of Faraday's achievements and discoveries is one of the most romantic in the history of science; his character, intellect and commitment speak to us through the ages.

It is particularly important that following the International Year of Chemistry, we ponder on the genius of one of the greatest chemists who ever lived.

The speaker: Sir John once occupied the chair of chemistry created for Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, of which he was Director (1986-1991).

Formerly he was head of Chemistry at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (1969-1978), Head of the Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Cambridge (1978-1996) and Master of Peterhouse (1993-2002).

He is now Honorary Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Cambridge University. He was knighted in 1991 for his services to chemistry and the popularisation of science.

Event Title: The Genius of Faraday
Speaker(s): Professor Sir John Meurig Thomas, FRS, FREng
Organised by: University of Sheffield
Co-sponsored by: IOP Yorkshire Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: John Williams, Email: j.williams@sheffield.ac.uk

Graphene: sketching out a new world

28 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Chadwick Lecture Theatre. University of Liverpool (building #207 on university plan), L69 3DR
Tue, 28 Feb 2012, 18:30

Speaker: Dr. David Horsell University of Exeter

Graphene is the thinnest material in nature, composed of only
a single layer of carbon atoms.

It has extraordinary physical, electrical and optical properties that scientists are only just beginning to reveal and understand.

In this talk you will be conducted through some of the recent discoveries made about graphene, and its wide-ranging potential applications from building next-generation computers to ultrasensitive medical detectors.

Event Title: Graphene: sketching out a new world
Speaker(s): Dr. David Horsell
Organised by: IOP Merseyside Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Louise Butcher, Email: louise.butcher@iop.org

Are we alone? Looking for planets and alien life

28 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Lecture in P/L002, Department of Physics, University of York, YO10 5DD
Tue, 28 Feb 2012, 18:30 – 20:00

Over the past decade we have discovered hundreds of planets, and in late 2011 astronomers found the first planets smaller than the Earth.

An obvious question to ask is: do any of these planets have alien life on them?

I will talk about how we find planets, how we will be able to look for life on them, what that life might be like, and the possibility of intelligent alien civilisations out there.

Coffee and biscuits in Physics concourse from 18:00

Event Title: Are we alone? Looking for planets and alien life
Speaker(s): Dr. Simon Goodwin
Organised by: IOP Yorkshire Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: David Jenkins, Email: david.jenkins@york.ac.uk

Are quantum states the real thing?

28 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Chichester I, Lecture Theatre, University of Sussex
Tue, 28 Feb 2012, 19:00 – 20:00

What is the quantum state? There is no widely agreed answer to this question, despite the ubiquitous and crucial role this mathematical object plays in our lives.

Two broad schools of thought can be identified. The "ontic view" is that the quantum state describes (partially or completely) the real physical state of affairs.

The "epistemic view" is that it instead represents some agent's knowledge or information about the physical system in question.

The existence of entangled quantum states trivially implies, under the ontic view, that reality is drastically nonlocal.

To show reality is still necessarily nonlocal under the epistemic view, known as Bell's Theorem, is hard - it involves an argument regarding making multiple measurements on entangled systems and invoking an extra assumption of free will - and the complexity of this argument could be taken as indirect support for some sort of (nonlocal) epistemic view of quantum states.

Further support for the epistemic view comes from many other close analogies between quantum states and classical probability distributions, these latter being unarguably epistemic.

While the ontic view is severely nonlocal when dealing with entangled states, it is compatible with local realism if one applies it only to unentangled quantum states: preparations of independent quantum states at separated locations requires no nonlocal effects, even if the remotely prepared systems are subsequently brought together and measured.

What I will show here is the remarkable fact that the same is not true if the quantum state is epistemic. Specifically I will explain a new result, namely that local realism for product states is only compatible with the ontic view of quantum states.

This result will hopefully leave you as uncomfortable about the status of the quantum state as I am, and perhaps, like me, after the talk you will find yourself requiring some fortification before having the courage to step out into reality...

Free entry, no need to reserve a place. Everybody welcome, especially non-scientists!

Event Title: Are quantum states the real thing?
Speaker(s): Dr Terry Rudolph
Organised by: South Central Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr Simon JM Peeters Email: S.J.M.Peeters@sussex.ac.uk

What shadows we are and what shadows we pursue: medical imaging from roentgen to MRI

28 Feb 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Rutherford Lecture Theatre 1, University of Kent, Canterbury. CT2 7NZ
Tue, 28 Feb 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

The development of medical imaging over a century or so represents one of the most important of all fields of practical application of physics.

This talk will examine various physical principles exploited with particular emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Poster: www.iop.org… (PDF, 200 KB)

Event Title: What shadows we are and what shadows we pursue: medical imaging from roentgen to MRI
Speaker(s): Dr Peter Dawson
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr C. Isenberg, Email: C.Isenberg@kent.ac.uk Tel: 01227 832768

Graphene: discovery, Nobel prize and uses!

28 Feb 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Physics Lecture Theatre (PLT), Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL
Tue, 28 Feb 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

Event Title: Graphene: discovery, Nobel prize and uses!
Speaker(s): Neil Wilson
Organised by: Midland Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Jonathan Duffy, Email: J.A.Duffy@warwick.ac.uk

The physics of superheroes

29 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, W1B 1NT
Wed, 29 Feb 2012, 18:30 – 21:00

Everyone is familiar with at least one superhero. In this talk we shall discuss a wide variety of different superheroes and we shall show how their ‘unbelievable’ powers have a basis supported by the laws of physics.

The only concession that we shall make is that we shall assume that they have these powers, we shall not try to explain where they come from.

So, we’ll answer questions such as “how strong is the gravity on Krypton?”, “where does Magneto get his levitation from?”, “what is the secret of Wonder Woman’s amazonium?” etc.

To answer these questions we shall consider Newton’s law of gravitation, diamagnetism and some materials science.

These are only three examples, most of your favourites will be there covering all areas of physics.

Tea/Coffee at 6pm and afterwards.

Event Title: The physics of superheroes
Speaker(s): Professor Alan Davies
Organised by: London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Branch Secretary, Email: londonsoutheast@physics.org

The 2012 IOP SW Branch Festival of Physics

03 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

At-Bristol, Anchor Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5DB
Sat, 3 Mar 2012

THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL!
All talks and workshops are suitable for ages 11 and older, all children must be accompanied by an adult. The talks do not require booking.

TALK: The Magic of Bubbles - 10:30am
TALK: The Science of Star Wars - 11:45am
TALK: The Human Body is the Ultimate Physics Laboratory - 2:00pm
TALK: Physics for all - 3:15pm

WORKSHOP: Physics Demonstrations for STEM Volunteers - 10:30am
WORKSHOP: Physics Experiments for Everyone! - 11:45am
WORKSHOP: The Egg-cellent adventures of a Mars lander - 2pm & 3pm

Please book workshop attendance at the address below as there are limited spaces available. Spaces will be given on a first come first served basis.

Free Tickets to @Bristol
We have 50 children’s tickets for @Bristol to give away at the event to IOP members. Please email to request them. Max. 2 tickets per IOP membership number, a child’s ticket is for ages 3-15. All enquiries and bookings to secretary-sw@physics.org

Event Title: The 2012 IOP SW Branch Festival of Physics
Organised by: IOP South West Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Email: secretary-sw@physics.org, Leaflet: www.iop.org…, Poster: www.iop.org…
More info: www.at-bristol.org.uk…

Modern Cryptography

05 Mar 2012 19:30:00 GMT

William Penney Theatre, AWE, Aldermaston, Reading, RG7 4PR
Mon, 5 Mar 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

Traditional symmetric or secret key cryptography has historically been the province of government, diplomatic and military users with a requirement for confidentiality.

More recently asymmetric or public key cryptography has been developed and taken up to meet the requirements of life in cyberspace.

Private individuals are now using it, often unknowingly, to achieve confidentiality and authentication.

In this talk we describe how some of these requirements are met, and in particular how to reduce the need for an elaborate infrastructure.

Car park near the William Penney theatre.

The theatre entrance can be found on the A340 Basingstoke to Newbury road, just before the Heath End Roundabout at Tadley.

Tea/Coffee and Biscuits will be served from 7pm. The lecture is open to all, including non-members.

