news

Researchers from the University of Glasgow have played a vital role in the very first observation of an ultra-rare particle decay process. The finding - the first experimental observation of the ultra-rare decay of the charged kaon into a charged pion and a neutrino-antineutrino pair - will open a new path to find physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.

Sophisticated analysis of tiny bubbles of ancient gas trapped in volcanic rocks combined with new geophysical modelling has cast new light on long-held assumptions about the deep Earth. An international team of scientists led by researchers from SUERC and the University of Glasgow's School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, have uncovered surprising results in a new study of volcanic lavas which erupted in the Red Sea from the Afar mantle plume.

The precise distances from Earth of more than 1.8 million galaxies have been revealed in a sky survey involving UCL researchers. The Physics of the Accelerating Universe Survey (PAUS), an international collaboration across 14 institutions, covered a sky area of 50 square degrees, similar to approximately 250 full moons.

Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial. From ultrafast probing pulses to a free AI algorithm that could find new medicines more efficiently, here is some quick-read news from across Imperial. W-boson mass measurement   The Standard Model of particle physics - which describes all the subatomic particles and forces we know about - has triumphed again.

Researchers from the University of Glasgow's School of Physics & Astronomy have played a leading role in an experiment which has opened up a new perspective on the complex world of quantum physics using data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). ATLAS is a general-purpose particle detector at CERN's LHC in Geneva.

A breakthrough in quantum technology research could help realise a new generation of precise quantum sensors that can operate at room temperature. The research-carried out by an international team of researchers from the University of Glasgow, Imperial College London, and UNSW Sydney-shows how the quantum states of molecules can be controlled and sensitively detected under ambient conditions.

Scientists have developed a new way of searching for elusive dark matter, which makes up 85% of all matter in the Universe, using detectors that are meant to observe gravitational waves. The researchers, who were looking for a specific ultra-low-mass form of dark matter, reached a factor 10,000 improvement over previous world-leading results using Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) data from 2019-2020.

The first crystal structure of an alternative DNA shape from the insulin gene has been revealed by a UCL-led research team. DNA is widely accepted to be formed of two strands that wind around one another, known as a double helix, but it is possible for DNA to change shape and structure. The new study, published in Nature Communications , reveals the detail in the structure of a type of DNA called i-motif, by crystallising it for the first time.

A team of scientists from the University of Manchester has achieved a significant breakthrough in understanding lithium-ion storage within the thinnest possible battery anode - composed of just two layers of carbon atoms. Their research, published in Nature Communications , shows an unexpected 'in-plane staging' process during lithium intercalation in bilayer graphene, which could pave the way for advancements in energy storage technologies.

Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial. From brain fluid surgery to a lunar-Earth flyby from the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), here is some quick-read news from across Imperial. Spacecraft slingshot success The European Space Agency (ESA) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), with Imperial kit on board , has successfully completed a world-first lunar-Earth flyby.

New results from the world's most sensitive dark matter detector narrow down the possibilities for what makes up our universe's invisible mass. Figuring out the nature of dark matter, the invisible substance that makes up most of the mass in our universe, is one of the greatest puzzles in physics. New results from the world's most sensitive dark matter detector, LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), have put new limits on the potential properties of one of the leading dark matter candidates: weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs.

New research using neural networks, a form of brain-inspired AI, proposes a solution to the tough challenge of modelling the states of molecules. The research shows how the technique can help solve fundamental equations in complex molecular systems. This could lead to practical uses in the future, helping researchers to prototype new materials and chemical syntheses using computer simulation before trying to make them in the lab.

Astronomers have discovered that red dwarf stars can produce stellar flares that carry far-ultraviolet (far-UV) radiation levels much higher than previously believed. The discovery suggests that the intense UV radiation from these flares could significantly impact whether planets around red dwarf stars can be habitable.

A team led by scientists at the University of Bath discovers how light particles can be used to reveal the 'hidden' energy states of molecules. A new optical phenomenon has been demonstrated by an international team of scientists led by physicists at the University of Bath, with significant potential impact in pharmaceutical science, security, forensics, environmental science, art conservation and medicine.

What will be the next high-energy particle accelerator after the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)- While a much larger proton-proton collider, such as the Future Circular Collider (FCC) being studied at CERN, or a linear electron-positron collider are two possibilities, a high-energy muon collider could be an attractive alternative to understand the fundamental constituents of matter at energies not currently accessible by the LHC.

New experimental results show particles called muons can be corralled into beams suitable for high-energy collisions, paving the way for new physics. Particle accelerators are best known for colliding matter to probe its make-up, but they are also used for measuring the chemical structure of drugs, treating cancers, and manufacturing silicon microchips.

Researchers from the School of Physics & Astronomy have been involved an important new measurement of the top quark made using data provided by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). ATLAS and CMS are general-purpose particle detectors at CERN's LHC in Geneva. Physicists from the University of Glasgow have played key roles in the international ATLAS collaboration for decades.

Physicists at the University of Bath lead on the discovery of a new optical property that measures the twist in tiny helices. A new nonlinear optical property of tiny particles has been discovered by an international team of scientists led by physicists at the University of Bath, with important implications for researchers working in fields as diverse as display technology, chemical catalysis and medicine.

The University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute has spearheaded an international team to engineer a novel approach for controlling thermal emission, detailed in a paper published in Science . This breakthrough offers new design strategies beyond conventional materials, with promising implications for thermal management and camouflage technologies.

Artist's depiction of CSIRO's ASKAP radio telescope with two versions of the mysterious celestial object: neutron star or white dwarf Most collapsed stars rotate faster than once per second. This one takes nearly an hour. Scientists have detected what they believe to be a neutron star spinning at an unprecedentedly slow rate -slower than any of the more than 3,000 radio emitting neutron stars measured to date.