Particles, Lights and Sound

Light is one of the most intriguing ways of energy in our universe, especially because of the way it interacts with matter. The quantum duality of light’s nature allows us to control and describe such interaction in two different ways: as a particle (photon) and as a wave. I will show you how scientists can now create experiments where they deal with photons and light waves in a way very similar to what any of us has ever done once when playing pool. This will enable us to enter in a fascinating world of applications ranging from seeing objects behind walls to around corners. It's a show.

Respiratory diseases affect 1 in 5 people and are the third biggest cause of death in the UK. One of the main issues regarding the treatment of these diseases, such as asthma and COPD, is the inefficiency of current devices to deliver the drug into the lungs in a targeted way.
Our team at the University of Glasgow use the propagation of sound waves to overcome this problem. How do sound waves control the size of the inhaled particles?
Have you ever thought that shouting at a glass of water has something to do with drug delivery in the lungs? Tonight you will learn more about our research.

Christoph Englert is a physicist working on particle theory at the University of Glasgow. He specialises in aspects of the Higgs boson.
The Standard Model explains all observed forces in atoms was spectacularly verified with the discovery of the Higgs boson. After 40 years, the Higgs discovery highlighted the unnatural behaviour of the weak interactions in Nature; setting new challenges in physics ranging from smallest subatomic distances to the size of the Universe. I will describe how these questions are likely to lead to paradigm shifts in our understanding of space and time.