Event Title: Modern Cryptography
Speaker(s): Dr Richard Pinch
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: David Parkes Email: IOP.Lectures@awe.co.uk

Magnets large and small: compasses to fridges

06 Mar 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Large Lecture Theatre, Poynting Physics Building, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Birmingham, B15 2TT
Tue, 6 Mar 2012, 19:30 – 20:30

People have been using magnetic materials for a long time, initially as compasses.

Nowadays, magnetic materials are designed for purpose, and appear in many devices, and have played a key role in memory storage.

In this lecture, I will talk discuss some new developments and effects that can be set up using magnets, for example refrigeration.

Event Title: Magnets large and small: compasses to fridges
Speaker(s): Dr Elizabeth Blackman, University of Birmingham
Organised by: IOP Midland Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Lynne Long, Email: l.long@bham.ac.uk
More info: www.birmingham.ac.uk…

The Aerodynamics and Flight Performance of Insects

06 Mar 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PQ
Tue, 6 Mar 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

Mankind has been airborne for over one hundred years and advances in aeronautics during that time have been immense.

Yet despite our wealth of knowledge in fundamental and applied
aerodynamics we are still unable to recreate the performance exhibited by flying animals.

Needless to say, they have had quite some head start over us. In the 350 million years since insects first took flight, Natural Selection has diversified a common ancestor that most resembled a modern day dragonfly into countless species and the rich assortment of shapes and sizes we see today - each one locally optimized and tuned for the tasks that define its ecological niche.

Familiar trade-offs between, say, stability and manoeuvrability can be found, but in this small-scale, unsteady world, aerodynamic mechanisms we deem unconventional are, in fact, commonplace and traditional aircraft design practices are often rejected.

The lecture will highlight some of the peculiarities found in insect flight, illustrating these examples with case studies and describing the experiments that we use to reveal the mechanisms.

Finally asking if we can learn anything that could be incorporated into the manned or unmanned air vehicles of the future.

Event Title: The Aerodynamics and Flight Performance of Insects
Speaker(s): Dr. Richard Bomphrey, University of Oxford
Organised by: IOP in Scotland
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Robert Thomson, Email: R.R.Thomson@hw.ac.uk

Seminar: Radionuclide Imaging

07 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

School of Physics, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Wed, 7 Mar 2012, 16:00 – 17:00

Event Title: Seminar: Radionuclide Imaging
Speaker(s): Dr Elizabeth Parvin
Organised by: Institute of Physics Ireland
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr Nicholas Devaney, Email: nicholas.devaney@nuigalway.ie

Branch Meeting, Preston

07 Mar 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Room MB51, Maudland Building, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE
Wed, 7 Mar 2012, 18:00 – 20:00

Please note the change of date - now 7 March not 14 March as previously advertised.

Event Title: 100 years of X-ray diffraction
Speaker(s): Prof John Helliwell
Organised by: IOP Lancashire and Cumbria Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr J.M. Bradshaw Email: john.bradshaw@physics.org

Dylunio’r BLOODHOUND SSC – Y car 1000 mya / Designing the BLOODHOUND SSC - The 1000mph car

07 Mar 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Main Lecture Theatre, School of Electronic Engineering, Bangor University, Dean Street, Bangor, LL57 1UT
Wed, 7 Mar 2012, 18:00

The lecture forms part of the Learned Society of Wales ‘Frontiers’ series. The lecture will be delivered in Welsh but simultaneous translation into English will be available.

Event flyer: learnedsocietywales.ac.uk… (PDF, 748 KB)

Event Title: Dylunio’r BLOODHOUND SSC – Y car 1000 mya / Designing the BLOODHOUND SSC - The 1000mph car
Speaker(s): Professor Ken Morgan FREng FLSW, Swansea University
Organised by: The Learned Society of Wales / Cymdeithas Ddysgedig Cymru
Co-sponsored by: Institute of Physics in Wales
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Professor K Alan Shore, Email: k.a.shore@bangor.ac.uk

Visit to the national air traffic control centre

08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sopwith Way, Swanwick, Southampton SO31 7AY
Thu, 8 Mar 2012

Following the security checks the group will assemble in the 'Viewing Room', which enables a good overview of the main air traffic control units going through their normal control operations.

Since our first visit, the main control unit has been split into two separate units, one for ‘local’ traffic and the other for ‘long range’ traffic.

For operational safety reasons, the NATS have decided that only four visitors can be allowed in each of the operations rooms during the visit.

The whole group will be able to visit other parts of the facility which are not subject to these tight restrictions.

Identification: It will be necessary to have one’s passport or a new-style driving licence in order to gain entry.

Maximum party size: 12 Timings will be provided to those booked on the tour. This visit has been organised by Peter Murden. Cost £3 (lunch not provided).

Event Title: Visit to the national air traffic control centre
Organised by: London and South East Branch Retired Members Section (REMS)
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: John Belling, Email: john.a.belling.secrems@gmail.com, Tel: 07986 379935

Seminar: Radionuclide Imaging

08 Mar 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2
Thu, 8 Mar 2012, 17:00 – 18:00

Event Title: Seminar: Radionuclide Imaging
Speaker(s): Dr Elizabeth Parvin
Organised by: Institute of Physics Ireland
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr Kevin McGuigan, Email: kmcguigan@rcsi.ie

Seminar: Radionuclide Imaging

09 Mar 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Department of Experimental Physics, NUI Maynooth, Co. Kildare
Fri, 9 Mar 2012, 15:00 – 17:00

Event Title: Seminar: Radionuclide Imaging
Speaker(s): Dr Elizabeth Parvin
Organised by: Institute of Physics Ireland
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr Créidhe O'Sullivan, Email: creidhe.osullivan@nuim.ie

History and Development of the Transistor

13 Mar 2012 19:00:00 GMT

St Joseph’s College, Ocotal Way , Swindon, SN3 3LR
Tue, 13 Mar 2012, 19:00

Speaker: David Dale BSc CEng MIET MIEEE

Discovery of the transistor in 1947 and its development changed the world in which we live. Since the 1950’s, firstly as discrete devices and then in integrated circuits, transistors have become all pervasive in every form of equipment. From the few transistors used in the original transistorised radios up to today’s integrated circuit processors that contain hundreds of millions of transistors, used in mobile phones and personal computers. In this joint IET/IOP talk David Dale will describe how transistor action came to be discovered at Bell labs and its subsequent development, illustrated by a basic description of transistor type’s operation. The personalities and companies involved will also be discussed. Refreshments from 6:30pm, talk begins 7:00pm. Attendance is free and non-members are welcome, but please register ahead of the event via IET’s website

Event Title: History and Development of the Transistor
Speaker(s): David Dale BSc CEng MIET MIEEE
Organised by: IOP South West Branch
Sponsored by: IET
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Email: juliaabel99@yahoo.co.uk
More info: www.theiet.org…

Precision cosmology - the distance scale, the Hubble constant and the acceleration of the universe

13 Mar 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Berrill Lecture Theatre, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Tue, 13 Mar 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

Ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope studies of the distance scale finally achieved a consensus on the Hubble constant in 2001, just as WMAP studies of the microwave background fluctuations delivered high-precision estimates of the main cosmological parameters.

Type Ia supernovae in distant galaxies demonstrated that the expansion of the universe is accelerating and the WMAP studies demonstrated the need for a cosmological constant. Is the cosmological problem solved?

Free car parking near the lecture theatre.

Event Title: Precision cosmology - the distance scale, the Hubble constant and the acceleration of the universe
Speaker(s): Prof Michael Rowan-Robinson
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Email: r.mackintosh@open.ac.uk or t.a.bartlett@open.ac.uk (secretary)

Colour Vision

13 Mar 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Malvern St James School, Avenue Road, Great Malvern, WR14 3BA
Tue, 13 Mar 2012, 19:30 – 21:30

Colour Vision involves Physics, Physiology, Psychology and Neurology. It is not enough to relate each colour to a specific wavelength as may be implied by studying the visible spectrum.

Prof Sobhy will use extensive demonstrations to explain how we perceive colours and will be of interest to physicists; Multimedia students; artists; psychologists; neuroscientists … and anyone interested in human perception of colour.

