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Cavendish Laboratory

@cambridgephysics.bsky.social

Official account of the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. Pioneering physics since 1874.

216 Posts343 Follower51 Folgt
Cavendish Laboratory@cambridgephysics.bsky.social · 3w ago

What happens when a chain flies off the 3rd floor of the Ray Dolby Centre and why does it do *that*? To mark 20 years of the Senior Physics Challenge (SPC), we recreated the famous chain fountain, which was explained by physicist and founder of the SPC Mark Warner and his then-student John Biggins 👀

Cavendish Laboratory@cambridgephysics.bsky.social · 4w ago

After a fantastic first Undergraduate Open Day yesterday, we're looking forward to welcoming more future physicists at the Ray Dolby Centre on Day 2, and giving them a glimpse of what it's like to study Physics at Cambridge. If you're joining us today, we can't wait to meet you!

Prospective students visiting the undergraduate laboratories.One of the volunteers can be seen helping prospective students by providing information.Prospective students looking at demonstrations in the laboratory.
Cavendish Laboratory@cambridgephysics.bsky.social · 4w ago

🍫 Happy World Chocolate Day! The next time you unwrap a chocolate bar, remember - you are holding a fascinating piece of science. Swipe through to explore the physics of chocolate and discover how concepts like crystal structures, viscosity and density shape every bite.

A premium dark chocolate bar with one square broken off on a dark background. The text reads: World Chocolate Day Think chocolate is just a sweet treat? From crystal structures to fluid mechanics, every bite is packed with fascinating physics. Swipe to discover the science behind your favourite chocolate.A close-up comparison: • Left: glossy chocolate • Right: chocolate with white bloom. The text reads: Why does chocolate turn white? That white coating isn't usually mould - it's called chocolate bloom. There are two types: Fat bloom: Cocoa butter melts, moves to the surface and recrystallises. Sugar bloom: Moisture dissolves sugar, which recrystallises as the water evaporates. It may not look perfect, but it's usually still safe to eat.Dark Chocolate being poured on a round chocolate. The text reads: Why doesn't melted chocolate pour like water? Chocolate is a non-Newtonian fluid. Unlike water, it doesn't always flow the same way. It's made of cocoa butter, cocoa particles, sugar and milk solids suspended together. Temperature and movement change how easily it flows—which is why chocolatiers carefully control both to create the perfect texture.A macro cross-section of aerated chocolate (like Aero-style bubbles). The test reads: The sweetest science. Ever wondered why bubbly chocolate melts so quickly? Tiny trapped air bubbles mean there's less chocolate in every bite, so your mouth warms it faster, creating that signature melt-in-the-mouth sensation. From crystal structures and viscosity to air pressure and density, chocolate is full of incredible physics. This World Chocolate Day, celebrate the science behind every bite.
Cavendish Laboratory@cambridgephysics.bsky.social · last mo.

Good luck to the UK’s International Physics Olympiad team, who completed their final training camp at the Cavendish before heading to Colombia for #IPhO2026. Practicals and theory prep done, those 5 bright young minds are ready to take on the world stage! We’ll be cheering you on from Cambridge! 👏

Students working on physics experiments and attending a classroom lecture with a chalkboard.
Cavendish Laboratory@cambridgephysics.bsky.social · last mo.

We're deeply saddened by the death of Prof Peter Littlewood, internationally renowned condensed matter physicist and former Head of the Cavendish. Peter’s lifelong ties to the Department, as a student, researcher, professor and leader, left a lasting impact on our community. 1/2

Peter Littlewood in his Head of Department office
Cavendish Laboratory@cambridgephysics.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Huge congratulations to Roberto Maiolino for his 2026 Feltrinelli Prize in Physics from the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, for his pioneering work on galaxies and massive black holes across cosmic times. Roberto received the prize in a ceremony attended by Italian President Sergio Mattarella 📷️

Roberto Maiolino with the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella.
Cavendish Laboratory@cambridgephysics.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Spring is in the air at the Cavendish Laboratory 🌸 From the apple tree at the Battcock Centre to the blossoms surrounding the Ray Dolby Centre and the Mullard's telescopes in all their springtime glory, the season is unmistakably in full swing. A gentle reminder to pause and take it all in.

Apple tree at the Battcock Centre - Courtesy of Eloy de Lera Acedo.Spring blossoms outside RDCMERLIN radio telescope at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory (MRAO)
Cavendish Laboratory@cambridgephysics.bsky.social · 3mo ago

How do we make battery storage cheaper and more sustainable for the energy grid? New research looks at how promising sodium-ion battery materials change their structure during charging. Understanding these changes could help researchers design better, longer-lasting batteries. 👉️

New insights into sodium-ion cathode material could help improve battery lifetime for large-scale energy storage - Cavendish Laboratory Department of Physics

Researchers have uncovered new details about how a promising sodium-ion battery material changes while charging, offering a potential route to longer-lasting batteries for storing renewable energy.…

phy.cam.ac.uk

CORDE@cordecavendish.bsky.social · 3mo ago

When materials are only atoms thick, even tiny contamination matters. New AFM paper from Cambridge researchers, with work carried out in part at CORDE, uses scanning helium microscopy to map sub-monolayer contamination on wafer-scale 2D MoS₂. 🔗 buff.ly/whrxZyX

Schematics of helium atom diffraction from crystalline surfaces under different levels of contamination. The scattering is a mixture of ordered Bragg scattering and disordered diffuse scattering. Figure adapted/reproduced from Zhao et al., Advanced Functional Materials, 2026, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.75366, used under the article’s Creative Commons licence.Spatial resolution of the contamination process on MoS2. Figure adapted/reproduced from Zhao et al., Advanced Functional Materials, 2026, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.75366, used under the article’s Creative Commons licence.A schematic depiction of the Cambridge B-SHeM as employed in the current work. High pressure helium gas is expanded into a vacuum and repeatedly collimated to produce a microscopic probe. The helium atoms scatter from the sample either in ordered manner (specular/diffraction) or disordered manner (diffuse). The atoms scattered in a specific direction are collected and detected. The sample is manipulated in x y to image and y z to perform diffraction scans. A specialized, heater compatible, SEM sample stub is used to control the sample temperature. Figure adapted/reproduced from Zhao et al., Advanced Functional Materials, 2026, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.75366, used under the article’s Creative Commons licence.