We have a variety of talks available for schools, colleges and other interested parties. These talks, which will be presented by a researcher (or research student) from the Department, can be presented either at the University of Sussex or at an alternative location (e.g. your school) if within a reasonable travel time (approximately 90 minutes) from the University.
All our activities are suitable for Key Stage 4 and 5 (e.g. GCSE and AS/A-level/sixth-form) students.
All our talks are approximately 45 minutes in length, allowing time for questions at the end.
Available talks include (abstracts are shown towards the bottom of the page):
Physics talks
- Connections in Astro-Particle Physics
- How Long is a Piece of Cosmic String?
- The Quantum Vacuum: Getting something from nothing?
- Ghosts in the Particle Zoo
- The Big Bang Experiment
- Rise of Quantum Technology: from Teleportation to the Fastest Computers on Earth
- Why is there More Matter than Antimatter in the Universe?
- Symmetries, Scales and the Origin of Everything
- Can you run the Universe backwards?
- Atoms and Molecules: what is matter made of?
Astronomy talks
- Xtreme Astronomy: Seeing the universe through X-ray eyes
- Extreme Astronomy: Observing the Hawaiian Skies
- The birth and death of stars
- Black Holes: what are they, where are they, and how do we find them?
- Our Place in the Universe
- What Astronomers Observe, and How
- Exploring the Dark Sector: the What, How and Why of Modern Observational Cosmology
- Observing the Invisible Sky
- A brief History of Star-Formation
- Watching the Cool Universe From Space
- Cool, Cosmic, Cartography: mapping the Universe with the Herschel Space Observatory
- The Formation of Structure in the Universe
- The Era of Precision Cosmology
- How Far Are the Stars?
- Cataclysmic Variables: Stars that go 'bump' in the night
- The Evolution of the Universe
- Postcards from a Light Wave
We also have an "Introduction to Astronomy" lecture course for University of Sussex non-science undergraduates, which is also suitable for A-level and good GCSE students. The following lectures form part of that course, and are available as part of our outreach offerings.
- Historical Milestones in Astronomy
- The Earth and our Moon
- The inner solar system: Mercury to the asteroid belt
- The outer solar system: Jupiter to the comets
- The Milky-way
- The formation of stars & planets
- Exoplanets
- Life
- Sun-like stars and their evolution
- Massive stars and their evolution
- Extreme stars: White dwarfs, neutron stars & black holes
- Galaxies
- Quasars & AGN
- Big Bang & Beyond
- Tools of the trade: modern telescopes
- Multi-wavelength astronomy
- Astro-photography
Other talks
- How to be a Rocket Scientist/Astrophysicist/Particle Physicist
Talk overviews
Connections in Astro-Particle Physics
Dr Simon Peeters
Dr Simon Peeters explains what particle physics is, what our current understanding is and how our understanding of matter (i.e. particles) at a fundamental level will improve our understanding of the Universe. The connection between the big (the universe) and the small (particles) will become even clearer when he discusses the four main questions that fundamental physicists are trying to answer. He puts this all in context by relating these questions to particle physics experiments that have been in the news recently, such as the Large Hadron Collider and neutrino experiments.
How Long is a Piece of Cosmic String?
Dr Mark Hindmarsh
Theories of fundamental physics at very short distances predict the existence not just of new exotic particles but of energy arranged in the form of strings. These strings may even be the ultimate building blocks of everything if String Theory is correct. String Theory is mathematically beautiful, but is it correct? The only way to know is by experiment and observation. In this talk we will learn about the physics of strings and searches for huge 'cosmic' strings on the other side of the universe.
The Quantum Vacuum: Getting something from nothing?
Dr Claudia Eberlein
Classical mechanical systems have a state of zero kinetic energy, where nothing moves and everything is at rest. An ideal vacuum in classical physics is void of any particles. But neither is true in quantum physics. There is always at least some energy in any system, and the vacuum state is one where virtual particles pop in and out of existence all the time. This talk gives an introduction to quantum physics with special emphasis on the quantum vacuum and zero-point fluctuations. It discusses some everyday manifestations of quantum vacuum fluctuations as well as some cutting-edge research. Did you know that yoghurt would be all liquid if it weren't for quantum fluctuations?
Ghosts in the Particle Zoo
Dr Lisa Falk
There are a huge range of particles that exist in nature, and even though there are so small that we cannot even see them, scientists have developed ways to detect and understand them. Physicists now know that particles like protons or neutrons are made up of quarks that can be put together like 'Lego in miniature'. They even know of 'ghostly', elusive particles called neutrinos, that travel straight through the entire earth, and can change in character as they do so.
