Department of Physics at the University of Oxford

Clockwise from top left: Cosmin Andrei, Dr Gabriel Araneda Machuca, Oana Bazavan, Dr Keith Norman and Dr Mustafa Bakr.

Quantum isn't just equations—it’s people. Explore the personal journeys, daily lab life, and collaborative spirit defining the future of physics.
Read the article in full: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/quantum-physicists-people-behind-future or link in bio.

Artist's impression of the Green Bank Telescope gathering data on the centre of the Milky Way. The inset image shows the black hole at our Galaxy's center, and a nearby candidate (unconfirmed) pulsar. Credit: Danielle Futselaar / Breakthrough Listen

A possible millisecond pulsar has been detected at the Milky Way's centre, offering a rare chance to test General Relativity.
Read the article in full: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/discovery-possible-pulsar-milky-way-centre

Join Kellogg College for Bletchley Park Week (22–27 Feb)! Explore "The Age of AI" via talks and tours. Book now: https://www.kellogg.ox.ac.uk/bletchleyparkweek-at-kellogg/ 🕵️‍♂️

New theoretical physics videos are live! Watch Oxford's Leverhulme-Peierls Fellows discuss plasma, information costs, and fusion energy at the last Saturday Morning of Theoretical Physics alumni event. Link in bio.

📅 Join us this Wed, 18 Feb, 4 PM for a colloquium with Prof Sir Christopher Llewellyn-Smith:  "The Role of Large-scale Electricity Storage in Great Britain." 
💻 Online for alumni & staff/students abroad.
Details: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/role-large-scale-electricity-storage-great-britain

Very pleased to see our own Professor Ian Walmsley and spin-out company Oxford Quantum Circuits featured in this programme pushing forward quantum research in the UK. 

Link: https://partners.wsj.com/uk-cabinet-office/innovation-squared/the-transatlantic-brain/ 

@greatcampaign @CustomContentfromWSJ

Gravitationally lensed starlight (orange) by a supermassive black hole binary. The Einstein ring is shown in blue. Credit: Image created by Hanxi Wang

Researchers propose finding hidden supermassive black hole binaries by detecting repeating light flashes from stars magnified by natural gravitational lensing. Read the full article: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/new-method-could-reveal-hidden-supermassive-black-hole-binaries

JWST NIRCam false colour image of IRAS07251-0248, made by combining exposures with the 2 m (Blue), 2.77 m (Green) and 3.56 m (Red) wide filters on NIRCam. Data are part of the observations carried out under JWST GO Programme ID 3368 (P.I. L. Armus). Calibrated data were obtained from the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-03127 for JWST.

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a rich "factory" of organic molecules in a distant galaxy, revealing how cosmic chemistry evolves.
Read the full article: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/jwst-reveals-exceptional-richness-organic-molecules

Professor Lucas in his lab. Photo John Cairns.

Professor David Lucas leads a new UK-Japan partnership to build a secure quantum internet using advanced ion-trap and photonic technology.
Read the full article via link in bio or visiting www.ox.ac.uk/news

AI can accelerate scientific discovery, but only if we maintain rigor through open data, simplicity, and human understanding. Don't delegate ethics.
Read this article in full via @ox.ac.uk  https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/ #AI #science #research #physics #astrophysics

Considering Oxford Physics? Join our online Year 12 Masterclass for admissions guidance and interactive workshops. Register: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/year-12-physics-masterclass-march-2026

Prof Chris Lintott (@chrislintott.bsky.social) warns: drastic cuts to fundamental research threaten the UK's world-leading status in astronomy and more. Read in full on the @ox.ac.uk https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-02-02-expert-comment-cuts-fundamental-research-will-hurt-uk-s-leadership-astronomy

Oxford researchers are advancing analogue quantum simulation. These systems mimic complex materials, offering practical utility sooner than digital quantum computers.
Read more about the programme: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/realising-quantum-advantage-analogue-quantum-simulation

Researchers from Oxford, Diamond Light Source and ShanghaiTech have demonstrated wireless magnetic communication. Helimagnets can remotely synchronize distant layers, paving the way for low-power electronics.
Read the article in full via link in bio.

