Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Physics
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Sch of Mathematical Sciences
Abstract
Experiments are at the heart of physics: for an idea or theory to be taken seriously, it must stand up to rigorous testing. But some areas of fundamental interest, such as the nature of black holes or the early Universe, do not lend themselves to simple testing in the laboratory. The densities and energies involved are far too high to be reproduced directly. Yet in recent years, major strides have been taken in producing 'simulators' - experimental apparatus that mimics these extreme regimes with sufficient accuracy to confirm some of the most remarkable predictions of Einstein's general relativity. We are now shrinking these experimental analogues to a scale where quantum effects become important. Recent advances in quantum technology will enable us to create quantum simulators that allow us to study some of the most mysterious processes in the Universe.
Planned Impact
Our research is fundamental, but will also have impact on practical applications in both the short and long term, creating benefits to society at large.
- Transfer of knowledge:
Impact: awareness of the research, quantum technology, physics and STEM
Beneficiaries: families and young people, especially from marginalised and deprived backgrounds
We will undertake an ambitious and unique outreach activity in the form of a Science-Art installation designed to target families, schools, and community groups. Together with experienced artists, we will create an immersive learning experience that will bring the concepts from cutting-edge research to the general public in an exciting and accessible way. Further information is given in the Pathways to Impact document.
This engagement will target a range of audiences. We will use existing partnerships with ChalleNGe to reach disadvantaged communities; this network has a track record of raising awareness and aspiration amongst children and young people from marginalised and deprived groups. We will further use the exhibition to generate local media coverage and online videos, with the specific aim of broadening our reach to inspire future female Physics academics, with the PI providing a role model. Our previous experience of reaching millions of viewers through videos on social media underscores the ability to deliver in this area.
- People:
Impact: training for early career researchers, boosting employability
Beneficiaries: PDRAs employed on the project, aligned PhD students and other local early career researchers; industries who later employ these individuals
We will create a multi-skilled, technology-savvy and science-appreciative workforce. Individuals with these attributes are essential both for keeping quantum research in the UK at the international forefront, and for providing trained staff for industry at a crucial time when Quantum Technologies are taking off. Thanks to the highly interdisciplinary nature of our research, which combines theory and experiments, and fundamental and technological issues, the training of our PDRAs will be intense and multi-faceted. Our multi-institutional project will also provide training in highly-transferable organisational and communication skills across disciplinary divides. By participating in public engagement (as above), our early career researchers will gain invaluable experience in communicating the complexities of their research to diverse audiences.
- Economy and Society:
Impact: future technology developments and associated benefits to industry and society through e.g. quality of life benefits
Beneficiaries: QT Hubs and their partners, as well as companies linked to the bid; companies investing in quantum technology more generally
Our fundamental work is likely to lead to improvements of the currently-pursued quantum technologies, and to the realisation of completely new ones. In particular, our work will feed back to the NQTP Hub in Sensors and Timing, which transforms research on ultracold atoms into practical applications. For example, the improvement of quantum-enhanced instruments based on ultracold atoms relies on control of both magnetic and laser fields. The NQTP Hub already has expertise in the former, while we are experts in the latter. We will now combine the two in our new experiments, which beyond this project will be crucial for practical applications. Additionally our demonstration of quantum interferometry for the readout of fluctuations in quantum fluids could translate into high-precision readout for atom sensors for development at NQTP.
- Transfer of knowledge:
Impact: awareness of the research, quantum technology, physics and STEM
Beneficiaries: families and young people, especially from marginalised and deprived backgrounds
We will undertake an ambitious and unique outreach activity in the form of a Science-Art installation designed to target families, schools, and community groups. Together with experienced artists, we will create an immersive learning experience that will bring the concepts from cutting-edge research to the general public in an exciting and accessible way. Further information is given in the Pathways to Impact document.
This engagement will target a range of audiences. We will use existing partnerships with ChalleNGe to reach disadvantaged communities; this network has a track record of raising awareness and aspiration amongst children and young people from marginalised and deprived groups. We will further use the exhibition to generate local media coverage and online videos, with the specific aim of broadening our reach to inspire future female Physics academics, with the PI providing a role model. Our previous experience of reaching millions of viewers through videos on social media underscores the ability to deliver in this area.
- People:
Impact: training for early career researchers, boosting employability
Beneficiaries: PDRAs employed on the project, aligned PhD students and other local early career researchers; industries who later employ these individuals
We will create a multi-skilled, technology-savvy and science-appreciative workforce. Individuals with these attributes are essential both for keeping quantum research in the UK at the international forefront, and for providing trained staff for industry at a crucial time when Quantum Technologies are taking off. Thanks to the highly interdisciplinary nature of our research, which combines theory and experiments, and fundamental and technological issues, the training of our PDRAs will be intense and multi-faceted. Our multi-institutional project will also provide training in highly-transferable organisational and communication skills across disciplinary divides. By participating in public engagement (as above), our early career researchers will gain invaluable experience in communicating the complexities of their research to diverse audiences.
- Economy and Society:
Impact: future technology developments and associated benefits to industry and society through e.g. quality of life benefits
Beneficiaries: QT Hubs and their partners, as well as companies linked to the bid; companies investing in quantum technology more generally
Our fundamental work is likely to lead to improvements of the currently-pursued quantum technologies, and to the realisation of completely new ones. In particular, our work will feed back to the NQTP Hub in Sensors and Timing, which transforms research on ultracold atoms into practical applications. For example, the improvement of quantum-enhanced instruments based on ultracold atoms relies on control of both magnetic and laser fields. The NQTP Hub already has expertise in the former, while we are experts in the latter. We will now combine the two in our new experiments, which beyond this project will be crucial for practical applications. Additionally our demonstration of quantum interferometry for the readout of fluctuations in quantum fluids could translate into high-precision readout for atom sensors for development at NQTP.
Organisations
- University of Nottingham (Lead Research Organisation)
- Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (Collaboration)
- University of Nottingham (Collaboration)
- Vienna University of Technology (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- UNIVERSITY OF YORK (Collaboration)
- Newcastle University (Collaboration)
- Royal Holloway, University of London (Collaboration)
- Heidelberg University (Collaboration)
- KING'S COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- University of British Columbia (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Collaboration)
- University of Waterloo (Collaboration)
- Technical University Dresden (Project Partner)
- Perimeter Institute (Project Partner)
- Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astro (Project Partner)
- University of Birmingham (Project Partner)
Publications
Weinfurtner S
(2022)
Superfluid system hosts early-Universe dynamics.
in Nature
Torres T
(2022)
Imperfect draining vortex as analog extreme compact object
in Physical Review D
Bunney C
(2023)
Third sound detectors in accelerated motion
Braden J
(2023)
Mass renormalization in lattice simulations of false vacuum decay
in Physical Review D
Stasiak P
(2023)
Cross-Component Energy Transfer in Superfluid Helium-4
Geelmuyden A
(2023)
Multiplexed digital holography for fluid surface profilometry
S Barroso V
(2023)
Multiplexed digital holography for fluid surface profilometry.
