New Lockdown requirements
All those who are accessing or planning to access the building for essential activities during this current national lockdown must review their risk assessments in light of the increased risk of infection due to the highly transmissible virus currently in circulation.
It is strongly suspected that the new strain is more transmissible because of the following reasons
- Greater viral loads may be shed by asymptomatic cases.
- The viral survival time on surfaces may be longer.
- The viral survival time as an aerosol may be longer, particularly in relatively low humidity environments.
Consider these increased risks and modify your control measures if required.
The basic controls (hands, face, space) are still good control measures but we need to redouble our efforts and be especially vigilant now.
The following points from the University’s safety office offer actions which will help to protect us all. Review your work area and ensure we do all we can to counteract this increased risk.
- Regular handwashing, keeping a distance of 2 m and wearing a face covering where instructed, remain the greatest priority.
- All staff must use the cleaning sprays and disposable towels to regularly wipe surfaces after use, paying particular attention to touch points (i.e. door handles, key pads, the handles of shared equipment (specialist and kitchen equipment). Hands should be washed or sanitised following this activity.
- Ensure ventilation settings remain at the maximum and staff should continue to open windows where artificial ventilation is not provided.
- Physical screening should be reassessed to ensure it is adequate i.e. the screen should completely isolate the person behind it, if not, the distance the aerosol must travel to reach the other person must be greater than 2 m.
Shonah Ion
Some Good News
I am delighted to inform you that Lucy Wilson has been awarded “Apprentice of the Year 2020 Staff Award” which is fantastic news on a gloomy winters morning.
Congratulation to Lucy on her well-deserved achievement. Well done!
Stephen Holt
Starting January 2021, there are changes when sending post abroad (all countries):
When posting parcels abroad, you will need to complete and attach a customs declaration (CN22 or CN23), available from the Post Office. Letters, postcards and documents are usually exempt.
You can also download the custom forms here: Customs forms for sending abroad | Post Office
Please remember to put the custom forms on your items, especially if you are sending a large numbers of parcels, otherwise we might need to return it to your department.
Thank you for your understanding.
Celine Neimark
Summer School on Dark Matter Session CXVIII
July 26 – August 20, 2021
Overview: Dark Matter (DM) is the substance that fills about 26% of the total budget of the Universe and that accounts for about 80% of the matter. By its very nature the topic lies at the intersection of different research fields: astrophysics, cosmology and fundamental particle physics. A coordinated approach among different disciplines is hence crucial to make progress. This School aims to train the next generation of young researchers in the field with two main guidelines: 1) starting from the basics, with no theoretical (or experimental) prejudice; 2) making the most of the interdisciplinarity of the topic.
Website: https://indico.cern.ch/e/LHDM2021
Registration: The online Application Form can be found at https://www.houches-school-physics.com. Applications must reach the School before March 15, 2021 in order to be considered by the Selection Committee. The full cost per participant includes housing and meals.
Grainne Wilkinson
Summer School on Core Mantle Interactions Through Time Session CXVII
June 28 – July 23, 2021
Overview:
The school brings together a cohort of senior graduate students and postdocs to tackle important and unsolved
research problems. Senior participants from various institutions, and representing a range of disciplines relevant to the theme,
serve as instructors and mentors for group research projects. The first two weeks of the program are devoted to lectures and
tutorials, covering the basic tools and approaches of the various disciplines. The second two weeks are used to develop
multidisciplinary research projects in groups with a good mix of expertise.
Website: https://coremantlehouches.github.io/
Registration: The online Application can be found on https://www.houches-school-physics.com. Applications must reach the School before March 1, 2021 in order to be considered by the Selection Committee. The full cost per participant includes housing and meals, and is specified on the School’s Website.
Grainne Wilkinson
Space and Planetary Physics seminar
Online event
Thursday 14 January 2021
2:00pm to 3:00pm
Magnetic reconnection – new results from Magnetospheric Multiscale and Solar Orbiter
Speaker: Jonathan Eastwood (Imperial College London)
Wayne Gould
Physics Colloquium
Friday 15th January 2021 at 1500hrs.
Building with Crystals of Light and Quantum Matter: From clocks to quantum computers
Speaker: Professor Ana Maria Rey (JILA, NIST and University of Colorado)
Abstract: Understanding the behavior of interacting electrons in solids or liquids is at the heart of modern quantum science and necessary for technological advances. However, the complexity of their interactions generally prevents us from coming up with an exact mathematical description of their behavior. Precisely engineered ultracold gases are emerging as a powerful tool for unraveling these challenging physical problems.
In this talk, I will present recent developments at JILA on using alkaline-earth atoms (AEAs) – currently the basis of the most precise atomic clock in the world – for the investigation of complex many-body phenomena and magnetism. Specifically, I will discuss ideas on how to use AEAs dressed by laser fields as a tool to engineer useful entangled states. The proposed schemes open a window to enhance clock sensitivity beyond what is possible with uncorrelated atoms, and, set a foundation for future quantum computers.
For a biography and calendar file, please visit the Physics Events page.
Grainne Wilkinson
Virucidal cleaner replacements
If you should need a new bottle of virucidal cleaner from stores, please retain the trigger attachment, from the old one. New bottles arrived with only two per six bottles.
Steve Holden