Newton Prize goes to Alan Guth - Institute of Physics

The newspaper of the physics community July 2009
Newton Prize goes to Alan Guth
Chris White reports on the Institute’s award given to a world-renowned cosmologist.
The Institute has awarded this year’s
Newton Medal and Prize to renowned
particle physicist and cosmologist
Prof. Alan Guth.
Guth, who is currently the Victor
Weisskopf Professor of Physics at the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), developed the idea
of cosmic inflation – that the very
early universe went through a period
of exponential expansion.
This is the second year that the
Institute has presented the Newton
Medal, which is given for “outstanding
contributions to physics” and is the
only Institute medal open to an international
field. Its first winner was quantum
physicist Prof. Anton Zeilinger.
Guth said: “I am extremely honoured
and delighted by this award. I
regard the Institute of Physics as one
of the most prestigious physics organisations
in the world, which is one of
the reasons that I feel so good about
being chosen for this honour. I am
also proud to follow in the footsteps
of Anton Zeilinger, whose work has
led to dramatic improvements in our
ability to see the effects of quantum
theory on a macroscopic scale.”
According to his citation, Guth
receives the award “for his invention
of the inflationary universe model, his
recognition that inflation would solve
major problems confronting thenstandard
cosmology, and his calculation,
with others, of the spectrum of
density fluctuations that gave rise to
structure in the universe.”
It adds: “Through his invention of
the inflationary universe model, Alan
Guth has changed the way that cosmologists
view the universe. Before
Guth’s work, these issues in cosmology
were generally regarded as metaphysical
questions. His theory neatly
solved them and it now underlies the
standard model of cosmology.”
He had begun working on the idea
that became cosmic inflation in the
late 1970s after realising that standard
cosmology, when combined with
standard grand unified theories of
particle physics, would result in an
enormous number of magnetic
monopoles (hypothetical particles
with only one magnetic pole) in the
early universe. This would not only
drastically alter the universe’s evolution,
but also raises the question of
why we don’t observe any magnetic
monopoles in the current universe.
Inflation resolves this by generating a
universe so large that the density of
monopoles is very low, so we could
expect to see perhaps only one in the
entire observable universe.
Donna Coveney/MIT
“The most
crucial factor in
my work on
inflation was
luck.”
He later realised that it also offers
a solution to two other problems
with the standard Big Bang model.
One of these, the “horizon problem”,
concerns why the universe
should be so homogenous – for
example the temperature of cosmic
microwave background (CMB)
being the same in every part of the
sky – despite it not being possible
for information to have been
exchanged between remote parts of
space during the lifetime of the universe.
The other, known as the “flatness
problem”, centres on why the
observed energy density of the universe
should be so close to the value
at which space on a cosmological
scale is perfectly flat. If the initial
density had been even very slightly
larger or smaller then no galaxies
could have formed, as the universe
would either have expanded too
quickly or recollapsed too quickly
for this to occur. This apparent finetuning
required an explanation.
The period of exponential expansion
postulated by Guth solves the latter
problem, as it rapidly drives the
universe to the critical expansion rate,
and solves the former problem by
introducing a period when the universe
was causally connected, and
during which properties such as the
CMB temperature evened out, before
inflation occurred.
Guth told Interactions: “The most crucial
factor in my work on inflation was
luck. Inflation is not really very subtle,
but the understanding of how the
model can solve important cosmological
problems depended on putting
together several ideas, all of which fell
into my lap more or less by accident.”
The inflationary model explains the
large-scale structure of the present
universe as arising from quantummechanical
fluctuations during inflation.
Observations of the CMB by the
Cosmic Background Explorer and
Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy
Probe (WMAP) satellites are consistent
with the predictions of the theory.
The results from WMAP also confirmed
that the universe is flat to an
accuracy of a few percent. The CMB
measurements will be repeated with
greater precision by the Planck satellite,
which launched in May.
Guth has been invited to give the
Newton Lecture at the Institute’s
London premises in October, and
plans to talk about current work taking
place in cosmology. His latest
work involves the consequences of
eternal inflation – the idea that once
inflation begins it never ends.
He said: “It is astounding how much
we have learned, and also how much
we have yet to learn. I find it amazing
that we can successfully calculate the
spectrum of perturbations of the
CMB radiation, attributing these
anisotropies to quantum fluctuations
that we believe originated at less than
a trillionth of a trillionth of a second
after time zero.”
Guth studied as an undergraduate
at MIT, where he also gained a master’s
degree and then, in 1972, a PhD.
He later held postdoctoral positions at
Princeton University, Columbia
University, Cornell University and the
Stanford Linear Accelerator before
returning to MIT as an associate professor
in 1980. He has previously
received the Franklin Institute’s
Franklin Medal for Physics, the Dirac
Prize awarded by the International
Center for Theoretical Physics, the
Royal Astronomical Society’s
Eddington Medal and the Cosmology
Prize of the Peter Gruber Foundation.
● The Institute’s awards will be formally
presented at the annual awards
dinner in October. Details of the other
award winners can be found on
pp2–3 of this issue of Interactions.
CONTENTS
2 News
Institute announces award
winners ● Government
reshuffle sees demise of DIUS
● Physicists recognised in
birthday honours ● Science’s
role in development debated
5 People
Vicki Hodges describes her
life in the satellite industry
6 Letters
“Controversial” film provides
educational opportunity
7 Event horizon
What’s on in physics
8 Antimatters
The impossible made credible
“A teacher gave me a
leaflet that said:
‘Rocket Scientist
Wanted’.”
Vicki Hodges, p5
“A wonderful
example of a unique,
unnerving but
genuinely optimistic
vision of the future.”
Beth Taylor, p8
LEARN ABOUT
OUR ONLINE
COURSES:
cpd@iop.org
Interactions July 2009

2 news
AWARDS
The following awards have been announced by the Institute:
Business and Innovation Medal
Prof. Sir Richard Friend (top) of the University of
Cambridge and Cambridge Display Technology
(CDT), and David Fyfe of CDT for guiding CDT to a
pre-eminent position in the development of lightemitting
polymers and of the technology for flatpanel
displays and lighting.
Dirac Medal
Prof. Michael Cates of the University of
Edinburgh for pioneering work in the theoretical
physics of soft materials, particularly in relation to
their flow behaviour.
Faraday Medal
Prof. Donal D C Bradley of Imperial College London
for his pioneering work in the field of “plastic
electronics”. His experimental investigations have
significantly advanced our understanding of the
physics of conjugated polymers as
semiconductors and helped to demonstrate their
widespread potential.
