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Department of Physics

The Cavendish Laboratory
 
Read more at: Scientists make ‘Odd’ objects that adapt and move without a brain
close up of odd building blocks linked together in a hexagonal pattern.

Scientists make ‘Odd’ objects that adapt and move without a brain

13 March 2025

Inspired by how brainless lifeforms such as starfish and slime moulds move around, physicists have constructed ‘odd’ objects that autonomously roll, crawl and wiggle over unpredictable terrain, including uphill and over obstacles placed in their way. This solves a key problem of robotic locomotion. Locomotion, the ability...


Read more at: Exciting Moments on the Edge

Exciting Moments on the Edge

12 March 2025

For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) exhibit both magnetic and semiconducting properties at room temperature. The research, led by the University of Cambridge with international colleagues, establishes PNRs as a unique class of low-dimensional materials that challenges...


Read more at: A three-state molecular switch to light up future technologies

A three-state molecular switch to light up future technologies

20 February 2025

Researchers based at the University of Cambridge have created a three-state (ternary) molecular switch controlled by light and temperature. Unlike materials such as silicon that switches between two states, the new complex material can act as a solid-state optical switch between three different molecular states. This...


Read more at: A new register with thousands of entangled nuclei to scale quantum networks
Futuristic central processor unit. Powerful Quantum CPU on PCB motherboard with data transfers. - stock photo Futuristic central processor unit.

A new register with thousands of entangled nuclei to scale quantum networks

28 January 2025

In a groundbreaking achievement for quantum technologies, researchers at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, have created a functional quantum register using the atoms inside a semiconductor quantum dot. This breakthrough is a testament to the power many-body physics can have in transforming quantum devices...


Read more at: 2025 Cavendish Annual Thesis Prize Winners
Smiling women holding a material in a lab next to an aArtist’s illustration of an organic molecules light emission property modulated by quantum dance of the atoms.

2025 Cavendish Annual Thesis Prize Winners

17 January 2025

Three exceptional PhD students have been awarded a Cavendish Annual thesis prize for their achievements in computational, experimental, and theoretical physics research. Camilla Tacconis, Emmanuel Gottlob and Pratyush Ghosh have been selected by a panel of judges for their outstanding contributions in their fields. The...


Read more at: New Quantum Hub to support national security and critical infrastructure

New Quantum Hub to support national security and critical infrastructure

6 December 2024

A new quantum technology hub launched to ensure the UK benefits from resilient position, navigation and timing (PNT) advancements. This initiative will play a pivotal role in supporting national security and critical infrastructure. Critical UK sectors like energy, finance, communications and transport rely on accuracy of...


Read more at: AI methods to revolutionise fertility treatments
AI

AI methods to revolutionise fertility treatments

14 November 2024

Meet Cavendish physicist Mo Vali who is using innovative AI methods to revolutionise fertility treatments along with a fertility doctor and an infant neuroscience researcher. Mo Vali is a PhD student in Diana Fusco’s (Biophysics) research group and his project is one of the five ai@cam initiative s that the University has...


Read more at: Mark Thomson selected as next Director-General of CERN
Mark Thomson

Mark Thomson selected as next Director-General of CERN

7 November 2024

British physicist Mark Thomson, Professor of Experimental Particle Physics at the Cavendish, will be the next Director-General of CERN, the world's leading particle physics facility. His five-year mandate will begin on 1 January 2026. “Built on long-term European collaboration, CERN is a beacon of scientific excellence and...


Read more at: Sustainable responsive materials to transform industry, buildings and medicine
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Sustainable responsive materials to transform industry, buildings and medicine

6 November 2024

How would the future look if buildings were to dynamically adapt to environmental conditions? If threads could show users how tightly they are stretched for optimal suturing after a surgery? If filters could clean themselves in factories? Three renowned scientists, Prof. Eugene Terentjev from the Cavendish Laboratory in...


Read more at: Annual Prizewinner’s Dinner 2024
Prizewinner dinner 2024

Annual Prizewinner’s Dinner 2024

27 October 2024

The Cavendish Laboratory’s Annual Prizewinner's Dinner took place on 25 October 2024. Undergraduate Prize Winners, alongside Cavendish academics, celebrated their achievements and enjoyed a formal dinner at the Cloister Court of Jesus College. The evening was hosted by Professor Mete Atatüre, Head of the Cavendish...