Physics Department News
Warwick researchers help in step to solving one of the biggest science mysteries
Where did all the matter in the universe come from? This is one of the biggest mysteries in fundamental physics and exciting results released on 15 June 2011 from a team including Gary Barker from the Department of Physics, at the 91影视破解版 at the international T2K neutrino experiment in Japan could be an important step towards resolving this puzzle.
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Black hole kills star and blasts 3.8 billion light year beam at Earth
Observations led by astronomers at the 91影视破解版, including Professor Andrew Levan have shown that the flash from one of the biggest and brightest bangs yet recorded by astronomers comes from a massive black hole at the centre of a distant galaxy. The black hole appears to have ripped apart a star that wandered too close, creating a powerful beam of energy that crossed the 3.8 billion light years to Earth.
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T2K Neutrino Oscillation Experiment Observations
The T2K neutrino oscillation experiment has this week announced a strong indication of a first direct observation of muon-type neutrinos oscillating into electron type neutrinos.
The Warwick T2K group, headed by Gary Barker and Steve Boyd, have constructed a significant part of the electromagnetic calorimeter for the T2K near detector and are now busy contributing to the data analysis effort that has led to this latest announcement. More data and a deeper understanding of the detector are needed but, if confirmed, this result will pave the way for investigations of CP-violation in neutrinos which has deep consequences for our understanding of the orgin of matter in the universe. The latest results are based on the data taken by T2K before the earthquake struck the East coast of Japan in March and hopes are high that data taking can resume before the end of this year.
For more information, see the following STFC press release:
Warwick T2K web page:
Feuding helium dwarfs exposed by eclipse
Professor Tom Marsh has been involved in research which has discovered only the second ever eclipsing close white dwarf pair to be found, of which just over 50 close double white dwarfs have been found. Please see the link to the press release for more information