Cavendish Laboratory
@cambridgephysics.bsky.social
Official account of the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. Pioneering physics since 1874.
Pinned
A proud moment🎉 Cavendish alumnus Prof John Clarke awarded the #NobelPrize2025, with Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis. They opened the door to quantum technologies based on superconducting qubits, putting quantum phenomena to work in real devices. buff.ly/lnm99ls
We will be taking a social media break over the festive period and will return in January. In the meantime, on behalf of everyone at the Cavendish, have a safe and peaceful festive season and a Happy New Year!
Image: Ray Dolby Centre ©Paul Raftery
Image: Ray Dolby Centre ©Paul Raftery
December 24, 2025 at 2:36 PM
We will be taking a social media break over the festive period and will return in January. In the meantime, on behalf of everyone at the Cavendish, have a safe and peaceful festive season and a Happy New Year!
Image: Ray Dolby Centre ©Paul Raftery
Image: Ray Dolby Centre ©Paul Raftery
Our research is featured among the top 3 physics discoveries of 2025 by Quanta Magazine. Using the JWST, scientists identified a huge black hole weighing 50 million Suns, challenging long-held ideas about how black holes and galaxies form.
arxiv.org/abs/2508.21748
arxiv.org/abs/2508.21748
December 22, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Our research is featured among the top 3 physics discoveries of 2025 by Quanta Magazine. Using the JWST, scientists identified a huge black hole weighing 50 million Suns, challenging long-held ideas about how black holes and galaxies form.
arxiv.org/abs/2508.21748
arxiv.org/abs/2508.21748
Cavendish Laboratory undergraduates win UKPT 2025 and will represent the UK at the International Physicists’ Tournament 2026, taking place in May at Oklahoma State University. Link for the complete story: buff.ly/OMiRrVb
December 22, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Cavendish Laboratory undergraduates win UKPT 2025 and will represent the UK at the International Physicists’ Tournament 2026, taking place in May at Oklahoma State University. Link for the complete story: buff.ly/OMiRrVb
Passionate about experimental physics? Love hands-on problem-solving and building skills in the lab? Applications are now open for the Experimental Physics Summer School for Undergraduates: 6 July – 1 Aug 2026.
Deadlines: Early-bird 7 Jan | Final 15 Feb 2026
Find out more & apply: buff.ly/ZDIF7Eg
Deadlines: Early-bird 7 Jan | Final 15 Feb 2026
Find out more & apply: buff.ly/ZDIF7Eg
December 19, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Passionate about experimental physics? Love hands-on problem-solving and building skills in the lab? Applications are now open for the Experimental Physics Summer School for Undergraduates: 6 July – 1 Aug 2026.
Deadlines: Early-bird 7 Jan | Final 15 Feb 2026
Find out more & apply: buff.ly/ZDIF7Eg
Deadlines: Early-bird 7 Jan | Final 15 Feb 2026
Find out more & apply: buff.ly/ZDIF7Eg
If you have a moment to slow down over the festive break, why not catch up on the latest Cambridge Physics Centre (CPC) Sixth Form Lecture recordings on our YouTube channel 🎄
▶️ Recordings of this year’s and past lectures are available here: buff.ly/3ACksDm
▶️ Recordings of this year’s and past lectures are available here: buff.ly/3ACksDm
December 18, 2025 at 9:12 PM
If you have a moment to slow down over the festive break, why not catch up on the latest Cambridge Physics Centre (CPC) Sixth Form Lecture recordings on our YouTube channel 🎄
▶️ Recordings of this year’s and past lectures are available here: buff.ly/3ACksDm
▶️ Recordings of this year’s and past lectures are available here: buff.ly/3ACksDm
Verity Allan is our #PeopleDoingPhysics guest this month. From studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic to working on the world’s largest radio telescope, her story proves that multiple interests and an open mind can lead to amazing opportunities.
🔊https://buff.ly/lapXhgm
🔊https://buff.ly/lapXhgm
December 16, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Verity Allan is our #PeopleDoingPhysics guest this month. From studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic to working on the world’s largest radio telescope, her story proves that multiple interests and an open mind can lead to amazing opportunities.
