Coordinated with the at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Glasgow. (They may have donuts but we have free chocolate covered biscuits and coffee!)
Colloquia Schedule 2026-2027
* Note: Outside of regular schedule.
Department of PhysicsJohn Anderson Research Colloquia
Ivan Deutsch (University of New Mexico) 9th September 2026, 3PM, JA506
The race to build a fault tolerant quantum computer is in fully swing. But in which physical system should we encode quantum information? In classical computers the winner was clear – transistors in silicon in the integrated circuit architecture. For quantum computers the story is still being written. Research and development proceeds along multiple directions. Superconductivity circuits and atomic ion traps have long been the leading contenders. Recently, a dark horse candidate has emerged as a powerful competitor – neutral atoms trapped in laser light. Like their charged-ion cousins, neutral atoms are Nature’s qubits – they are identical, well-controlled by electromagnetic fields, and can be prepared in nearly pure quantum states with the tools developed for laser cooling and coherent spectroscopy. They are the foundation of the world’s most quantum coherent device – the atomic clock. In this colloquium I will describe the physics of quantum computing with optically-trapped neutral atoms and the cutting edge this up-and-coming architecture.
Physics (University of 黑料正能量) 23rd September 2026, 3pm, JA314
Discover the support, opportunities, and community that can help you thrive at 黑料正能量.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is about creating an environment where everyone can succeed. Whether you're a student or member of staff, this colloquium will introduce the people, resources and initiatives that can support you throughout your time in the Department of Physics.
The session will begin with colleagues from the University Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team, who will outline the University's EDI policies, support services, events and networks. You'll learn what's available, where to find help and how to get involved.
We'll then hear from the Department of Physics EDI Committee, who will showcase the department's own activities, initiatives and support.
Why attend?
Students: Find out about the communities, networks and support available to help you feel welcome, connected and supported during your studies.
Researchers: Learn about EDI resources, information and expertise that can strengthen applications.
Academics: Discover tools, training and guidance to help create an inclusive learning and working environment and better support students and colleagues.
Everyone: Learn about upcoming events, opportunities to get involved, and where to go for advice, support, or information.
Whether you're looking for practical support, hoping to strengthen your research or simply interested in learning more about making our department an even more inclusive place to work and study, we encourage you to come along.
Raoul Trines (Central Laser Facility) 7th October 2026, Rm TBA
In recent years, we have developed a novel framework to describe laser harmonic generation in plasma as an advanced beatwave process [1]. In our framework, all laser pulses are decomposed into modes with pure circular polarisation and “signed” frequencies and wave numbers. Each spectral step in the harmonic generation process can then be described as the beating between two such modes. The resulting harmonic spectrum will then show peaks with regular distribution along a 1-D line or a 2-D grid. We have also developed a novel method to analyse the harmonic radiation that will bring out this regular spectral structure. We apply our framework to the problem of generating harmonics via the interaction of a powerful laser pulse with solid targets with a structured surface and aperture targets with a structured inner edge [1]. We show that regular harmonic spectra are obtained in all cases, and that the spectral peak spacing can be tuned via the structure of the target. We also show how a laser frequency comb can be obtained by first generating a 2-D harmonic spectrum (e.g. frequency and OAM level, or frequency and transverse wave number) and then preferentially selecting a 1-D subset from this spectrum, for which the harmonic peak spacing is wider than in the full 2-D spectrum [2]. The wide range of configurations returning a 2-D harmonic spectrum (laser hitting a complex aperture or a corrugated target, or two laser beams hitting a flat target) guarantees a wide choice of potential frequency combs. Finally, we elucidate the role of symmetries of the original laser-target configuration in predicting the resulting harmonic spectrum [3]. Including these symmetries in our framework allows us to show the connection between our work and well-known mathematical theorems (Noether, Jacobi-Anger) as well as various spectral theorems known from solid-state physics (Laue, Mathieu, Floquet, Bloch).
[1] R. Trines et al., Nature Communications 15, 6878 (2024).
[2] R. Trines et al., Phys. Rev. Research 8, 013241 (2026).
[3] R. Trines et al., arXiv:2507.08635 (2025).
Michael Fox (Head of Physics Teaching Labs, Imperial College, London) - 4th November 2026, 3PM, Rm TBA
TBA
Slav Ivanov (University of 黑料正能量) - 2nd December 2026, 3pm, JA314
The groundbreaking transformer neural network architecture in artificial intelligence behind the “T” in ChatGPT, and its subsequent widespread adoption across a range of large language models (LLMs) is having a significant impact on science, industry and society. The role of LLMs in applying the scientific method, from hypothesis generation through to carrying out experiments and data analysis, can lead to discovery. Their ability to process large amounts of text and data, propose novel ideas, and undertake data-analysis makes them powerful tools for scientific creativity and enhancing productivity. This can be achieved by equipping large state-of-the-art models capable of chain-of-thought-reasoning, or locally-hosted smaller models, with task-specific tools and granting them access to large corpora of scientific literature. The domain-agnostic nature of this approach, known as agentic workflow, enables straightforward adoption across different disciplines and problem settings. Here we present an application of an LLM agent in the design of transient plasma-photonic structures, which are ultra-compact plasma-based plasma optical elements that will enable development next-generation high-power lasers, where the agent autonomously drives a modified Bayesian optimisation loop, interprets the numerical simulation data, and cites information from relevant research articles with the goal of proposing new experimental configurations.