Institute awards are announced
A leading Malaysian physicist who is
the director of the United Nations
Office for Outer Space Affairs
(UNOOSA) is among those awarded
medals this year by the Institute.
Prof. Datuk Mazlan Othman was
awarded the President’s Medal in
recognition of her work in developing
astronomy education in Malaysia and
her leading national and international
role in space science, both through
her setting up of the Malaysian Space
Agency and in her UN role.
The recipient of the President’s
Medal is personally chosen by the
serving president of the Institute, currently
Prof. Jocelyn Bell Burnell. It will
be given at the Institute’s awards dinner
on 15 October, when the Institute’s
other medals and prizes will
also be presented.
Othman was educated in Malaysia
and studied physics at the University
of Otago, New Zealand, becoming the
first woman at the university to
receive a PhD in astrophysics. She
The President’s Medal was given
to Prof. Datuk Mazlan Othman.
returned to Malaysia as her country’s
first astrophysicist and set about
establishing university courses in
astronomy and laboratories for
undergraduate and postgraduate
training, as well as promoting the
space sciences.
Her campaigning to promote public
awareness of astronomy led to a
position with the prime minister’s
department to direct the design and
construction of the National Planetarium.
Othman also established the
nation’s Space Science Studies Division
and as director-general, initiated
the National Microsatellite Programme
which gave birth to
TiungSAT-1.
In 1999 Othman was appointed as
the director of UNOOSA and in 2002
she returned to Malaysia to set up and
lead the National Space Agency,
returning to the post of director of
UNOOSA in 2007.
● Details of the awards made this year
are shown on this page and p3. Fuller
citations for all of the awards are available
on the Institute’s website at
www.iop.org/activity/awards.
Connor Cahill
Glazebrook Medal
Prof. Sir Peter Knight of Imperial College London
for his outstanding contributions to physics in the
UK and globally through his scholarship as a
pre-eminent atomic and molecular optics
theoretician and as a charismatic and effective
leader of research and research organisations.
Chadwick Medal and Prize
Prof. Tejinder S Virdee of Imperial College
London for his crucial role in the design and
construction of the Compact Muon Solenoid
experiment, one of the main experiments that
starts operation at the Large Hadron Collider
(LHC) this year.
Joule Medal and Prize
Prof. Jenny Nelson of Imperial College London for
her penetrating theoretical analyses of a range of
photovoltaic materials and devices that have had
a profound influence on solar-cell design.
Mott Medal and Prize
Prof. Gillian Gehring of the University of Sheffield
for her seminal contributions to magnetism.
Payne-Gaposchkin Medal and Prize
Prof. Eric Priest of the University of St Andrews
for his numerous major contributions to many of
the unsolved problems in solar physics, including
magnetic reconnection, coronal heating, phasingmixing
of magnetohydrodynamic waves and solar
flares.
FameLab winner Tom Whyntie performs with Georgina Humphreys, winner of the Edinburgh regional heat.
FameLab winner is a physicist
By Heather Pinnell
A young physicist based at CERN has
won this year’s NESTA FameLab competition,
which aimed to find promising
new science communicators. Tom
Whyntie, a PhD student at Imperial
College London, took the first prize of
£10 000 after competing against nine
other regional winners in the grand
final at the Cheltenham Science Festival
in June.
All of the contenders had to impress
the judges with an entertaining but
scientifically accurate presentation
that would communicate well to a
general audience, and they had just
three minutes in which to do it.
Whyntie, a member of the Institute
who works on the Compact Muon
Solenoid experiment at CERN,
attempted to convince the audience
that the money spent on the Large
Hadron Collider would not be wasted
even if researchers did not find the
Higgs boson, as this would be a great
result, he said.
The 10 finalists were selected after
initial auditions and regional heats in
Bristol, Edinburgh, London, Manchester
and Oxford, where each had
to give a three-minute talk on a theme
that differed from the one that they
chose to talk on in Cheltenham. All 10
won the chance to attend a weekend
master class in science communication.
The Master Class prize went to
Institute member Andrew Pontzen
for showing the most generosity and
adaptability during the weekend.
The runner-up was undergraduate
chemistry student Alistair Linsell,
who won a £5000 prize. Third place
and a £750 prize went to Simon Foster,
who has a PhD in solar-terrestrial
physics and is now a science teacher in
London. Both they and Whyntie will
each have a slot in Channel 4’s Three
Minute Wonder series, with Whyntie
winning an additional slot.
Head judge Kathy Sykes said: “We
were very impressed with all of the
finalists but Tom really stood out due
to his remarkable stage presence, and
the fact that he tackled an incredibly
complex scientific process. It’s difficult
to make the null hypothesis interesting
and engaging for the general public.
However he managed to do this
successfully and to inject fabulous
humour into his talk at the same time.”
Whyntie said that being in the competition
had opened up a host of new
opportunities for him and it had been
a great pleasure to perform at Cheltenham
and to talk about a subject he
was passionate about. “Many people
are afraid to say that they don’t know.
My aim is to challenge people and help
them to find out more,” he said.
Interactions July 2009

news
3
Change comes to DIUS
Chris White reports on a departmental move for science.
By Chris White
Nine of the Institute’s members have
been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday
Honours for their contributions
to science, education and industry.
Prof. Bill Wakeham, vice-chancellor
of the University of Southampton,
received a knighthood for services to
chemical engineering and to education.
Last year Wakeham chaired the
Research Councils UK’s review of the
health of UK physics. He was
appointed as vice-chancellor at
Southampton in 2001 and also holds
a position as a visiting professor at
Imperial College London.
A CBE was awarded to Peter Saraga,
immediate past president of the Institute
and vice-president of the Royal
Academy of Engineering, for services
to science and to engineering. Saraga
was the managing director of Phillips
Research Laboratories UK until 2002.
He had previously received an OBE in
the 2003 New Year Honours.
DIUS
Lord Drayson stays as science minister, but in a new department.
The Department for Innovation Universities
and Skills has been scrapped
just two years after it was created. It
has merged with the Department for
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory
Reform to produce a new Department
for Business, Innovation and
Skills (to be known as BIS).
Responsibility for science and for
higher education will be taken over by
Lord Mandelson, who becomes Secretary
of State for the new department.
Lord Drayson retains his position
as minister for science and innovation
and David Lammy will keep his
role as minister for higher education
and intellectual property within the
new department.