in Applied optics
Ruffenach W
(2023)
Superfluid Drain Vortex
in Journal of Low Temperature Physics
Gooding C
(2023)
Vacuum entanglement probes for ultra-cold atom systems
| Title | An Early Universe by Alistair McClymont |
| Description | In his installation incorporating projection and sound, Alistair McClymont makes direct reference to analogue experiments in which the patterns of waves on the surface of vibrated water are used to conjecture the dynamics of the universe in the split seconds after the big bang. An image of the work can be found at the URL below... |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The artwork has contributed significantly to the Art/Science body of work. The exhibition has proved to be very successful with interest from other exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. We are currently in negotiation for the artworks to tour. Alistair McClymont is now a regular contributor to the QSimFP project and the Gravity Laboratory |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/ |
| Title | Begriff des Ko¨rpers by daniela brill estrada and Monica C. LoCascio |
| Description | Daniela Brill Estrada and Monica C. LoCascio, use soft materials including expansive crochet nets to explore the perception of gravity and spacetime curvature as well as wall-based drawings and poetry referencing the metaphors and language employed by scientists to describe abstract concepts of the cosmos. An image of the work can be found at the URL below... |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The artwork has contributed significantly to the Art/Science body of work. The exhibition has proved to be very successful with interest from other exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. We are currently in negotiation for the artworks to tour. |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/ |
| Title | Cosmic Titans: Art, Science and the Quantum Universe |
| Description | This free exhibition unites art and science in a captivating exploration of the quantum universe, celebrating the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. The exhibition features new commissions by nine artists who have each spent time working alongside world-leading researchers in quantum physics. Through immersive sculptural installations and photography, they give expression to the excitement, wonder and poetry of cutting-edge scientific discovery that is transforming our future. The exhibition has been curated by Professor Silke Weinfurtner in the School of Mathematical Sciences - whose pioneering work in the field of black hole simulations remains unrivalled, Dr Ulrike Kuchner, Senior Researcher in Astronomy and Art-Science collaborations in the School of Physics and Astronomy, and Neil Walker, Head of Visual Arts Programming, Lakeside Arts, with Prof. Helen Kennedy and the Virtual & Immersive Production Studio. Artists include Conrad Shawcross RA; Studio Above&Below; Alistair McClymont, Matthew Woodham, Monica C. LoCascio & daniela brill estrada, David Severn, Jim Grainger. Through art and interpretive text, audio and video, this exhibition will communicate the wonder, complexity and otherworldliness of quantum science, with the pioneering research taking place at the University of Nottingham, explained and interpreted for a general audience. A public programme of talks, workshops and tours will accompany the exhibition offering audiences the opportunity to delve deeper into the artistic-scientific collaborations underpinning the exhibition. The exhibition also incorporates a public engagement area including photography by David Severn and Jim Grainger and video interviews with leading UK quantum researchers. The exhibition includes displays of some practical equipment including our Lego Interferometer. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | We are already seeing very high viewer numbers for the exhibition, compared to similar exhibitions at the gallery. The artwork has contributed significantly to the Art/Science body of work. The exhibition has proved to be very successful with interest from other exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. We are currently in negotiation for the artworks to tour. |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/ |
| Title | Cosmic Titans: Video Interviews |
| Description | A series of video interviews with leading UK quantum researchers. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The videos have been well received both as part of the Cosmic Titans exhibition and the Quantum Technologies Showcase in November 2024. The videos are currently displayed on the Lakeside Arts website (see URL below), and will shortly be also added to the QSimFP Youtube channel. |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/ |
| Title | David Severn: Hand-printed Colour Photographs |
| Description | A series of images commissioned to be a part of the Cosmic Titans exhibition. The prints include: Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University of Nottingham. A prototype 3D printed "high density" helmet for the OPM-MEG system. These helmets are used by PhD student Joe Gibson, in work looking at improving the spatial resolution of OPM-MEG systems. The white squares on the wall in the background are part of the "Matrix Coil" system - an active magnetic field control system designed by Dr Niall Holmes. Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University of Nottingham. Joe Gibson, PhD student, wearing an Optically Pumped Magnetometer (OPM) MEG scanner in a magnetically shielded room. Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University of Nottingham. Door to the Magnetically Shielded Room (MSR) in which OPM-MEG scans take place. The door weighs around 2 tonnes, the entire room around 12 tonnes, and is made up of 4 layers of MuMetal and 1 layer of copper. The layers of metal shield the inside of the room from external magnetic fields, caused by anything from computers to the trams. The magnetic fields being measured from the brain are around 1 billion times smaller than the earth's background magnetic field, so shielding is vital to allow scientists to record brain activity. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Professor Jonathan Pritchard surrounded by optical tables containing lasers used for cooling, trapping and controlling individually trapped atoms for use as atomic qubits. A spectrum analyser shows the narrow linewidth microwave signal used to drive the clock transition for performing extremely low error operations. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Paul Schroff & André De Oliveira are aligning optics around the SQuAre neutral atom quantum computer where atoms are trapped in arrays of optical tweezers inside the central steel vacuum system. National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. Showing setup for self-referencing a microresonator-based frequency comb (microcomb). National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. Dr Ilana Wisby in her former laboratory. Wisby is one of the pioneers of the quantum computing industry. She is the founder and former CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits. National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. Higher Scientist, Xi Zhang, working at NPL's Advanced Quantum Metrology Laboratory. She is building and testing a system for transferring clock signals over optical fibre networks. National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. Marco Schioppo (back) and Adam Parke (foreground) monitoring the ultra-stable laser. Schioppo works on the 'Universal Synthesiser', a system capable of generating the most stable light in the UK. This enables state-of-the-art measurement precision in the atomic clock at NPL. It also supports high accuracy comparison of optical and microwave standards, the operation of the UK timescale, and of the optical fibre links connecting NPL to other European metrological institutes. National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. Cabinet in Dr Ilana Wisby's former laboratory with diagram above showing different states of a quantum bit. Cardiff University. Checking optics of quantum limited light detectors. The light detectors are used to measure tiny fluctuations in observed laser light power. The laser light observed comes out of a pair of Michelson Interferometers, which are devices to measure tiny length fluctuations. Such length fluctuations could be caused by dark matter, gravitational waves, or even the possible graininess of space-time itself. Cardiff University. Professor Hartmut Grote checking a turbo-molecular pump of a vacuum system. Vacuum systems are required for Professor Grote's research to keep optics - such as mirrors - pristinely clean. Only with completely dust-free optics are his team able to use kilo Watts of laser power, which is necessary to reach sensitive quantum limits of measurement with light. |
| Type Of Art | Image |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The artwork has contributed significantly to the Art/Science body of work. The exhibition has proved to be very successful with interest from other exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. We are currently in negotiation for the artworks to tour. |
| Title | Jim Grainger: Wet Plate Collodion Photographs |
| Description | A series of images commissioned for the Cosmic Titans exhibition. Images include: QSimfFP Laboratory, University of Nottingham. Second cryogenic platform at the QSimFP Laboratory. Along the hanging structure, temperature is decreasing from room temperature to -273 degrees Celsius, making it one of the coldest places in the Universe. Suspended from the bottom is a science cell allowing the exploration of superfluid helium, an exotic state of matter that only exists at these ultra-low temperatures. QSimfFP Laboratory, University of Nottingham. Bespoke fully transparent cryogenic platform at the QSimFP Laboratory to investigate connections between black holes and superfluid tornados. The setup consists of two glass vacuum flasks, placed one within the other. The inner flask contains the superfluid helium and a mechanism to create a vortex flow, akin to the ones we encounter in our bathtub or kitchen sink, at -271.55 degrees Celsius. QSimfFP Laboratory, University of Nottingham. Blackboard. The photograph shows a multitude of liquid chalk layers combining formulae and technical drawings related to understanding and detecting quantum ripples in superfluid helium. The wet plate collodion photographic process reverses and flips the image like a negative. QSimfFP Laboratory, University of Nottingham. Silvia Schiattarella and Leonardo Solidoro, two PhD students, conceptualising future cryogenic experiments to explore layers of superfluid helium, thousandths of the thickness of a human hair in depth. Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University of Nottingham. The wearable electronics of an Optically Pumped Magnetometer (OPM) MEG system. Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University of Nottingham. Dr James Leggett. Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University of Nottingham. An adult sized 3D printed helmet housing Optically Pumped Magnetometer (OPM) sensors. Faculty of Science, University of Nottingham. Dr Ryan Hill, Research Fellow. Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University of Nottingham. Dr Niall Holmes, Mansfield Research Fellow, being scanned by a conventional, cryogenically cooled, MEG system. National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. Dr Ilana Wisby in front of a descendent of Newton's Apple Tree in the grounds of Bushy House at NPL. National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. Roger Hughes, Events Delivery Specialist, and Ella Cross, Marketing and Communications Assistant, in the grounds of NPL. National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. Sir Peter Knight in front of a descendent of Newton's Apple Tree in the grounds of Bushy House at NPL. |
| Type Of Art | Image |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The artwork has contributed significantly to the Art/Science body of work. The exhibition has proved to be very successful with interest from other exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. We are currently in negotiation for the artworks to tour. |
| Title | Lego Interferometer |