🔊https://buff.ly/lapXhgm
🔊https://buff.ly/lapXhgm
MOONS, the UK’s most advanced astronomy instrument, is on its way to Chile, and researchers from the University of Cambridge played a leading role in making it happen.
Read the full story: buff.ly/8JUSqmu
#MOONS
Read the full story: buff.ly/8JUSqmu
#MOONS
December 11, 2025 at 8:20 PM
MOONS, the UK’s most advanced astronomy instrument, is on its way to Chile, and researchers from the University of Cambridge played a leading role in making it happen.
Read the full story: buff.ly/8JUSqmu
#MOONS
Read the full story: buff.ly/8JUSqmu
#MOONS
🚀 Cavendish IV: A Space Odyssey by René Tronsgaard
The image depicts The Orbital Frontier - a modular, self-sustaining space station imagined as the future home of the Cavendish Laboratory 150 years from now. Commended entry in the Cavendish Photography Competion 2025 under the AI Category 👨🚀
The image depicts The Orbital Frontier - a modular, self-sustaining space station imagined as the future home of the Cavendish Laboratory 150 years from now. Commended entry in the Cavendish Photography Competion 2025 under the AI Category 👨🚀
December 9, 2025 at 5:19 PM
🚀 Cavendish IV: A Space Odyssey by René Tronsgaard
The image depicts The Orbital Frontier - a modular, self-sustaining space station imagined as the future home of the Cavendish Laboratory 150 years from now. Commended entry in the Cavendish Photography Competion 2025 under the AI Category 👨🚀
The image depicts The Orbital Frontier - a modular, self-sustaining space station imagined as the future home of the Cavendish Laboratory 150 years from now. Commended entry in the Cavendish Photography Competion 2025 under the AI Category 👨🚀
Scientists working on the @microboone experiment have found no evidence for a 4th type of neutrino. Though the new result rules out one explanation for anomalies seen in previous experiments, the mystery still remains. See Cambridge physicists' next steps: www.phy.cam.ac.uk/news/uk-scie...
December 5, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Scientists working on the @microboone experiment have found no evidence for a 4th type of neutrino. Though the new result rules out one explanation for anomalies seen in previous experiments, the mystery still remains. See Cambridge physicists' next steps: www.phy.cam.ac.uk/news/uk-scie...
Fantastic to hear that our new Cavendish Professor, Nicola Marzari, is a @foresightinst 2025 Feynman Prizes winner (Theory) for developing the theoretical and computational infrastructure that underpins modern atomically precise materials discovery.
Many congratulations to him!
Many congratulations to him!
December 4, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Fantastic to hear that our new Cavendish Professor, Nicola Marzari, is a @foresightinst 2025 Feynman Prizes winner (Theory) for developing the theoretical and computational infrastructure that underpins modern atomically precise materials discovery.
Many congratulations to him!
Many congratulations to him!
✨ The next event in the Cambridge Physics Centre Sixth Form Lecture Series is on 4 December, 6pm. Free and open to all.
Matt Kenzie will explore newly discovered particles made of 4 and 5 quarks, and what they reveal about why our universe contains more matter than anti-matter.
👉 buff.ly/QqAZ20S
Matt Kenzie will explore newly discovered particles made of 4 and 5 quarks, and what they reveal about why our universe contains more matter than anti-matter.
👉 buff.ly/QqAZ20S
December 3, 2025 at 5:19 PM
✨ The next event in the Cambridge Physics Centre Sixth Form Lecture Series is on 4 December, 6pm. Free and open to all.
Matt Kenzie will explore newly discovered particles made of 4 and 5 quarks, and what they reveal about why our universe contains more matter than anti-matter.
👉 buff.ly/QqAZ20S
Matt Kenzie will explore newly discovered particles made of 4 and 5 quarks, and what they reveal about why our universe contains more matter than anti-matter.
