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Physics Research at Lancaster

Research in Physics - seeking new insights and fundamental understanding of matter and the universe on all length and energy scales - can be exciting and deeply satisfying. The new knowledge provides enlightenment and cultural enrichment and leads to technological applications and improvements in the qualify of life.

Measured in terms of the international influence of its scientific publications, Lancaster is one of the top departments (2nd in the UK) for research in Physics. These pages provide a brief introduction to the opportunities for postgraduate research in the Department of Physics at Lancaster University and provide a short description of current research activities.

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, RAE2008, the Lancaster Physics Department achieved the highest quality profile amongst the 42 UK physics departments making submissions.

In the previous Research Assessment Exercise, RAE2001, we gained the highest rating, 5*A: only Cambridge, Imperial College London and Oxford equalled this standard.

Want to join us? Find out about postgraduate degrees.

Research Areas

Solid State Physics

Our research interests lie principally in the development of new semiconductor materials and devices, with emphasis on mid-infrared (2-5 µm) optoelectronics, spectroscopy of quantum nanostructures and near field microanalysis. We are an experimental group concerned with the design and fabrication of novel mid-infrared LEDs, lasers and photodetectors as well as fundamental studies of quantum phenomena.

Low Temperature Physics

The Lancaster Ultra Low Temperature (ULT) group performs experiments on superfluids and other materials with wider applications in areas such as cosmology and turbulence. The group has a strong international reputation for performing state-of-the-art experiments at the lowest achievable temperatures. Our custom made dilution refrigerators, built in-house, achieve world record low temperatures. We have pioneered several innovative approaches including: `Lancaster-style’ nuclear cooling stages to cool superfluids to record low temperatures; `heat-flush’ procedures to produce highly purified helium-4; ion transport measurement methods for quantum fluids; novel NMR systems; and various mechanical oscillator techniques which provide extremely sensitive thermometry and bolometry at microkelvin temperatures.

We have a broad research portfolio in low temperature physics, specialising in quantum fluids and solids research. We have performed gound-breaking research on numerous topics, including: superfluid analogues of cosmological processes; ion and vortex ring dynamics; ballistic quasiparticle beams; exotic superfluid spin phenomena; superfluid phase nucleation; phase boundary dynamics; wave turbulence; and quantum turbulence.

Theoretical Physics

Electromagnetic radiation reaction (both classical and quantum) is relevant to many areas of contemporary physics. It lies at the heart of processes where the interface between classical and quantum physics plays a prominent role. Among these one may cite areas of quantum optics, micro-cavity physics, micro-fluidics, photonic structures, early Universe cosmo-genesis, dark energy and cold-atom technology. In these systems one is often confronted with phenomena that interrelate classical continuum mechanics, classical electromagnetism, cavity Quantum Electrodynamics and fundamental issues relating fluctuation and dissipation mechanisms. In particular, dynamic (material) fluctuations induced by quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field have experimental consequences and offer an exciting opportunity to confront the limitations of basic theory with observable data. In technology such fluctuations may manifest themselves as quantum induced stresses. Such Casimir stresses cannot be ignored as nano-structures develop ever smaller miniturisations. (The Casimir attractive pressure between neutral conducting planes with a separation of 10nm exceeds 1 atmosphere!) In micro-fluidics, physical processes can be confined to (deformable) dielectric micro-cavities that are guided by electromagnetic fields. Such micro-laboratories offer new possibilities to explore cavity Quantum Electrodynamics experimentally as well as enhancing the control features of micro-fluidic design. Indeed it has even been suggested that chemical processes in such an environment may shed light on the mechanisms that evolve inert matter into living cells. Using modern mathematical techniques work on calculating effects due to such fluctuations in dispersive, inhomogeneous polarisable media is being actively pursued in our group.

Many important physical processes may be modelled in terms of a system of partial differential equations. Solutions are sought which satisfy the initial and boundary data. Unlike the general theory describing systems of ordinary differential equations, there exists no comparable theory which can accommodate arbitrary systems of partial differential equations and analytic methods traditionally resort to ad hoc methods.

Accelerator Physics

We are engaged in experimental and theoretical activities that contribute to the development of novel technologies and techniques for producing and manipulating intense particle beams and electromagnetic waves. We collaborate on the design and construction of particle sources for projects as diverse as medical therapies and future high-energy physics experiments, and we investigate novel compact acceleration concepts employing strong electromagnetic fields localized in photonic lattices and plasmas. We develop new effective classical and quantum theories for analysing matter in extreme conditions, with implications for cosmic particle acceleration as well as for experiments in the laboratory.

Space Science

Space science at Lancaster concerns the space plasma environment stretching from the surface of the Sun to the upper atmosphere of the Earth and other planets. This research probes the fundamental physics underpinning the space environment of the solar system. It also enables the application-oriented research into space weather required by high technology infrastructure both on and above the surface of the Earth.

Lancaster space scientists develop and deploy state-of-the-art experiments in the UK and inside the Arctic circle. These experiments, along with measurements from the latest international space missions, allow us to study the detailed physics of plasma interactions within our solar system.

Nonlinear Biomedical Physics

The Nonlinear Biomedical Physics Group deals with systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium. These systems are nonautonomous and we are pioneering the development of a new theory to describe the phenomena that arise when such oscillators are coupled. We also develop new methods of time series analyses to address inverse problems when systems under study have time-dependent properties. Examples include extension of bispectral analysis, based on wavelet rather than Fourier transform, wavelet-based phase coherence, development of a harmonic finder to detect high harmonics of time-varying natural frequencies, and extension of Bayesian inference to extract equations of motion of time-varying systems.

The theory and new analytical tools are being applied to practical problems connected to the physics of open systems and in particular living systems. We are building a virtual physiological human as a collection of coupled oscillators. We consider a cell as a basic unit with ion channels acting as oscillators. We model the cell as an ensemble of oscillators. Two systems are of particular interest: the cardiovascular system acting as a transport and processing system for metabolites, and the brain acting as an information processing system. Both systems are modelled as ensembles of partially synchronized cellular oscillators. When synchronized at a microscopic level they behave as a single oscillator at the macroscopic level where higher level interactions occur between organs.

In building our models we learn from nature by measuring at all levels of complexity - from single cells, through organs to the whole body. We have developed non-invasive methods for monitoring and imaging. In collaboration with clinicians and experimental physiologists we gather information from both healthy and pathological states such as exercise, anaesthesia, cardiac failure, hypertension, diabetes and cancer. We develop new insights into these conditions and new tools for an early diagnosis and better methods of quantifying the efficacy of treatment.

The group also has active collaborations with physicists, mathematicians, information scientists and engineers from the UK and many other countries. Its funding is mainly from the EU, EPSRC, Wellcome Trust, ESRC, MRC, Leverhulme and Royal Society.

Particle Physics

The ATLAS magnet system at CERN

The Lancaster High Energy Physics Division has three main areas of activity:

The first is physics at hadron colliders. This is represented by the D-Zero experiment, which will be studying proton-antiproton collisions at about 2TeV, but will cease to take data in September; and by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, which studies proton-proton collisions at 7TeV, and will run for many years. The group has many interests, but in particular studies using beauty and top hadrons, Higgs searches, tracking detectors, and distributed computing.

The second area is the study of neutrino oscillations using the T2K experiment in Japan. Lancaster built a key component, the Near Calorimeter, and is now engaged in the calibration and physics studies.

The third area is accelerator development, as part of the Cockcroft Institute, an activity we share with colleagues from the Theory Division and Engineering. This work involves the development of radiofrequency cavities, and extends into new materials and so-called meta-materials.