Event Title: Colour Vision
Speaker(s): Prof. Mohamed Sobhy. Dept. of Engineering and Digital Arts, The University of Kent
Organised by: Midland Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: J E Beale Tel: 07801-365 204, Email: john.beale@physics.org, Dr A C Smith Tel: 01684-569503, Email: alancsmith@physics.org

Schools and Colleges Lecture Tour - Physics and the Games: a Winning Formula

14 Mar 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Manchester Metropolitan University, All Saints Building, All Saints,
Manchester. M15 6BH
Wed, 14 Mar 2012, 14:00 – 15:00

Find out how scientists and engineers are using physics to boost the chances of national success in the London 2012 Olympics.

This inspiring lecture will reveal how:

Newtonian physics dominates the world of sport
Developments in engineering and technology have defined many of the key periods of sporting history
Key technologies have allowed athletes to push the boundaries of human performance

Event poster: www.iop.org… (PDF, 2 MB)

Event Title: Schools and Colleges Lecture Tour - Physics and the Games: a Winning Formula
Speaker(s): David James, Heather Driscoll and Leon Foster
Organised by: IOP Manchester and District Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Francisca Wheeler, Email: mfsw@hotmail.co.uk
More info: www.iop.org…

Exoplanets and How to Find Them

14 Mar 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, W1B 1NT
Wed, 14 Mar 2012, 18:30 – 21:00

With the help of some fun demonstrations, Dr Norton will explain the techniques used to detect planets around other stars and give a brief summary of the recent discoveries in this area.

Tea/Coffee at 6pm and afterwards.

Event Title: Exoplanets and How to Find Them
Speaker(s): Dr. Andrew Norton
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Branch Secretary Email: londonsoutheast@physics.org

Any old ions?

14 Mar 2012 18:30:00 GMT

John Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6BH
Wed, 14 Mar 2012, 18:30 – 20:00

The consequences of the interaction of energetic ions with solids are often defects that are of the order of nanometres in size or smaller – in part due to the fact that the so-called “collision cascade” of moving atoms produced by an impinging ion is typically of order 5 nm in size.

The transmission electron microscope (TEM) offers the ability to image and analyse the internal (and in some cases surface) structure of thin solid foils at the nanoscale.

The use of transmission electron microscopy with in-situ ion irradiation is therefore a powerful combination that enables the build-up of ion-induced radiation damage to be monitored as it develops, offering significant insights into the details of the development and growth of various types of defect.

By operating at low ion fluxes, radiation damage events due to individual ion impacts can be studied. By irradiating at higher fluxes the build-up of high levels of damage can be studied in order to emulate the effects of many years of neutron irradiation in potential materials for both fission and fusion reactors.

As well as to the nuclear industry, fundamental studies of ion-beam interactions with solids also have relevance to semiconductor processing, materials for applications in space and nanotechnology, where ion beams are being used to fabricate and modify nanostructures.

Around the world, there are approximately ten facilities that combine ion accelerators and TEMs (of which the majority are in Japan) offering a range of available ion energies and fluxes and types of microscope.

The newest of these facilities has recently been constructed, with EPSRC support, in the UK and is now at the University of Huddersfield.

The presentation will provide an overview of work carried out over the last decade by the author using in-situ facilities at Argonne National Laboratory in the US and the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan as well as some recent results from the new UK facility and will also include a description of the Huddersfield system which is known as MIAMI (Microscope and Ion Accelerator for Materials Investigations).

Coffee will be served from18:00, before the start of the presentations.

Event Title: Any old ions? — In-situ electron microscopy observations of ion impacts on solids
Speaker(s): Prof Steve Donnelly, School of Computing and Engineering, University of Huddersfield
Organised by: Manchester and District Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr Christie Theodorakou, Email: christie.theodorakou@physics.cr.man.ac.uk

The ATLAS experiment at the LHC: Liverpool’s contribution and latest results.

15 Mar 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Chadwick Lecture Theatre. University of Liverpool (building #207 on university plan), L69 3DR
Thu, 15 Mar 2012, 18:30

Speaker: Dr. Barry King, Physics Department, University of Liverpool

The talk will present the latest results on searches for new physics (Higgs, SuperSymmetry, Extra Dimensions) using data collected with the ATLAS experiment during 2011.

We will start with an outline of the contribution of the Liverpool Particle Physics Group to the building of the detector. The superb performance of the LHC during 2011 will be briefly summarised before we look at each of the new physics searches in turn.

Event Title: The ATLAS experiment at the LHC: Liverpool’s contribution and latest results.
Speaker(s): Dr. Barry King
Organised by: IOP Merseyside Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Louise Butcher, Email: louise.butcher@iop.org

Testing the Dark Energy Paradigm and Beyond

20 Mar 2012 17:00:00 GMT

The Department of Physics and Astronomy, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield, S3 7RH
Tue, 20 Mar 2012, 17:00 – 19:00

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011 was awarded to three astronomers "for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae".

After explaining the historical background to this important discovery, the lecture will address the question of what may actually cause this acceleration.

Is it an ingredient called Dark Energy, or should Einstein's gravity theory be modified? The lecture will present current observations with the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as new projects such as the "Dark Energy Survey" and the ”Euclid" space mission.

The Speaker: Ofer Lahav is Perren Professor of Astronomy and Head of Astrophysics at University College London (UCL).

He received his PhD from Cambridge University, where he was later a member of staff. In 2004 he moved from Cambridge to UCL, where he established a Cosmology group which is heavily involved in new large galaxy surveys.

Among them is the international "Dark Energy Survey", where he coordinates the science activities of over 100 scientists in 5 countries.
Lahav is currently Vice-President of the Royal Astronomical and a holder of a Wolfson Royal Society research merit award.

Event Title: Testing the Dark Energy Paradigm and Beyond
Speaker(s): Professor Ofer Lahav (Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University College, London)
Organised by: University of Sheffield
Co-sponsored by: IOP Yorkshire Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: John Williams, Email: j.williams@sheffield.ac.uk

The contributions of photography to art and society

20 Mar 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Rutherford Lecture Theatre 1, University of Kent, Canterbury. CT2 7NZ
Tue, 20 Mar 2012, 19:00 – 20:30

Some photographers adopted Pictorialism, emulating painting and etching, while others wanted to stress the aesthetic qualities of photographs stemming from photographic techniques.

The Presentation will discuss the relation between Art and Photography since the inception of photography in the 19th century and give examples of how the two artistic media influenced each other.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the development of photographic apparatus and techniques enabled photographers to tackle the subjects outside their studios.

This led to the development of Candid Photography Photojournalism and Street Photography. No other media was able to achieve the results like those of photographers such as Erich Salomon, Dorothea Lange and Henri Cartier – Bresson. The contribution the photographic medium had on society will be discussed.

Poster: www.iop.org… (PDF, 200 KB)

Event Title: The contributions of photography to art and society
Speaker(s): Professor Mohamed Sobhy
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr C. Isenberg Email: C.Isenberg@kent.ac.uk Tel: 01227 832768

Swarming, flocking and shoaling

20 Mar 2012 19:00:00 GMT

The St John’s Suite at the White Hart, Salisbury, SP1 2SD
Tue, 20 Mar 2012, 19:00

Professor Matthew Turner from Warwick University will discuss how interactions between social animals can lead to "emergent" collective behaviour. Crudely speaking this is behaviour that cannot be inferred by studying any one individual. Such interactions can be very powerful. Indeed they can be said to have led to the emergence of human civilisation. In others species social behaviour is manifested in swarms of insects, flocks of birds and shoals of fish. In this talk I will discuss what we know about this behaviour, which is surprisingly little, and propose some new ideas for how it could emerge in the absence of any leader(s) to give instructions. Although there may be applications in swarm robotics, pest control and animal conservation this talk will focus on the basic science of understanding a fascinating, widespread but poorly understood natural phenomenon. Attendance is free and non-members are welcome.

Coffee and tea from 7.00pm
Talk starts at 7.30pm

Event Title: Swarming, flocking and shoaling
Speaker(s): Professor Matthew Turner - Department of Physics, Warwick University
Organised by: IOP South West Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Email: juliaabel99@yahoo.co.uk

Seniors Group Lunchtime Rendezvous Edinburgh

21 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Clubhouse, Daniel Stewart’s and Melville College, Inverleith Playing Fields, 523 Ferry Road, Edinburgh, EH5 2DW
Wed, 21 Mar 2012, 10:00 – 15:00

This Lunchtime Rendezvous is primarily a social occasion for the Seniors Group, which consists of coffee, two lectures and lunch. The talks are intended to be of interest to all.