Beth Taylor, the Institute’s director
of communications said: “As the
responsibility for science and its
budget moves departments, it’s crucial
that money for science remains
ring-fenced and, if it is to be returned
to the department focused on business
and enterprise, it does not result
in additional pressure on the research
councils to deliver more short-term,
mission-based research.
“Scientists need the freedom to
undertake fundamental, curiositydriven
research if they are to deliver the
significant breakthroughs needed to
face the challenges of the 21st century.”
Other ministerial appointments in
the new department include Kevin
Brennan, the MP for Cardiff West who
takes up the position of minister for
further education, skills, apprenticeships
and consumer affairs; and Lord
Carter, who becomes minister for
communications, technology and
broadcasting, having previously
served as parliamentary undersecretary
of state with the same portfolio.
The Institute has signed an open letter
to Harriet Harman, the leader of
the House of Commons, in support of
a recommendation from the current
Innovation, Universities, Science and
Skills select committee that seeks to
persuade the government to set up a
select committee specifically to cover
science, engineering and technology.
● A debate on the Institute’s statement
on the changes, quoted above by Beth
Taylor, has been started on MyIOP, the
members’ online network.
Honours awarded to physicists
Peter Saraga was awarded a CBE.
Prof. Lynn Gladden of the University
of Cambridge’s department of
chemical engineering also received a
CBE for services to science.
Prof. Helen Gleeson, head of the
school of physics and astronomy at
the University of Manchester, was
awarded an OBE for services to science.
Gleeson was appointed to her
position as head of school last year
and has previously chaired the British
Liquid Crystal Society and edited Liquid
Crystals Today.
An OBE also went to Prof. Kathy
Sykes of the University of Bristol, a
former winner of the Institute’s Kelvin
Medal, for services to science and
technology; to Kamal Hossain of the
National Physical Laboratory for services
to industry; and to Robert
William Hunt for services to science
and to young people.
MBEs went to BBC radio’s science
editor Deborah Cohen for services to
science and to broadcasting, and to
Michael De Podesta of the National
Physical Laboratory for services to science.
De Podesta’s research involves
developing a thermometer more sensitive
than any yet constructed in order
to fix the value of Boltzmann’s constant.
His course on physics for lay people
was featured in May’s Interactions.
AWARDS
Rayleigh Medal and Prize
Prof. Robin Ball of the University of Warwick for
his outstanding contributions to the
understanding of diverse complex phenomena
associated with growth processes and pattern
formation.
Tabor Medal and Prize
Prof. Richard Jones of the University of Sheffield
for his innovative work characterising polymer
surfaces and thin films; and for his more recent
work in nanoscience, developing novel polymeric
nanostructures and being involved with societal
aspects of the field.
Young Medal and Prize
Prof. Les Allen (top) of the universities of
Glasgow and Strathclyde, and Prof. Miles
Padgett of the University of Glasgow in
recognition of their pioneering work on optical
angular momentum.
Bragg Medal and Prize
Becky Parker of Simon Langton Grammar School
for Boys for her work to energise generations of
pupils to take up the study of physics; to raise
substantial sums to provide major facilities in
astronomy and other branches of physics in her
region; and for her positive influence on physics
education nationally.
Kelvin Medal and Prize
Prof. John D Barrow of the University of
Cambridge for the promotion and explanation of
physics and astronomy to young people and the
general public through many books, lectures,
broadcasts and drama.
Maxwell Medal and Prize
Dmitry Skryabin of the University of Bath for his
contributions to the theory and modelling of
nonlinear optical processes; in particular for
predictions and the understanding of the effects
that accompany the interaction of solitons with
radiation, and the generation of ultrabroad spectra
in optical fibres.
Moseley Medal and Prize
Matthew Wing of University College London for
his outstanding contributions to the experimental
programme of the Hadron Electron Ring
Accelerator at DESY, the leading experimental
facility for studying the detailed sub-structure of
the proton.
Paterson Medal and Prize
Rachel A McKendry of University College London
for her internationally recognised contributions to
the field of nanomechanics, particularly of
complex biomolecular systems.
Interactions July 2009

4 news
HIGHLIGHTS
Oceans could hold key to shifting magnetic field
A new research paper has
cast doubt on the view that
the Earth’s fluid outer core is
responsible for variations in
the Earth’s magnetic field,
and suggests that these could be due to the oceans. The paper,
“Secular variation of the Earth’s magnetic field: induced by the
ocean flow?” appears in the New Journal of Physics, published
jointly by the Institute and the German Physical Society. In the paper
Prof. Gregory Ryskin, of the School of Engineering and Applied
Science at Northwestern University in Illinois, US, applies equations
from magnetohydrodynamics to the oceans’ salt water and finds
that long-term changes in the Earth’s main magnetic field are
possibly induced by the circulation of Earth’s oceans. Tim Smith,
senior publisher of the journal, said: “This article is controversial and
will no doubt cause vigorous debate, and possibly strong
opposition, from some parts of the geomagnetism community. As
the author acknowledges, the results by no means constitute a
proof but they do suggest the need for further research.”
Physics helps to find treasure among the trees
A treasure hunt with a high-tech twist is being run jointly by the
Institute’s Physics in Society team and Oxford University’s Harcourt
Arboretum over the summer. From 22 July until early September
visitors can take part in Quest, which involves using a global
positioning system (GPS) unit to determine the location of hidden
boxes, or “geocaches” in the arboretum’s grounds. The boxes
contain activities related to physics or to trees, which the
participants can try out before moving on to the next box. There will
be two separate trails: “Express Quest” aimed at families with
children aged 7–11, and “Mystery Quest” for older children and
adults. The activities for the younger group include making a paper
helicopter and decoding a secret message using coloured paper,
while the older group could find themselves estimating the height of
a tree or measuring the ultraviolet index of the sun using colourchanging
beads. GPS units can be borrowed free of charge, but
there is an entrance fee for the arboretum itself. For more
information, visit www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk.
NASA astronaut brings inspiration to Newcastle
Former NASA astronaut Rhea Seddon visited
Newcastle last month to share her experiences
of working in space. She gave talks to two
groups of 150 students on “space as
inspiration” as part of an International Space
School Educational Trust visit to the region. The
visit was organised jointly by the Institute and Newcastle Science
City. Seddon, a medical doctor who has clocked up more than 700
hours in space over three missions, spoke at the city’s Centre for Life
about some of the practical aspects of space travel, such as
washing with baby wipes and how astronauts’ lungs get compressed
by their stomach rising in the absence of gravity. Chris Barber, the
director of the International Space School Educational Trust said:
“We wanted to bring this former astronaut to Newcastle to help
spread the NASA ‘you can do it’ spirit.”
