Department of Physics at the University of Oxford

'Adult Supporter Event 2026'
The event is online, from 7pm to 8:30pm GMT. Register here: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/adult-supporter-event-2026

'Problem Solving in Physics - how to extend your able students' An event for teachers. 
Boost your physics teaching with expert-led problem-solving workshops and Olympiad resources. Join Oxford and BPhO for this free training event.ties.
Link in bio.

Is the Universe's expansion defying our models? Join Oxford experts to discuss dark energy, ΛCDM inconsistencies, and cosmology's evolving future at this alumni event. More info:
https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/afternoon-astrophysics

PLANCKS prelims 2026 success for Oxford team A team from Oxford’s Department of Physics, TeamName, came out on top at this year’s UK and Ireland Preliminaries of the international theoretical physics competition, PLANCKS.

Oxford’s TeamName - Yixun Liu, Chunyi Deng, Hongyi Xiong, and Jingxiang Yang—won the PLANCKS prelims, heading to the Eindhoven finals this May! Read the article in full via link in bio or visit

Today - Oxford’s Space & Astronomy and Physics Societies host Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell for International Women’s Day. Join the event! More info https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/her-place-cosmos-dame-jocelyn-bell-burnell

This artist’s illustration shows the alert stream from the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The summit facility rests on a rocky ridge under a glittering Milky Way. The sky is filled with multiple alert “pings,” representing Rubin’s detections of objects changing in brightness or position. Unique icons signify various types of alerts, including asteroids, supernovae, active galactic nuclei, and variable stars. Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/P. Marenfeld/J. Pinto

The UK-developed Lasair software is now processing millions of live alerts from the Rubin Observatory, uncovering exploding stars and black holes. Read more via link in bio or https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/uk-scientists-open-real-time-window-universe

Sunset silhouette of radio telescopes; lecture "Astronomy development in Africa" by Prof James Chibueze. Photo credit: SKAO/Max Alexander

'Astronomy development in Africa: progresses, failures and lessons' by Professor James Chibueze. Public talk, everyone is welcome. Fri 6 March, 4pm, Martin Wood Complex (Department of Physics)

How to Image a Black Hole title over a starry background, black-hole icon, and a portrait of Professor Heino Falcke.

'How to image a black hole' public lecture by Prof Heino Falcke (Radboud University Nijmegen), on 26 March, 6pm, Martin Wood Complex (Department of Physics, Oxford). Everyone is welcome to this free event.
More information via link in bio, or https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/how-image-black-hole

This week: Bletchley Park Week at Kellogg's College (University of Oxford).
Lots of talks and activities, see full details https://www.kellogg.ox.ac.uk/bletchleyparkweek-at-kellogg/

What are plasmas? ⚡ Dr Pablo Bilbao @pablojbilbao.com  explains during a talk at a Saturday Morning of Theoretical Physics event.
Watch the full lecture, 'Extreme Plasma Physics: radiation and collective dynamics', visit our YouTube channel https://youtu.be/Rs6VhI5uzec or link in bio.

Schematic illustration of conformal, oriented perovskite crystal structure deposited via co-evaporation on a micron-textured industrial standard Si wafer.

Oxford and HKUST researchers have developed solvent-free, high-performance perovskite solar cells, moving this low-cost renewable technology closer to mass industrial production.
Read in full: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/efficient-and-stable-perovskite-solar-cells-made-without-solvents

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