Tag Archives: Time

The earliest galaxies formed amazingly fast after the Big Bang. Do they break the universe or change its age?

Sandro Tacchella is an astrophysicist working at the Department of Physics (Cavendish Laboratory) and at the Kavli Institute for Cosmology of the University of Cambridge. Before joining the University of Cambridge in 2022, he was Assistant Professor at the Physics Department of UNIST in Ulsan, Korea. From 2017-2021, he was a CfA Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, USA. He has received his Ph.D. from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) in 2017.
Sandro’s long-range scientific goal is to understand the physics of the formation and evolution of galaxies and black holes across cosmic time. Specifically, he investigates the physical mechanisms that govern the formation of the first galaxies in the early universe, the buildup of the bulge and disk components in galaxies, and the cessation of star formation in massive galaxies. He exploits cutting-edge multi-wavelength observational data obtained with some of the most advanced telescopes on ground and in space. He uses and develops analytical and cosmological numerical models to shed light on the physical properties of galaxies. Sandro is also heavily involved in the new James Webb Space Telescope, playing a key role both in the data processing of the NIRCam instrument and in projects aimed at detecting galaxies formed in the early Universe and at characterising their primeval properties.

‘Dark stars’: dark matter may form exploding stars – and observing the damage could help reveal what it’s made of

Andreea Font is a Reader in Theoretical Astrophysics, Liverpool John Moores University.

“I am a theoretical cosmologist and my interests are in the formation and evolution of galaxies, in particular in the formation of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. To this aim, I build computer simulations that follow the evolution of Milky Way-type galaxies since their birth until the present time.
I am particularly interested in making detailed comparisons between cosmological simulations of the Milky Way and the most up-to-date observational data in our Galaxy, for example, the data obtained from the Gaia satellite. Examples of my recent work include modelling of stellar haloes of Milky Way-type galaxies and of satellite dwarf galaxies orbiting these systems.
I also have an interest in deciphering the nature of dark matter and, to this aim, I develop models that help us distinguish between various possible dark matter particle candidates using cosmological simulations.”

THE SKETCHBOOK AND THE COLLIDER: Drawing Links between Fine Art and Particle Physics

During a residency at the University of Birmingham working with award winning particle physicist Professor Kostas Nikolopoulos in 2017 artist Ian Andrews made transformational changes to his practice creating the project ‘The Sketchbook and the Collider which seeks to establish equivalents between the interaction of fundamental particles and the language of drawing. He has since delivered 16 exhibition/events and 40 workshops, including a solo exhibition at the Forum Exposition Bonlieu, Annecy, France in October 2022, following which Ian was invited to talk at the International Particle Physics Outreach Group 25th annual conference at CERN in Geneva.

Cosmology is at a tipping point – we may be on the verge of discovering new physics

Andreea Font is a Reader in Theoretical Astrophysics, Liverpool John Moores University.

“I am a theoretical cosmologist and my interests are in the formation and evolution of galaxies, in particular in the formation of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. To this aim, I build computer simulations that follow the evolution of Milky Way-type galaxies since their birth until the present time.
I am particularly interested in making detailed comparisons between cosmological simulations of the Milky Way and the most up-to-date observational data in our Galaxy, for example, the data obtained from the Gaia satellite. Examples of my recent work include modelling of stellar haloes of Milky Way-type galaxies and of satellite dwarf galaxies orbiting these systems.
I also have an interest in deciphering the nature of dark matter and, to this aim, I develop models that help us distinguish between various possible dark matter particle candidates using cosmological simulations.”

‘Cosmic inflation’: did the early cosmos balloon in size? A mirror universe going backwards in time may be a simpler explanation

Neil Turok is the inaugural Higgs Chair of Theoretical Physics at the University of Edinburgh. He holds the Roger Penrose Visiting Professorship at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada where he is emeritus Director. Before that he was Chair of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge and Professor of Physics at Princeton.
Neil’s day job is developing and testing fundamental physics theories of the universe. His first-principles predictions of correlations between the temperature and polarisation of the cosmic background radiation (CBR), and the CBR and the galaxy distribution have been confirmed at high precision. His work also ruled out several popular theoretical models. Recently, he showed how a CPT-symmetric universe could provide the simplest-yet explanation of the cosmic dark matter, the large scale properties of the universe and the primordial density variations.

In 2008 Neil won the TED prize for his research and for AIMS. In 2016 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the UK Institute of Physics and was awarded the John Torrence Tate Medal of the American Institute of Physics for International Leadership in Physics. In 2018 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

The whole story of human evolution – from ancient apes via Lucy to us

John Gowlett is Professor of Archaeology and Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool.

A British Archaeologist born in the Isle of Man, based in the University of Liverpool, he is collaborating with colleagues on projects in Kenya. He has worked on archaeological sites around the world for many years, and has particular interests in fire and in the evolution of form in tools. He is currently mainly involved with research on the extinct volcano of Kilombe in Kenya, which has a record 2 million years long.

Transient Bodies

Julian Voss-Andreae, a German sculptor based in Portland (Oregon, USA) is widely known for his striking large-scale public and private commissions often blending figurative sculpture with scientific insights into the nature of reality. His sculptures are frequently shown at international art fairs and galleries and can be found in major collections all over the world. Voss-Andreae’s work has been featured in print and broadcast media worldwide and videos of his sculpture have gone viral with tens of millions of views. His expertise in diverse fields of science and a deep passion for the mysteries of the world have been a continual source of inspiration for his work.

Forming

Artist and writer, Richard Bright, has addressed the relationship between art, science and consciousness for over 40 years. He studied Fine Art and Physics before founding The Interalia Centre in 1990. Since then, he has lectured extensively on art and science and written articles on James Turrell, Andy Goldsworthy and Susan Derges, among others. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally and was the recipient of the ‘Visions of Science’ Award, The Edge, Andrew Brownsward Gallery, University of Bath (Second Prize Winner). Co-author of ‘The Art of Science’ (Welbeck Publishers, 2021). In ‘Forming’, he shows some of his latest work that explores flow and transience.

What is quantum entanglement? A physicist explains the science of Einstein’s ‘spooky action at a distance’

Andreas Muller is Associate Professor of Physics, University of South Florida.

“My lab’s research focuses on quantum optical phenomena in micro and nanostructures that are potentially useful for new optoelectronic devices. Future generations of optical components are expected to rely on quantum, rather than on classical physics, which could lead to significant improvements in communication speed and security, to improved sensors, as well as to quantum computation. Our main focus is on cavity quantum electrodynamics, that is, the use of optical cavities to tailor the electromagnetic environment of single quantum emitters and enhance light matter interactions at resonant frequencies. Major challenges include the fabrication of micromirrors with high reflectivity and small mode volume, and the coupling of single quantum emitters such as single atoms or single semiconductor quantum dots to a tunable microcavity. We also study quantum optical interactions in gases.”