The cost is given on the Booking Form and includes coffee and a four course lunch with wine.

Non Members are most welcome to attend. Please note that the completed Booking Form must be received by the Seniors Group Coordinator by Thursday the 15 March 2012.

Booking form: www.iopscotland.org… (Word, 104 KB)

Programme (PDF, 77 KB): www.iopscotland.org…

Lunch menu (PDF, 18 KB): www.iopscotland.org…

Map (PDF, 80 KB): www.iopscotland.org…

Event Title: Seniors Group Lunchtime Rendezvous Edinburgh
Organised by: IOP in Scotland
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Dr J Higinbotham CPhys FInstP FAIP, 12 (1F2) Bruntsfield Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH10 4EA, Tel: +44 (0) 131 229 7725, Email: john.higinbotham@physics.org

The 103rd IET Kelvin Lecture

22 Mar 2012 18:00:00 GMT

IET, 2 Savoy Place, City of London WC2R 0BL, United Kingdom
Thu, 22 Mar 2012, 18:00 – 21:00

With the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) running in full data taking mode since 2010, interest in its uses – such as the study of the underlying forces of nature, the production of new particles such as the Higgs boson, and the search for new physics processes such as evidence for supersymmetry – is still as high as at its launch.

This is your chance to hear Professor Peter Clarke discuss the physics motivation for the LHC and explore the computing and data management environment needed to realise the project.

About the speaker:
Peter Clarke is a Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh.

His early research work included the first measurements of direct CP violation in the Kaon system at the CERN NA31 experiment. At UCL he worked on construction of the ATLAS experiment for the Large Hadron Collider. He now works on studies of CP violation (the asymmetry between matter and anti-matter) as a member of the LHCb experiment at the LHC.

Can’t attend in person? Watch online:
If you can’t travel to London to attend in person, you won’t miss out, as the lecture will be available to view after the event via www.iet.tv.

Event Title: From protons to petabytes - the science and computing challenges at the Large Hadron Collider
Speaker(s): Professor Peter Clarke
Organised by: IET
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: The lecture is free to attend and will be followed by a networking drinks reception. Confirm your place online at www.theiet.org… or call us on +44(0)1438 765 650/657.
More info: www.theiet.org…

A Collaboration based on Red Sprites

28 Mar 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London, W1B 1NT
Wed, 28 Mar 2012, 18:00 – 21:00

Red sprites are upper atmospheric optical phenomenon associated with thunderstorms that have recently been only documented using low level television.

The first images of a sprite were taken in 1989 and from 1990 to 1994 the space shuttle obtained twenty more images.

Despite nearly a century of anecdotal reports from airline pilots, most scientists didn't really believe in sprites until the first images were captured on high-speed video.

The blink of an eye last 250 milliseconds: sprites often last only ten. Cameras and computer models freeze sprites in time. Red Sprites were considered UFOs by pilots before their discovery.

Since 2001, Peter has been involved in a collaboration based on Red Sprites with American scientist Walter A. Lyons resulting in Lyons’s DVD titled 'The Hundred Year Hunt for Red Sprites' and also an interactive website.

Peter created the artwork in the 'The Hundred Year Hunt for Red Sprites' as well as his companion-six minute film titled 'Lightning’s Angels'.

Since 2002, both films have been presented at many major International science symposiums, conferences, etc. all over the world.

Additional collaboration has taken place with Dr. Colin Price from the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science, Tel Aviv University.

Both films will be shown during the course of the talk.

Tea/coffee at 6pm and afterwards. Talk begins 6.30pm

Event Title: A Collaboration based on Red Sprites
Speaker(s): Peter McLeish
Organised by: institute of Physics London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Branch Secretary, Email: londonsoutheast@physics.org
More info: www.iop.org…

How round is the electron and why does it matter?

28 Mar 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Lindop Building College Lane Campus, Hatfield, AL10 9AB
Wed, 28 Mar 2012, 19:00 – 21:00

How can you measure the shape of something so small that you can't even measure its size?

This talk will be about an experiment that measures the shape of electrons.

This shape is important in physics because it is connected to two basic symmetries of nature.

The first is a symmetry between the forward and backward flow of time, and the second a symmetry between matter and antimatter.

The talk will explore these connections, showing how extremely precise measurements made in a small laboratory experiment can answer some big physics questions.

Car parking near the lecture theatre.

Event poster: www.iop.org… (PDF, 243 KB)

Event Title: How round is the electron and why does it matter?
Speaker(s): Dr Michael Tarbutt (Senior Lecturer in Physics at Imperial College London)
Organised by: London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Dr Diane Crann Email: d.crann@herts.ac.uk

Rosse medal, research round up and black tie dinner

30 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2
Fri, 30 Mar 2012, 09:00 – 23:00

A new look Spring Weekend for 2012 with special guest Nobel laureate William Phillips, NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland who will be the interviewee in the Physicist in the Chair session.

Rosse medal students who get through to the final round will make a five-minute presentation to the delegates.

A Research Round-up of universities and institutes across Ireland during the morning and later a black tie dinner at which guests will enjoy the demonstration lecture 'Time, Einstein and the coolest stuff in the universe' by Dr William Phillips and later the presentation of the Rosse medal.

Event poster: www.iopireland.org… (PDF, 606 KB)

Event Title: Rosse medal, research round up and black tie dinner
Organised by: IOP in Ireland
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Lauren Stacy, Email: lauren.stacy@iop.org, Registration: www.eventsforce.net…
More info: www.eventsforce.net…

Rutherford Centennial Conference on Nuclear Physics

31 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Pear Lecture Theatre and Rutherford Bulding. University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL
Sat, 31 Mar 2012, 09:00 – 17:00

There will be a tour in the morning of the Rutherford building, possibly also a visit to Rutherford’s house followed by lunch and three lectures at the Pear Lecture theatre.

'Rutherford and the 1912 Extension to the Physical Laboratories of the University of Manchester' by Neill Todd.

On the evening of 1 March 1912 a conversazione directed by Arthur Schuster was held in the Physical Laboratories of the University of Manchester to mark the opening of the new extensions.

It seems appropriate then to mark the centenary of the 1912 extension with a discussion on its significance for Rutherford’s science at

Manchester, especially since our meeting will be held in March 2012 the old 1912 Physical Lecture Theatre.

In addition to the fact that there was considerable overcrowding in the old 1900 Building, in part due to the massive expansion in the number of researchers in the Rutherford school, an important argument for the new extension was that it would create an environment free from the radioactive contamination which was by then widespread throughout the old Laboratory.

The contamination free physics rooms enabled Rutherford to develop his interest in gamma and beta-ray spectroscopy, which required long exposure times, and which became a major thrust of his work at Manchester before the outbreak of war in 1914.

'Rutherford's resonance: responses to the discoveries of 1911 and 1932' by Brian Cathcart

'The apparatus used for the discovery of the neutron', Geoffrey Constable

Following a series of famous experiments, Dr Chadwick announced the discovery of the neutron in February 1932 via a letter to Nature.

The scientific arguments supporting this discovery were described here and, more fully, in the subsequent Royal Society paper, and are well known.

These documents provided an outline of Chadwick's apparatus sufficient for scientific purposes.

However, the details of this apparatus are sketchy and there are no detailed drawings or records in the Cavendish archives or elsewhere in the public domain.

Hence there are gaps in our knowledge, particularly as to how and where this apparatus – which was innovative – was constructed, proven and refined.

The object of this paper is to fill in some of these gaps.

Dr Jack Constable – the father of the present writer – was a research student at the Cavendish Laboratory from 1928 to 1931.

Under the supervision of Chadwick, he contributed to the design of a novel 'valve counter' plus associated devices that collectively formed a system for detecting and automatically recording radiation.

He then undertook the construction of this system, plus its proving and subsequent development.

His PhD studies concluded with a series of experiments that involved bombarding various elements with alpha particles from a polonium source in order to measure the energy levels of the emerging radiation.

