Leverhulme Lecture

Lost in Intergalactic Space

You've signed up for a mission to travel to the nearest star.
Unfortunately due to a computer error you end up travelling in
hibernation through space at a tenth of the speed of light for a billion
years. This talk is about where you end up, how we know what the
remotest possible regions of the Universe are like, and why studying
them can tell us more about the beginning (and fate) of the Universe
than anywhere else. You may also find out how to get back home again.

Terahertz Wave Detection Based on Low-Dimensional Electron Systems

Dr Yukio Kawano

Tokyo Institute of Technology

In this talk, Dr Kawano gives the advantageous properties of terahertz (THz) waves - permeability through objects opaque for visible light, the important energy spectrum in the meV range, etc. – which potentially enable various applications of imaging and spectroscopy in this band.

Professor P. James Peebles
Albert Einstein Professor of Science, Emeritus
Professor of Physics, Emeritus
Department of Physics, Princeton University

Paul C. Canfield

Distinguished Professor and Robert Allen Wright
Chair of Physics                     
Senior Physicist, Ames Laboratory                     
Iowa State University, USA

Neutrinos are one of the most abundant particles in the universe, but very little is known about them. Over the years we have tried to unlock their secrets and the more we learn the more we are amazed. They seem to have a tiny mass, even so everybody expected them to be massless like the photons.

Oxford Physics: Going Public

Crystal World
Prof. Michael Glazer

Crystals have been objects of mystery and fascination for the last two millenia: but people in general are unaware that much of the solid material around us is in fact made up from crystals, including all rocky planets such as the one we live on.

FULLY BOOKED

VENUS 2012

Just a black dot?

Historical public lecture

When: Monday 28 May, 6-7pm
Where: Martin Wood Lecture Theatre, Martin Wood Building, Parks Road
Audience: 10+ years

VENUS 2012

Exploring the Universe; The Next Generation of Telescopes

Family public lecture

When: Saturday 2 June 2012, 2pm
Where: Martin Wood Lecture Theatre, Martin Wood Building, Parks Road
Audience: 10+ years / family public lecture

Over the next ten years our understanding of the Universe will be transformed by a new generation of both space and ground-based telescopes.

The programme for the evenings

Times: 7 - 9.15 pm

Activities include:

• The evening begins with a short astronomy talk (see below)
• Refreshments and "ask an astronomer"
• Observatory tour and use of the telescope
• Astronomy workshop - indoor or outdoor depending on weather

Astrophysics talk

The European Extremely Large Telescope

Other talks in the programme can be found here.