| Description | Researchers from the University of Nottingham's Gravity Laboratory, alongside student LEGO enthusiasts, have developed unique LEGO-based interferometer kits to make quantum science more accessible and engaging. The kits are designed for secondary and older pupils, embracing a hands-on approach with LEGO bricks that are suitable for classroom use. The fully functional LEGO interferometer sets are designed to replicate professional optical equipment, bridging the gap between abstract concepts of cutting-edge technology and tangible demonstrations that captivate live audiences. With easy-to-follow instructions, these kits serve as valuable teaching aids, inspiring the next generation of scientists. Featuring lasers, mirrors, and beamsplitters, the kits demonstrate the principles of interferometry. When two laser beams are combined, they create a delicate, alternating pattern of dark and bright stripes, known as an interference pattern. This pattern is highly sensitive to even the tiniest changes in the lengths of the beams, otherwise imperceivable to our senses. Interferometry has a range of practical applications that touch our daily lives. For example, it enables eye doctors to capture detailed images of the retina, helping in precise diagnoses and treatment of eye conditions. It's also used to improve navigation systems by providing us with the most accurate rotation sensors. In science, interferometry plays a crucial role in detecting gravitational waves, which are ripples in spacetime caused by massive cosmic events, allowing astronomers to gain new insights into the Universe. This project, titled Photon Bricks and led by Dr. Patrik Svancara, a Research Fellow from the School of Mathematical Sciences, is funded under the UKRI's Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics Programme, which demonstrates how quantum technologies can explore key physics questions, such as dark matter, gravity, and the quantum properties of elementary particles. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | Photon Bricks is currently showcased at the exhibition Cosmic Titans: Art, Science, and the Quantum Universe at the Djanogly Art Gallery in Nottingham. Running from 25 January to 27 April 2025, the exhibition features hands-on workshops and public demonstrations of Photon Bricks. Visitors can interact with the scientists behind Photon Bricks, observe the LEGO interferometer in action, and learn the basic principles of interferometry. The first workshop was fully booked months in advance. School workshops, also using the Lego Interferometer have been very popular with 90 students and staff members attending. Copies of the interferometer are being produced for these workshops and will be loaned to schools later in the year. |
| URL | https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/photon-bricks-a-lego-set-for-playful-quantum-explorations |
| Title | Quantum Lens by Studio Above&Below |
| Description | Artist duo Daria Jelonek and Perry-James Sugden (Studio Above&Below) employ virtual reality to explore such mind-bending topics as quantum entanglement and quantum tunnelling to reveal the beauty and strangeness of the quantum world. Their work has been developed at the University's Virtual and Immersive Production Studio led by Professor Helen Kennedy. An image of the work can be found at the URL below... |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The artwork has contributed significantly to the Art/Science body of work. The exhibition has proved to be very successful with interest from other exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. We are currently in negotiation for the artworks to tour. |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/ |
| Title | Ringdown by Conrad Shawcross |
| Description | Ringdown takes its title from the scientific term for the final phase in the merger of two black holes. In this work, two spinning and colliding bronze bells within a geodesic hemisphere provide a poetic metaphor for our attempts to visualise this cosmic phenomenon. An image of the work can be found at the URL below... |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The artwork has contributed significantly to the Art/Science body of work. The exhibition has proved to be very successful with interest from other exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. We are currently in negotiation for the artworks to tour. |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/ |
| Title | Superdecision by Matthew Woodham |
| Description | In a work that invites interaction, personal exploration and play, Matthew Woodham makes connections between human decision making and the concept of quantum superposition, a state in which particles coexist in all possibilities until observed. An image of the work can be found at the URL below... |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The artwork has contributed significantly to the Art/Science body of work. The exhibition has proved to be very successful with interest from other exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. We are currently in negotiation for the artworks to tour. |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/ |
| Title | The Blind Proliferation by Conrad Shawcross |
| Description | The Blind Proliferation addresses more directly the notion of 'blind ways of seeing,' something Shawcross sees as common to both artists and scientists as they seek to gain insights into the abstract and sublime. Here, in a spectacle reminiscent of Plato's Cave, the occupants of two cloned offices are treated to a shadow play that fills the gallery whilst never being able to see the source of light that creates it. An image of the work can be found at the URL below... |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The artwork has contributed significantly to the Art/Science body of work. The exhibition has proved to be very successful with interest from other exhibition spaces both nationally and internationally. We are currently in negotiation for the artworks to tour. |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/ |
| Description | Coordinating Document on Community QTFP Input for NQTP SAB |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | UK representative on the CERN Quantum Technology Initiative |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://quantum.cern/ |
| Description | APEX Awards 2023 - Bringing the Cosmos to the Lab: Explaining via Analogue Gravity Quantum Simulators |
| Amount | £90,895 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | APX\R1\231030 |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2023 |
| End | 11/2024 |
| Description | APEX Awards 2023 - Bringing the Cosmos to the Lab: Explaining via Analogue Gravity Quantum Simulators |
| Amount | £9,089,524 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | APX\R1\231030 |
| Organisation | The Royal Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2024 |
| End | 09/2025 |
| Description | Engagement via Quantum and Classical light waves |
| Amount | £110,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/Z510403/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2024 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | Faculty level funding - sharing, co-creation, and integration across academic disciplines and sectors |
| Amount | £50,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Department | Higher Education Innovation Fund |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2023 |
| End | 06/2023 |
| Description | Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Physics |
| Amount | £106,380 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/Y004523/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2024 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics - Equipment Funding |
| Amount | £775,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | Strategic Innovation Fund |
| Amount | £50,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2023 |
| End | 08/2024 |
| Description | Bringing the Cosmos to the Lab: Explaining Via Analogue Gravity Quantum Simulators |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Royal Society APEX Award to |
| Collaborator Contribution | Lina Janson will work full-time for one year on the joint project, while Marco Iglesias Hernandez will dedicate one day per week to the project for the same duration. |
| Impact | This is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the Philosopher Lina Jansson (Nottingham), Mathematician Marco Iglesias Hernandez (Nottingham) and Silke Weinfurtner (Nottingham). |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | David Kaiser, MIT, USA |
| Organisation | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | David Kaiser and the QSimFP team at the University of Nottingham collaborate on quantum simulations to explore the thermalisation of the Universe. The Nottingham part of the collaborations provides bespoke experimental facilities using normal and quantum liquids for physical simulations. |
| Collaborator Contribution | David provides modelling support. He is a world-leading expert on issues of thermalisation within the context of the early universe. |
| Impact | Pre-pint publication, see link provided above. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Detecting Unruh radiation in table-top experiments |
| Organisation | University of British Columbia |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are meeting weekly to discuss the ongoing effort to provide modelling for and design future experiments to mimic the Unruh effect in the Laboratory, the external international partners are Bill Unruh (UBC, Canada), who discovered this effect, Joerg Schmiedmayer (Vienna, Austria) and Robert Mann. Unruh is providing modelling expertise. Schmiedmayer is an ultra-cold atoms experimentalists and providing experimental expertise needed for the construction of particle detectors in accelerated motion. Mann is an expert in Relativistic Quantum Information. The national partner is Chris Fewster and expert in theoretical studies of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The two senior people of this collaboration from the University of Nottingham are Jorma Louko, and expert in the modelling of particle detectors in accelerated motion and Silke Weinfurtner, an expert in quantum simulators of gravitational effects. |
| Impact | We are meeting weekly online to discuss progress and to define the next steps. Currently, this collaboration resulted in two joint publications: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.085006 https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.213603 See public interest in our work: https://www.sci.news/physics/unruh-effect-09079.html https://science.orf.at/stories/3203450 We also hosted two mini or focus workshop at the University of Nottingham. The most recent one took place in 2022: https://www.gravitylaboratory.com/news/measuring-temperatures-and-harvesting-with-unruh-detectors-in-the-lab |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Detecting Unruh radiation in table-top experiments |
| Organisation | University of Waterloo |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are meeting weekly to discuss the ongoing effort to provide modelling for and design future experiments to mimic the Unruh effect in the Laboratory, the external international partners are Bill Unruh (UBC, Canada), who discovered this effect, Joerg Schmiedmayer (Vienna, Austria) and Robert Mann. Unruh is providing modelling expertise. Schmiedmayer is an ultra-cold atoms experimentalists and providing experimental expertise needed for the construction of particle detectors in accelerated motion. Mann is an expert in Relativistic Quantum Information. The national partner is Chris Fewster and expert in theoretical studies of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The two senior people of this collaboration from the University of Nottingham are Jorma Louko, and expert in the modelling of particle detectors in accelerated motion and Silke Weinfurtner, an expert in quantum simulators of gravitational effects. |
| Impact | We are meeting weekly online to discuss progress and to define the next steps. Currently, this collaboration resulted in two joint publications: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.085006 https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.213603 See public interest in our work: https://www.sci.news/physics/unruh-effect-09079.html https://science.orf.at/stories/3203450 We also hosted two mini or focus workshop at the University of Nottingham. The most recent one took place in 2022: https://www.gravitylaboratory.com/news/measuring-temperatures-and-harvesting-with-unruh-detectors-in-the-lab |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Detecting Unruh radiation in table-top experiments |
| Organisation | University of York |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are meeting weekly to discuss the ongoing effort to provide modelling for and design future experiments to mimic the Unruh effect in the Laboratory, the external international partners are Bill Unruh (UBC, Canada), who discovered this effect, Joerg Schmiedmayer (Vienna, Austria) and Robert Mann. Unruh is providing modelling expertise. Schmiedmayer is an ultra-cold atoms experimentalists and providing experimental expertise needed for the construction of particle detectors in accelerated motion. Mann is an expert in Relativistic Quantum Information. The national partner is Chris Fewster and expert in theoretical studies of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The two senior people of this collaboration from the University of Nottingham are Jorma Louko, and expert in the modelling of particle detectors in accelerated motion and Silke Weinfurtner, an expert in quantum simulators of gravitational effects. |
