Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Physics and Astronomy

High Impact, World Leading Science in STFC priority areas

ATLAS Dark Matter

Neutrino physics T2K in Japan

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Vital Statistics

• People

• Astronomy: 6 academics, 4 PDRAs, 9 PGs

• Particle Physics and Particle Astrophysics: 9 (11) academics, 15 PDRAs, 15 PGs, technicians

• Particle Theory and Cosmology: 3 (2 in Maths) academics...• Funding

• Astronomy: standard grants

• Particle Physics and Particle Astrophysics: HEP rolling grant (£4-10M); HMO; EPSRC; industry

STFC areas comprise ~50% of the department

• Teaching

• Big contribution including all year tutors• Quality

• RAE: 4th = in Russell group physics

• Student satisfaction: =1st in Russell group physics

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Astronomy HighlightsAstrocam

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

High Energy Physics Highlights

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Particle Astrophysics Highlights• Dark Matter

• highest publication rate on dark matter

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Particle Theory Highlights

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Unique facilities: Boulby £3.2M JIF award to the Department - opened by Lord Sainsbury in April 2003

From Dark Matter to Underground Science• SKY climate change project

• Radio nuclide detection

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Astronomy Facilities

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Unique facilities: Neutron Beam

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Knowledge Exchange: SecurityFrom Dark Matter and Neutrino

Physics to Anti-terrorism

Fixed Portals• US government recent contracts totaling $1.15B for next generation radiation portals•Worldwide 16,000 installations by 2010•Vast majority still use 3He detectors

• STFC can make a much bigger impact if coordinated properly

Sheffield project funded by HMO, EPSRC, Corus Ltd. to develop efficent

anti-terrorist neutron detectors

• Biggest terrorist threat is a nuclear device - very difficult to detect - needs new technology

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Future StrategyIncome Diversity • Government funding (HMO)

• Expanding nuclear security activity; group is leading member of Government Advisory Body RNREV

Focus STFC activity on Priority Areas

• EU funding (FP7,8): ILIAS, LAGUNA, EURECA....

• Higgs and SUSY: ATLAS, ATLAS upgrade• Neutrino Physics: T2K, T2K upgrade

• Industry funding: KTPs (Sheffield leads)

More Interdisciplinary

activity

• RCUK: EPSRC/NERC - e.g. climate change

• Regional: Yorkshire Forward....

• Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves

• Building blocks of the Universe, extreme environments

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Future Strategy

LIGO, SKA, JWST, ATLAS, E-ELT,

Neil Spooner - SheffieldUKNF 23-04/09

Issues

Please don’t damage the Top Soil!

The light bulb was not invented by deciding to invest in the candle industry

balance between facilities and science/exploitation

Curiosity driven fundamental science at Universitiestop soil

Serendipitous Development

Products and life

branches

leaves

top-down targets do not

you don’t produce more trees by fertilizing the leaves

University links

Interdisciplinary Centre for Security and Crime Detection

Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering - Prof. N. Allinson [low energy x-ray and photon detection

technology] Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering - T. Dodd [pattern recognition

technology]Department of Computer Sciences - S. Maddock [3D computer graphics and imaging technology]

Department of Physics and Astronomy - Prof. Neil Spooner [particle detection

technology]

New Business Research Fellowcoordination

links to industry and outside organisations

interdisciplinary links