School of Physics and Astronomy

Congratulations to Davide Michieletto who has been awarded a 2020 Chancellor’s Rising Star Award from the University.

Chancellor’s Awards

The Chancellor’s Awards are one of the most important ways in which the University recognises current members of the University community who have made outstanding contributions to teaching or research, and achieved national and international recognition for their work.

The Rising Star Award honours an early career colleague who has made a significant contribution in their field. Dr Davide Michieletto is a recipient of this award in recognition of his impact in the research in the field of topological control of soft materials.

Biophysics and soft matter

In his short time as a researcher, Davide has already built an international reputation in understanding how the topology of biological and synthetic polymers affect the macroscopic properties of complex fluids and soft materials, and has an impressive publication record. This is an area which is seeing a tremendous interest especially from the younger generations of physicists. Davide’s infectious passion for science and his highly interdisciplinary research projects are attracting numerous and strong students (from BSc to PhD) keen to work in this new exhilarating field at the interface of soft matter and molecular biology. Davide is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, based in the School of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine.

Precise deep-underground measurement of a key nuclear reaction reveals properties of the universe in its infancy.

There is a key process – in the sequence of reactions known as Big Bang Nucleosynthesis – responsible for the destruction of deuterium soon after it has been created: it is a reaction in which a proton and a nucleus of deuterium fuse together to form a stable isotope of helium.

This reaction has now been studied with unprecedented precision at LUNA (Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics), at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories of the INFN (National Institute for Nuclear Physics). Thanks to this study, it has been possible to refine theoretical calculations of primordial nucleosynthesis and to obtain an accurate determination of the density of ordinary (or 'baryonic') matter, which makes up everything we know of, including living species.

The results of the measurement conducted by the LUNA Collaboration, and their cosmological impact, were published in the journal Nature.

Gianluca Imbriani, spokesperson for the LUNA collaboration explains:

In this particular study, in addition to our longstanding expertise in the field of experimental nuclear astrophysics, we have benefited from the precious contribution of the theoretical group of astroparticle physics and theoretical cosmology of the Federico II University of Naples, to arrive at an accurate determination of the baryon density using the Parthenope code for primordial nucleosynthesis calculations. An important contribution to the description of nuclear interaction was also provided by the theoretical nuclear physics group of the University of Pisa.

About 3 minutes after the Big Bang, the temperature of the universe dropped to one billion degrees and deuterium could finally be produced by the fusion of protons and neutrons. The abundance of deuterium left over after the Big Bang carries precious information about the amount of ordinary matter and radiation permeating the Universe in its infancy. Based on experimental data of unprecedented precision obtained at LUNA (Italy), we inferred a value of matter density now in much better agreement with that derived from the relic Cosmic Microwave Background radiation still observed today. When combined with other astrophysical inputs, our results further place constraints on the amount of dark radiation not foreseen by the standard cosmological model.

In the cosmic silence of the underground Laboratories of Gran Sasso, where 1400 m of rock protect the experimental halls from external radiation, the LUNA experiment is able to recreate the processes that occurred during primordial nucleosynthesis and to bring the clock back in time to a few minutes after the birth of our Universe.

Professor Marialuisa Aliotta , from the School of Physics and Astronomy, who worked on the project said:

The fact that the theoretical primordial deuterium abundance inferred in our study is now in excellent agreement with astronomical observations provides further evidence for the validity of the standard cosmological model. This work marks the culmination of many years of intense experimental activity and represents an outstanding achievement for the entire collaboration.

LUNA is an international collaboration of about 50 scientists from Italy, Germany, Hungary and the United Kingdom. The list of collaborating institutions includes: the National Laboratories of Gran Sasso, the INFN sections and the Universities of Bari, Genoa, Milano Statale, Naples Federico II, Padua, Rome La Sapienza, Turin, and the INAF Observatory of Teramo (Italy); the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Germany), the MTA-ATOMKI in Debrecen and the Konkoli Observatory of Budapest (Hungary); and the School of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom).

The first mining experiments conducted in space could pave the way for new technologies to help humans explore and establish settlements on distant worlds, a study suggests.

Tests performed by astronauts on the International Space Station suggest that bacteria can extract useful materials from rocks on Mars and the Moon. The findings could aid efforts to develop ways of sourcing metals and minerals – such as iron and magnesium – essential for survival in space. Bacteria could one day be used to break rocks down into soil for growing crops, or to provide minerals for life support systems that produce air and water, researchers say.