NASA
Government expands on Institute’s pilot projects
Two of the pilot projects from the Institute’s Stimulating Physics
programme are being rolled out as part of a £20 m programme to
increase the number of science graduates by the Higher Education
Funding Council for England and the Higher Education Funding Council
for Wales. It was announced on 15 June that the physics-based
interdisciplinary degree, Integrated Sciences, and Repackaging
Physics, a project to change the way physics is marketed to school
leavers, will be included in the programme. Peter Main, the Institute’s
director of education and science, said: “I am delighted that the
National STEM Programme, along with other projects carried out by the
Institute, will help universities to broaden the appeal of physics.”
NASA
Global role of science debated
By Chris White
Efforts to help developing countries to
advance through building their science
base should include elements of pure
science as well as applied research
based on each country’s own priorities,
according to Mike Cruise, chair of
the international committee of the
Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).
At a meeting on “Capacity Building
in the Developing World”, Cruise said
that astronomy is “a very powerful
way of introducing people to the scientific
method”. He said: “When you
go and teach children that you can predict
a solar eclipse, that’s the first time
that they see a scientific prediction that
comes true, so they start to see that science
works. Then when you have an
agricultural problem they believe that
the scientific approach is the right one
– previously they didn’t.”
The meeting was organised by a
WOMEN IN PHYSICS
Briefing examines
health technology
By Heather Pinnell
The role of technology in caring for
people in their own homes was under
discussion at a seminar held at the
Institute in June. The Key Insight Business
Briefing “Connected Healthcare
– Challenges and Opportunities” was
organised by the Institute’s business
and innovation department.
The meeting was chaired by the Institute’s
immediate past-president, Peter
Saraga, who said that connected healthcare
was a hot topic that presented scientific,
technological, social and ethical
challenges impinging on public policy,
as well as business opportunities.
small group of learned societies,
including the Institute. It was held to
exchange experience of capacitybuilding
programmes for developing
countries, to examine the scale and
status of these programmes in UK
learned societies and to discuss possible
benefits of coordinated action.
Hans Hagen, the Royal Society’s senior
manager of international grants,
told the meeting that programmes
funded by the society should be
responsive to need. Its consultations
seek to identify national research priorities
such as agriculture or sanitation,
he said. Peter Willmore of the
Committee for Space Research added:
“The crucial thing is that these choices
should be made by the countries that
we’re talking about, not by us.”
Opinion was divided on the best
scale of project to attempt. Some
attendees advocated joint bids for
Chuck Parker, executive director of
the US-based Continua Alliance,
described how remote patient monitoring
could play a key role in treating
people at home and perhaps reducing
the need for them to visit a doctor’s
surgery or a hospital. It could help in
keeping people safe and well at home,
enable rapid sharing of data that might
indicate a problem and assist patients
in their own lifestyle management.
The Continua Alliance was an
alliance of 200 companies across the
world. Its partners included healthcare
providers such as the NHS, he said.
David Bott, director of innovation
programmes at the Technology Strategy
Board (TSB), said that through its
innovation platforms the TSB helped
to identify how government policy
funding by several learned societies,
while others claimed that “small is
beautiful”. David Elliot, the RAS’s
executive secretary, warned that big
programmes come at the price of ceding
control to funding organisations.
The Institute’s director of communications,
Beth Taylor, gave a talk on
its Physics for Development programme.
A large element of this has
been providing experimental equipment
to schools in countries such as
Rwanda. Taylor said: “In school, the
time when I really understood things
was when I saw the experiment working.
That was what was missing from
the schools in Rwanda.”
At the meeting, which was led by
Liz Bell of the Physiological Society,
those attending agreed that the group
should review opportunities for
increased collaboration arising from
the discussions at the event.
The prize for Very Early Career Woman Physicist of the Year was presented to Vicki Hodges of Astrium Ltd at
the Institute in May. Hodges (pictured right) received her prize of a £1000 cheque from Janine Wallace,
president of the Women’s Network at Shell. The company sponsored the award because people with skills in
science, technology and engineering are crucial to its success, she said. The runner-up in the competition,
organised by the Institute’s Women in Physics Group, was Suzanne Sheehy of the University of Oxford, and
joint third-place winners were Manda Banerji of University College London and Natalie Garrett of the
University of Exeter. All four women gave presentations on their work and received a book and a certificate.
might give rise to future market
opportunities and supported the
most innovative technologies. Its
Assisted Living Programme was an
innovation platform to support the
development of the technology
needed to enable people who suffer
from long-term conditions to live
independently.
Bott said that with an ageing population
there would be an increase in
non-communicable diseases such as
heart disease and dementia, while the
number of infectious and drugresistant
diseases worldwide was also
growing. He said that healthcare provision
in the future would have to be
different and would require collaboration
between sectors that do not traditionally
work together.
Peter Gibson
Interactions July 2009

people
5
profile: Vicki Hodges
Career takes off for satellite engineer
Heather Pinnell meets a physicist with a mission in industry.
Vicki Hodges, a satellite engineer who
has just won a prestigious award for
women in their early career, is living
proof that there is a world beyond
academia and research for physicists.
But the enthusiastic advocate for science
was nearly put off the subject for
life until an inspirational physics
teacher intervened.
Hodges won the 2009 competition
to find the Very Early Career Woman
Physicist of the Year – an award given
by the Institute’s Women in Physics
Group and sponsored by Shell (see
p4). She was honoured both for her
achievements as an attitude and orbit
control systems engineer at Astrium
Ltd and for her outreach work.
However, her career could easily
have taken a different path. As a child
she was interested in science but by
the time she came to choose GCSE
options at 14 she was set on a career in
law and decided to do double award
science rather than three separate sciences
so that she could study two languages.
She had found physics lessons
up until then uninspiring, she says. “I
didn’t lose interest completely but I
started to think in terms of the stereotypes
and believed that physics was
definitely not for girls – I thought it
was a ‘boy’ science. Our classroom
surroundings didn’t have much daylight
and we seemed to do a lot of electronics
experiments that seemed to
me then to be more of a male thing.”
Only after a rather negative experience
on a two-week work placement
in a solicitor’s office did she realise
that law was not for her. This, however,
left her despairing about finding
an alternative career. On her return to
school Hodges spoke to her new
physics teacher – who was female and
very approachable, she says. “She said:
‘have you ever thought about a career
in physics?’. I said: ‘what can you do
with it – become a physics teacher?’
and she gave me a leaflet that said:
‘Rocket Scientists Wanted’. I thought:
‘Wicked! That sounds like fun,’ and it
really spurred me on.”
