News items relating to physics and astronomy at the university of Birmingham. Contensis: http://www.contentmanagement.co.uk http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/index.aspx?SyndicationType=2 2013-05-21T19:22:25Z Andy Tootell

Researchers from Birmingham will have access to the most impressive and advanced nuclear physics research facility in the world as the UK has today officially become part of a €1.6 billion* international project that will become to nuclear physics what CERN is to particle physics.

2013-05-03T01:00:00Z 2013-05-10T11:16:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2013/04/03-May-13-Birmingham-joins-the-worlds-largest-nuclear-physics-research-facility.aspx Liam Singleton

Birmingham Fellow Evgueni Goudzovski, School of Physics and Astronomy, discusses the Higgs Boson, the Standard Model, and his role in the NA62 experiment at CERN. This research really matters!

2013-05-01T15:22:00Z 2013-05-17T10:39:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/eps/eps-community/news/fellows/evgueni-goudzovski-physics.aspx Michael Lee

Congratulations to Paul Fulda for his award from The Gravitational Wave International Committee.

2013-03-28T09:23:00Z 2013-04-05T09:24:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/GWIC-thesis-prize.aspx Andy Tootell

Professor Bill Chaplin talks about his approach to teaching and learning at the University of Birmingham

2012-11-22T12:45:00Z 2013-03-27T14:39:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/students/teaching/academics/bill-chaplin.aspx Kate Chapple

University of Birmingham undergraduates have made history by capturing an early glimpse of the eagerly anticipated Comet Ison during the last ever observation at the University's Wast Hills Observatory before a major upgrade project begins.

2013-03-27T15:43:00Z 2013-03-28T16:15:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2013/03/27-Mar-13-Student-observations-of-Comet-Ison-herald-a-new-era-at-Wast-Hills-Observatory.aspx Michael Lee

The title of the project is "Study of the ElectroWeak Symmetry Breaking and the Higgs Sector with the ATLAS detector at the LHC" and corresponds to (€100,000) £78,125 for four years.

2013-03-25T14:29:00Z 2013-03-26T14:05:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/nikolopoulos-grant-award.aspx Michael Lee

Dave Charlton, Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy, takes up the position of Spokesperson, the overall scientific lead, for the ATLAS project at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN, on 1 March 2013.

2013-03-15T10:57:00Z 2013-03-21T11:19:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2013/03/15-Mar-Senior-particle-physicist-from-Birmingham-takes-on-lead-role-at-the-.aspx Michael Lee

Research news, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham

2013-03-12T15:13:00Z 2013-03-18T10:50:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/bongs-research-grant.aspx Kylie Morris

As the world marks the first anniversary of the meltdown at Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear reactor, the UK is confronted by a familiar conundrum over its own energy policies. It is in some ways unhealthy to continue to filter all discussion through the prism of the events of March 11 and the days that followed, but it cannot be denied that they propelled the debate over nuclear energy back to the top of the socioeconomic and political agendas. Japan is extremely cautious about the future. The likes of Germany swiftly decided nuclear power represents a dead end, while the likes of France continue to see it as a path to sustainability. And Britain still loiters at the crossroads.

2012-03-08T00:00:00Z 2012-03-23T13:59:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/The-need-for-a-roadmap-for-nuclear-policy.aspx Michael Lee

Scientists have detected a rocky planet that is smaller than Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system, orbiting a solar-type star 80% of the size and mass of the Sun, according to research published in the journal Nature today (Wednesday 20 February 2013). The exact dimensions of the star, and the absolute size of the planet, were determined by asteroseismologists led by the University of Birmingham.

2013-02-20T18:00:00Z 2013-02-25T10:17:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2013/02/20-Feb-13-Small-sun-hosts-mini-planet-in-distant-solar-system.aspx

Given recent events, one could be forgiven for thinking that the UK's policy on nuclear power and nuclear waste is unravelling — but does it matter?

2013-02-15T12:06:00Z 2013-02-15T11:57:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/impact/thebirminghambrief/items/Nuclear-decay-Big-challenges-ahead-for-energy-and-waste.aspx Michael Lee

A new partnership between Indian and UK scientists to develop talent and innovation in a progressive branch of atomic physics is now underway.