👉 buff.ly/QqAZ20S
It was 30 years ago that the first Bose–Einstein condensation were created in alkali atoms, marking the beginning of an exciting and still-growing field.
Cavendish researchers Zoran Hadzibabic and Ulrich Schneider congratulate and celebrate in @nature.com 👉 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Cavendish researchers Zoran Hadzibabic and Ulrich Schneider congratulate and celebrate in @nature.com 👉 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
December 2, 2025 at 11:30 AM
It was 30 years ago that the first Bose–Einstein condensation were created in alkali atoms, marking the beginning of an exciting and still-growing field.
Cavendish researchers Zoran Hadzibabic and Ulrich Schneider congratulate and celebrate in @nature.com 👉 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Cavendish researchers Zoran Hadzibabic and Ulrich Schneider congratulate and celebrate in @nature.com 👉 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Cavendish Laboratory
Royce Undergraduate Internship Scheme 2026 is now open for project proposals from UK HEIs.
⚠️ Deadline: 19 January 2026 at 09:00.
Apply here: lnkd.in/gH_mP8Yx
#RoyceCambridge #RoyceInternships #MaterialsScience #UndergraduateInternship #MaterialsResearch #UKResearch
⚠️ Deadline: 19 January 2026 at 09:00.
Apply here: lnkd.in/gH_mP8Yx
#RoyceCambridge #RoyceInternships #MaterialsScience #UndergraduateInternship #MaterialsResearch #UKResearch
November 26, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Royce Undergraduate Internship Scheme 2026 is now open for project proposals from UK HEIs.
⚠️ Deadline: 19 January 2026 at 09:00.
Apply here: lnkd.in/gH_mP8Yx
#RoyceCambridge #RoyceInternships #MaterialsScience #UndergraduateInternship #MaterialsResearch #UKResearch
⚠️ Deadline: 19 January 2026 at 09:00.
Apply here: lnkd.in/gH_mP8Yx
#RoyceCambridge #RoyceInternships #MaterialsScience #UndergraduateInternship #MaterialsResearch #UKResearch
Reposted by Cavendish Laboratory
Cambridge physicists have created a fine-tuned 'energy sandwich' that could transform how solar cells, LEDs and lasers are made, and make them cheaper and more efficient 🔋
New #research from @ceb.cam.ac.uk and @cambridgephysics.bsky.social 👇
https://bit.ly/3XyHB0g 🧪
New #research from @ceb.cam.ac.uk and @cambridgephysics.bsky.social 👇
https://bit.ly/3XyHB0g 🧪
‘Beautiful energy sandwich’ could power next-generation solar and lighting
Researchers have achieved a new level of control over the atomic structure of a family of materials known as halide perovskites, creating a finely tuned
bit.ly
November 17, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Cambridge physicists have created a fine-tuned 'energy sandwich' that could transform how solar cells, LEDs and lasers are made, and make them cheaper and more efficient 🔋
New #research from @ceb.cam.ac.uk and @cambridgephysics.bsky.social 👇
https://bit.ly/3XyHB0g 🧪
New #research from @ceb.cam.ac.uk and @cambridgephysics.bsky.social 👇
https://bit.ly/3XyHB0g 🧪
🚀✨ Dr Vijay Mahatma has been awarded a major VLA observing project, building on Cambridge’s radio astronomy legacy to study 73 of the brightest radio galaxies in unprecedented detail.
November 28, 2025 at 7:14 PM
🚀✨ Dr Vijay Mahatma has been awarded a major VLA observing project, building on Cambridge’s radio astronomy legacy to study 73 of the brightest radio galaxies in unprecedented detail.
Rainbows from Order Hidden in Disorder🌈
A pink polymer film bursts into rainbows under polarised light, showing hidden molecular order. Beyond beauty, these aligned polymer chains are also highly functional.
📸@JunchengFan99 - Cavendish Photography Competition Commended Entry
A pink polymer film bursts into rainbows under polarised light, showing hidden molecular order. Beyond beauty, these aligned polymer chains are also highly functional.