In fact the leaflet was advertising
financial careers for physicists but it
had had its effect. She studied physics,
chemistry, history and archaeology
AS-levels at a sixth form community
college, which advised her that she
would not need to study maths.
“Luckily enough the college put me
forward for a summer school run by
the Sutton Trust at the University of
Nottingham. There they told me that I
really would need maths and I should
get myself on the maths course in the
autumn. The college was pretty good
about it and arranged for me to start
A2 maths classes that September.”
She attended the AS and A2 modules
for maths alongside each other,
and dropped chemistry.
Her A-level physics teacher was also
a woman. “She had done geophysics
and had been about to work in industry
before becoming a teacher instead,
so she knew about the things that you
could do with physics outside of
teaching.” There were three girls in her
class of 15–20 students.
Hodges went on to the University of
Surrey to do physics with satellite
technology. “In our intake of 60 people
doing physics courses there were
only nine women, but I don’t think
that any of us felt that there was any
discrimination. At that time there
were no female physics lecturers and I
think that the department thought
that this was a shame and possibly
made a point of trying to ensure that
the girls did not feel left out.”
When applying to university,
Hodges had decided that she wanted
to do something related to space. “I
knew that I didn’t want to be a
researcher or stay in academia, so I
was looking for something a bit different
from astrophysics. There were
about six courses then that combined
physics and space, but Surrey was definitely
my first choice. The course
sounded great because it had the word
‘technology’ in it. I knew about Surrey
Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) being
based there and also Surrey was the
friendliest place on the open day.”
SSTL has since been bought by
Astrium but was then a spin-off company
owned by the university.
“Because it was on the site there was
also a space research centre with some
staff who were into the science side
while others were into engineering or
technology. Some of those people
were teaching you and working on the
satellites every day as well.”
Hodges was on a four-year undergraduate
course, one year of which
was an industrial placement. She
spent the time in Germany, working
in Darmstadt for Vega Ltd, which does
contract work for the European Space
Agency (ESA). It also had the contract
to work on Radarsat-2 for the Canadian
Space Agency, and Hodges
worked on this as a junior simulations
engineer. “It was very much a software
engineering type of job. It was a
great year and great for making the
right contacts and finding out about
the industry as a whole – I had never
heard of Astrium until I went there.”
The year also helped her to realise
that she was interested in the design
and manufacture of spacecraft. After
completing her degree she had been
planning to do an MSc in aeronautics
and satellite and space engineering at
Cranfield University. “I wanted to do it
because I’d heard that without an MSc
you are unlikely to break into the
industry.” However, a friend nudged
her into applying to Astrium’s graduate
scheme. She was accepted and
started working at its Stevenage site
six weeks after graduating in 2006.
“There were a couple of us who came
into the scheme with a BSc, but both
of us had done an industrial placement.
If you’re expecting to get this
type of job with a BSc you really need
that to back you up.”
Astrium is a leading satellite
manufacturer and designer with a
number of sites across Europe. “No
single place will do everything and
we work with other engineering
companies. The Stevenage site builds
commercial and military telecommunications
satellites and many bespoke
spacecraft for space science and
Earth observation missions.” Previous
space agency missions that it has
worked on include Mars Express, Beagle
2 and the Rosetta mission.
Astrium’s graduate development
programme is a two-year training
scheme. “You’re hired by a particular
group or department that thinks that
your CV and skills match what they are
looking for. You start off with that
group and usually return to it after two
years. I started out working within the
Attitude and Orbit Control System
(AOCS) group on collision avoidance
techniques for formation-flying spacecraft
missions.” This involved some
complicated maths, she says. “All that
you learn from dynamics as a physics
student is absolutely essential.”
The programme also included work
with non-engineering departments
and a three-month secondment to
Toulouse with the AOCS group.
She currently works as an AOCS
engineer on the GAIA project – a
space mission that will map stars in
our galaxy and the Local Group, providing
information on their position
and radial velocity. “Here we are
working on the electrical service
module that is like the heart and
brains of the satellite.” A major part of
that is the AOCS, the main aim of
which is to control the orientation of
“All that you learn
from dynamics as a
physics student is
absolutely
essential.”
Graham Holt/Astrium Ltd
Satellite engineer Vicki Hodges has received an early career award.
the satellite throughout the mission.
“We can’t physically sit there and
drive it, so we have to make it
autonomous. Our group has to provide
the software engineers with a set
of specifications and how to calculate
everything. We give them all of the
equations to be done and what order to
do them in. Then they bring the software
back to us and we test it through
simulations to ensure that it does
everything we need it to do correctly.”
Astrium’s other current projects
include working on the Aeolus satellite,
which will measure wind speeds
on Earth, the LISA Pathfinder satellite
to measure gravity waves and the
ExoMars Rover.
Hodges got involved in outreach
shortly after joining Astrium and
enjoyed it so much that she organised
a placement for herself within the public
relations group. It asked her to
revamp their school visits. “Having
some suggestions from teachers about
the sort of things that they wanted from
a visit, I set about designing a new programme
based on hands-on activities
designed to show students how satellites
are designed and built.
“It’s been running for 18 months
and we saw 500 children in the first
year. There are 20–30 visits per year
and I couldn’t do them all, so we now
have a whole group of STEM ambassadors.
My job was to train them and
I’ll go on doing that while fitting in
occasional visits. I really enjoy them
but I do have a day job to do as well.”
More recently Hodges has worked
with a primary school on a project to
build a model space station in which
to simulate living in space. She also
finds time to be a cub scout leader and
to learn the piano, and is hoping that
being recognised with the early career
award will enable her to expand her
outreach work.
She was impressed by the other
three people shortlisted for the award,
who were all PhD students, and was
shocked when she won. “I was just so
honoured that out of the four people
they chose me and it’s nice that somebody
from industry could be honoured
as well. I hope that I can use the
award to show that you can do
physics and have a career in industry.”
