Physics World Weekly Podcast

Alejandro Gaita, a theoretical physicist specializing in computer modeling, and Gerliz Gutiérrez, an expert on computing's environmental impact, discuss the urgent need for sustainable practices in physics research. They highlight how intensive simulations can emit as much CO2 as long-haul flights. The duo advocates for a frugal approach to computational modeling, citing practical examples to showcase how more efficient methods can yield significant scientific results while minimizing energy consumption. Their insights challenge the academic community to prioritize greener computing practices.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features a wide ranging interview with Keith Burnett, who is president of the Institute of Physics (IOP). The IOP is the professional body and learned society for physics in the UK and Ireland. It represents 21,000 members and a key goal of the institute is to make physics accessible to people from all backgrounds. Burnett, who is halfway through his two-year term in office, was knighted in 2013 for his services to science and higher education. He has served as vice chancellor of the University of Sheffield and is also an advocate for high-quality vocational education and technician training. He talks to Physics World’s Matin Durrani about the challenges facing universities; physicists as entrepreneurs; supporting early-career physicists; and the need for the IOP to continue its drive to boost the diversity of the physics community. The Institute of Physics owns IOP Publishing, which brings you Physics World Image courtesy of Hannah Veale

Radhika Khosla, an urban climatologist at the University of Oxford, sheds light on how climate change is reshaping urban living. She emphasizes extreme heat as a deadly consequence and advocates for innovative cooling technologies that cut greenhouse gas emissions. Khosla discusses India’s rapid urbanization as a foundation for developing sustainable policies that enhance quality of life. As the new editor-in-chief of Environmental Research Letters, she shares her vision for interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle pressing environmental challenges.

Bibb Allen, Chief Medical Officer for the American College of Radiology Data Science Institute and expert diagnostic radiologist, sheds light on the promising yet complex role of AI in radiology. He discusses a vital joint statement from five radiology societies advocating for a critical assessment of AI tools in clinical settings. The conversation delves into the transformative potential of AI for enhancing diagnostic accuracy while acknowledging the risks of ineffective tools. Additionally, insights on the UK’s initiatives to cultivate a skilled quantum workforce showcase the intersection of technology and education.

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.