2013-02-20T09:30:00Z 2013-02-20T11:06:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2013/02/20Feb-UK-India-project-set-to-enhance-talent-in-atomic-physics-research.aspx Michael Lee

In early January, AstroSoc teamed up with the BBC to host two large events on campus to supplement this year's broadcast of Stargazing Live. These events were among several organised by the BBC throughout the country, all aimed at enabling members of the public to take part in stargazing and astronomy for themselves after seeing the television shows.

2013-02-05T10:35:00Z 2013-03-18T10:49:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/astrosoc-bbc-host-stargazing-live.aspx Michael Lee

Prof Trevor Ponman won £1,876,501 from the Science and Technology Facilities Council for the project Birmingham Astrophysics: Consolidated Grant 2013–2016.

2013-02-01T15:52:00Z 2013-03-18T10:47:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/ponman-grant.aspx Michael Lee

Scientists at the University of Birmingham have designed a lens using metamaterials that can function as a convex or a concave lens, according to research published today (13 November 2012) in the journal Nature Communications. By fabricating gold nano-rods on the glass, this new lens can magnify or demagnify objects, just by switching the polarisation of the light source.

2012-11-13T16:00:00Z 2012-11-15T09:37:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2012/11/13-Nov-12-Scientists-design-new-lens-with-dual-function-set-to-revolutionise-optical-devices.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

Understanding the history of our galaxy depends on having precise measurements of the properties of its stars. This has only been possible for stars that are within around 300 light-years from Earth. However, the University of Birmingham's Andrea Miglio and colleagues have used advances in asteroseismology — the study of the interior structure of stars through the analysis of their pulsations — to show that this limitation can now be overcome.

2013-02-12T11:50:00Z 2013-02-12T12:20:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/pulsing-with-history.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

Pamela Relph, one of the University's Physics alumni, has taken gold in the mixed coxed fours rowing event at the 2012 paralympics.

2012-09-04T15:48:00Z 2012-09-04T15:33:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/paralympic-gold.aspx Michael Lee

Scientists at the University of Birmingham have developed a method to visualise gold on the nanoscale by using a special probe beam to image 20 atoms of gold bound together to make a cluster. The research is published today (26 July 2012) in the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal Nanoscale.

2012-07-26T07:00:00Z 2012-07-27T14:01:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2012/07/26-Jul-12-A-cluster-of-twenty-atoms-of-gold-is-visualised-for-the-first-time-by-Birmingham-physicists.aspx Kate Chapple

Researchers from the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in which University of Birmingham physicists play key roles, have today (4th July 2012) confirmed that they have observed a new particle consistent with the long-sought Higgs boson. These results mark a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the fundamental laws that govern the Universe.

2012-07-04T10:41:00Z 2012-07-05T10:08:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2012/06/04-Jul-12-UK-Higgs-Update-Its-a-boson!.aspx Katie Connolly

A report out today (2 July) from the University of Birmingham's Policy Commission on nuclear power gives strong warnings to government about a 'sense of drift' in UK energy policy and suggests recommendations for a 'roadmap' which it says is critical to the future of the nuclear option.

2012-07-01T10:00:00Z 2012-07-02T13:08:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2012/06/28-Jun-12-A-long-term-national-commitment-to-nuclear-power-is-needed-by-government,-a-University-of-Birmingham-Policy-Commission-report-warns.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

The BBC reports how Prof. Bill Chaplin and colleagues in the School of Physics and Astronomy are using asteroseismology – the study of the oscillations of stars – to study new exoplanetary systems discovered by the NASA Kepler Mission.

2012-04-18T14:05:00Z 2012-04-18T13:54:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/musical-stars-help-search-for-new-life.aspx Michael Lee

Scientists from the University of Birmingham have led an international team of astronomers to discover evidence for the existence of an ordinary black hole in the Centaurus A galaxy, which is over 12 million light years away. According to the research, which is published in the April issue of the Astrophysical Journal, this is the first time that a "garden variety" black hole has been detected outside the immediate neighbourhood of our galaxy.

2012-04-04T11:48:00Z 2012-04-16T16:04:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2012/04/04-Apr-Ordinary-black-hole-discovered-12-million-light-years-away.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

Two recent editions of the University's Ideas Lab Predictor Podcast have highlighted the work of professors in the School of Physics and Astronomy - Professor Bill Chaplin on asteroseismology and Professor Martin Freer onthe future of nuclear power.

2012-04-05T18:01:00Z 2012-04-05T17:58:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/predictor-podcasts-freer-and-chaplin.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

Researchers from the University of Birmingham have led an international team of astronomers to discover evidence for the existence of a 'garden variety' black hole in the 12 million light year-distant galaxy Centaurus A.

2012-04-13T10:45:00Z 2012-04-13T10:34:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/ordinary-black-hole-discovered.aspx Sonia Large

Birmingham Policy Commissions information

2010-10-15T16:52:00Z 2013-03-27T19:45:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/impact/policy-commissions/index-test.aspx Robert Kelly

The University of Birmingham's Astronomical Society (AstroSoc) hosts their free outreach event, 'Other Worlds' on Saturday 10 March 2012 from 10:00 to 16:00. Open to all members of the public and the university, the event will feature a rich selection of talks and activities for all running throughout the day.

2012-03-05T15:50:00Z 2012-03-07T13:41:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/other-worlds.aspx Thomas Straw

Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Lancaster University, analysing data taken by the ATLAS experiment, have been at the centre of what is believed to be the first clear observation of a new particle at the Large Hadron Collider. The research is published today (22 December 11) on the online repository arXiv.

2011-12-22T10:36:00Z 2011-12-22T14:10:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2011/12/22-Dec-11-New-Particle-at-the-Large-Hadron-Collider-Discovered-by-ATLAS-Experiment--.aspx

As the world marks the first anniversary of the meltdown at Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear reactor, the UK is confronted by a familiar conundrum over its own energy policies. It is in some ways unhealthy to continue to filter all discussion through the prism of the events of March 11 and the days that followed, but it cannot be denied that they propelled the debate over nuclear energy back to the top of the socioeconomic and political agendas. Japan is extremely cautious about the future. The likes of Germany swiftly decided nuclear power represents a dead end, while the likes of France continue to see it as a path to sustainability. And Britain still loiters at the crossroads.

2012-03-08T00:00:00Z 2012-03-23T14:01:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/impact/thebirminghambrief/items/The-need-for-a-roadmap-for-nuclear-policy.aspx Catherine Byerley

The University of Birmingham is working with partners at Jammu University on particle physics experiments, including those at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research – CERN.

2011-12-19T10:34:00Z 2011-12-19T10:48:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2011/12/Scientists-trigger-high-energy-physics-at-CERN-in-India-UK-collaboration.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

Data from NASA's Kepler space telescope have revolutionized the search for planets outside the Solar System — and are now doing the same for asteroseismology, with researchers from the School of Physics and Astronomy leading the way.

2012-01-05T11:47:00Z 2012-01-05T11:37:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/keplers-surprise-sounds-of-stars.aspx Michael Lee

Professor Rolf Dieter Heuer, the Director General of CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, will receive an honorary doctorate at a degree congregation at the University of Birmingham on Friday 16th December at 1.45pm.

2011-12-13T16:09:00Z 2011-12-15T14:40:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2011/12/13-Dec-11-Director-General-of-CERN-to-Receive-Honorary-Degree-from-Birmingham.aspx Michael Lee

Oscillations have been discovered in 50 stars with their own orbiting candidate planets (exo- or extrasolar planets) by an international team of scientists using data from the NASA Kepler Mission, according to an announcement made by one of the lead scientists, Professor Bill Chaplin from the UK's University of Birmingham, at a NASA conference in California (Friday 9th December, 2011).

2011-12-12T09:54:00Z 2011-12-15T14:29:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2011/12/12-Dec-11-Haul-of-50-oscillating-stars-with-orbiting-planets-found-by-Kepler-Spacecraft.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

Talks and seminars in the next seven days in School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham

2011-11-28T15:28:00Z 2013-02-20T11:16:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/physics-astronomy-seminars.aspx Michael Lee

An international team of astronomers, including scientists from the University of Birmingham, has looked deep inside some old stars and discovered that their cores spin at least ten times as fast as their surfaces. The research, led by Leuven University in Belgium, is published today (7 December 2011) in the journal Nature.

2011-12-07T18:00:00Z 2011-12-15T14:35:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2011/12/06-Dec-11-Astronomers-Reveal-a-Rapidly-Spinning-Core-Inside-Ageing-Stars.aspx Alberto Guglielmi

A month in the USA with Professor Bill Chaplin

2011-11-18T09:15:00Z 2011-12-12T09:22:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/impact/perspective/blogs/A-month-in-the-USA.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

The University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy has achieved a third-place ranking in the Guardian's 2012 university league tables.