Interactions July 2009

6 letters
President Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE FRS CPhys FInstP, Immediate Past President Mr Peter Saraga OBE FREng CPhys FInstP, Honorary Secretary To be elected, Honorary Treasurer Prof. Colin Latimer CPhys FInstP,
Vice-president, Publishing Prof. Sir John Pendry FRS CPhys FInstP, Vice-president, Education Dr Robert Lambourne CPhys FInstP, Vice-president, Business & Innovation Dr Norman Apsley CPhys FinstP, Vice-president, Membership
& Qualifications Mr Alan Pratt CPhys FInstP, Vice-president, Science Prof. Denis Weaire FRS CPhys FInstP, Chief Executive Dr Robert Kirby-Harris CPhys FinstP, Director, Education and Science Prof. Peter Main CPhys FInstP,
Director, Membership & Business Mr John Brindley, Group Finance Director Mr Sean Fox MInstP, Managing Director, Institute of Physics Publishing Mr Jerry Cowhig, Director, Communications & External Relations Dr Beth Taylor.
Editor Heather Pinnell, Assistant Editor Christopher White, Senior Production Editor Alison Gardiner, Art Director Andrew Giaquinto.
Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT, UK. Tel +44 (0)20 7470 4800 ; fax +44 (0)20 7470 4991; e-mail interactions@iop.org; web http://members.iop.org
OBITUARY
Prof. Don Pashley (1927–2009)
Prof. D W (Don)
Pashley, an
outstanding
materials
scientist and a
fellow of the
Institute, died
on 16 May.
He was born in Wandsworth,
London, and went to The Henry
Thornton School in Clapham,
although this stage of his education
was interrupted by evacuation to
Chichester as a result of the blitz.
He studied physics at Imperial
College, obtaining a first class
honours degree in 1948 and a PhD
in 1950. After a period as an ICI
Research Fellow under Maurice
Blackman, he moved to the Tube
Investments Research Laboratories
at Hinxton Hall, Cambridge, in 1956
and became director and head of
laboratories in 1968. In 1979 he was
appointed professor of materials
and head of the department of
notices
metallurgy and materials
(subsequently materials
department) at Imperial College. He
formally retired in 1992, but
continued his research until 2008.
He was a pioneer of nanoscience
and nanotechnology even before
those terms had been coined,
renowned for his in situ studies of
thin film growth and epitaxy, using
transmission electron microscopy,
reflection high-energy electron
diffraction and eventually scanning
tunnelling microscopy after it had
been invented. He published his last
paper just four months before he
died. Among his many publications
he co-authored Electron Microscopy of
Thin Crystals, the bible for electron
microscopists, with Hirsch, Howie,
Nicholson and Whelan.
Pashley was elected a fellow of the
Royal Society in 1968. He chaired
the Institute’s Electron Microscopy
and Analysis Group (1963–1965)
and was founding chairman of the
Thin Films and Surfaces Group
(1969–1971). He served on a wide
range of academic and
governmental committees,
including the editorial boards of
Reports on Progress in Physics and
Journal of Physics F.
He was a quiet man, not given to
trivial chat, who was nevertheless
extremely eloquent in explaining
the essential physics of a problem.
He was utterly meticulous in the
collection and analysis of data and
in the preparation of manuscripts
for publication. He was a great
favourite with journal editors and a
delight to work with, but he never
sought the limelight, despite his
distinction as a scientist and a
scientific leader.
He is survived by his wife of 54
years, Glenys, his son Michael,
daughter Anne (Jackson) and seven
grandchildren.
Remembered by Bruce Joyce.
Angelic thoughts
I was interested to read the
“Antimatters” article on Angels and
Demons by Chris White (June). Yes,
the film is controversial, but it has a
lot going for it.
It is an opportunity for us to
inform the public about particle
physics and to set the record straight
about how much of the film is
science fiction and how much is
science fact. I am giving a tutorial on
“The Physics of Angels and Demons”
to Open University students at the
residential summer school at the
University of Sussex on 27 July, and
already there is a lot of interest on
their forum. In the US there are lots
of public lectures on the film.
The tutorial is at 8.15 p.m. in the
university’s Pevensey Building and
members of the Institute would be
most welcome to attend, but they
would need to contact me first at
hislop@chathamhouse.kent.sch.uk.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the film!
John Hislop
Via e-mail
Write to interactions@iop.org or the address
above. Letters may be edited for length.
CORRECTION
An item in the June issue of Interactions
said that a statement on science
teaching and creationism from the
Council of the Institute had been posted
on the policy section of the website.
In fact the link was not available until
12 June. Our apologies for this
mistiming. The statement is now
available and can be accessed at
www.iop.org/activity/Informing%20
Policy/page-35354.html.
Interactions is not published in August
– we will be back in September.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Innovation Awards 2009 is inviting
entries. The competition is run by
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Interactions July 2009

event horizon
Visit whatson.iop.org for full details of all Institute of Physics events.
7
JULY 2009
Annual Liverpool Physics
Teachers Conference
One-day event with speakers,
discussion and activities.
Merseyside Branch
University of Liverpool
2 July
E-mail louise.butcher@iop.org
Functional Optical Imaging
Conference
Conference with speakers and
poster sessions.
Biological Physics Group
University of Nottingham
2–3 July
www.nottingham.ac.uk/ibios
Registration required
Annual IOP Particle Accelerators
and Beams Conference
One-day conference with speakers.
Particle Accelerators and Beams
Group
76 Portland Place, London W1
3 July, 11.00 a.m.
http://indico.cern.ch/conference
OtherViews.py?view=standard&
confId=57296
Registration required
Teachers’ Day
Lectures and workshops on physics
and physics teaching.
Yorkshire Branch
Physics Department, University of
York
4 July, 10.00 a.m.
www.iop.org/activity/branches/
branch%20calendar/index.html
Schools Lecture Series 2009:
How to Explore the Universe – A
Tale of Telescopes, Time Travel
and Extraterrestrials
Lecture by astronomer Andy
Newsam.
Education Department
Royal Institution, London; Harlow
Study Centre; University of
Hertfordshire, Hatfield; Queen Mary
University, London
6, 7, 8 and 9 July
www.iop.org/activity/Education/
Events/index.html
Plasmas, Computation and
Mathematics
Workshop to discuss new
developments in theoretical
methods.
Mathematical and Theoretical
Physics Group
University of Cumbria, Ambleside
18–21 July
www.iop.org/activity/groups/subject
/mtp/mtp_calendar/index.html
Registration required
RSC Faraday Discussion 144:
Multiscale Modelling of Soft
Matter
Conference on bio-simulation,
materials modelling, liquid crystals
and colloids.
Liquids and Complex Fluids
Group/RSC Faraday Division
University of Groningen, the
Netherlands
20–22 July
E-mail conferences@rsc.org
Registration required
CONFERENCE
Correlated Electron-Ion
Dynamics: Debutante
Meeting to discuss the computer
codes that implement correlated
electron-ion dynamics and to
establish collaborations.