Matchbox-sized mining devices – called biomining reactors – were developed by scientists at the UK Centre for Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh over a 10-year period. Eighteen of the devices were transported to the space station – which orbits the Earth at an altitude of around 250 miles – aboard a SpaceX rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US, in July 2019. Small pieces of basalt – a common rock on the Moon and Mars – were loaded into each device and submerged in bacterial solution. The three-week experiment was conducted under space gravity conditions to simulate environments on Mars and the Moon.

The team’s findings suggest bacteria could enhance the removal of rare earth elements from basalt in lunar and Martian landscapes by up to around 400 per cent. Rare earth elements are widely used in high technology industries including mobile phones, computers and magnets.

Microbes are also routinely used on Earth in the process of so-called biomining to extract economically useful elements such as copper and gold from rocks. The new experiments have also provided new data on how gravity influences the growth of communities of microbes here on Earth, researchers say.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, received funding from the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency. The research was supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, part of UK Research and Innovation. The miniature mining reactors used in the experiment were built by engineering company Kayser Italia.

Professor Charles Cockell, of the School of Physics and Astronomy, who led the project, said:

Our experiments lend support to the scientific and technical feasibility of biologically enhanced elemental mining across the Solar System. While it is not economically viable to mine these elements in space and bring them to Earth, space biomining could potentially support a self-sustaining human presence in space. For example, our results suggest that the construction of robotic and human-tended mines in the Oceanus Procellarum region of the Moon, which has rocks with enriched concentrations of rare earth elements, could be one fruitful direction of human scientific and economic development beyond Earth.

Dr Rosa Santomartino, a postdoctoral scientist at the School of Physics and Astronomy, who worked on the project, said:

Microorganisms are very versatile and as we move into space, they can be used to accomplish a diversity of processes. Elemental mining is potentially one of them.

Libby Jackson, Human Exploration Programme Manager at the UK Space Agency, reported:

It is wonderful to see the scientific findings of BioRock published. Experiments like this is show how the UK, through the UK Space Agency, is playing a pivotal role in the European Space Agency's exploration programme. Findings from experiments like BioRock will not only help develop technology that will allow humans to explore our Solar System further, but also helps scientists from a wide range of disciplines gain knowledge that can benefit all of us on Earth.

A new understanding of the cosmos, as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s fifth generation collects its first observations.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s fifth generation (SDSS-V) collected its very first observations of the cosmos on 24th October 2020. As the world’s first all-sky time-domain spectroscopic survey, SDSS-V will provide ground-breaking insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies—like our own Milky Way—and of the supermassive black holes that lurk at their centres.

The newly-launched SDSS-V will continue the path-breaking tradition set by the survey’s previous generations, with a focus on the ever-changing night sky and the physical processes that drive these changes, from flickers and flares of supermassive black holes to the back-and-forth shifts of stars being orbited by distant worlds.  SDSS-V will provide the spectroscopic backbone needed to achieve the full science potential of satellites like NASA’s TESS, ESA’s Gaia, and the latest all-sky X-ray mission, eROSITA.

SDSS-V is funded primarily by member institutions, along with grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the Heising-Simons Foundation. The University of Edinburgh is an Associate Member Institute in SDSS-V, funded by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship that was recently awarded to Dr James Aird who is based at the Institute for Astronomy.

Dr James Aird reported:

I’m extremely excited by the opportunity to be involved in the SDSS-V survey, building on the University of Edinburgh’s involvement in previous generations of this important survey. 

Dr Aird is particularly looking forward to the data from the Black Hole Mapper programme. This programme will measure the masses and growth over cosmic time of the supermassive black holes that reside in the hearts of galaxies and will provide the first large-scale follow-up of X-ray sources identified with the eROSITA telescope, which launched just last year.

Reflecting on the Black Hole Mapper programme, Dr Aird added:

The SDSS-V programme will help reveal how these massive black holes are changing over a very broad range of timescales. This data will be vital to support my fellowship research on the impact of these black holes on the much longer lifecycles of the galaxies they lie in.