Oxford Alumni: Hear cutting-edge research from our 2025 Leverhulme-Peierls Fellows on 7 February. Register now via the link in our bio!

A portrait of Professor Phillip Burrows - Background image © 2017 CERN - Ordan, Julien Marius: CERN

Professor Philip Burrows is the new Chair of CERN’s Scientific Policy Committee, helping steer future particle physics research.
Read the full article via link in bio or visit https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/professor-burrows-head-cern-scientific-policy-committee

Left: Schematic of applying strain by flexing the membrane, with height change exaggerated for clarity. Right: Distribution of magnetic domain orientations before (top) and after (bottom) applying strain, shown as a magnetic microscopy image and an angular histogram. The yellow circles and blue squares highlight position of whirling topological magnetic structures. Credit: Image credit: Image from ACS Nano article by J Harrison et al. 2025

Oxford researchers are transforming common rust (hematite) into high-tech material, using mechanical strain to unlock powerful, low-energy computing capabilities. Read in full: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/engineering-magnetic-states-future-devices

Meet Helene Lösl, a Grad Student in Atomic & Laser Physics - From researching quantum simulation to discussing international collaborations with German President Steinmeier, she is charting new physics.
Read the whole article, link in bio, or https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/meethelene-losl

Background image credit: Mike Ross for scientificamerican.com/June 2023. Portrait: University of Oxford

'Foam properties under extreme pressures for fusion energy studies'
Join Prof Norreys’ Holweck Prize lecture on fusion energy. Jan 28, 2:30pm, Martin Wood. No registration needed. Reception follows. Details and abstract, https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/special-lecture-2025-holweck-prize-winner

By National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) / Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - PIA17202 from the NASA/JPL Photojournal, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44644158

Could life exist on Saturn’s moon Enceladus? Oxford’s Dr. Carly Howett explores this icy world's potential in our latest podcast. Listen: https://www.oxfordsparks.ox.ac.uk/podcasts/could-stuff-be-living-on-saturns-moon/

Throwback to a snowy day in early January! ❄️

#OxfordUniversity #Snow #Winter2026 #physics

A striking and previously unknown bar-shaped cloud of ionised iron has been discovered at the heart of the iconic Ring Nebula by the Oxford-led WEAVE instrument.
More: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/mysterious-iron-bar-revealed-inside-iconic-ring-nebula 
Image credit: Roger Wesson, Cardiff/UCL

Professor Andrew Bunker won the RAS Herschel Medal for his outstanding work on galaxy evolution using the James Webb Space Telescope @royalastrosoc.bsky.social
Read the article in full: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/professor-bunker-awarded-herschel-medal

📆 Reminder: Particle Physics New Year Lecture 'New Year, New Horizons: Advancing the Axion Dark-Matter Frontier' by guest speaker Professor Lindley Winslow (MIT). In person and online, everyone is welcome.
Read more and register: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/particle-physics-new-year-lecture

Oxford physicists found iron-rich asteroids are stronger than expected, tolerating massive energy without breaking. This discovery significantly impacts future planetary defense.
Read article in full: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/asteroid-impact-simulation-reveals-hidden-strength-space-rocks

Professor Suzanne Aigrain received the RAS George Darwin Lectureship for her work detecting exoplanets and modeling stellar variability to find Earth-like worlds.
Read article in full https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/professor-aigrain-awarded-ras-lectureship

📆Reminder: Masters in Quantum Technologies: Online Information Session (for applicants), this Thu 15 Jan at 10am GMT. More info and registration https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/masters-quantum-technologies-online-information-session-applicants

Dr. Bartlett received the RAS Early Career Award for using symbolic regression and machine learning to transform cosmological data into equations.
Read more: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/dr-bartlett-recognised-ras

Credit: thamerpic, Getty Images

Efficiency gains could halve aviation emissions. By optimizing current fleets and seating, global aviation emissions can drop by 50-75% immediately.
Read article in full: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/efficiency-gains-could-halve-global-aviation-emissions

Oxford’s Spintronics Workshop brings experts together to explore next-generation tech. Join us this July to collaborate on cutting-edge magnetic research. More info: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/oxford-spintronics-and-magnetism-workshop