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Department of Physics

The Cavendish Laboratory
 
Read more at: Braiding electrons in out-of-equilibrium topological patterns
artist's illustration of changing topological charges via braiding

Braiding electrons in out-of-equilibrium topological patterns

9 February 2024

Researchers from the Cavendish Laboratory have uncovered a new realm of topological phases, advancing our understanding of quantum phenomena. Topological phases, characterised by electrons forming intricate collective entangled structures or knots that cannot be undone, have long intrigued physicists for their distinct...


Read more at: Colossal milestone achieved for the DUNE experiment
Birds-eye view of cavern

Colossal milestone achieved for the DUNE experiment

1 February 2024

The excavation of the caverns that will house the gigantic particle detectors of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) in Lead, South Dakota is complete. Final outfitting of the colossal caverns will begin soon and make way for the start of the installation of the DUNE detectors later this year. This momentous...


Read more at: Cavendish researcher supported to turn battery research into practice
Portrait of Akshay Rao overlayed on a photo of a mobile phone screen showing low battery

Cavendish researcher supported to turn battery research into practice

18 January 2024

Professor Akshay Rao is the only Cambridge researcher to be awarded an ERC Proof of Concept Grant for turning his groundbreaking battery research into tangible innovation. Charge Photometry could become an indispensable part of battery research and help accelerate the development of new battery technologies fit for a...


Read more at: REACH can see the sky!
a rainbow over an instrument in the middle of a desert

REACH can see the sky!

17 January 2024

REACH, the Radio Experiment for the Analysis of Cosmic Hydrogen, has been in development at the Cavendish and the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, along with other partner institutions around the World, for over 5 years. Through COVID and many other hurdles, what has been designed to be the most accurate sensor of...


Read more at: Mysterious missing component in the clouds of Venus revealed
four views of Venu's High Clouds

Mysterious missing component in the clouds of Venus revealed

5 January 2024

Researchers may have identified the missing component in the chemistry of the Venusian clouds that would explain their colour and splotchiness in the UV range, solving a long-standing mystery. Venus is our nearest neighbour, but it remains a mystery. We will have a chance to learn much more about this planet in the coming...


Read more at: International team awarded $3.7M to build a next generation haloscope to search for the axion
A woman in the lab manipulating a piece of research equipment

International team awarded $3.7M to build a next generation haloscope to search for the axion

15 December 2023

Physics breakthroughs don’t always require city-sized particle colliders or giant radio telescope arrays. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation , the Simons Foundation , the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation have partnered to fund 11 innovative “tabletop” experiments, many of which will explore...


Read more at: 2024 Cavendish Annual Thesis Prize Winners
2024 Cavendish Annual Thesis Prize Winners

2024 Cavendish Annual Thesis Prize Winners

30 November 2023

The Cavendish Annual thesis prize recognises outstanding achievements in computational, experimental, and theoretical physics research conducted by PhD students. This year was once again marked by a remarkable number of outstanding nominations. The panel of judges have identified three exceptional candidates who stand out...


Read more at: Low-Mass Galaxies, Cosmic Illuminators of the Early Universe
Swan Nebula

Low-Mass Galaxies, Cosmic Illuminators of the Early Universe

28 November 2023

What made the cosmos go from darkness to radiant? Researchers at the University of Cambridge have gone further in time than ever before to uncover crucial insights on the role of younger, low-mass galaxies with bursty star formation in this transformation, known at the epoch of Reionization. Studying a representative...


Read more at: New Cavendish Arts Science Fellow announced

New Cavendish Arts Science Fellow announced

24 November 2023

Ugandan contemporary artist, dancer and researcher, Robert Ssempijja has been selected as the third Cavendish Arts Science Fellow at Girton College. Ssempijja was selected from over 700 artists who responded to the international open call for his compelling 'regenerative art practice' that moves away from exploitative...


Read more at: Cavendish physicist awarded European funding for new thin magnet research
portrait of Chiara Ciccarelli in her lab

Cavendish physicist awarded European funding for new thin magnet research

23 November 2023

Chiara Ciccarelli has been awarded a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) to support her career as she pursues her most promising scientific ideas into ultra-energy-efficient data storage solutions. Chiara Ciccarelli’s research focuses on magnets and ways to write and read their magnetic state as...