Such experiments were similar in function to those undertaken a few months later by Chadwick (but had a different objective) and it is clear from contemporary papers that the apparatus used in both cases was one and the same.

A recent examination of family papers and other records, some photographic, has yielded fresh information concerning the apparatus used by Chadwick.

In particular, light is shed on a (then) new experimental technique, an unusual approach to constructing scientific apparatus, a raft of detailed refinement that led to the remarkable sensitivity and resolution that was achieved, and a little known experimental result that could have led (but didn't) to the earlier discovery of the neutron.

Event Title: Rutherford Centennial Conference on Nuclear Physics
Speaker(s): Neil Todd, Brian Cathcart, Geoffrey Constable
Organised by: IOP Manchester and District Branch
Co-sponsored by: IOP History of Physics Group
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Registration is required. Please email: P.Rowlands@liverpool.ac.uk Dr Christie Theodorakou, Email: christie.theodorakou@physics.cr.man.ac.uk

IOP Nuclear Physics Conference

01 Apr 2012 23:00:00 GMT

University of Brighton
Brighton
UK
Mon, 2 Apr – Wed, 4 Apr 2012

The conference will cover leading research in pure and applied nuclear physics.

Event Title: IOP Nuclear Physics Conference
Organised by: IOP Nuclear Physics Conference
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Jon Mackew, Tel: +44 (0)20 7470 4800, Email: jon.mackew@iop.org

REMS: The Fishmongers’ Hall and Organs

02 Apr 2012 09:30:00 GMT

The Fishmongers Hall, London Bridge, London, EC4R 9EL
Mon, 2 Apr 2012, 10:30 – 17:00

The Fishmongers’ Company is one of the ancient guilds of the City of London and the history goes back 700 years.

After lunch our guide will be Ian Shaw, the official organist at St Mary Abchurch and St Clements, Eastcheap and visiting organist at St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge.

He will take us into these churches which were rebuilt after the 1666 Great Fire by Wren and have pipes and cases from that date.

St Magnus the Martyr has been much altered over the years with a major work in 1924. It has very fine woodwork.

The peal of 12 bells was installed in 2009 (Whitechapel Foundry).

St Clement, Eastcheap, organ is 17th century by Renatus Harris.

St Mary, Abchurch, has a unique painted dome of 1708 and a Grinling Gibbons reredos.

The organ case is 1717 and the works were installed by Noel Mander in 1954. Here we will be able to go into the organ to see how it is constructed.

Those who wish to can play this historic organ (any one with keyboard skills is welcome – do not be shy).

Meet between 10:30 and 11:00 in the hall for refreshments. Booking Required. Cost £19 which includes a donation to each church.

Lunch is not included. Lunch 13:00 -14:30. The nearest stations are Bank, Cannon Street, London Bridge and Monument.

Event Title: REMS: The Fishmongers’ Hall and Organs
Speaker(s): Ian Shaw
Organised by: IOP London & South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: John Belling Email: john.a.belling.secrems@gmail.com
More info: www.london-city-churches.org.uk

REMS: Renewable Energy Systems and The Paper Trail

12 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Renewable Energy Systems Ltd, Beaufort Court, Egg Farm Lane, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, WD4 8LR
Thu, 12 Apr 2012, 12:00 – 13:00

Programme:
11:00 - Tour of Renewable Energy Systems (2 hours)
13:00 - Lunch
14:30 - Tour of the Paper Trail (2 hours)
16:30 - End of visit
RES (Renewable Energy Systems) is a specialist company involved in the planning of wind energy farms, together with other forms of renewable energy.

The wind turbine visible from the M25 in Hertfordshire is on their site.

After lunch at The Paper Mill, a Fullers pub, we will visit the Paper Trail, which illustrates the history of paper making in the Gade Valley, under the Victorian entrepreneur John Dickinson.

The museum contains the first Fourdrinier production machine still in working order, and dating from 1895.

Travel arrangements:
By train: To Kings Langley on the London Midland from Euston. The 10:05 from Euston arrives at 10:30.

The return will be from Apsley, the next station down the line. Turn right on leaving Kings Langley station and then turn right again after 250m into Egg Farm Lane and RES.

For transport to lunch and between the two sites car drivers will be requested to take passengers.

By car: Leave M25 at Junction 20. Take the A4251 exit from the roundabout below the motorway, and after 500m turn right at the next roundabout. After 400m, at the tee junction, turn left, and, within 250m, take the first right, Egg Farm Lane. This leads directly into RES.

Event Title: REMS: Renewable Energy Systems and The Paper Trail
Organised by: IOP London & South East Branch Retired Members Section (REMS)
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: John Belling (REMS Secretary), Email: john.a.belling.secrems@gmail.com

Optical sensing in medicine

17 Apr 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Berrill Lecture Theatre, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Tue, 17 Apr 2012, 19:00 – 20:30

Throughout human history, light has played an important role in medicine. New optical technologies are revolutionizing many fields.

Applications of such technologies are primarily focused upon the understanding, development and applications of instrumentation, sensors and physiological measurements to facilitate the prognosis, diagnosis and treatment of disease or the rehabilitation of patients.

Optical sensors in medicine might be described as being in an adolescent stage, where their power and potential can be recognized but are still developing rapidly.

The development of optical sensors is a current strength of the UK.

This talk will mainly focus on the application of optics in the development of medical sensors and will demonstrate how such technologies can be used as medical "tools".

Examples of challenges from various clinical specialities will be presented.

Free car parking near the lecture theatre.

Event Title: Optical sensing in medicine
Speaker(s): Professor Panicos Kyriacou
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Email: r.mackintosh@open.ac.uk or t.a.bartlett@open.ac.uk (secretary)

REMS Visit to Holland

17 Apr 2012 23:00:00 GMT

The recommended hotel is the Golden Tulip Beach Hotel Noordwijk aan Zee
Wed, 18 Apr – Mon, 23 Apr 2012

The timing has been chosen to match the popular “bulb” parade on the 21 April, which starts from Noordwijk at 9:30. “On Saturday April 21 at 9:30 hours, the annual Flower Parade will leave Noordwijk to travel its 40 km route, along the main roads, to arrive in Haarlem at about 21:00 hours.

The (2011) procession comprised of 20 large floats and more than 30 decorated luxury cars, interspersed with marching bands.”

18 April - Arrive at Hotel in Noordwijk aan Zee Coach from Schiphol (15:00) or train to Leiden, bus 40 to Noordwijk
19 April - ESTEC, ESTEC space museum, Keukenhof gardens Coach hotel to ESTEC & Keukenhof, service bus to Noordwijk (?)
20 April - Floriade - Coach there and back
21 April - Parade at Noordwijk, Zaanse Schans (see www.zaanseschans.nl) Coach to Zaanse Schans, return by public transport
22 April - Valkenburg am Meer narrow gauge museum, Amsterdam. Coach to museum, then Amsterdam, return by public transport
23 April - Depart - Coach to Schiphol (departing at 10:00)

“The Zaanse Schans is a village on the banks of the river Zaan with characteristic green wooden houses, charming stylized gardens, small hump-backed bridges, tradesmen's workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops. Apart from the cluster of windmills, characteristic wooden houses and delightful shops to visit, there are intriguing traditional Dutch crafts such as wooden shoes, pewter and cheese making, several fascinating museums, restaurants and even the possibility of taking a boat trip on the river.”

Floriade is held every 10 years. This year it is at Venlo Netherlands.

“The Floriade is a global spectacle in which many dozens of countries participate. This will also be the case in 2012. You will find yourself immersed in a melting pot of cultures where you will be introduced to different customs and rituals. And of course there will also be plenty of attention for the regional culture of the province of Limburg. Enjoy typical gastronomic delights in our attractive restaurants! Here we will be serving regional dishes and refreshments, and all the meals will be prepared using seasonal products.”

The recommended hotel is the Golden Tulip Beach Hotel Noordwijk aan Zee, where most have booked in.

Their web site is www.goldentulipnoordwijkbeach.nl. This hotel is also close to Pickeplein where the Leiden bus arrives.

This enables return journeys to be done independently and so provide flexibility for “standing and staring or simply snoozing”.

Getting there: Several airlines go from UK to Schiphol eg Easyjet, KLM and BA. When I checked in October BA is offering returns at £100 for April.