SDSS-V will operate out of both Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, home of the survey’s original 2.5-meter telescope, and Carnegie’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, where it uses the 2.5-meter du Pont telescope. SDSS-V’s first observations were taken in New Mexico with existing SDSS instruments, in a necessary change of plans due to the pandemic. As laboratories and workshops around the world navigate safe reopening, SDSS-V’s own suite of new innovative hardware is on the horizon—in particular, systems of automated robots to aim the fibre optic cables used to collect the light from the night sky. These robots will be installed at both observatories over the next year.

The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships have been instigated to ensure the strong supply of talented individuals needed for a vibrant environment for research and innovation in the UK.  In this fourth round of the Fellowships, we are pleased that Dr Peña-Alvarez has been awarded a fellowship.

Planetary original diagnostics at extreme conditions with Raman spectroscopy

Dr Miriam Peña-Alvarez is a condensed matter chemist with interests in extreme conditions.

In 2017 she joined the School of Physics and Astronomy as Postdoctoral Research Associate. Her work is based at the University's Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions. During her work here, she has mastered the skills to explore the effects of pressures and temperatures rivalling those found in the centre of the Earth and the Jovian planets’ outer layers.

There is a strong need to expand experimental laboratory science to support on-going and future investments in spacecraft missions and advanced telescopes. Dr Peña-Alvarez’s research intends to recreate planetary interiors in the laboratory and decipher how extreme pressure and temperature affect the physico-chemical properties of planetary systems. The Future Leaders Fellowship will allow her to tackle some of the main challenges in the field of condensed matter.

UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship

The scheme will help the next generation of researchers, tech entrepreneurs, business leaders and innovators across different sectors and disciplines to get the support they need to develop their careers. 

School of Physics and Astronomy researchers Anna Lisa Varri, Franz Herzog, James Aird and Max Hansen were successful in the earlier rounds of the award.

Using a new mathematical approach to screen large groups for Covid-19 could be around 20 times cheaper than individual testing, a study suggests.

Applying a recently created algorithm to test multiple samples in one go reduces the total number of tests needed, lowering the cost of screening large populations for Covid-19, researchers say. This novel approach will make it easier to spot outbreaks early on. Initial research shows it is highly effective at identifying positive cases when most of the population is negative.

Testing approach

A team of researchers, including the School of Physics and Astronomy’s inaugural Higgs Chair of Theoretical Physics, Professor Neil Turok, developed the method – called the hypercube algorithm – and conducted the first field trials in Africa.

Tiny quantities taken from individual swabs were mixed to create combined samples and then tested. The team showed that a single positive case could still be detected even when mixed with 99 negative swab results. If this initial test highlighted that the mixed sample contained positive cases, then researchers used the algorithm to design a further series of tests. This enabled them to pinpoint individual positive swab results within the combined sample, making it easy to identify people who are infected. If the initial test results indicated that there were no positive cases in the mixed sample, then no follow-up action was needed.

Regular screening

The new method is best suited to regular screening of a population – rather than testing individual patients – and may help to significantly lower testing costs, the team says. 

So far, the method has been trialled in Rwanda, where it is being used to screen air passengers, and in South Africa, where it is being used to test a leading rugby team regularly. The study, published in the journal Nature, involved researchers from the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and the University of Rwanda.

Attend the Postgraduate Virtual Open Days to find out about our MSc programmes and PhD opportunities

The School of Physics & Astronomy will take part in the University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Virtual Open Days 9-13 November. Academic staff, students and alumni will be involved in a number of online information sessions.

MSc programmes

• Monday 9th November: Introduction to MSc Particle and Nuclear Physics (10:00-11:00 UK time)
• Monday 9th November: Introduction to MSc Theoretical Physics and Mathematical Physics (11:00-12:00 UK time)
• Monday 9th November: Introduction to MSc Particle and Nuclear Physics  (15:00-16:00 UK time) repeat of the morning session
• Monday 9th November: Introduction to MSc Theoretical Physics and Mathematical Physics  (16:00-17:00 UK time) repeat of the morning session

PhD programmes

• Wednesday 11 November: PhD Information Session (09:30-10:30 UK time)
• Wednesday 11 November: Meet a PhD student (13:00-14:00 UK time)
• Wednesday 11 November: PhD Information Session (15:30-16:30 UK time) repeat of the morning session

To book a place visit the Virtual Postgraduate Open days 2020 page on the University of Edinburgh website

Join an international team of scientists as they unpack the mysteries of dark matter.

Scientists and members of the public are invited to attend events to mark Dark Matter Day. 