| Impact | We are meeting weekly online to discuss progress and to define the next steps. Currently, this collaboration resulted in two joint publications: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.085006 https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.213603 See public interest in our work: https://www.sci.news/physics/unruh-effect-09079.html https://science.orf.at/stories/3203450 We also hosted two mini or focus workshop at the University of Nottingham. The most recent one took place in 2022: https://www.gravitylaboratory.com/news/measuring-temperatures-and-harvesting-with-unruh-detectors-in-the-lab |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Detecting Unruh radiation in table-top experiments |
| Organisation | Vienna University of Technology |
| Country | Austria |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are meeting weekly to discuss the ongoing effort to provide modelling for and design future experiments to mimic the Unruh effect in the Laboratory, the external international partners are Bill Unruh (UBC, Canada), who discovered this effect, Joerg Schmiedmayer (Vienna, Austria) and Robert Mann. Unruh is providing modelling expertise. Schmiedmayer is an ultra-cold atoms experimentalists and providing experimental expertise needed for the construction of particle detectors in accelerated motion. Mann is an expert in Relativistic Quantum Information. The national partner is Chris Fewster and expert in theoretical studies of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The two senior people of this collaboration from the University of Nottingham are Jorma Louko, and expert in the modelling of particle detectors in accelerated motion and Silke Weinfurtner, an expert in quantum simulators of gravitational effects. |
| Impact | We are meeting weekly online to discuss progress and to define the next steps. Currently, this collaboration resulted in two joint publications: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.085006 https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.213603 See public interest in our work: https://www.sci.news/physics/unruh-effect-09079.html https://science.orf.at/stories/3203450 We also hosted two mini or focus workshop at the University of Nottingham. The most recent one took place in 2022: https://www.gravitylaboratory.com/news/measuring-temperatures-and-harvesting-with-unruh-detectors-in-the-lab |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Interaction (QFun) at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics |
| Organisation | Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We propose a collaborative effort to unite the UK-based Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Physics (QSimFP) project and the Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Interaction (QFun, https://perimeterinstitute.ca/quantum-simulations-fundamental-interactions-qfun ). These initiatives harness the immense potential of quantum technology to tackle a range of critical fundamental questions. QSimFP uses quantum simulations to explore early universe and black hole dynamics, shedding light on their interplay between general relativity and quantum fields. It's part of the UK Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics (QTFP) program, led by Nottingham University with 10 UK research organisations. QFun seeks to develop new techniques for the quantum simulation of quantum field theories that underlie the standard model of particle physics, and theories beyond it. By leveraging the power of quantum computation, this project aims to unravel the mysteries surrounding the fundamental nature of our reality. By joining forces, QSimFP and QFun can combine their expertise and resources to utilise quantum simulation to address a broad array of essential fundamental physics questions. This collaboration will enable the exchange of knowledge and methodologies, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of the quantum realm and its impact on the fundamental forces governing our universe, such as: - Condensed Matter Holography - Gauge theories in the early Universe - Nonequilibrium Black Hole Processes - Observer-dependent Quantum Vacuum - Relativistic Phase Transitions and the Schwinger effect - Post-inflationary dynamics and reheating |
| Collaborator Contribution | Hosting scientific exchange visits and collaborations between researchers at QSimFP and PI in order to promote progress in research areas of common interest and to build academic ties between the two networks. To kick off the collaboration, the Perimeter Institute hosted a one-week QSimFP meeting: https://events.perimeterinstitute.ca/event/40/ |
| Impact | The University of Nottingham and the Perimeter Institute are currently in discussions to establish a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Simulations of quantum vortex flows |
| Organisation | King's College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The purpose of the collaboration is to provide numerical simulations of non-equilibrium quantum vortex flows and their relevance to non-equilibrium black hole processes relevant for ongoing experiments at the University of Nottingham (lead by Silke Weinfurtner). The Nottingham team provides experimental expertise. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Newcastle team (lead by Carlo Barenghi) provides numerical modelling expertise. The KCL team (lead by Ruth Gregory) provides black hole modelling expertise. |
| Impact | The outputs of this collaboration are: https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.033117 https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.043104 https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.023099 https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.106.045026 |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Simulations of quantum vortex flows |
| Organisation | Newcastle University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| PI Contribution | The purpose of the collaboration is to provide numerical simulations of non-equilibrium quantum vortex flows and their relevance to non-equilibrium black hole processes relevant for ongoing experiments at the University of Nottingham (lead by Silke Weinfurtner). The Nottingham team provides experimental expertise. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Newcastle team (lead by Carlo Barenghi) provides numerical modelling expertise. The KCL team (lead by Ruth Gregory) provides black hole modelling expertise. |
| Impact | The outputs of this collaboration are: https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.033117 https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.043104 https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.023099 https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.106.045026 |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Superfluid Holography |
| Organisation | Heidelberg University |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Carlo Ewerz and collaborators have developed a theoretical framework aimed at investigating vortex motion to quantify strong dissipation in a superfluid, with applications extending to generic holographic theories. We plan to implement their proposal in the Nottingham Quantum Black hole simulators. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We will provide the experimental QSimFP facility in Nottingham to conduct experiments. |
| Impact | We are currently in the process of preparing an EPSRC project grant aimed at developing the necessary technology to explore their framework. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Thin film helium systems as gravity simulators |
| Organisation | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The collaboration is a joint effort to develop the theoretical framework for light-helium interactions to design experiments suitable to mimic the observer-dependence of the relativistic quantum vacuum and early universe cosmology. |
| Collaborator Contribution | This a collaboration between Nottingham University (Cameron R. D. Bunney, Steffen Biermann, Vitor S. Barroso, August Geelmuyden, Cisco Gooding, Jorma Louko, Silke Weinfurtner) and the RHUL (Grégoire Ithier, Xavier Rojas). |
| Impact | It is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between people from Quantum Technology and Fundamental Physics communities. The collaboration meets weekly online to discuss recent progress and to identify the next steps. The first output is a joint pre-print article submitted in February 2023: https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.12023 |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Title | OPTICAL PATH LENGTH CHARACTERISATION |
| Description | The QSimFP Nottingham team have submitted an application for an invention that relates to characterising materials using interferometry, in particular measuring the optical path of a layer (or pluralities of layers) of partially transparent media. |
| IP Reference | 2214343.2 |
| Protection | Patent / Patent application |
| Year Protection Granted | 2022 |
| Licensed | Yes |
| Impact | The patent application was filed on the 30tiest of September 2022. Since then it was presented at the National Quantum Technology Showcase in November 2022. We are currently reaching out to potential industry partners. |
| Title | Helium Fridge Monitor |
| Description | An interface program to collect and display data from an ICE 300 mK helium-3 refrigerator. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Increased user friendly functionality, separating data collection and monitoring from the control interface. Allows for users to monitor the experimental platform from outside the lab using a browser based application accessible through the university VPN. |
| Title | ICE helium 3 fridge controller |
| Description | Replaces the standard ICE Oxford software as a control interface for a 300 mK helium-3 refrigerator. Incorporates a user friendly desktop application for controlling the state of the fridge and contains a menu of algorithms for running standard operating protocols that would usually require manual intervention. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | Automates day to day running tasks in an intuitive interface, suitable for a new generation of PhD students to run the experiment with minimal training. Includes safety override protocols to ensure the fridge cannot be damaged and alerts users to problems via email. |
| Description | 12th Nottingham Symposium on Quantum Systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Speaker, gave a talk titled 'Vortex flows in superfluids' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES - HEDY LAMARR-LECTURE |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Professor Silke Weinfurtner was invited to present at the prestigious HEDY LAMARR-LECTURE series. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.oeaw.ac.at/fileadmin/NEWS/2022/PDF/Einladungsblatt-Hedy-Lamarr-Lecture-Silke-Weinfurtner... |
| Description | Analog gravity in 2023: Summer School+ Workshop, Benasque, Spain |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professor Silke Weinfurtner was the Co-Organiser of the event. The workshop aimed to support the training of the new generation of researchers. There was also a discussion of the state of the art of different research programs and experimental platforms related to analog gravity. The events were held in the 'Centro de Ciencias de Benasque Pedro Pascual'. The programme was designed to stimulate the exchange of ideas between junior and senior scientists, with both theoretical and experimental expertise. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2023/01/21/analog-gravity-in-2023-summer-school-workshop-benasqu... |
| Description | Analogue Models of Gravity and Fluctuation Induced Phenomena |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker, presented on recent results Pre-heating experiments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://higgs.ph.ed.ac.uk/workshops/analogue-models-of-gravity-and-fluctuation-induced-phenomena/ |
| Description | Article in Church Times - Notebook: Pat Ashworth |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A diary article in church times that reflected on the nature of the artworks and the science addressed in the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2025/21-february/regulars/notebook/notebook-pat-ashworth |
