Physics World Weekly Podcast

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features Mark Thomson, who will become the next director-general of CERN in January 2026. In a conversation with Physics World’s Michael Banks, Thomson shares his vision of the future of the world’s preeminent particle physics lab, which is home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). They chat about the upcoming high-luminosity upgrade to the LHC (HL-LHC), which will be completed in 2030. The interview explores long-term strategies for particle physics research and the challenges of managing large international scientific organizations. Thomson also looks back on his career in particle physics and his involvement with some of the field’s biggest experiments.     This podcast is supported by Atlas Technologies, specialists in custom aluminium and titanium vacuum chambers as well as bonded bimetal flanges and fittings used everywhere from physics labs to semiconductor fabs.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features a conversation with Colm O’Dwyer, who is professor of chemical energy at University College Cork in Ireland and president of the Electrochemical Society. He talks about the role that electrochemistry plays in the development of modern technologies including batteries, semiconductor chips and pharmaceuticals. O’Dwyer chats about the role that the Electrochemical Society plays in advancing the theory and practice of electrochemistry and solid-state science and technology. He also explains how electrochemists collaborate with scientists and engineers in other fields including physics – and he looks forward to the future of electrochemistry.   This podcast is supported by American Elements. Trusted by researchers and industries the world over, American Elements is helping shape the future of battery and electrochemistry technology.

Heart failure is a serious condition that occurs when a damaged heart loses its ability to pump blood around the body. It affects as many as 100 million people worldwide and it is a progressive disease such that five years after a diagnosis, 50% of patients with heart failure will be dead. The UK-based company Ceryx Medical has created a new bioelectronic device called Cysoni, which is designed to adjust the pace of the heart as a patient breathes in and out. This mimics a normal physiological process called respiratory sinus arrhythmia, which can be absent in people with heart failure. The company has just began the first trial of Cysoni on human subjects. This podcast features the biomedical engineer Stuart Plant and the physicist Ashok Chauhan, who are Ceryx Medical’s CEO and senior scientist respectively. In a wide-ranging conversation with Physics World’s Margaret Harris, they talk about how bioelectronics could be used treat heart failure and some other diseases. Chauhan and Plant also chat about challenges and rewards of developing medical technologies within a small company.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast explores how the concept of humanitarian engineering can be used to provide high quality cancer care to people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This is an important challenge because today only 5% of global radiotherapy resources are located in LMICs, which are home to the majority of the world’s population. Our guests are two medical physicists at the University of Washington in the US who have contributed to the ebook Humanitarian Engineering for Global Oncology. They are Eric Ford, who edited the ebook and Afua Yorke, who along with Ford wrote the chapter “Cost-effective radiation treatment delivery systems for low- and middle-income countries”. They are in conversation with Physics World’s Tami Freeman.

In this engaging discussion, Turkish quantum physicist Mete Atatüre, head of the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, delves into the exciting commemorations for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. He shares insights on the pivotal role of Quantour, the quantum light source, and the innovations in quantum sensors and networks. Atatüre also unpacks the complexities of quantum communication and the journey from theory to practical applications, all while celebrating Heisenberg's groundbreaking contributions to quantum mechanics.

December might be dark and chilly here in the northern hemisphere, but it’s summer south of the equator – and for many people that means eating ice cream. It turns out that the physics of ice cream is rather remarkable – as I discovered when I travelled to Canada’s University of Guelph to interview the food scientist Douglas Goff. He is a leading expert on the science of frozen desserts and in this podcast he talks about the unique material properties of ice cream, the analytical tools he uses to study it, and why ice cream goes off when it is left in the freezer for too long.  

One half of the Physics World 2024 Breakthrough of the Year has been awarded to Mikhail Lukin, Dolev Bluvstein and colleagues at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and QuEra Computing for demonstrating quantum error correction on an atomic processor with 48 logical qubits. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, Bluvstein and Lukin explain the crucial role that error correction is playing in the development of practical quantum computers. They also describe how atoms are moved around their quantum processor and why this coordinated motion allowed them to create logical qubits and use those qubits to perform quantum computations. The Physics World 2024 Breakthrough of the Year also cites Hartmut Neven and colleagues at Google Quantum AI and their collaborators for implementing quantum error correction below the surface code threshold in a superconducting chip. Neven talks about his team’s accomplishments in this podcast.   Physics World‘s coverage of the Breakthrough of the Year is supported by Reports on Progress in Physics, which offers unparalleled visibility for your ground-breaking research.

Hartmut Neven, a leading researcher at Google Quantum AI, dives into groundbreaking advancements in quantum error correction. He discusses the innovative Willow quantum processor, featuring 105 superconducting qubits that improve logical qubit performance. Neven outlines plans to develop a processor with 1000 logical qubits by 2030. The conversation also highlights key milestones in quantum computing, showcasing error rate improvements and the potential impact of new algorithms on various fields, from drug development to optimization.

Delve into the cutting-edge achievements in physics for 2024, featuring groundbreaking research in nuclear physics, quantum computing, and medical physics. Discover innovative imaging techniques using quantum entanglement to enhance biological visualization and personalize lung cancer treatment. Learn about China's Chang'e 6 mission and its revealing samples from the moon’s far side, as well as major advancements in particle physics, including antimatter research and graphene’s potential. Explore breakthroughs in quantum computing that tackle error correction for a more powerful technological future!

In this engaging discussion, Alastair Hibbins, a metamaterials expert from the University of Exeter, and Claire Dancer, a commercialization guru from the University of Warwick, dive into the transformative world of metamaterials. They reveal innovative applications like soundproof materials and advanced mobile lenses. The duo shares insights on the UK Metamaterials Network, highlighting its growth and impact on research and industry. They also express excitement about future collaborations and the welcoming of their thousandth member by 2025.