Dark Matter Day

Dark Matter Day celebrates the work being carried out in laboratories and institutions around the world, and shares what scientists know about this cosmic puzzle.

School of Physics and Astronomy researcher Dr XinRan Liu is teaming up with international partners for ‘Deep Talks: An International Journey to Dark Matter Detection’ taking place 4 – 6pm GMT on 29 October. This event involves Sanford Underground Research Facility (in South Dakota, USA), Boulby Underground Laboratory (Yorkshire), and the Science and Technology Facilities Council, and is part of a celebration that aims to shed light on the mysteries of dark matter.

Attendees can join this event via a Zoom webinar and answer polls, submit questions for speakers, take virtual tours of the underground laboratory spaces or watch live to learn about how far the search has come, and what might lie ahead in the field of dark matter research. As webinar space is limited, early registration is encouraged.

What is dark matter?

There’s far more to our universe than meets the eye. Everything we can see - everything we know exists - makes up just 5 percent of the matter in the universe. So, what about the other 95 percent? Astronomers and astrophysicists believe that approximately 25 percent of the missing mass and energy in the universe is made up of dark matter. This ubiquitous particle is everywhere, yet, so far, remains a mystery.

Fresh analysis of data that informed the government’s decision on lockdown reveals new information on school closures and social distancing.

Closing schools during the pandemic would result in more overall deaths in the long term than keeping them open, according to fresh analysis of the data that informed the government’s decision on lockdown. The study, led by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, also revealed that social distancing is a more effective tool at reducing deaths when only employed by people over 70, compared with among the general population.

The findings are based on a re-analysis of Report 9, the study developed by Imperial College London and used by the SAGE advisory committee to initiate the UK’s nationwide lockdown in March 2020, to avoid overloading the NHS. Imperial’s original model predicted how the virus would spread, how the NHS would be affected and how many people would die in different scenarios. 

The new analysis, published in the BMJ, combined Imperial’s epidemiological modelling with real-world data collected since March using a simulation model – known as CovidSim. The results verify that the predictions made from the original model were accurate. The study also used Imperial’s model with CovidSim to forecast the pandemic’s potential spread. The analysis concludes that the interventions implemented in March gave the NHS the best possible outcome in reducing peak demand for intensive care beds. 

However, experts say these actions, which included closing schools and shops, if deployed again could prolong the epidemic and result in more long-term deaths, unless an effective vaccination programme is implemented.

General social distancing is predicted to reduce the number of cases, but increase the total number of deaths when compared with social distancing being practiced by the over 70’s only. This is because Covid-19 related deaths are highly skewed towards older age groups, experts said.

Finally, the CovidSim model predicts a second wave, which initially grows more slowly, but becomes larger than the first unless interventions are re-implemented.

To produce the new analysis, the team from Edinburgh co-ordinated thousands of scientists working from home as part of the Rapid Assistance in Modelling the Pandemic (RAMP) project. RAMP’s computer experts took Imperial’s code and made it easily available to all UK researchers, with access to the country’s supercomputers. The code was then rewritten to professional software standards in order to run the new calculations.

The research considers only coronavirus deaths and does not take into account any other consequences of the lockdown.

The research was conducted by four scientists from the School of Physics and Astronomy's three research institutes. Graeme Ackland, Professor of Computer Simulation from the School of Physics and Astronomy who led the study, said:

In the short term, closing schools contributed to reducing the severity of the first wave, to the extent that Nightingale hospitals were not needed, but the decision has left us more vulnerable to subsequent waves of infection. Mitigating a Covid-19 epidemic requires very different strategies for different age groups and a different strategy from an influenza epidemic, with more focus on shielding elderly and vulnerable people.

The research was funded by UK Research and Innovation, Rapid Assistance in Modelling the Pandemic (RAMP) initiative and coordinated by the Royal Society.

Congratulations to postgraduate research students who received a Winton Award in recognition for their theses.

The Winton Award is for postgraduate research students who have produced the best thesis in either Astronomy or Particle and Nuclear Physics.  We are pleased to announce that the following PhD students received a Winton Award during the past 2 years:

2018 Winton Award recipients

Astronomy

• Johanna Vos

Particle and Nuclear Physics

• Maria Francesca Marzioni

2019 Winton Award recipients

Astronomy

• Adam Carnall
• Clemence Fontanive

Particle and Nuclear Physics

• Joel Mabillard
• Isobel Nicholson
• Andreas Sogaard