| Description | Article in New Scientist |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Popular science magazine New Scientist is reporting on our recent results obtained in superfluid helium. In the article, Silke Weinfurtner and Patrik Svancara from the Gravity Laboratory are discussing how giant quantum vortices can be experimentally studied, and why they hold importance for the research of curved spacetime dynamics and particularly rotating black holes via analogue gravity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Article in Physics World - LEGO interferometer aims to put quantum science in the spotlight |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Article highlighting the outreach / engagement element of the Cosmic Titans exhibition - in particular the Lego Interferometer. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://physicsworld.com/a/lego-interferometer-aims-to-put-quantum-science-in-the-spotlight/ |
| Description | Article in local newspaper - Cosmic Titans: Art, Science and the Quantum Universe at Lakeside Arts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A long article looking at the Cosmic Titans exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2025/02/cosmic-titans-art-science-and-the-quantum-universe-at-lakesi... |
| Description | Avenues of Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetimes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker (replacement: PhD Vitor Barroso Silveira) to present on our Pre-heating experiments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | http://avenuesingenova.dime.unige.it/ |
| Description | Black Holes Uncovered T005 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Fri 10 Jun 22 4:30pm - 5:30pm During the last five years, black holes have started to reveal their long-hidden secrets. So massive that not even light can escape their clutches, black holes still leave tell-tale signs dotted around the universe that humanity has now discovered. The Event Horizon Telescope gave us a special glimpse into their power with its iconic 'doughnut' image in 2019. With scientists starting to recreate some of their mind-bending effects in bold experiments, Andrew Pontzen is joined by Event Horizon Telescope scientist Ziri Younsi, black hole physicist Silke Weinfurtner, and astronomer Imogen Whittam, to uncover what it all means. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Black Holes and the Dark Universe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Much of the universe remains concealed from our direct observation. Light cannot escape from within black holes, and a significant portion, approximately 95%, of our universe comprises dark energy and dark matter, elusive substances that emit no light. In this series of talks presented by three successive holders of Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Awards at Nottingham, we will delve into the methods of studying these cosmological enigmas, despite their elusive nature. Professor of Astronomy, Nina Hatch, will explore the study of dark energy and dark matter by observing 'orphaned stars' within dense clusters of galaxies. Professor of Physics, Clare Burrage, will examine the nature of dark energy and discuss potential methods for its detection, including tabletop experiments conducted on Earth. Professor of Mathematical Science, Silke Weinfurtner, will shed light on the study of black holes through the creation of laboratory analogues. Following the lectures, an optional tour of the ARTLab, the University's experimental workspace for ArtScience research and practice, will be available. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/home/featureevents/2023/black-holes-and-the-dark-universe.aspx |
| Description | Black holes in the sky and in the laboratory |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Jorma Louko gave a public lecture on black holes at the University of Nottingham. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://mediaspace.nottingham.ac.uk/media/Science+Public+Lecture+September+/1_njmpwwow |
| Description | Cosmic Titans - Launch Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Opening Event for our Cosmic Titans exhibition, with invited guests and also open to members of the public (advanced booking required) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Cosmic Titans Exhibition - Press Outreach and Launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A press launch for the Cosmic Titans exhibition, including tours by the scientists and artists involved, with explanations of the ideas behind the works. Approximately 12 journalists attended. Follow-up material was supplied (press release, images) which can be accessed at the URL below. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/about/press/ |
| Description | Cosmic Titans Gallery Tours |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A range of Gallery Tours offering a different perspective on the Cosmic Titans exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/cosmic-titans-gallery-tours/ |
| Description | DPG-Schule zu Schwarzen Löchern |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Professor Silke Weinfurtner was an invited Lecturer on School on Analogue Black Holes in Bad Honnef, Germany in September 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Demonstration: Quantum Lego |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 6 workshops on different dates that explore the fascinating world of quantum mechanics and the mystery of light with Dr Patrik Švancara. Starting with an experiment using Lego and lasers, audiences will discover the perplexing behaviour of single photons that defies our common understanding. The workshops were fully booked and we had to add more |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/demonstration-quantum-lego/ |
| Description | Exhibition: Cosmic Titans: Art, Science and the Quantum Universe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This free exhibition unites art and science in a captivating exploration of the quantum universe, celebrating the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. The exhibition features new commissions by nine artists who have each spent time working alongside world-leading researchers in quantum physics. Through immersive sculptural installations and photography, they give expression to the excitement, wonder and poetry of cutting-edge scientific discovery that is transforming our future. The exhibition has been curated by Professor Silke Weinfurtner in the School of Mathematical Sciences - whose pioneering work in the field of black hole simulations remains unrivalled, Dr Ulrike Kuchner, Senior Researcher in Astronomy and Art-Science collaborations in the School of Physics and Astronomy, and Neil Walker, Head of Visual Arts Programming, Lakeside Arts, with Prof. Helen Kennedy and the Virtual & Immersive Production Studio. Artists include Conrad Shawcross RA; Studio Above&Below; Alistair McClymont, Matthew Woodham, Monica C. LoCascio & daniela brill estrada, David Severn, Jim Grainger. Through art and interpretive text, audio and video, this exhibition will communicate the wonder, complexity and otherworldliness of quantum science, with the pioneering research taking place at the University of Nottingham, explained and interpreted for a general audience. A public programme of talks, workshops and tours will accompany the exhibition offering audiences the opportunity to delve deeper into the artistic-scientific collaborations underpinning the exhibition. The exhibition also incorporates a public engagement area including photography by David Severn and Jim Grainger and video interviews with leading UK quantum researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/ |
| Description | Facebook Reel - Off Out Nottingham |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A Facebook 'Reel' Publicising the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/reel/1202365581250883 |
| Description | Faculty of Science Research Staff Symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk titled 'Quantum simulator for black hole physics' for a broad audience within the university. The event was aimed to promote the Researcher Concordat among the early-career researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://uniofnottm.sharepoint.com/sites/FacultyofScienceResearchNetworkEvent2022?e=1%3Ab0c1d9730fd64... |
| Description | Family Talk - Deep Space |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A family talk with activities related to the Cosmic Titans exhibition: "Are you ready to embark on a cosmic journey through the vast expanse of the universe? Bring your family and friends to our captivating lecture on galaxies and space, where curiosity meets discovery. Accompanied by engaging hands-on activities, linked to the Cosmic Titans exhibition." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/deep-space/ |
| Description | Family activity: Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity - Shadow and Light Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A space themed workshop for creative children, presented during the half term holiday - "Get inspired by black holes! Explore the Cosmic Titans exhibition, then create art using shadow and light. Challenge yourself to draw in the darkness, and wonder about the mysteries of universe." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/shadow-and-light-workshop/ |
| Description | Family creative workshop: Black Holes on Slides |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A creative family workshop during the school holidays - "Dive into the mysteries of black holes and create your own cosmos-inspired light patterns. Exploring our Cosmic Titans exhibition, you will use drawing, paper cutting, slide projections and silhouettes to document and explore the captivating patterns and shapes within the exhibition." Age 8+ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/black-holes-on-slides/ |
| Description | Feature article in Quanta Magazine |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Professor Silke Weinfurtner's analogue gravity experiments featured in an article in a leading industry magazine. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.quantamagazine.org/she-turns-fluids-into-black-holes-and-inflating-universes-20221212/ |
| Description | Guest A level students and school talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Students from a school undertook a placement at the Nottingham labs, with a reciprocal visit to the school and talk to the science club |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | High energy physics meets low energy phenomena |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker (replacement: Sebastian Erne) Pollica, Italy |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://agenda.infn.it/event/23325/ |
| Description | IAP 2022 CONFERENCE - When ? meets G |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker, Presented recent results on Pre-heating Experiments, leading to feature article in Quanta Magazine. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | http://www.iap.fr/col2022/ |
| Description | Instagram post - Nottingham Trent Student Union |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | An instagram post publicising the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.instagram.com/p/DFZ1g7ZIvmf/?hl=en-gb&img_index=1 |
| Description | Instagram post - Nottingham Trent Student Union |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | An Instagram post highlighting individual works from the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.instagram.com/p/DFNtERboxlU/?hl=en-gb |
| Description | International Conference on Quantum Optics 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker Obergurgl, Austria |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.uibk.ac.at/th-physik/obergurgl2022/ |
| Description | International Society for Relativistic Information |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker, Annual online conference presenting on recent QSimFP results. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.isrqi.net/conference/40 |
| Description | Interview on Notts Today |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr. Patrik Svancara, postdoc part of our research team, has been invited for an interview on Notts Today, a TV show dedicated to news and views for all things in Nottingham. He discussed his unique interferometer, built entirely with LEGO, which is currently featured in an art exhibition at the Lakeside Arts gallery. His work beautifully blends science and creativity, offering visitors a fresh perspective on experimental physics through an artistic lens. Watch the full interview at the below URL, starting from min. 15.57! |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://nottstv.com/programme/notts-today-thursday-27th-february/ |
