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Introduction
We are a research-led department with around 25 academic staff involved in cutting-edge research in the fields of photonics and photonic materials; nanoscience; condensed matter theory; medical physics; and space, atmospheric and oceanic science. There are strong links between our different research teams, and with approximately 40 postgraduates, 20 research officers and many international visitors, the department provides a stimulating and vibrant work environment, offering exciting postgraduate opportunities for research at the forefront of modern physics and its technological applications. The international flavour of our research is reflected in the profile of our staff and by our extensive collaborative programmes with many academic, industrial and government laboratories in Europe, the USA and the Far East. This furnishes our Department with a healthy multicultural working environment.
A central tenet of our research philosophy concerns the fundamental physics of condensed matter and the technology that can be developed by exploiting both the quantum and classical behaviour of particles and waves. Examples include the subjects of photonics and plasmonics, where the interaction between light and matter is studied and manipulated both on the micro- and nano-scale; the properties of nanostructures, which are dominated by quantum mechanical effects; the use of acoustic waves in medicine and in terrestrial exploration; the exploitation of antimatter to investigate electron states in matter; and wave-particle duality used to study atomic structure and dynamics via neutron scattering methods. Research often involves the fabrication of advanced devices e.g. patterned at microand nano-metre lengthscales, and/or theoretical and computational modelling.
Main areas of research
Further details may be found on our web pages.
- Fibre photonics
- Linear and non-linear photonic crystal fibres (PCFs); optical fibre pair-photon sources for quantum information; solitons and non-linear optics in PCFs; fibre transitions and tapering; gas-filled hollow-core fibres; waveform synthesis and attosecond pulses using PCFs; theory and modelling of PCFs.
- Semiconductor photonics and plasmonics
- Optical spectroscopy of semiconductors; Raman microscopy, and magneto-Raman scattering; nano-silicon; porous silicon; near-field spectroscopy and microscopy of plasmonic nanostructures; THz plasmonics; surface plasmonics.
- Nanoscience
- Magnetic properties of superconducting and ferromagnetic materials at the nanoscale; positron spectroscopy for surface and near-surface characterisation; hybrid semiconductor/ferromagnet structures; neutron and X-ray scattering techniques; structure of liquids and glasses; nano-manipulation; singlemolecule electronics; quantum physics of nanostructures.
- Condensed matter theory
- Phase behaviour of complex fluids; novel Monte Carlo simulation techniques; electronic structure and dynamics; nonadiabatic processes at surfaces; charge and energy transport in materials and devices; photovoltaics; structure and dynamics of animal social networks; models of collective behaviour in biology; metamaterials.
- Medical physics
- Medical uses of microwave radiation, developing devices and treatments; electron spin resonance imaging as a biomedical tool.
- Space, atmospheric and oceanic science
- Acoustic and planetary remote sensing; seafloor exploration; instrumentation for remote-sensing and radio-astronomy, including semiconductor and superconducting detector devices.
Facilities and equipment
Specialised research facilities used by our postgraduate students include:
- an advanced optical fibre fabrication facility in a custom-built clean room environment
- extensive laser laboratories for optical and magneto-optical studies
- nanofabrication facility housing state-of-the-art equipment for nanofabrication and characterisation
- unique positron beam facilities for surface and sub-surface spectroscopy
- specialised laboratories and experimentation tanks for underwater acoustics research, and access to deepsea vessels for seabed mapping and sea trials
- extensive computing resources including Unix workstations, PCs, a local parallel computer and access to national supercomputing facilities
- access to central neutron and x-ray scattering facilities in the UK, France and USA.
International and industrial links
We have close links with researchers throughout Europe, the USA and the Far East, and many postgraduate research projects involve some international collaboration. Recent industrial collaborators and sponsors include Sharp, Qinetiq, Oxford Instruments, Cambridge Display Technologies, Fanium, and Merck.
Careers information
Our students acquire a range of research and generic skills that leave them well placed for research careers in academia, industry or commerce.