📸@JunchengFan99 - Cavendish Photography Competition Commended Entry
November 26, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Rainbows from Order Hidden in Disorder🌈
A pink polymer film bursts into rainbows under polarised light, showing hidden molecular order. Beyond beauty, these aligned polymer chains are also highly functional.
📸@JunchengFan99 - Cavendish Photography Competition Commended Entry
A pink polymer film bursts into rainbows under polarised light, showing hidden molecular order. Beyond beauty, these aligned polymer chains are also highly functional.
📸@JunchengFan99 - Cavendish Photography Competition Commended Entry
🌈Happy LGBTQ+ in STEM Day!
Today we celebrated with the amazing Cambridge University Women in Physics🎉
They had a table in the Ray Dolby Centre filled with snacks, stickers, and goodies to spread the love and pride. The celebration will end with a screening of SALLY at Sidney Sussex JCR , 7.30pm.
Today we celebrated with the amazing Cambridge University Women in Physics🎉
They had a table in the Ray Dolby Centre filled with snacks, stickers, and goodies to spread the love and pride. The celebration will end with a screening of SALLY at Sidney Sussex JCR , 7.30pm.
November 18, 2025 at 5:19 PM
🌈Happy LGBTQ+ in STEM Day!
Today we celebrated with the amazing Cambridge University Women in Physics🎉
They had a table in the Ray Dolby Centre filled with snacks, stickers, and goodies to spread the love and pride. The celebration will end with a screening of SALLY at Sidney Sussex JCR , 7.30pm.
Today we celebrated with the amazing Cambridge University Women in Physics🎉
They had a table in the Ray Dolby Centre filled with snacks, stickers, and goodies to spread the love and pride. The celebration will end with a screening of SALLY at Sidney Sussex JCR , 7.30pm.
Scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory have identified a fundamental speed limit for how coherence spreads as a Bose–Einstein condensate forms - offering new insight into how long-range order emerges in quantum matter.✨
buff.ly/BAtcdnx
#QuantumPhysics #UltracoldAtoms
buff.ly/BAtcdnx
#QuantumPhysics #UltracoldAtoms
November 17, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory have identified a fundamental speed limit for how coherence spreads as a Bose–Einstein condensate forms - offering new insight into how long-range order emerges in quantum matter.✨
buff.ly/BAtcdnx
#QuantumPhysics #UltracoldAtoms
buff.ly/BAtcdnx
#QuantumPhysics #UltracoldAtoms
Can a pinch of salt lead to better medical tests, cleaner energy, and smarter sensors?
Researchers have shown that a layer of chloride ions, like those in table salt, can fundamentally alter the behaviour of gold nanoparticles.
🧂 buff.ly/qagjDoE
Researchers have shown that a layer of chloride ions, like those in table salt, can fundamentally alter the behaviour of gold nanoparticles.
🧂 buff.ly/qagjDoE
November 14, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Can a pinch of salt lead to better medical tests, cleaner energy, and smarter sensors?
Researchers have shown that a layer of chloride ions, like those in table salt, can fundamentally alter the behaviour of gold nanoparticles.
🧂 buff.ly/qagjDoE
Researchers have shown that a layer of chloride ions, like those in table salt, can fundamentally alter the behaviour of gold nanoparticles.
🧂 buff.ly/qagjDoE
This week we are welcoming Year 9 students for the #CambridgePhysicsExperience – Girls into Physics Day 💫
During the day, students explore what it’s like to study at Cambridge - including a college tour, hands-on physics activities, and inspiring research talks.
During the day, students explore what it’s like to study at Cambridge - including a college tour, hands-on physics activities, and inspiring research talks.
November 12, 2025 at 5:19 PM
This week we are welcoming Year 9 students for the #CambridgePhysicsExperience – Girls into Physics Day 💫
During the day, students explore what it’s like to study at Cambridge - including a college tour, hands-on physics activities, and inspiring research talks.
During the day, students explore what it’s like to study at Cambridge - including a college tour, hands-on physics activities, and inspiring research talks.