| Description | Irish Theoretical Physics Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker (replacement Cisco Gooding) Dublin, Ireland |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.stp.dias.ie/itp2022/ |
| Description | Isaac Newtown Institute - Physical applications (HY2W05) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Keynote speaker |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.newton.ac.uk/event/hy2w05/ |
| Description | Lego Interferometer picture selected by Nature |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Our PhD student Leonardo Solidoro took a wonderful picture of our "LEGO with lasers", and has been selected to be part of a Nature article . Complete with fully functioning lasers, mirrors, and beam splitters, this 'LEGO interferometer' was designed by researchers at the University of Nottingham, UK, and can be seen in action at a public exhibition at the university's Djanogly Art Gallery. The model replicates more-high-tech instruments that physicists use to probe materials, or even to measure the nearly imperceptible motions caused by gravitational waves. When two laser beams are combined, they create an interference pattern of alternating dark and bright stripes, which is highly sensitive to even the tiniest changes in the lengths of the beams. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-025-00576-4/index.html |
| Description | Magazine Preview - Exciting New Exhibition at Lakeside |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A preview feature of the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://beestonian.com/cosmic-titans/?catid=1 |
| Description | Magazine article - Notts Going On - Cosmic Titans and Paul Smith's Barbour collection |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A magazine article previewing the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.thenottsedit.com/p/notts-going-on-27-01-25 |
| Description | Measuring Temperatures and Harvesting with Unruh Detectors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Organizers Jorma Louko, Silke Weinfurtner, and Cisco Gooding organised a one-day "Measuring Temperatures and Harvesting with Unruh Detectors in the Lab" workshop in Nottingham during Bill Unruh's visit. The event brought theorists and experimentalists together to discuss a joint way forward towards Unruh detection from an analogue gravity system, with the focus on both ultra-cold atoms and superfluid helium systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.gravitylaboratory.com/news/measuring-temperatures-and-harvesting-with-unruh-detectors-in... |
| Description | Meet The Artist: Conrad Shawcross |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An online blog about one of the artists who created work for the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/news/meet-the-maker-olivier-leger-copy/ |
| Description | Meet the Artists: Matthew Woodham and Studio Above&Below |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An online blog about some of the artists who created work for the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/news/meet-the-artists-matthew-woodham-and-studio-abovebelow/ |
| Description | Meet the Artists: daniela brill estrada, Monica C. LoCascio and Alistair McClymont |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An online blog about some of the artists who created work for the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/news/meet-the-artists-daniela-brill-estrada-monica-c-locascio-and-al... |
| Description | Metamaterials: Designing Wave Propagation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker Bad Honnef, Germany |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.we-heraeus-stiftung.de/veranstaltungen/seminare/2022/metamaterials-designing-wave-propag... |
| Description | National Newspaper - News in pictures: Saturday January 25, 2025 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Inclusion of an image of the Cosmic Titans exhibition in a photo round up of International News |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.thetimes.com/uk/photography-uk/article/news-in-pictures-0wvvjjkbw |
| Description | New Scientist article - exhibition uses art to explore the mysteries of the quantum world |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Magazine article covering the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://institutions.newscientist.com/article/mg26535340-200-exhibition-uses-art-to-explore-the-myst... |
| Description | Nottingham Trent University Students Union Newspaper Preview - GALLERY: Nottingham exhibition bringing scientists' 'invisible' findings to life |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | An exhibition preview including information about the Lego outreach activity |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.platformmagazine.co.uk/news/gallery-nottingham-exhibition-brings-scientists-invisible-fi... |
| Description | Presentation at National Quantum Technology Showcase |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Professor Silke Weinfurtner presented her invention (i.e., a fluid interface sensor) at the showcase, as well as delivering an oral presentation of the Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Physics Programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/showcase/10022946/video/777065977 |
| Description | Preview Article - Cosmic Titans |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A preview article featuring the Cosmic Titans exhibition - see page 35 on the URL below |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://issuu.com/leftlion/docs/leftlion_february_2025_issue_180 |
| Description | Public Event - Cosmic Titans: Opening Talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A public talk to mark the opening of our exhibition: "As we launch our new exhibition Cosmic Titans, join us for this introduction talk. This is an opportunity to learn more about the works in Cosmic Titans and the ideas behind their creation with co-curator Dr Ulrike Kuchner and a panel of participating artists." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/cosmic-titans-opening-talk/ |
| Description | Public Talk - Dark Side of the Universe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A public talk connected to the Cosmic Titans exhibition: "Professor Edward Daw, University of Sheffield, discusses the search for signatures of dark matter particles. Joining the conversation will be artists Daniela Brill Estrada and Monica C. LoCascio, who collaborate in their quest to give poetic material form to the invisible." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/dark-side-of-the-universe/ |
| Description | Public Talk - The Journey to Cosmic Titans |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A public talk: "Spend an hour with the exhibition curators and artist Alistair McClymont. Hear the story of our collaboration bringing artists and scientists together to create Cosmic Titans." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/the-journey-to-cosmic-titans/ |
| Description | Public Talk: Black Holes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A public talk to accompany the Cosmic Titans exhibition - "Join Professor Ruth Gregory, Kings College London and artist Conrad Shawcross RA for this evening talk. Every black hole sings its own song in the darkness. Our esteemed speakers will explore the science and art of these elusive giants. Learn how we can observe their collisions in distant parts of the universe." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/black-holes/ |
| Description | Public Talk: The First Second of the Universe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A public talk to accompany the Cosmic Titans exhibition - "Cosmologist Professor Andrew Pontzen, University College London, and philosopher, Associate Professor Lina Jansson, University of Nottingham lead this fascinating talk. What happened in the first second of the Universe, and how can we know? The speakers will discuss the origins of everything and our quest to understand unobservable phenomena." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/the-first-second-of-the-universe/ |
| Description | Public outreach talk at the University of Nottingham on "Black holes in the sky and in the laboratory" by Jorma Louko |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Following the insightful talk by Professor Jorma Louko titled "Black Holes in the Sky and in the Laboratory," which occurred on Thursday, September 15th, from 6 to 7 pm, we are pleased to provide a summary for reporting purposes. The discussion explored the well-established presence of black holes in astrophysics and the intriguing challenge of observing their interaction with quantum mechanics. Professor Louko emphasised the potential of creating analogue spacetime black holes in laboratory settings, highlighting the significance of technological advancements, including those being developed at Nottingham, in exploring quantum phenomena. Thank you for considering this report. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://mediaspace.nottingham.ac.uk/media/Science+Public+Lecture+September+/1_njmpwwow |
| Description | QSimFP Seminars Youtube channel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The QSimFP Seminars Youtube channel is set to become a powerful tool for reaching a larger audience and leaving a lasting legacy. Recognising the demand from individuals unable to attend the seminars in person, the channel aims to provide a valuable resource for them. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023,2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHpjXpnMn9YzS_8Khldje3Q |
| Description | QTFP Engagement Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talks by Silke Weinfurtner and Vitor Barroso. Several members of the consortium attended the event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.ukri.org/events/quantum-technologies-for-fundamental-physics-engagement-event/ |
| Description | QTFP Meeting Glasgow |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of posters - a number of members of the QSimFP Community presented |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Quantum Concepts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A selection of short films outlining some of the key concepts explored in the Cosmic Titans exhibition. The films are also available on YouTube (URL below) Miguel Bezares Alex Jenkins Cameron Bunney Silvia Schiattarella Sreelekshmi Chitradevi Ajithkumar Chris Goodwin Filmed and Edited by Leonardo Solidoro |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://youtu.be/zXiF8eyKB7A?si=l8p1Xi9AjiHFTF5V |
| Description | Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics School 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professor Silke Weinfurtner was part of Scientific Organising for the Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics winter school 2023. At this event there were lectures and tutorials on both experimental and theoretical aspects of the full QTFP research programme, and opportunities for early-career researchers and research students to meet each other, discuss and showcase their work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://indico.cern.ch/event/1215570/ |
| Description | Quantum Technology - Next Phase Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professor Silke Weinfurtner represented the consortium at the national meeting. The aim of the workshop was to obtain strategic insight from the Quantum Technology community on the next phase of the NQTP investments which will take effect between 2024-2029. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Quantum Technology for Fundamental Physics School |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Prof Silke Weinfurtner gave a series of lectures on Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Physics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://indico.cern.ch/event/1215570/ |
| Description | Royal Institution event - Discourse: Decoding the Cosmos |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a theatre and livestream event for an adult audience: "Just a century ago, observational evidence established the existence of other galaxies besides our own. Soon afterwards, it was discovered that the Universe is expanding, driving a profound change in our understanding of the cosmos. In 1998, the prevailing cosmological paradigm was again upended by the discovery that the Universe's expansion is accelerating. Since then, the remarkable progress in cosmology, spanning Peiris's research career, has been driven by the close interplay between theory and observations. Observational discoveries have led to a Standard Model of cosmology with ingredients not present in the standard model of particle physics - dark matter, dark energy, and a primordial origin for cosmic structure. The physical nature of these ingredients remains a mystery. The race to unravel this cosmic puzzle is now underway, motivating a new generation of ambitious sky surveys across the electromagnetic spectrum and using new messengers such as gravitational waves. Peiris will describe some highlights from her journey through this rapidly changing cosmological landscape in this discourse. She will also discuss how laboratory experiments are helping us test new fundamental physics paradigms developed to explain cosmological observations." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/selling-fast-discourse-decoding-cosmos |