CEID Consortium
76 Portland Place, London W1
13 July
www.iop.org/Conferences
Booking required
AUGUST 2009
Optics in the Sea
European Optical Society meeting
on “blue” photonics.
Optical Group
University of Aberdeen
17–19 August
www.iop.org/activity/groups/subject
/opt/opt_calendar/index.html
Registration required
Metamaterials 2009
Conference on the latest results of
metamaterials research.
Optical Group/Metamorphose VI
Queen Mary, University of London
30 August – 4 September
www.iop.org/activity/groups/subject
/opt/opt_calendar/index.html
Registration required
SEPTEMBER 2009
Schools Lecture Series 2009:
How to Explore the Universe – A
Tale of Telescopes, Time Travel
and Extraterrestrials
Lecture by astronomer Andy
Newsam.
Education Department
Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh;
University of Dundee; Robert
Gordon’s College, Aberdeen;
Glasgow Science Centre;
Bromsgrove School; University of
Birmingham, Edgbaston; Devonport
High School, Peverell, Plymouth;
Bruton School for Girls, Somerset
1, 2, 3, 4, 16, 29 and 30 September
www.iop.org/activity/Education/
Events/index.html
QuAMP 2009
International conference on
quantum, atomic, molecular and
plasma physics.
Molecular Physics Group
University of Leeds
7–11 September
www.iop.org/activity/groups/subject
/mol/molp_calendar/index.html
Registration required
Modern Practice in Stress and
Vibration Analysis
Conference to focus on theoretical
and experimental methodology.
Stress and Vibration Group
Murray Edwards College, Cambridge
8–10 September
www.mpsva2009.org
Registration required
EMAG 2009
Conference on microscopy at the
nanoscale and beyond.
Electron Microscopy and Analysis
Group
University of Sheffield
8–11 September
www.emag2009.org
Registration required
Computer Simulation and the
Environment
Talks on computer modelling of
phenomena associated with the
environment.
Computational Physics Group/
Environmental Physics Group
76 Portland Place, London W1
10 September
www.iop.org/Conferences
Booking required
Physical Aspects of Polymer
Science
Three-day meeting for the polymer
community.
Polymer Physics Group
Wills Hall, Stoke Bishop, Bristol
14–16 September
www.iop.org/Conferences
Registration required
Finite Temperature Nonequilibrium
Superfluid Systems
Three-day workshop.
Theory of Condensed Matter
Group/INTERCAN
Van Mildert College, University of
Durham
14–17 September
E-mail Nikolaos.Proukakis
@ncl.ac.uk
Registration required
Thin Film Photovoltaics
Conference with invited speakers on
thin film technologies.
Ion and Plasma Surfaces Group
76 Portland Place, London W1
16 September
www.iop.org/Conferences
Registration required
OCTOBER 2009
Schools Lecture Series 2009:
How to Explore the Universe – A
Tale of Telescopes, Time Travel
and Extraterrestrials
Lecture by astronomer Andy
Newsam.
Education Department
St Edward’s School, Charlton Kings,
Cheltenham
1 October
www.iop.org/activity/Education/
Events/index.html
The Influence of External Fields
in Soft Matter
Conference for those with an
interest in soft matter under external
fields.
Liquids and Complex Fluids Group
76 Portland Place, London W1
2 October, 10.30 a.m.
www.iop.org/activity/groups/subject
/lcf/lcf_calendar/index.html
Registration required
CONFERENCE
19th International
Conference on Ion Beam
Analysis
Conference to commemorate the
100th anniversary of the first
backscattering experiment,
providing a forum for those who
are interested in the analysis of
materials using ion beams.
Ion and Plasma Surface
Interactions Group
University of Cambridge
7–11 September
www.iba2009.org
Registration required
CONFERENCE
Sensors and their
Applications XV
Fifteenth biennial conference on
sensor technology techniques
and applications. It will be
co-located in Edinburgh with
Optical Fibre Sensors 20.
Instrument Science and
Technology Group
Heriot-Watt University,
Edinburgh
5–7 October
www.iop.org/Conferences
Booking required
Optical Fibre Sensors
The 20th international conference
on optical fibre sensors.
Optics and Photonics Division
Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
5–9 October
www.ofs20.org
Registration required
Liquid Nitrogen Demonstrations
Talk by Peter Ford of the University
of Bath.
London and South East Branch
Open University, Milton Keynes
13 October, 7.30 p.m.
www.iop.org/activity/branches/
South_East/London_and_South_
East/lse_calendar/index.html
Registration required
Photonex 09
Exhibition and conference with
demonstrations and speakers.
Optical Group
Royal Conference Suite, Stoneleigh
Park, Coventry
14–15 October
www.photonex.org
Registration required
Monte Carlo Treatment Planning
Workshop on the use of Monte Carlo
technology for the diagnosis and
treatment of cancer.
Computational Physics Group
National Museum Wales, Cardiff
19–21 October
www.iop.org/activity/groups/subject
/comp/comp_calendar/index.html
Registration required
NOVEMBER 2009
Dynamics of Printed Drops II
Meeting to foster collaboration from
application to fundamental science.
Printing and Graphics Science
Group
76 Portland Place, London W1
2 November
www.iop.org/Conferences
Registration required
Digital Futures 2009: Image
Physics and Psychophysics
One-day meeting.
Printing and Graphics Science
Group
76 Portland Place, London W1
3 November
www.iop.org/activity/groups/gd_
calendar
Registration required
Low-Temperature Techniques
Course
Meeting aimed at newcomers to
experimental research at low
temperatures.
Low Temperature Group
East Midlands Conference Centre,
Nottingham
4 November
www.iop.org/Conferences
Registration required
Schools Lecture Series 2009:
How to Explore the Universe – A
Tale of Telescopes, Time Travel
and Extraterrestrials
Lecture by astronomer Andy
Newsam.
Education Department
Highcliff School, Christchurch
4 November
www.iop.org/activity/Education/
Events/index.html
Experimental Techniques in
Semiconductor Research
Course aimed at new researchers in
experimental semiconductor
physics.
Semiconductor Group
East Midlands Conference Centre,
Nottingham
11 November
www.iop.org/Conferences
Registration required
DECEMBER 2009
International Symposium on
Reactive Sputter Deposition
Conference on recent achievements.