Bounce or stick? Microdroplet Impact Dynamics by Jamie McLauchlan captures droplets thinner than a hair hitting a surface at 20 km/h! At gentle speeds they cling, at higher speeds they bounce, all in less than a 1000th of a second.
This image was commended in this year's Cavendish Photo Competion.
This image was commended in this year's Cavendish Photo Competion.
November 11, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Bounce or stick? Microdroplet Impact Dynamics by Jamie McLauchlan captures droplets thinner than a hair hitting a surface at 20 km/h! At gentle speeds they cling, at higher speeds they bounce, all in less than a 1000th of a second.
This image was commended in this year's Cavendish Photo Competion.
This image was commended in this year's Cavendish Photo Competion.
Congratulations to Jeremy Baumberg for securing a prestigious @erc.europa.eu Synergy Grant for his nanomachinery project using light to manipulate DNA nanostructures: buff.ly/oWeItAF 👏
In true NanoPhotonics Group style, Jeremy and his team celebrated with a themed-cake 🍰
In true NanoPhotonics Group style, Jeremy and his team celebrated with a themed-cake 🍰
November 7, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Congratulations to Jeremy Baumberg for securing a prestigious @erc.europa.eu Synergy Grant for his nanomachinery project using light to manipulate DNA nanostructures: buff.ly/oWeItAF 👏
In true NanoPhotonics Group style, Jeremy and his team celebrated with a themed-cake 🍰
In true NanoPhotonics Group style, Jeremy and his team celebrated with a themed-cake 🍰
Many congratulations to Cavendish Professor Nicola Marzari, 2026 APS David Adler Lectureship Award winner for his "new theory and method developments that have advanced the predictive power of first-principles calculations".🏆
November 6, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Many congratulations to Cavendish Professor Nicola Marzari, 2026 APS David Adler Lectureship Award winner for his "new theory and method developments that have advanced the predictive power of first-principles calculations".🏆
The Hidden Heart of #HARPS3 by Samantha Thompson has won First Prize in the 2025 Cavendish Photography Competition.
✨ HARPS3 is on its way from the Cavendish to the Isaac Newton Telescope, launching a new era in #exoplanet discovery.
Find out more: buff.ly/mrk4UHH @terrahunting.bsky.social
✨ HARPS3 is on its way from the Cavendish to the Isaac Newton Telescope, launching a new era in #exoplanet discovery.
Find out more: buff.ly/mrk4UHH @terrahunting.bsky.social
November 4, 2025 at 5:19 PM
The Hidden Heart of #HARPS3 by Samantha Thompson has won First Prize in the 2025 Cavendish Photography Competition.
✨ HARPS3 is on its way from the Cavendish to the Isaac Newton Telescope, launching a new era in #exoplanet discovery.
Find out more: buff.ly/mrk4UHH @terrahunting.bsky.social
✨ HARPS3 is on its way from the Cavendish to the Isaac Newton Telescope, launching a new era in #exoplanet discovery.
Find out more: buff.ly/mrk4UHH @terrahunting.bsky.social
✨ "Wrinkles" by Elliot Goldberg has won the Head of Department Prize in the 2025 Cavendish Photography Competition.
💚This microscope image of a polydimethylsiloxane film was inspired by this year's theme "Next 150 Years of Physics at the Cavendish".
🔗https://buff.ly/FpxVhLF
💚This microscope image of a polydimethylsiloxane film was inspired by this year's theme "Next 150 Years of Physics at the Cavendish".
🔗https://buff.ly/FpxVhLF
October 31, 2025 at 12:13 PM
✨ "Wrinkles" by Elliot Goldberg has won the Head of Department Prize in the 2025 Cavendish Photography Competition.
💚This microscope image of a polydimethylsiloxane film was inspired by this year's theme "Next 150 Years of Physics at the Cavendish".
🔗https://buff.ly/FpxVhLF
💚This microscope image of a polydimethylsiloxane film was inspired by this year's theme "Next 150 Years of Physics at the Cavendish".
🔗https://buff.ly/FpxVhLF