| Description | SIGRAV International School 2023 - Applied Quantum Gravity |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof Silke Weinfurtner was teaching at the Winter School for the Italian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://agenda.infn.it/event/33027/ |
| Description | Schools Lego Interferometer Workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | 4 x workshops connecting schools with the Cosmic Titans exhibition in meaningful ways. The sessions were targeted at Years 12 and 13, and in particular pupils studying physics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://artlab-nottingham.com/photon-bricks/ |
| Description | Seminar Series: Cameron Bunney - Ambient temperature in the circular motion Unruh effect |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. Abstract: The Unruh effect lies at the interface of quantum field theory and general relativity, predicting that detectors in accelerated and inertial motion experience the quantum vacuum differently - the former measures a response when the latter does not. The excitation and de-excitation rates of this response have the characteristics of a thermal spectrum at a temperature directly proportional to the proper acceleration of the accelerated detector. Measuring this effect, however, has proven remarkably difficult: a 1K increase in temperature would require an acceleration of the order 10^20m/s^2. Since the discovery by Unruh in 1981 of the analogy between linearised surface perturbations in an inviscid fluid and a massless scalar field on a curved background, analogue gravity as a field has opened up previously inaccessible regimes to experimental probing in hydrodynamical, condensed matter, and optical systems. These systems offer analogue spacetimes as playgrounds for testing theoretical phenomena. However, the experiment must be contained within a finite size and such systems exhibit non-zero temperatures. As such, by expanding the theoretical framework to include a finite temperature with a detector in circular motion (constant acceleration), this work aims to bring experiment and theory closer together. In this talk, I will review the Unruh-DeWitt detector model applied to a field at a nonzero ambient, explore the detector's response function, and apply this formalism to a superfluid helium setup. Rather than being a hinderance, the ambient temperature can be found to enhance acceleration-dependent response. This talk is based on the works 2303.12690 and 2302.12023 Biosketch: Cameron Bunney is a final-year PhD student at University of Nottingham under Prof. Jorma Louko and Prof. Silke Weinfurtner. Before starting his PhD in 2020, he completed an MMath at University of Nottingham. His work has focused on experimental modelling for the circular motion Unruh effect. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qsimfp.org/seminars/ |
| Description | Seminar Series: Chris Westbrook - Generation of entangled phonon modes in a modulated Bose-Einstein condensate |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. Abstract:Recent years have seen many attempts to realize various gravitational or cosmological analogs in Bose-Einstein condensates. These condensates are difficult to work with, but they have the important feature of being so cold that vacuum fluctuations can be comparable to or even stronger than thermal fluctuations so that the excitations of the fluid must be described in the context of quantum field theory. Thus, we can hope to observe quantum features when realizing such analogs. I will discuss recent experiments in which we have observed quantum features in an analog of the dynamical Casimir effect. I will also discuss the connections between our analog system and the preheating and reheating scenarios that have been posited for the primordial universe. Short bio: After receiving a PhD from the University of Michigan, Chris Westbrook spent 5 years working on laser cooling at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He then took a position as an employee of the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique working at the Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique. His research interests are centered on quantum gases and atom optics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qsimfp.org/seminars/ |
| Description | Seminar Series: Iacopo Carusotto - Quantum simulation of gravitational problems using quantum fluids of atoms and of light - a fruitful bidirectional synergy of gravity and quantum optics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. "In this presentation, I will give an overview of recent advances in the theoretical investigation of analog models of gravity. I will first sketch the state of the art in the study of analog Hawking radiation in fluids of exciton-polaritons in semiconductor microcavities: here, unexpected features are theoretically predicted in the spectrum of Hawking emission and in the correlation diagram, with exciting links to quasi-normal modes localized at the surface of the black hole. I will then move to back-reaction effects of quantum fluctuations on the background dynamics, where a key role of quantum fluctuations is anticipated already for a very simple configuration based on atomic condensates. I will finally speculate on the consequences of these theoretical predictions in a broader context of gravitational physics." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qsimfp.org/seminars/ |
| Description | Seminar Series: Josu Aurrekoetxea - Fundamental fields around black holes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. "Some of the most well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics introduce fundamental fields to drive early universe mechanisms and explain the origin of dark matter. These fields interact with black holes and can alter the gravitational waveforms produced by binary merger events. Moreover, the classical accretion of fundamental fields onto black holes can induce symmetry restoration and catalyze vacuum decay. In this talk, I will discuss the use of numerical simulations to study these phenomena." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qsimfp.org/seminars/ |
| Description | Seminar Series: Mireia Tolosa-Simeón - Analogue gravity in Dirac materials |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. "Condensed matter systems can be used in various scenarios to emulate and study phenomena from a completely different field of physics, for example, elementary particle physics or gravity. Such analog condensed matter models provide a novel perspective to approach questions that are not directly accessible in the original systems as they can potentially be realized experimentally in a well-controlled setup. In this project [1], we address the problem of cosmological fermion production in expanding universes using moiré Dirac materials as analog models. Recently, two-dimensional moiré Dirac materials, such as twisted bilayer graphene (TBG), have been established as highly tunable condensed matter platforms allowing us to manipulate electronic band structures and interaction effects in a controlled manner. A remarkable feature of moiré Dirac materials is the presence of fermionic low-energy excitations, described by a quasirelativistic Dirac equation where the velocity of light is replaced by the Fermi velocity. The Fermi velocity can be tuned dynamically over several orders of magnitude leading to a time-dependent metric for the Dirac fermions. In addition, we consider the presence of time-dependent Dirac masses that may originate from symmetry breaking and lead to a finite band gap in the energy dispersion. These ingredients allow us to construct an analog model for the phenomenon of cosmological fermion production in expanding universes, arising due to a time-dependent metric and conformal symmetry breaking. [1] M. Tolosa-Simeón, M. M. Scherer and S. Floerchinger, Analog of cosmological particle production in moiré Dirac materials |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://youtu.be/PDPVkWDvlHY |
| Description | Seminar Series: Petros Wallden - Quantum algorithms for causal sets |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. Abstract: Causal sets is an approach to quantum gravity that spacetime is fundamentally a "discrete" partially ordered set. The Lorentz invariance in such discrete structures results in "random" partial orders with high valence, making certain analytical calculations harder and the need for computational methods more important. Computational methods, on the other hand, are also challenging since the computational complexity of most interesting questions puts strict bounds on what can really be explored. Quantum computers promise significant, in certain cases exponential, speed-ups. Our focus is to analyse instances where quantum algorithms could provide useful speed-ups for causal sets questions. In this talk I will first briefly introduce causal sets and then some basic elements of quantum computing and quantum algorithms. Then I will give a brief exposition on certain causal sets questions and initial results and future thoughts on tackling them using quantum algorithms. Questions considered include: the calculation of Benincasa-Dowker action (causal sets analogue of Einstein-Hilbert action), the dimensionally restricted quantum gravity partition function and kinematic questions such as the emergence of continuous geometry. Bio: Petros Wallden is Reader (Associate Professor) in Quantum Informatics at the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, is Deputy Director of the Quantum Software Lab and leads the Quantum Software activities of the Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub. His current research focuses on quantum algorithms and quantum machine learning, quantum cryptography and verification/benchmarking of quantum computing while in the past he has worked on quantum foundations and quantum gravity having obtained his PhD in Theoretical Physics from Imperial College. He is editor for the journal Quantum and the journal Cryptography and was two times general chair of the IACR international conference on Public Key Cryptography. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qsimfp.org/seminars/ |
| Description | Seminar Series: Sam Dolan - The Maxwell fisheye lens, perfect focussing, and collapsing spheres in General Relativity |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. Abstract: Maxwell's fisheye is a gradient-index lens that perfectly focusses the rays emanating from a point source on its rim at the opposite point on its rim. In a simple geometric reinterpretation, lensed rays map to null geodesics on the curved geometry of a hypersphere. Hyperspherical geometries emerge naturally in General Relativity, up to an overall conformal factor, in the study of spheres of uniform density: well-known examples include the Friedmann spacetime, the Schwarzschild interior solution, and Oppenheimer-Snyder collapse. In this talk I will describe a general class of spheres of uniform density and isotropic pressure, embedded in the Schwarzschild spacetime, that are characterised by the radial motion of their surface (a free function). I show that these spacetimes are conformal to the hypersphere, and, by matching spacetime geometries at the surface, that the extent $\chi_0$ of the three-sphere geometry encompassed by the interior is an elementary function of the energy and proper acceleration of the surface. If the proper acceleration remains constant, then the extent $\chi_0$ also remains constant, and thus the geometry is conformal to part of a static Maxwell fisheye lens. I will consider the special case of the Schwarzschild interior solution that collapses to form a black hole under constant proper acceleration. I will also discuss some implications for analogue gravity and neutron stars. Bio: Dr Sam Dolan is a Senior Lecturer of Applied Mathematics at the University of Sheffield. His research interests include black hole perturbation theory, gravitational wave astronomy, modelling Extreme Mass-Ratio Inspirals with gravitational self-force, superradiant instabilities of black holes, and analogue gravity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qsimfp.org/seminars/ |