By train go to Leiden and take the half hourly bus from the station. Driving is also fairly straight forward and it is about 220 miles from Calais.

I plan to be at the airport (at the meeting point) to meet you when you arrive and sort out any problems caused by delayed flights. You may need to enable roaming on your mobile phone.

Event Title: REMS Visit to Holland
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch Retired Members Section (REMS)
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: David R Pick Email: david.pick@physics.org

An Introduction to the Energy House at the University of Salford

18 Apr 2012 17:00:00 GMT

The Old Fire Station, The University of Salford, The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT
Wed, 18 Apr 2012, 18:00 – 20:00

The Energy House is a fully working traditional style British House, inside a Laboratory in which we can recreate and simulate climatic conditions.

The house has been built to an identical specification of a typical 1910-1920 home in the UK.

This gives us an ideal test bed to carry out research on innovative technologies that can be used to treat these buildings, known as "Hard to Treat Homes".

The Energy House is a traditional pre 1920s Victorian terrace house that has been reconstructed using reclaimed materials from local sources to represent 21% of the UK current housing stock and rebuilt using the traditional methods of the time, including lime mortar, lathe and plaster ceilings.

The house is classed as a hard to treat property in terms of energy efficiency due to the lack of cavity walls.

The Salford Energy House is Europe's 1st and only Energy House that has been reconstructed in a fully environmentally controllable chamber, I which climatic conditions can be maintained, varied, repeated and patterns monitored. The following conditions can be created, and maintained for extended periods of time:

• Temperature (-20C to +30°C) with an accuracy of ±0.5°C
• Humidity (10% to 80%) with an accuracy of 1%
• Rain equivalent to 200mm per hour
• Light wind

Consumption of electricity gas and water is also monitored throughout the Energy House, right down to an appliance level.

The research carried out in the house is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, to stimulate growth in the retrofit sectors of the Northwest of the UK.

We have are in discussions with and have relationships/partnerships with several multi-national companies including; ARUP, Balfour Beatty, Kingspan, Rockwool, Knauf and Kingfisher Group, BRE, E-On and EDF.

We are currently in discussions with several institutions including Berkeley University and Carnegie Mellon about partnering research topics.

The Tour of the Energy House will start at 18:30, followed by the lecture. Coffee will be served from 18:00, before the start of the tour.

Event Title: An Introduction to the Energy House at the University of Salford
Speaker(s): Richard Fitton
Organised by: Manchester and District Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr Jonathan Hinks, Email: J.A.Hinks@salford.ac.uk

Geoengineering the climate

23 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT

University of Worcester. EE G087, Main Building, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ
Mon, 23 Apr 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

Despite growing concerns over climate change, CO2 emissions continue to climb. This has led some to suggest more radical “Geoengineering” alternatives to conventional reductions in CO2 emissions.

Geoengineering is deliberate intervention in the climate system to counteract man-made global warming. This talk will summarise a recent review of Geoengineering by the Royal Society led by Prof Shepherd.

Event Title: Geoengineering the climate
Speaker(s): Prof. John Shepherd, CBE, FRS. National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton
Organised by: Midland Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: J E Beale Tel: 07801-365 204, Email: john.beale@physics.org, Dr A C Smith Tel: 01684-569503, Email: alancsmith@physics.org

Is the Moon a Babel Fish?

24 Apr 2012 16:00:00 GMT

The Department of Physics and Astronomy, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield, S3 7RH
Tue, 24 Apr 2012, 17:00 – 19:00

John Gribbin argues that we owe our existence to the presence of our large Moon, produced by the impact of a Mars-sized object four billion years ago.

But this is only part of the story, just one of the astronomical and geophysical reasons why the Earth is special.

For the first time, he makes the link between the whole series of cosmic events that have affected the Earth and given rise to our intelligent civilization - a civilization, Gribbin argues, that is unique within our Milky Way Galaxy.

If humankind can survive the present environmental crises, the whole of the galaxy may become our home. And if not, our demise may be an event of universal significance.

The Speaker: Dr. John Gribbin trained as an astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge before becoming a full-time science writer.

He has worked for the science journal Nature, and the magazine New Scientist (for which he is now physics consultant) and has contributed articles on science topics to the Times, the Guardian and the Independent.

Gribbin has received awards for his writing in both Britain and the United States and is currently a visiting Fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex.

Event Title: Is the Moon a Babel Fish?
Speaker(s): Dr John Gribbin (Visiting Research Fellow, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex)
Organised by: University of Sheffield
Co-sponsored by: IOP Yorkshire Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: John Williams, Email: j.williams@sheffield.ac.uk

Luminous spots on a dark background. Stars, galaxies and the ‘specialness’ of our universe

24 Apr 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Surface Science Research Centre, Liverpool University (building #210 on university plan), L69 3DR
Tue, 24 Apr 2012, 18:30

Speaker: Prof. Maurizio Salaris Astrophysics Research Institute Liverpool John Moores University

Our universe displays a beautiful tapestry of stars overimposed onto a cold and dark background.

The reasons why stars and (as a consequence) life exist are related to the very special conditions of the universe at the moment of the Big Bang.

The lecture will introduce the audience to these issues and the challenge they pose to physics and cosmology.

Event Title: Luminous spots on a dark background. Stars, galaxies and the ‘specialness’ of our universe
Speaker(s): Prof. Maurizio Salaris
Organised by: IOP Merseyside Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Louise Butcher, Email: Louise.butcher@iop.org

Generation IV Nuclear Reactors

24 Apr 2012 18:00:00 GMT

UCLan Westlakes Campus, Samuel Lindow Building, Westlakes Science and Technology Park, Whitehaven, CA24 3JY
Tue, 24 Apr 2012, 19:00 – 20:00

Event Title: Generation IV Nuclear Reactors
Speaker(s): John Robertson of Nucleus Training Ltd
Organised by: IOP Lancashire & Cumbria branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Email: westcumbriaiop@googlemail.com

Branch Meeting, Lancaster

25 Apr 2012 17:00:00 GMT

The Cavendish Coloquium Room, Faraday Building, Lancaster University, LA1 4YW
Wed, 25 Apr 2012, 18:00 – 20:00

Event Title: Physics Virtual Experiments for the OU
Speaker(s): Prof Nick Braithwaite
Organised by: IOP Lancashire and Cumbria Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr J.M. Bradshaw Email: john.bradshaw@physics.org

How round is the electron and why does it matter?

25 Apr 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London, W1B 1NT
Wed, 25 Apr 2012, 18:30 – 21:00

How can you measure the shape of something as small as an electron?

This talk will explore the connections between the shape of the electron, the direction of time and the existence of anti-matter, showing how extremely precise measurements made in a small laboratory experiment can answer some big physics questions.

Tea/Coffee 6:00pm & afterwards. Talk begins 6:30pm

Event Title: How round is the electron and why does it matter?
Speaker(s): Dr Michael Tarbutt (Senior Lecturer in Physics at Imperial College London)
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Branch Secretary Email: londonsoutheast@physics.org

Maths and the making of the modern world

25 Apr 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Lindop Building, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, AL10 9AB
Wed, 25 Apr 2012, 19:00 – 21:00

Nearly all of modern technology relies on maths but its applications can sometimes be a bit hidden away.

In this talk I will open the lid on this technology and show you some of the maths behind Google, the Internet, Mobile Phones, Credit Cards, Facebook and Sat Nav devices.

Car parking near the lecture Theatre. This event is free but places may need to be reserved.

Event Title: Maths and the making of the modern world
Speaker(s): Chris Budd
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Dr Diane Crann, Email: d.crann@herts.ac.uk
More info: www.iop.org…

REMS visit to Finchcocks Musical Museum at Goudhurst, Kent

26 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Finchcocks, Goudhurst, Kent, TN17 1HH
Thu, 26 Apr 2012, 11:00 – 16:00

Finchcocks is a fine Georgian manor set in a beautiful garden, surrounded by parkland. It now houses a celebrated collection of over 100 historical keyboard instruments, of which more than forty are in full working order.

Meet 11-11:30 (coffee), 11:30 introduction and a look round the museum and the pleasure garden exhibition. Lunch 12:45. 14:00 demonstration recital in the hall.

