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What do breaking metals, supermarket shelves, and the deaths of the Universe’s largest stars have in common? In this series of talks, we explore how complex systems - whether materials, galaxies, or stars - are shaped by patterns and processes that emerge across vastly different scales. From the quantum behaviour of atoms to the structure of the cosmos, the same fundamental ideas, interaction, organisation, and instability - appear again and again in surprising ways. By drawing connections between everyday experiences and extreme astrophysical phenomena, these talks highlight a unifying theme:…
Why does hydrogen make metals crispy?
Alice Marr
(PhD student @ Hull University)
The smallest element in the universe could help alleviate climate change while also proposing some of the biggest challenges in research. Since it is so light, hydrogen easily permeates metals. For reasons explored over the last 150 years but still not fully uncovered, absorbed hydrogen then makes these metals more brittle and reduces the stress needed for them to crack- causing catastrophes like explosions.
My work focusses on the atomistic view of hydrogen interacting with metal surfaces and the bulk, accounting for its significant quantum behaviour. This talk will explore how sub-microscopic simulations of hydrogen can predict and prevent cracks observed on a larger scale
My work focusses on the atomistic view of hydrogen interacting with metal surfaces and the bulk, accounting for its significant quantum behaviour. This talk will explore how sub-microscopic simulations of hydrogen can predict and prevent cracks observed on a larger scale
How Can Supermarkets Help Solve Some of the Universes Biggest Questions?
Kieran Broadbelt
(PhD Student @ University of Hull)
When we go to the supermarket we tend to find pasta sauce next to the pasta, and toothpaste next to razors. This might seem like common sense, but supermarkets actually use algorithms to sort their stores. Association rule algorithms can use basket analysis to find items typically bought together to help stores with product placement and promotions. Astronomers can use this very same algorithm to see the correlations between a galaxy's spectra and its morphology to gain insights into how galaxies evolve and form. They can also use the algorithms to see the pairings of chemical abundances in galaxies to again study the evolution of the galaxy. We'll take a shopping trip to see how these processes work, figure out just how useful they can really be and why they aren't so widely used outside supermarkets.
When Stars Break the Rules
Paul Fong
(Teacher and PhD Researcher @ University of Hull)
What happens when a star becomes so massive that the usual laws of stellar evolution no longer apply? In this talk, we explore how the lives and deaths of the Universe’s largest stars are shaped not just by gravity and fusion, but by the strange rules of quantum physics. From the steady burning of stellar cores to the catastrophic pair instability that can tear a star apart, we’ll uncover how quantum processes at the smallest scales dictate the fate of the biggest objects in the cosmos.
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