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Department of Physics

The Cavendish Laboratory
 
Read more at: Scientists given the green light, to control microscopic electricity
Scientists given the green light, to control microscopic electricity

Scientists given the green light, to control microscopic electricity

20 June 2023

Researchers based at the University of Cambridge have discovered a new phenomenon where light can be used to control electricity in disordered semiconductor materials on the nanoscale. While a lot still remains to be discovered in the field, w ith this new tool, we are very excited to see what other sorts of new phenomena...


Read more at: Space telescope Cheops unveils four mysterious warm exoplanets
Illustration of an exoplanet and its host star. Credit NASA, ESA, CSA, Dani Player (STScI)

Space telescope Cheops unveils four mysterious warm exoplanets

8 June 2023

ESA’s exoplanet mission Cheops confirmed the existence of four warm exoplanets orbiting four stars in our Milky Way. These exoplanets have sizes between Earth and Neptune and orbit their stars closer than Mercury orbits our Sun. The Universe is far too big and there is far too much data sent by those powerful telescopes to...


Read more at: DNA line-actants may help unlock applications of synthetic cells to therapeutics and diagnostics
Coloured 3D view of a DNA origami plate

DNA line-actants may help unlock applications of synthetic cells to therapeutics and diagnostics

19 May 2023

Scientists have now been able to demonstrate that we can exert control on lipid membranes and their phase behaviour using rationally designed “DNA line-actants”, which will help improve our understanding of membrane biophysics, and more broadly, the role that lipid phase separation plays in biological functionality. The...


Read more at: How to build new types of low-cost biosensor that access the biomolecules in blood, sweat, and tears (and urine)
Graphic illustration of a hand holding a phone and connected to a health monitor and a computer

How to build new types of low-cost biosensor that access the biomolecules in blood, sweat, and tears (and urine)

5 May 2023

That's the new challenge of an £8.6M EPSRC programme grant on Ubiquitous Optical Healthcare Technologies (UbOHT) that will fund three Cambridge researchers, along with teams at York, Strathclyde and Exeter. The project will develop 'BioSensors 2.0', new sensors that are low-cost and can be used outside of the hospital...


Read more at: New findings pave the way for stable organic solar cells that may enable cheap and renewable electricity generation
OPV SUN HIGH CONTRAST

New findings pave the way for stable organic solar cells that may enable cheap and renewable electricity generation

19 April 2023

Organic solar cells show great promise for clean energy applications. However, photovoltaic modules made from organic semiconductors do not maintain their efficiency for long enough under sunlight for real world applications. Scientists have now revealed an important reason why organic solar cells rapidly degrade under...


Read more at: New findings open opportunities beyond conventional LED technologies for Infrared Perovskite LEDs
infrared LED

New findings open opportunities beyond conventional LED technologies for Infrared Perovskite LEDs

4 April 2023

Cavendish researchers have demonstrated infrared perovskite LEDs with exceptional performance at high brightness, paving the way towards commercialization and introducing new opportunities beyond conventional LED technologies, such as perovskite electrically pumped lasers which potentially can be used for medical...


Read more at: Discovery of a new topological phase could lead to exciting developments in nanotechnology
Illustration of merons in a twisted bilayer: blue and red arrows pointing inwards and forming two triangles floating above a bed of purple and yellow balls. The triangle shapes reflect below the surface of the balls to form a blue and red hexagonal shape.

Discovery of a new topological phase could lead to exciting developments in nanotechnology

29 March 2023

Cambridge researchers have discovered a new topological phase in a two-dimensional system, which could be used as a new platform for exploring topological physics in nanoscale devices. Two-dimensional materials such as graphene have served as a playground for the experimental discovery and theoretical understanding of a...


Read more at: Humanity’s quest to discover the origins of life in the universe
From left to right - Emily Mitchell, Didier Queloz, Kate Adamala, Carl Zimmer. Landscape with Milky way galaxy. Sunrise and Earth view from space with Milky way galaxy. (Elements of this image provided by NASA).

Humanity’s quest to discover the origins of life in the universe

4 March 2023

For thousands of years, humanity and science have contemplated the origins of life in the Universe. While today’s scientists are well-equipped with innovative technologies, humanity has a long way to go before we fully understand the fundamental aspects of what life is and how it forms. “We are living in an extraordinary...


Read more at: Professor Jeremy J Baumberg appointed Harold Aspden Professor of Fundamental Physics
Professor Jeremy J Baumberg appointed Harold Aspden Professor  of Fundamental Physics

Professor Jeremy J Baumberg appointed Harold Aspden Professor of Fundamental Physics

24 February 2023

Director of the Nanophotonics Centre, Professor Jeremy J Baumberg FRS, FRSC has been appointed the Harold Aspden Professor. This new professorship is named after Dr Harold Aspden (Trinity 1950) - IBM’s Director of Patent Operations in Europe and a dedicated scientist who passed away in 2011. After his death, his wife Wendy...


Read more at: Cambridge researchers unravel exciting prospects for mixed metal halide perovskite systems for a variety of optoelectronic applications
Researchers find a way to develop mixed metal systems for a variety of applications

Cambridge researchers unravel exciting prospects for mixed metal halide perovskite systems for a variety of optoelectronic applications

16 February 2023

Researchers at the Cavendish Laboratory have found that mixed-metal perovskite devices display significantly higher long-range mobility and greatly suppressed ionic screening effects when compared to the more popular pure-lead-based devices. The key conclusions derived from this work will propel further development of the...