Physics World Weekly Podcast

Late last year the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel ( P5) released a report that looks to the future of particle physics in the United States. The report is called Exploring the Quantum Universe and one of its authors, Abigail Vieregg, is our guest in this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast. Vieregg is an astrophysicist and cosmologist at the University of Chicago and she talks about future experiments that P5 has recommended including a muon collider that could search for new physics on a much smaller footprint than conventional colliders. Vieregg also chats about the proposed CMB-S4 next-generation cosmic microwave background observatory, which ties-in with her research on the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. Vieregg also describes the buzz surrounding P5 meetings as the panel was presented with a wealth of ideas from the particle-physics community. She says that she is proud of the positive response P5 has garnered from physicists.  

Jellyfish have a very simple, yet very effective way of swimming – and this has attracted the attention of the aeronautics engineer John Dabiri at the California Institute of Technology. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, Dabiri talks about his work on the artificial enhancement of jellyfish. He also explains how fluid dynamics can be used to boost the efficiency of windfarms, and explores the possibility that swimming organisms play important role in the mixing of the oceans. Dabiri and Caltech’s Simon Anuszczyk describe their bionic jellyfish in a paper that has been accepted for publication in the journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics. The accepted manuscript can be read here: “Electromechanical enhancement of live jellyfish for ocean exploration”.

Hydrogen can be used as a carbon-free source of energy in a wide range of applications including home heating, transportation and industry. However, there are significant challenges that must be overcome to ensure the safe and efficient storage and transportation of the gas. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, the materials expert Krzysztof Koziol explains why he is developing graphene-based materials and polymers to facilitate a hydrogen economy. Based at the UK’s Cranfield University, he chats about how existing national infrastructure for distributing natural gas can be retrofitted to safely carry hydrogen. Koziol also talks about his collaboration with Airbus to develop a cryogenic storage system that could lead to hydrogen-powered aircraft.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton beam therapy are two powerful techniques of medical physics. The former gives us real-time images of internal structures of the body, and the latter can deliver a high dose of radiation to a tumour while reducing the damage to surrounding healthy tissue. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, the medical physicist Aswin Hoffmann talks about a research initiative in Germany that is combining the two techniques to achieve high-precision radiation therapy. The work is being done at the Center for Innovation in Radiation Oncology (OncoRay) in Dresden and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Hoffmann explains why it is important to develop MRI-guided proton beam therapy and the challenges that his team is overcoming. Also in this episode, we chat about a new experimental technique that physicists have developed to study how bacteria move about. This research is part of the burgeoning field of active matter and we explore why physicists are interested in bacteria, flocking birds and other living systems.

SBQuantum is a Canadian company that spun-out of Quebec’s University of Sherbrooke in 2017. It has developed a magnetometer that uses a superposition of quantum states to enhance its sensitivity to magnetic fields. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, the company’s co-founder and CEO David Roy-Guay explains how the technology works and why an SBQuantum magnetometer will be launched into space as part of a multimillion-dollar competition to advance how we measure Earth’s magnetic field. He also talks about more down-to-earth uses of the firm’s sensors in mineral exploration, navigation and security scanning.

The Magellanic Clouds are prominent features of the southern sky that are named after the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. He sailed west from Europe to the Philippines in the early 16th century and the clouds were described by a returning crew member. Voyages such as Magellan’s set into motion the European colonization of much of the world. This involved the oppression and assimilation of indigenous peoples and led to racism and inequality that endures to this day. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast the astronomers Mia de los Reyes and Sally Oey explain why it is time to rename the Magellanic Clouds to make astronomy more hospitable to people from places that still suffer the legacy of colonization. They also talk about astronomy’s connections with colonialism and consider a few suggestions of new names for the clouds. De los Reyes is based at Amherst College and Oey is at the University of Michigan. They are in conversation with Physics World’s Margaret Harris.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features an interview with Henri Lorach, who is part of the team that won the 2023 Physics World Breakthrough of the Year award. The Swiss–French group bagged the prize for creating a brain–computer interface that allows a paralysed person to walk. Lorach, who is based at EPFL, explains how the technology works and describes the team’s plans to miniaturize and commercialize the system. Also in this week’s podcast is Jonas Baltrusaitis, who is editor-in-chief of the new journal Sustainability Science and Technology. Produced by IOP Publishing, which also brings you Physics World, the journal will open for submissions later this month. Baltrusaitis explains that the journal will highlight the roles that scientists and engineers are playing in achieving the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He also talks about his research into sustainable catalysis processes, which he does using cutting-edge surface-science tools at Lehigh University in the US.

Ramy Shelbaya, CEO of Quantum Dice, discusses how the company uses quantum optics to generate high-speed, truly random numbers. He emphasizes the importance of randomness in technologies like encryption, simulations, and gaming. The challenges of miniaturizing the technology and deploying it in mobile phones are also explored.

Paul Howarth is the CEO of UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory and our guest in this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast. He talks about the challenges of getting politicians to engage in long-term thinking about the UK’s nuclear-energy policies and explains why small modular reactors offer a practical way for the country to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Howarth talks about what inspired him to follow a career path in nuclear science and technology – and he explains how the National Nuclear Laboratory underpins the safe operation of nuclear facilities in the UK.

Physics World editors discuss the Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2023 in particle physics, quantum technology, medical physics, and astronomy. Topics include breakthroughs in nuclear fusion research, growing electronics inside living tissue, creating electrodes within the body, using neutrinos to study proton structure, restoring walking ability with a brain-spine interface, and quantum repeaters for boosting quantum signals.