The Big Bang Experiment
Dr Antonella De Santo
Particle physics studies the smallest known constituents of matter, exploring the structure of Nature at very short distances and at very high energies. With the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) start-up, experimental particle physics is entering a new golden age, widely expected to unveil evidence for new physics at unprecedented high energies. The LHC will recreate conditions thought to have existed billionths of a second after the start of the Big Bang, allowing us to probe deeper into the heart of matter and further back in time than has ever been possible before. For the first time it will be possible to perform experiments expected to shed light on fundamental questions such as the origin of mass, the nature of Dark Matter in our universe, and even explore the existence of yet undiscovered additional dimensions of space!
Rise of Quantum Technology: from Teleportation to the Fastest Computers on Earth
Dr. Winfried Hensinger
In the Schrödinger's cat paradox, quantum theory predicts that a cat can be in limbo between being dead and alive. This Quantum spookiness stunned many scientists – most notably Albert Einstein. Since its creation in the early twentieth century, many experiments have proved the validity of quantum mechanics.
Computers built with quantum technology (a quantum computer) would be much faster than today's computers. For example, a quantum computer would be able to crack the encryption we use to send our credit details over the internet in a matter of hours, where our current super computers would take thousands of years! Quantum computers would also help us understand the world around us. They would, for example, help us to understanding of chemical reactions that would allow us to create new medicines. We have not yet made a practical quantum computer, but we are working on it!
Dr Hensinger will talk about his work developing quantum computers using atoms cooled to around -270°C to store the information in quantum bits or qubits. Quantum mechanics also allows teleportation, like in Star Trek, however so far only with individual atoms.
Why is There More Matter Than Antimatter in the Universe?
Dr Stephan Huber
You might guess that the universe should contain equal amounts of matter and antimatter. But we, and everything we see, is made of matter. So does the universe contain no antimatter? I shall introduce Sakharov's three conditions for why there is so much more matter than antimatter in the universe (the matter-antimatter asymmetry) and how these conditions may have been realized in the decay of super-massive particles. And can we test these theories by observing the early universe?
Symmetries, Scales and the Origin of Everything
Professor Philip Harris
To the human eye, symmetry confers elegance and beauty; to which, intriguingly, slight asymmetries can add interest and appeal. In mathematics and physics, symmetries can often reveal profound truths about the laws of nature. This presentation will explore various aspects of symmetry, and will describe a beautiful and subtle experiment that links a structural asymmetry of fundamental particles – on the tiniest scale imaginable – to the grand cosmic asymmetry that resulted in the origin of all of the matter in the universe.
Can You Run the Universe Backwards?
Professor Philip Harris
This talk is a shortened version of 'Symmetries, Scales and the Origin of Everything'. It focuses on the neutron EDM experiment, which explores the asymmetry in the laws of physics that is responsible for the origin of all of the matter in the universe.
Atoms and Molecules: what matter is made of?
Dr Matthias Keller
Hear the story of how the structure of the atom was discovered, of how electrons can behave like a wave of particles and an individual particle at the same time, and how atoms join together to form molecules.
Xtreme Astronomy: Seeing the Universe through X-ray eyes
Dr Darren Baskill
A beautiful clear night full of stars may look poetically peaceful, but it's the biggest illusion known to man. The Universe is violent almost beyond comprehension. Some stars you can see in the night sky are being consumed by their partners; others are violently collapsing in the biggest explosions known to man; and black holes are surrounded by disks of hot gas, the distorted remains of countless stars. X-rays originate from wherever gas is heated up to millions of degrees in the most energetic phenomena we know of. During this talk you will see the universe as witnessed through the eyes of the latest generation of X-ray telescopes.
Extreme Astronomy: Observing the Hawaiian Skies
Dr Darren Baskill
The best places to observe the night sky also have some of the most extreme conditions on the planet. British astronomers have access to telescopes at an altitude of 4,200m on the summit of Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawai'i. This talk is a personal perspective on making astronomical observations in harsh conditions using the UK infra-red telescope atop Mauna Kea.
The birth and death of stars
Dr Darren Baskill
How are stars formed, and how do they die? To see stars in the process of forming we need an infrared telescope; and to see stars in the process of dying we need an X-ray telescope. This talk shows what is revealed in the night sky by using telescopes sensitive to these parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Black Holes: what are they, where are they, and how do we find them?
Professor Peter Thomas
There are many unanswered questions surrounding black holes, but what do we actually know about them? We know a surprising amount about black holes thanks to the latest generation of telescopes: we know where they are and how far away they are, we know how massive they are, and we can even see black holes being formed. In this talk, you will find everything that you wanted to know about black holes.
Our Place in the Universe
Dr John Gribbin
The mutli-award-winning author and scientist John Gribbin takes us on an illustrated tour of the Universe, from here to infinity in 50 minutes.