Ion and Plasma Surface Interactions
Group/Plasma Physics Group
Museum of Science and Industry,
Manchester
9–10 December
www.dri.mmu.ac.uk/rsd2009
Registration required
Aharonov Bohm Effect and Berry
Phase Anniversary 50/25
Conference to celebrate the
anniversaries of the two discoveries.
Mathematical and Theoretical
Physics Group
University of Bristol
14 December
www.iop.org/Conferences
Registration required
Schools Lecture Series 2009:
How to Explore the Universe – A
Tale of Telescopes, Time Travel
and Extraterrestrials
Lecture by astronomer Andy Newsam.
Education Department
Abingdon School
15 December
www.iop.org/activity/Education/
Events/index.html
BRSG Christmas Meeting
Series of invited lectures from
leading researchers.
BRSG: The Magnetic Resonance
Group
76 Portland Place, London W1
15 December
www.iop.org/Conferences
Registration required
CONFERENCE
Preservation and
Conservation Issues in
Digital Printing and Digital
Photography
Fourth international conference
for conservators, digital
photographers and printers.
Printing and Graphics Science
Group
76 Portland Place, London W1
27–28 May 2010
www.iop.org/Conferences
Booking required
CMMP09
Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
15–17 December 2009 University of Warwick, UK
CMMP is the UK national conference for condensed matter and
related physics. It will include 16 symposia, covering the most
exciting and topical aspects of condensed matter and materials
physics. There will also be an opportunity to discuss access to
large-scale facilities at a “Meet the Research Councils” session.
Special themes this year include:
• energy
• extreme matter
• nanophysics
• quantum fluids
• synchrotron methods
• pnictide superconductors
• multiferroics
• plasmonics
• ultracold atoms
Plenary speakers:
• Donal Bradley (Imperial College),
Mott lecturer
• Stephen Blundell (Oxford),
Wohlfarth lecturer
• Mike Gillan (UCL)
• Gil Lonzarich (Cambridge)
• Gerd Materlik (Diamond)
• Igor Mazin (NRL, Washington)
• John Pendry (Imperial College)
For more details and the list of symposia, visit www.cmmp.org.uk.
Interactions July 2009

8 matters
Physicist faces the challenge of the impossible
Beth Taylor listened to a lecture by a physicist who believes
that almost anything could be possible in the future.
iStockphoto
I have a soft spot for Desert Island Discs on Radio 4. It’s a
well-worn format, but it often reveals more about the
real character of the “castaways” than the most probing
conventional interview.
A few weeks ago the programme featured Barry
Humphreys (aka Dame Edna Everidge) and I looked forward
to catching a glimpse of the man behind the
matriarch. But when the closing call of sea birds faded,
I was none the wiser. Had I been given an insight into
the real Barry Humphreys, or just another character in
the layers that he has created as a cover?
Attending a lecture by Michio Kaku a few days later, I
was left feeling much the same. Had I been treated to a
powerful presentation of the potential of modern
physics, or just an enthralling hour of entertainment?
The lecture was on “The Physics of the Impossible”,
which is also the title of Kaku’s 2008 best-selling book,
recently published in paperback. Held in Oxford on 29
May in the grand surroundings of the Said Business
School, and sponsored by St Cross College, the lecture was
one of a series that Kaku is undertaking to promote his
book, described as “a scientific exploration into the world
of phasers, force fields, teleportation and time travel”. The
300-seat lecture theatre was packed for the occasion.
Kaku started by telling his audience a little about his
background. Born in California just after the Second
World War, he clearly demonstrated early promise by
building what sounds like a particle accelerator from
scratch in the family garage. He took his project to a
high-school science fair where he met and impressed
Edward Teller. A few years later Teller offered the young
physics student a job on the hydrogen bomb programme,
but Kaku turned it down. He was already
interested in studying a “much bigger explosion” – the
origins of the universe.
Kaku is recognised as one of the principal founders of
string theory, which he briefly introduced as the “theory
of everything”, providing a link between the fundamental
forces of nature by extrapolating the laws of
physics into many dimensions. For Kaku, autumn 2009
represents a make-or-break date for string theory.
When CERN’s Large Hadron Collider overcomes its
start-up problems, he argues that it should provide
some of the experimental evidence that will test the theory,
possibly by revealing whether extra spatial dimensions
exist, and either confirm his work and that of his
colleagues or send them back to the drawing board to
seek an alternative framework for the universe.
From then on his lecture abandoned the complexities
of string theory to concentrate on futurology. And in
his vision of the future, everything comes in categories
of three. First, there was Arthur C Clarke’s “Third Law”,
which states that any sufficiently advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic. Then he defined three
“classes of impossibility”: class 1, which might be
achieved within decades; class 2, which might be
achieved in centuries; and class 3, the genuinely impossible,
including all phenomena such as perpetual
motion that simply contravene the laws of physics.
Class 1 contained some startling predictions, starting
with teleportation. Kaku explained how Austrian
physicist Anton Zeilinger achieved the quantum teleportation
of photons some 10 years ago, and that quantum
teleportation of information between atoms of
ytterbium has now been demonstrated. On this basis,
Kaku expects to see the quantum teleportation of molecules
within a decade – but conceded that human
beings may take a little longer.
Other remarkable class 1 impossibilities included
death stars in the form of gamma ray bursters; what
Kaku defined as telepathy, as demonstrated when
stroke victims can control a laptop by thought; starships
– he maintains that the logical way to explore the
universe is via microscopic nanoships; and artificial
intelligence that in the future will make the latest Japanese
robot seem like a slow-witted insect. For class 2
impossibilities, Kaku returned to string theory, with the
view that, on a timescale of centuries, time travel will be
“He expects
to see the
quantum
teleportation
of molecules
within a
decade.”
possible through wormholes in space.
Finally, he described “three types of future civilisation”,
defined by the distances that we will have to travel
to establish them – first to the planets, then to the stars,
and eventually to other galaxies, even escaping into
hyperspace or creating a baby universe on the way. By
this stage the audience was struggling to tell credible
prediction from pure science fiction. Whichever was
the case, he had 300 of us hanging on every word, and
thoroughly enjoying his vision of the potential of
humankind to develop technologies beyond our
wildest dreams today.
In his introduction to the lecture, Oxford professor
Peter Atkins drew a stark contrast between the deeply
pessimistic mindset of philosophers and the splendid
optimism of scientists. Michio Kaku’s lecture was a
wonderful example not just of physics as great entertainment
but also of a unique, unnerving, but genuinely
optimistic vision of the future.
Beth Taylor is the Institute’s director of communications.
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Interactions July 2009