| Description | Seminar series: David Kaiser, Nonperturbative Dynamics of Post-Inflation Reheating |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. Bio and Abstract Bio: David Kaiser is Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of several award-winning books about modern physics. His latest book, Quantum Legacies: Dispatches from an Uncertain World (2020), was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title and also honored as among the best books of the year by Physics Today and Physics World magazines. A Fellow of the American Physical Society, Kaiser has received MIT's highest awards for excellence in teaching. His work has been featured in Science, Nature, the New York Times, and the New Yorker magazine. His group's recent efforts to conduct a "Cosmic Bell" test of quantum entanglement, in collaboration with Nobel laureate Anton Zeilinger, were featured in the documentary film Einstein's Quantum Riddle. Abstract:Our understanding of the state of the universe between the end of early-universe inflation and big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is incomplete. To preserve the successes of the standard big bang model, the energy density that had driven inflation must be dispersed rapidly into a hot, thermal bath of Standard Model particles with a radiation-like equation of state. Although the early resonance phase of "preheating" can be accurately studied within a linearized approximation, the processes most critical for observational consistency are inherently nonlinear, and can unfold over distinct time-scales. In this talk I will review our current understanding of the nonperturbative dynamics at the end of inflation; some salient features of reheating in models that incorporate realistic features from high-energy particle physics; possible impacts of gravitational metric perturbations during reheating; and how the universe reaches a thermal state before BBN. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qsimfp.org/seminars/ |
| Description | Seminar series: Smitha Vishveshwara, From nano-constrictions to event horizons: facets of the inverted harmonic oscillator |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. Bio & Abstract: Bio: Smitha Vishveshwara is a Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her condensed-matter based theoretical research includes studies of fractionalization and anyons, topological superconductors, and non-equilibrium critical dynamics. Her explorations of ultracold atomic systems include collaborations with experimentalists on realizing quantum condensate bubbles in microgravity conditions aboard the International Space Station. Her interdisciplinary research identifies parallels between phenomena found in these realms and in gravitational physics and applies condensed matter concepts to biophysics. Vishveshwara also collaboratively explore the confluence of physics and the arts to create new work such as the theater piece Quantum Voyages and the circus performance Cosmic Tumbles, Quantum Leaps. Abstract: Time and again, one encounters unifying physics that links phenomena from the most miniscule to astronomical scales. Universal phase transitions in magnets, superconductors, and the cosmos; manifestations of the physics of fundamental particles in condensed matter; defect and structure formation in the early Universe and in liquid Helium---to name just a few. Here, I discuss how the inverted harmonic oscillator, the lesser-known sister of the simple harmonic oscillator, offers fertile ground for the same beautiful dynamics across scales. In its presence, deep parallels become manifest in quantum Hall systems, quantum optics, and curved spacetime. The non-commuting nature of the lowest Landau level sets the stage for the parallel between quantum Hall physics and quantum optics, including the construction of coherent states. The presence of a saddle potential in the lowest Landau level further links phenomena as disparate as tunneling across point contacts, squeezing, Hawking-Unruh radiation, and black hole ringdown. The inverted harmonic oscillator underlies these commonalities, providing fresh cross-disciplinary perspectives and new predictions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qsimfp.org/seminars/ |
| Description | Seminar series: Tobi Haas - Quantum features from classical entropies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar series launched in March 2022. Seminars take place every other week alternating a False Vacuum Decay (FVD) themed talk with a Quantum Black Hole (QBH) themed one. The aim is to create a vibrant, engaging, stimulating, ongoing discussion. To that effect, Invited speakers are a mix of experts in their field, as well as more junior contributors. The Q&A sessions can be real reflection starters. The seminars are advertised to the consortium and all the partners. Anyone can attend and word of mouth is encouraged. On average we have 20 attendees for the seminar series and many of the talks are also available on YouTube. "Local quantum entropies are of utmost interest for characterizing quantum fields, many-body systems and gravity. Despite their importance, being nonlinear functionals of the underlying quantum state often hinders their theoretical as well as experimental accessibility. Here, we show that suitably chosen classical entropies of standard measurement distributions capture the very same features as their quantum analogs, while remaining accessible even in high-dimensional Hilbert spaces. We demonstrate the presence of the celebrated area law for classical entropies for typical states such as ground and excited states of a scalar quantum field. Further, we consider the post-quench dynamics of a multi-well spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate from an initial product state, in which case we observe the dynamical build-up of quantum correlations signaled by the area law, as well as local thermalization revealed by a transition to a volume law, both in regimes characterized by non-Gaussian quantum states and small sample numbers. With the classical entropy method, we set out a novel paradigm for analyzing data, thereby rendering full information measures accessible to the vast majority of (quantum) many-body systems." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://youtu.be/CojU1G6DQAs?si=r94GvlXayIlkuTJP |
| Description | Seminar talk for the Networked quantum sensors for fundamental physics consortium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar talk titled 'Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Physics' for the QSNET consortium, part of the Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics initiative. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://qsnet.org.uk/events/?yr=2023&month=2&dy=&cid=mc-4b05bb06a4946b7241817b6d8c54a013 |
| Description | TV Report - Cosmic Titans: Art, Science and the Quantum Universe will be free to visit until April 27th |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A local TV report on the Cosmic Titans exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp1bRYvb2VY |
| Description | Talk - Gravitational Waves and Human Choices |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A public talk: "Join Professor Thomas Sotiriou, University of Nottingham and artist Matthew Woodham for this informative evening. Uncover the nature of gravitational waves: how ripples in spacetime reveal secrets about the Universe's most violent events, challenge Einstein's General Relativity, and even connect to human consciousness." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/gravitational-waves-and-human-choices/ |
| Description | Talk: Quantum Technologies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A public talk: "Join us for a discussion between Sir Peter Knight FRS, Imperial College London and artist duo 'Studio Above & Below'. Discover the impact of quantum physics and technology on our daily lives through the lens of art and science in this discussion." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/quantum-technologies/ |
| Description | Templeton Foundation: Horizons of Quantum Complexity |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Prof Silke Weinfurtner was invited to participate in a brainstorming symposium titled "Horizons of Quantum Complexity" on Tuesday, August 4 2020. The goal of the symposium was to bring together diverse perspectives on fundamental problems in quantum physics to cross-fertilize ideas and identify new research opportunities. During this 2.5 hour symposium session (online), each of the 12 attendees will presented brief remarks (~5 minutes) highlighting a critical open problem or casting a vision for future research. A moderator will facilitate discussions stimulated by these remarks. We will have both experimentalists and theorists participate representing various sub-fields of physics and mathematics, including quantum simulation, condensed-matter physics, quantum information, quantum gravity, analogue gravity, and chaos theory. The list of participants included Juan Maldacena (Princeton), John Preskill (Caltech), Jörg Schmiedmayer (Vienna), Mark Scrednicki (UCSB), Steve Shenker (Stanford), Markus Greiner (Harvard), Vlad Vuletic (MIT), Bill Phillips (NIST), Christopher Jarzynski (Maryland), Aharon Kapitulnik (Stanford). The idea for this symposium arose during our conversations with Dr. Matthew Walhout, Vice President of Natural Sciences at the John Templeton Foundation. Matt is a physicist himself and is exploring the possibility of creating a mid-size (~$10MIL) funding program that would address foundational questions in physics by bringing together the perspectives of different sub-disciplines. There was a symbolic $500 honorarium for participating in the Symposium. Funding possibilities aside, we are eager to bring foundational ideas and questions forward. Please consider bringing your own ideas to the symposium. Do you have opinions about what's next in your area of physics? Or ideas for connecting your area with another area? What are the important, open, and neglected questions that can and should be addressed in the next few years? This meeting lead to special call for funding on Small-Scale Experiments that Advance Fundamental Physics, see link below. This programme seems to be inspired by the UK special programme on Quantum Technology in Fundamental Physics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.templeton.org/news/john-templeton-foundation-announces-joint-funding-initiative-in-funda... |
| Description | Testing Gravity 2023 in Vancouver |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker, Forth conference on Testing Gravity held in Vancouver, Canada. Presented related to the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.sfu.ca/physics/cosmology/TestingGravity2023/ |
| Description | The UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Innovate UK, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), in collaboration with the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme (UKNQTP) are excited to share the recordings of the 2023 Quantum Technologies Showcase. Attended event for networking and dissemination purposes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/events/uk-national-quantum-technologies-showcase-2023/ |
| Description | The UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | "Overview Innovate UK, in collaboration with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and UK National Quantum Technologies Programme (UKNQTP) are excited to announce this year's UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase. Explore the expanding landscape of quantum technology commercialisation and industrial advancement in the UK, where approximately half of all quantum businesses in Europe call home." We attended the event, previewing artworks from the Cosmic Titans exhibition, and the Lego Interferometer project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/events/uk-national-quantum-technologies-showcase-2024/ |
| Description | UK's strengths and weaknesses in quantum technologies research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professor Silke Weinfurtner was an invited to participate in one of the key activities of BEIS's programme of work to shape the upcoming National Quantum Strategy. The NQTP partners have identified you as a key participant in a workshop to explore the UK's strengths and weaknesses in quantum technologies research and articulate the upcoming research challenges that the National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP) should seek to address. This workshop was an opportunity to share my views and recommendations on how this vibrant area will evolve and how the government can best support it. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Welcome talk and lab tours for Undergraduates |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A week long programme of welcome talks for new and returning students |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |