News

RCUK Basic Technology Translation Grant Awarded

The Dynamic Holographic Assembler team have succeeded in their bid for a Basic Technology Translation grant to continue the research and development of the DHA. The grant will follow on directly at the end of the current Basic Technology grant, enabling sections of the team to focus on improving the interface and making the system more commercially viable. Other research projects will continue to run on the system, and the variety of science capable with this can only keep increasing.

(posted 10/12/2008)

EPSRC Grant for Dr. Henkjan Gersen

Dr Henkjan Gersen has been awarded a 3-year EPSRC grant worth £550,000 to develop a novel instrument that has unique capabilities in measuring time-dependent optical fields in and around nanostructures with subwavelength resolution. This will be achieved by combining a linear pulse characterization-technique that measures interference directly in the spectral domain with a scanning probe technique allowing full characterization of weak optical pulses. This extreme sensitivity opens up many fascinating research avenues in coherent control, nano-optics, quantum information and other research fields that investigate the interaction between light and matter with high spatial and temporal resolution.

This time sequence shows a light pulse travelling through a photonic crystal imaged in the time-domain using a scanning probe technique. The bright region toward the left in the last three frames is a portion of the pulse that is nearly held stationary, from: H. Gersen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 073903 (2005)

A post-doctoral position funded through this grant is open for applications. Closing date 16 January 2009.

(posted 25/11/2008)

Nano Cycle - Sussex to Austria

Team Nano have successfully completed a 1100 miles cycle ride from Maplehurst in Sussex to Weissbriach in Austria, raising over £1000 for the British Heart Foundation. The team consisted of current group members James Vicary, Jo Evangelides, Loren Picco, Lawrie Skinner & Craig Williams, along with former group member Al Wotherspoon and friend Luke Pennington. The 1100 miles was covered in 14 days of cycling, carrying all their kit with them and included an ascent of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, topping out at 2504 metres. Click here for the Full story.

(posted 28/08/2008)

European grant award for Dr. Ian Lindsay

Dr Ian Lindsay has been awarded a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant to support his research into localised infrared spectroscopy of nanostructured materials. These grants are awarded to researchers who have previously carried out a Marie Curie fellowship in another EU member state and the award will provide additional support to the EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship that brought Ian to Bristol in October 2007.

(posted 30/03/2008)

Science Alive!

The Nanophysics and Soft Matter Group took part in Science Alive! held in the Galleries, Broadmead on the 7 and 8 March 2008. This was part of the University's contribution to the National Science and Engineering Week, a biennial event which gives members of the public the opportunity to participate in science and technology activities throughout the country. The general view was that there was positive interaction with the demonstrations undertaken by both groups, particularly by the children, and that it was considered a successful event.

(posted 12/03/2008)

Grant award for Dr. Adrian Barnes

Dr. Adrian Barnes has been awarded an 4-year EPSRC grant to investigate the structure of high-temperature oxide liquids and the mechanisms through which they form glasses. The work will involve the development of diffraction experiments using in-situ aerodynamic levitation and laser heating methods at the national and international neutron and X-ray scattering facilities (such as the ILL, ESRF, DIAMOND and ISIS). With these experiments we hope to make progress in answering some outstanding questions concerning the nature of the glass transition, poly-amorphism in glass forming systems, the optical properties of rare earth oxide glasses (used as phosphors and glasses for lasers) and the origins of liquid-liquid phase transitions.

(posted 25/01/2008)

Dr. Adrian Barnes receives E-Learning Award

Congratulations to Dr. Adrian Barnes who received the new E-Learning Award in the Science Faculty for 2007/08. The prizes were presented at the University Teaching and Learning Exhibition on Tuesday 8th January 2008.

(posted 09/01/2008)