John Dudley
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johnmdudley.bsky.social
John Dudley
@johnmdudley.bsky.social
Physicist in France originally from New Zealand. Research in nonlinearity, optics, extremes and lots else. Posts on academia, science & history, outreach. In English et en français @johnmdudley on Twitter Web: http://members.femto-st.fr/john-dudley
Reposted by John Dudley
We here in Madison do not do a good job celebrating this, but we should:
November 7, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by John Dudley
Today is Lise Meitner's birthday, as well as Marie Curie. I wrote this blogpost about Meitner and her life a while back. Let's celebrate the woman who 'never lost her humanity'. occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...
Zombies and Narratives | Athene Donald's Blog
occamstypewriter.org
November 7, 2025 at 10:53 AM
John Bell released Bell's theorem on 4 November 1964. home.cern/news/news/ph... In 1972, Bernard d'Espagnat was the first to nominate him for the Nobel Prize. As the Nobel archives progressively come on line, we will surely see that he was nominated very many times afterwards as well ...
Nomination%20Archive
mycontent
www.nobelprize.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Great news for Michael Berry who has received the Isaac Newton medal of the IOP. What I absolutely love about his work is that it cuts across so many different areas of physics - from the foundations of quantum physics to understanding the rainbow. physicsworld.com/a/theoretica...
Theoretical physicist Michael Berry wins 2025 Isaac Newton Medal and Prize – Physics World
Berry recognized for his contributions in mathematics and theoretical physics over a 60-year career
physicsworld.com
October 15, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Those outside the field really don't pay enough attention to what goes on in condensed matter. Indeed, even the excellent DPG Quantum History Wall didn't include yesterday's Nobel Prize winning work on tunnelling in its list of quantum milestones of the 1980s! www.quantum-history.de
October 8, 2025 at 9:24 AM
If you love supercontinuum (and who doesn't!) check out our forward-looking Perspective in EPL which is free to read. Thanks @jctravs.bsky.social Thibaut Sylvestre, Alex Heidt, Roy Taylor, Goery Genty iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
September 9, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Reposting to @tsizer.bsky.social via JL Beylat. What about a tribute at the 100 year session at ECOC ?
Very sad to hear that the great soliton pioneer Akira Hasegawa has died on June 22. His work truly was revolutionary in so many ways and impacted so many different fields. An obituary from Columbia is below. www.apam.columbia.edu/memoriam-pro...
In Memoriam: Prof. Akira Hasegawa (1934-2025)
Dr. Akira Hasegawa, former adjunct professor at Columbia’s Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, has passed away.
www.apam.columbia.edu
August 9, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Very sad to hear that the great soliton pioneer Akira Hasegawa has died on June 22. His work truly was revolutionary in so many ways and impacted so many different fields. An obituary from Columbia is below. www.apam.columbia.edu/memoriam-pro...
In Memoriam: Prof. Akira Hasegawa (1934-2025)
Dr. Akira Hasegawa, former adjunct professor at Columbia’s Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, has passed away.
www.apam.columbia.edu
August 8, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Anyone with a library endowment fund who doesn't know what to do with it? First edition of Opticks for sale!
August 5, 2025 at 3:32 PM
I just had some fun verifing the 1/r potential drop from a plasma ball. The idea is from @simonpoliakoff.bsky.social
and his video is here: youtube.com/watch?v=crW7... To get close to the ball (5 mm) I used a 10kOhm feedthrough terminator which yields around 25 V peak-peak !
July 28, 2025 at 5:03 PM
RIP the great Tom Lehrer ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcS3...
Tom Lehrer - The Elements - LIVE FILM From Copenhagen in 1967
YouTube video by The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel
www.youtube.com
July 27, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by John Dudley
RIP Tom Lehrer
July 27, 2025 at 5:10 PM
No comment needed really ...
July 1, 2025 at 4:57 PM
This is incredible from Les Wright ! It has everything: lasers, home grown nonlinear optics crystals, and a home made Arduino-driven diamond saw. If you're planning to colonize Mars to avoid an apocalypse, include Les in your passenger list! youtu.be/RxjqMh3gkx8?...
A DIY Pockels cell!
YouTube video by Les' Lab
youtu.be
June 26, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Impact factors certainly do not tell the whole story, but in what is more or less an annual tradition, I have compiled a list for some physics/optics journals. Note that there are truly excellent articles in all of these journals and different journals play very different roles in the community.
June 21, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Reposted by John Dudley
Planning to apply for #research #funding from the ERC?

From the next application rounds, expect changes to the:

• proposal structure
• evaluation process
• extra funding you can request
• eligibility for Starting & Consolidator #Grants (from 2027)

More 👇 europa.eu/!RPHWvv
Changes to the 2026 and 2027 Work Programmes
With the launch of the competitions for grants under ERC Work Programme 2026 in July of this year, several changes to the submission of applications and the evaluation of proposals will apply. The mai...
europa.eu
June 2, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by John Dudley
Big changes to the ERC funding schemes!
Note the new eligibility criteria from 2027 on:
📌 Starting Grant: 0-10 y post-PhD
📌 Consolidator Grant: 5-15 y post-PhD
erc.europa.eu/news-events/...
Changes to the 2026 and 2027 Work Programmes
With the launch of the competitions for grants under ERC Work Programme 2026 in July of this year, several changes to the submission of applications and the evaluation of proposals will apply. The mai...
erc.europa.eu
June 6, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Just learned that the Wii remote triangulates position via IR sources in the bar you place on the TV. Most phone cameras allow you to see the emitters (top) but in fact you don't need them. You can replace the bar by two candles and it works just fine! Am sure most people knew this already ...
June 16, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by John Dudley
Il n'y a pas "trop" de deux musées scientifiques à Paris! (surtout comparé au nombre de musées d'art 😅)

Et surtout quand ceux ci apportent des choses différentes (tellement de souvenirs! ⚡👩‍🦱).
NE LAISSONS PAS LE PALAIS DISPARAITRE! signez la pétition et partagez 🙏
⬇️
www.change.org/p/sauvons-le...
June 16, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Our library holds a rare copy of the proceedings of the 1911 Solvay Conference on physics, and I enjoyed looking through it (very carefully) today. As well as the amazing discussions and pictures (these are from Perrin) it seems a previous reader had been practicing their French at the same time!
June 13, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Good morning everyone! Just the seasons doing their thing!
June 13, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Tenure-track Junior Professor Chair at Université Marie et Louis Pasteur & FEMTO-ST in micro/nanotech for healthcare. Top-tier research environment & amazing quality of life in Besançon. Details (FR/EN): www.femto-st.fr/sites/defaul...
Deadline June 16 but make informal contact first!
www.femto-st.fr
May 22, 2025 at 5:16 AM
Lighting up a handheld He-Ne tube in the field of a plasma globe #pintofscience Thanks to Andrei Ermolaev for the photo!
May 20, 2025 at 9:01 PM
#PintofScience tonight! Slightly more of a logistical challenge than in a lecture theatre but still it all works out!
May 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by John Dudley
Today is the International Day of Light and the International Day of Peace! At DarkSky, we believe that thoughtful lighting can lead to a better and more peaceful tomorrow for all.

📷 By Clearsky Astrofoto / Jakob Arthur Andersen in Anholt, Denmark—An International Dark Sky Park.
May 16, 2025 at 2:20 PM