Cost with a main Course for lunch £26, otherwise £16. Lunch would be in the Cellar Restaurant with the main course chosen in advance.

Event Title: REMS visit to Finchcocks Musical Museum at Goudhurst, Kent
Organised by: IOP London & South East Branch Retired Members Section (REMS)
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: John Belling (REMS Secretary), Email: john.a.belling.secrems@gmail.com
More info: www.finchcocks.co.uk

How do we see colour?

01 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Berrill Lecture Theatre, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Tue, 1 May 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

Colour Vision involves Physics, Physiology, Psychology and Neurology.

It is not enough to relate each colour to a specific wavelength as may be implied by studying the visible spectrum.

The presentation will explain, through demonstrations and examples, how humans perceive colours.

Free car parking near the lecture theatre.

Event Title: How do we see colour?
Speaker(s): Professor Mohammed Sobhy
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Email: r.mackintosh@open.ac.uk or t.a.bartlett@open.ac.uk (secretary)

Gas Giants and Ice Giants

02 May 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Lecture Theatre M, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH
Wed, 2 May 2012, 19:00 – 20:00

This talk will describe recent results from missions to the giant planets of our solar system and ground/space-based observatories at 1 AU, looking at their interiors, magnetic fields, magnetospheres, and natural satellites.

It will conclude with a discussion about current and future missions, focusing on missions to the poorly studied and understood Ice Giant, Uranus.

The worlds of the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are full of superlatives. Apart from the Sun they are the largest and most massive objects in our solar system and their influence is felt over enormous distances.

The stunning rings around Saturn, and the large number of moons around most of the giant planets lead some people to think of them as miniature solar systems in their own right. Although often grouped together as “Gas Giants”, many planetary scientists make a further distinction and describe Jupiter and Saturn as Gas Giants, and Uranus and Neptune as Ice Giants, reflecting the importance of volatiles (such as water, methane, and ammonia) in the interiors and atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune.

The interiors of the giant planets are also important natural laboratories for studying materials under high pressure and for studying the generation of global magnetic fields.

The magnetic field of Jupiter is reasonably well understood, but the almost axisymmetrical field of Saturn, and the highly asymmetrical fields of Neptune and Uranus are much less well understood. Global planetary magnetic fields provide the cores for giant planetary magnetospheres with very different mass and energy sources compared to the Earth’s magnetosphere.

This talk will describe recent results from missions to the giant planets of our solar system and ground/space-based observatories at 1 AU, looking at their interiors, magnetic fields, magnetospheres, and natural satellites. It will conclude with a discussion about current and future missions, focusing on missions to the poorly studied and understood Ice Giant, Uranus.

Speaker Bio:
Chris Arridge is a planetary scientist at Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London. His professional work is focused on the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and future missions to the outer planets.

His scientific research involves the study of magnetic fields and charged particles in space around giant planets. Originally from Hull, he studied at the University of Wales Aberystwyth, the University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London where he gained his PhD studying some of the first measurements made by the Cassini orbiter at Saturn.

Chris is also active in the engagement of young people in science, mathematics and engineering.

Event Title: Planetary Systems around Gas Giants and Ice Giants
Speaker(s): Chris Arridge, University College London
Organised by: South Central Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr Paul Stevenson, Email: p.stevenson@surrey.ac.uk

Breaking the speed limit in an AFM – with a light touch

15 May 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Surface Science Research Centre, Liverpool University (building #210 on university plan), L69 3DR
Tue, 15 May 2012, 18:30

Head of Nanophysics Group and Director of the Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information, University of Bristol

Scanning probe microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in particular are possibly the main tools of nanotechnology. Conventional AFM has three limitations: imaging speed, high-force interaction, and planar sample. We have developed and applied two unique high-speed AFMs (contact and non-contact) and an AFM in which the imaging probe is steered in 4pi space by holographic optical traps using the holoassembler, allowing it to image any area on a 3D object.

Imaging with these new techniques will be illustrated with biomolecular and polymer structures from DNA to cells

Event Title: Breaking the speed limit in an AFM – with a light touch
Speaker(s): Prof. Mervyn Miles FRS
Organised by: IOP Merseyside Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Louise Butcher, Email: louise.butcher@iop.org

Accelerated Dreams

16 May 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London, W1B 1NT
Wed, 16 May 2012, 18:00 – 21:00

A hundred years ago the particle accelerator was nothing more than a dream.

Today they play an integral part in modern life. How do they work, and what can they do for you?

Find out more about this remarkable technology, and get a glimpse of where they might be heading in the future.

There will be tea and coffee from 18:00. The lecture begins at 18:30.

Event Title: Accelerated Dreams
Speaker(s): Suzie Sheehy
Organised by: London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Email: londonsoutheast@physics.org

The ATLAS experiment at the LHC: latest results

16 May 2012 17:00:00 GMT

John Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6BH
Wed, 16 May 2012, 18:00 – 20:00

The talk will present the latest results on searches for new physics (Higgs, SuperSymmetry, Extra Dimensions) using data collected with the ATLAS experiment during 2011 and 2012.

Coffee will be served from 6.00pm, before the start of the presentations.

Event Title: The ATLAS experiment at the LHC: latest results
Speaker(s): Dr Barry King
Organised by: IOP Manchester and District Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr Christie Theodorakou, Email: christie.theodorakou@physics.cr.man.ac.uk

The Physics of Star Wars

22 May 2012 18:00:00 GMT

UCLan Westlakes Campus, Samuel Lindow Building, Westlakes Science and Technology Park, Whitehaven, CA24 3JY
Tue, 22 May 2012, 19:00 – 20:00

Refreshments from 18.30.

Event Title: The Physics of Star Wars
Speaker(s): Prof. Martin Hendry of Glasgow Uni
Organised by: IOP Lancashire & Cumbria branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Email: westcumbriaiop@googlemail.com

38th Stirling Physics Meeting

22 May 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Stirling Management Centre
University of Stirling
Stirling
FK9 4LA
Scotland
Wed, 23 May 2012

Event Title: 38th Stirling Physics Meeting
Organised by: IOP in Scotland
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Lauren Stacy, Conferences and Programme Co-ordinator, Tel: +44 (0)20 7470 4800, Fax: +44 (0)20 7637 4266, E-mail: lauren.stacy@iop.org

Branch Meeting, Preston

23 May 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Room MB51, Maudland Building, Unversity of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE
Wed, 23 May 2012, 18:00 – 20:00

Event Title: Atoms and the Void
Speaker(s): Dr Ian Saunders
Organised by: IOP Lancashire and Cumbria Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: Dr J.M. Bradshaw Email: john.bradshaw@physics.org

The London Wetland Centre

24 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT

WWT London Wetland Centre, Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, Barnes, London, SW13 9WT
Thu, 24 May 2012, 11:00 – 16:00

Reinalt Vaughan-Williams shall be inside the entrance of the Visitor Centre from 10:30 onwards.

When you arrive, I will give you your entrance tickets.

The guided tour will start at 11:00 from the courtyard with the pagoda in it.

£12 per person. You pay separately for your food. Minimum number of people is 12. There is no maximum. Please answer question in the booking form whether you’ll eat in the café or not. (Form from REMS secretary)

Timetable
10:30 – 11:00 Arrive, collect ticket, have refreshment in café, use toilets.
11:00 – 13:00 Guided tour.
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch in the café. The timing of the afternoon activities is optional.
14:30 – 16:00 Walk round the World Wetlands and Wildside areas or return to the Waterlife area or do both, whatever you like.
16:00 - 16:30 Refreshments in café.
16:30 Depart, but do look in the shop on the way out.

The London Wetland Centre is a beautiful wildlife reserve and international award winning visitor attraction in Barnes, just across the river from Hammersmith.

It is acclaimed to be the best urban site in Europe to watch wildlife. It supports a wealth of wetland biodiversity including bitterns, kingfishers, a colony of endangered water voles and migratory birds, which arrive in large numbers from around the world. May is a good month for seeing some of these migratory birds.

The Centre is also a haven for people. You can watch the wildlife in one of several special viewing hides, enjoy a walk around the reserve and have a meal in the Water’s Edge café.

Our visit will enable you to do all 3 of these things. The paths are all level. Bring binoculars and clothing suitable for the weather on the day.