What Astronomers Observe, and How
Dr Kathy Romer
In this talk, astronomical objects from the Moon to the Milky Way, to the radiation from the Big Bang are introduced. The objects are grouped by the wavelength of the light they are detected in (rather than in terms of their size, mass, age or distance), and so today's astronomers look at the universe at radio, microwave, optical and X-ray wavelengths. Interleaved with the descriptions of the astronomical objects and the telescopes, Kathy will tell stories about her personal experiences as a professional astronomer which include: crashing cars on top of a Chilean mountain; travelling to the South Pole; and sharing a dance floor with Steven Hawking.
Exploring the Dark Sector: the What, How and Why of Modern Observational Cosmology
Dr Kathy Romer
The term "Dark Sector" refers to two components of the currently popular version of the big bang model: Dark Matter and Dark Energy. This talk will describe some of the celestial objects and/or phenomena that astronomers observe in order to gain a better understanding of these two dark components. I will also describe how those observations are made and how the subsequent data analysis is carried out. I hope my talk will justify why so much tax payer's money (billions of dollars) has been spent on Observational Cosmology in recent decades and why so much more is needed to continue to make progress. Finally, and since this is a subject that I have been lucky enough to be involved in for the past 20 years, I will include anecdotes and results from my own career.
A Brief History of Star-formation
Dr Seb Oliver
Where do stars come from? This talk, illustrated with the latest observations from both ground and space-based telescopes both, will answer that question.
Watching the Cool Universe From Space
Dr Seb Oliver
Everything in the universe emits energy as heat and infrared light... you are emitting infrared radiation right now as you read this! Looking at the sky at infrared wavelengths allows astronomers to see objects that are too cool to emit visible light, such as planets orbiting other stars, cool stars, gas clouds, interstellar molecules and brown dwarf stars.
However, there are two difficulties with infrared astronomy. First, water vapour in the air absorbs a large amount of infrared radiation, and so space telescopes are often used. And second, the infrared cameras used are themselves warm, and so to avoid a glow of infrared radiation around the camera, they are cooled down to the coldest temperatures possible. This talk covers the basics of infrared astronomy, and looks at beautiful images from the latest generation of infrared telescopes currently in use, such as NASA's Spitzer, Japan's Akari, and Europe's Herschel space telescopes.
Cool, Cosmic, Cartography: mapping the Universe with the Herschel Space Observatory
Dr Seb Oliver
Discover the cool universe through the eyes of the Herschel Infrared Space Telescope, which was launched by the European Space Agency in May 2009. To understand why the Herschel space telescope (and the survey it will carry out) is so important, this talk includes a brief history of astronomical surveys, the nature of the speed of light, galaxy evolution, star-formation, and computer-simulation movies of star-bursting and colliding galaxies.
The Formation of Structure in the Universe
Professor Peter Thomas
Galaxies, groups of galaxies, clusters of galaxies and even larger structures in the universe can all be seen with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and gravity is the dominant physical force that forms all of these. Due to the vast time-scales involved, modern astronomers use powerful computers to simulate how these structures form, learning about galaxy formation and cosmology in the process.
How Far Are the Stars?
Dr Robert Smith
What is the farthest we can see with the naked eye? And how do we know how far away that object is? This talk explores how astronomers measure distances in the universe, and how they are able to say with some confidence how far away stars and galaxies are, and how big the universe itself is.
Cataclysmic Variables: Stars that go 'bump' in the night
Dr Darren Baskill
Cataclysmic variable stars are, as their name suggests, stars that vary in brightness cataclysmically! Every few months, some of these stars can suddenly brighten by a factor of 100 in just 6 hours! Some of these stars have been regularly observed by amateur astronomers for over 100 years – will you see one of these stars suddenly brighten tonight? This talk will tell the entire story, from how they were first discovered, to our latest understanding of these stars, based on the observations made by space telescopes – and how, simply by looking through a small telescope, you could cause a space telescope to follow up your observation!
The Evolution of the Universe
Niall Fealty
The universe started with the Big Bang, but what do we know about it? How do we discover more about it? How does this relate to the rest of physics? Looking at the big picture we can bring together the goals and approaches of astro and particle physics to tell us more about the universe we live in.
How to be a Rocket Scientist/Astrophysicist/Particle Physicist
Dr Darren Baskill
A career talk discussing the few career steps required to become a scientist.
Postcards from a Light Wave
Charlotte Clarke
If a packet of light created billions of years ago could keep a travel diary, what would it say? We share some of the best holiday snaps and highlights from its trip across the Universe, from its birth in a star to its final destination, here on Earth.