2011-11-24T16:14:00Z 2011-11-24T15:42:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/birmingham-physics-guardian-league-tables.aspx Admin Tara

Birmingham particle physicists are today trawling through the data from particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider that could indicate the existence of the Higgs boson.

2011-07-25T17:15:00Z 2011-08-03T11:25:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/our/news/items/higgs-hints.aspx Admin Tara

Dr David Evans Blog

2011-07-19T16:26:00Z 2011-08-16T09:22:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/impact/perspective/blogs/cern.aspx Michael Lee

News item: Professor Yvonne Elsworth has been awarded the Institute of Physics 2011 Payne-Gaposchkin Medal and Prize.

2011-08-02T21:48:00Z 2011-12-08T13:08:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/elsworth-iop-prize-2011.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

Physics teaching at the University of Birmingham has been ranked 3rd in the 2012 Guardian league table.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-06-15T12:35:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/physics-3rd-in-2012-Guardian-league-table.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

The Kepler space telescope measures the sizes and ages of stars five times better than any other means - when it "listens" to the sounds they make.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-07-27T12:11:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/music-of-the-stars-now-louder.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

Professor Martin Freer of the University of Birmingham has won the 2010 Rutherford medal and prize for establishing the existence of nuclear configurations analogous to molecules and demonstrating the existence of nucleon-clustering in key light nuclei, a long-standing issue in the field.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-06-15T12:39:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/birmingham-nuclear-physicist-wins-national-nuclear-physics-prize.aspx Michael Lee

Scientists at Birmingham University have developed a device which can make small objects appear invisible.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-12-08T13:04:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/physicists-develop-invisibility-cloak-link.aspx Michael Lee

A selection of news stories detailing the University of Birmingham's recent successes in nature and science.

2011-09-12T13:18:00Z 2011-09-12T13:18:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/recent-birmingham-successes-nature-science.aspx Michael Lee

Physics at the University of Birmingham has been ranked second in the Times League Table released 27 May 2010

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-12-08T13:03:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/physics-birmingham-ranked2nd-in-times-league-table-2010.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

The Centre for World-Class Universities held the Third International Conference on World-Class Universities in November 2009. One theme of the conference was Ranking and Classification of World-Class Universities.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-06-15T11:53:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/physics-astronomy-ranked-joint-6th-in-UK.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

The results of the latest (2008) research assessment exercise confirm the School of Physics and Astronomy as one of the leading research institutions in the country. The School of Physics and Astronomy was joint fifth in the country with 20% of the research rated as internationally leading, and a further 40% rated as internationally excellent.

2011-08-02T21:45:00Z 2011-06-15T12:00:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/school-physics-amongst-leading-research-institutions.aspx Michael Lee

Birmingham physicists working at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland are gearing up to study a piece of the Universe as it would have been just moments after the Big Bang.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-12-08T13:01:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/mini-big-bangs.aspx Peter Wardley-Repen

Astroseismologists from the University of Birmingham have studied a star in our galaxy, the Milky Way, which is older and bigger than our Sun and has certain characteristics that signify its age and internal properties, according to a paper in the Astrophysical Journal, announced at a NASA press conference on Tuesday 26th October 2010, in Aarhus, Denmark.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-06-15T12:08:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/singing-stars-give-away-age.aspx Michael Lee

A new Research Centre in the nascent area of "metamaterials" is now being formed in Physics at Birmingham.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-12-08T13:00:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/invisibility-cloaks-at-birmingham.aspx Michael Lee

The first very high speed collisions at the Large Hadron Collider are planned today, Tuesday 30th March. To mark this step the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy is hosting a live web feed from CERN to watch the morning's events unfold.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-12-08T12:59:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/first-collision-attempt-at-7tev-at-lhc.aspx Michael Lee

Birmingham physicists are delighted that their experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), that aim to find what happened just after the Big Bang, will soon be underway as scientists have successfully collided together two low-energy beams of protons for the first time.

2011-08-02T21:46:00Z 2011-12-08T12:58:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/physics/news/physicists-hopes-for-first-particle-collisions.aspx