The Centre is divided into 2 sections. On the right of the visitor centre is the Waterlife with its stunning views of the water and birds, where our guide will take us in the morning and on the left is the World Wetlands and Wildside, which we can wander round in the afternoon.

Getting there: The centre is easily accessible by public transport, just a 10 minute bus ride from Hammersmith Tube station and close to both Barnes and Barnes Bridge stations.

By bus: Hop on the number 283 bus direct to the centre from Hammersmith bus station (stand K). Alternatively buses 33, 72 and 209 stop nearby (alight at the Red Lion stop, approximately 150 metres walk from the wetland centre).

By rail: Barnes rail station is just 25 minutes from Waterloo or 10 minutes from Clapham Junction. It is then a 15 minute walk to the wetland centre (or 5 minutes by buses 72 or 33). You can also alight at Barnes Bridge station then walk through Barnes village (about a 15 minute walk) or catch a 209 bus (alight at the bus stop opposite the Red Lion pub, which is approximately 150 metres from the Centre).

By tube: Hammersmith tube (on the Piccadilly and District & Circle Lines) is the nearest tube station. From here it is just a 10 minute bus ride (see ‘by bus’).

Event Title: The London Wetland Centre
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch Retired Members Section (REMS)
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: REMS secretary: John Belling, Email: john.a.belling.secrems@gmail.com
More info: www.wwt.org.uk…

The physics of finance

30 May 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Lindop Building, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, AL10 9AB
Wed, 30 May 2012, 19:00 – 21:00

Many physical systems involve a certain element of randomness or uncertainty.

Physicists have developed many techniques for modelling and controlling this randomness.

Over recent years many of these techniques have been used in trying to model financial markets.

This presentation gives an overview of how physics is being used in the world of finance.

Car Parking near the lecture theatre. This event is free but places may need to be reserved.

Event Title: The physics of finance
Speaker(s): Steve Kane
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Dr Diane Crann, Email: d.crann@herts.ac.uk
More info: www.iop.org…

Colour Vision

13 Jun 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London, W1B 1NT
Wed, 13 Jun 2012, 18:30 – 21:00

Tea/Coffee & afterwards. Lecture begins 6.30pm

The lecture will be of interest to the following categories of listeners:
* Physicists interested in Calorimetry and Photonics.
* Multimedia students and researchers interested in colour in computers, monitors, photography, cinematography and colour spaces.
* Artists interested in colour harmony and colour gamut.
* Psychologists and neuroscientists interested in how the brain interprets colour.
* Any person interested in how humans perceive colours.

Event poster: www.iop.org… (PDF, 162 KB)

Event Title: Colour Vision
Speaker(s): Professor Mohamed Sobhy
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Branch Secretary Email: londonsoutheast@physics.org

Royal School of Needlework and Hampton Court Palace

14 Jun 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Royal School of Needlework, Apartment 12a Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, KT8 9AU
Thu, 14 Jun 2012, 11:00 – 16:00

The standard 1.5 hour tour and includes the history of RSN, the techniques used in historic restoration and modern work and the workshops.

Afterwards Hampton Court: Cardinal Wolsey started building his palace about 1612 but Henry VIII confiscated it in 1620. He carried on building including his Great Hall with its magnificent hammer-beam roof.

Most centuries have seen more building, two notable architects being Wren (William and Mary) and William Kent (George II).

Kent rebuilt some of the famous west front and parts of the inside. Wren built the Fountain Court and the south and east wings.

Inside there are pictures and furniture from these periods and in some rooms there are costume guides who explain the history.

COSTS: £30 each with a maximum of 20. Refreshments at cost.
10:30 – 11:00 Assemble in the Tiltyard cafeteria (M)
11:00 – 13:00 Enter the Royal School of Needlework for talk and tour
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 onwards Free access to the Palace

Travel: The nearest stations are Hampton Court and Kingston (with a bus trip 111, 216 & 411 )

Event Title: Royal School of Needlework and Hampton Court Palace
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch Retired Members Section (REMS)
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: John Belling Email: john.a.belling.secrems@gmail.com
More info: www.royal-needlework.org.uk

Designing the Best 3D Display

14 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT

William Penney Theatre, AWE, Aldermaston, Reading, RG7 4PR
Thu, 14 Jun 2012, 19:30 – 21:00

It should be possible to replicate precisely the experience of looking through a window with an electronic display, but how feasible is this?

How do 3D televisions and mobile ‘glasses free’ 3D displays work? This talk will give an overview of all 3D display technology, and explain how they might be improved in the future.

Car park near the William Penney theatre.

The theatre entrance can be found on the A340 Basingstoke to Newbury road, just before the Heath End Roundabout at Tadley.

Tea/Coffee and Biscuits will be served from 7pm. The lecture is open to all, including non-members.

Event Title: Designing the Best 3D Display
Speaker(s): Jonathan Mather
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: No
Contact details: David Parkes Email: IOP.Lectures@awe.co.uk

Manchester and District Branch of the IOP presents: Physics and science teaching at Key Stage 4

22 Jun 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Manchester Lecture Theatre, Manchester Metropolitan University, All Saints Building, Manchester, M15 6BH
Fri, 22 Jun 2012, 09:00 – 17:00

The Manchester and District branch of the Institute of Physics and Manchester Metropolitan University will be holding their annual Secondary School Physics and Science Teachers’ Conference at the Manchester Lecture Theatre, Manchester Metropolitan University, on the 22 June 2012.

The conference, which is annually provided free to teachers, aims to share vision and enthusiasm in physics and science teaching for teachers working at Key Stage 4.

The days programme comprising a range of lectures, interactive workshops and displays provides updated information and material on a range of current developments in physics, forensics, biology, chemistry and environmental sciences.

This one day event offers a forum to reflect on current challenges in teaching physics and science at this key stage.

Presentations from local and national institutions and organisations will offer ideas and strategies to aid classroom teachers in preparing and presenting materials, as well as enabling teachers to share and reflect on their own classroom experiences and examples of good practice.

Details of the programme will be circulated to local authorities, schools and teacher training establishments within the next few weeks.

Event Title: Manchester and District Branch of the IOP presents: Physics and science teaching at Key Stage 4
Organised by: IOP Manchester and District Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Mr Phil Latchem Email: palatchem@btinternet.com
More info: www.sci-eng.mmu.ac.uk…

REMS at home - A miscellany

05 Jul 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London, W1B 1NT
Thu, 5 Jul 2012, 11:00 – 17:00

This meeting is open to visitors, please register in advance with the REMS secretary.

10:30 - Registration and coffee
11:00 - Introduction and notices
11:10 - Michael Callaghan: More tales from the cockpit
11:50 - Peter Mercer: A personal history of computing
12:30 - John Belling: Temperamental music
13:10 - Lunch
14:30 - Tony Watts: Mountains in the Sea (Earth Sciences, Oxford)
15:30 - Stephen Hall: Autonomous underwater vehicles (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton)
16:30 - Tea

Nearest underground stations are Great Portland Street, Oxford Circus and Regents Park.

Costs are £31.00 or £6 without lunch. There will be no reimbursement for cancellations after 1 July 2012.

Event Title: REMS at home - A miscellany
Organised by: IOP London & South East Branch Retired Members Section (REMS)
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: John Belling (REMS Secretary), Email: john.a.belling.secrems@gmail.com

The magic of bubbles

05 Dec 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London, W1B 1NT
Wed, 5 Dec 2012, 18:30 – 21:00

This demonstration talk will highlight some of the spectacular visual properties of soap films and bubbles that have remained largely unknown.

Giant films and bubbles, that are not spherical, will be demonstrated. Their colours, vibrational behaviour and minimization properties will be investigated.

An analogue bubble computer will be constructed to solve the problem of the minimum roadway linking a number of towns.

Bubbles, films and drops exist in our food and drink, in our washing up bowl, in the clouds.

They are responsible for cavitation and have applications in the medical treatment of kidney stones, bubble chambers, cosmology. Where would we be without them?

Refreshments at 6pm and after the Talk. The lecture begins at 6.30pm.

Speaker(s): Dr Cyril Isenberg, the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, University of Kent
Organised by: IOP London and South East Branch
Requires registration: Yes
Contact details: Branch Secretary Email: londonsoutheast@physics.org
More info: www.iop.org…