The MoleGazer methodology will track changes in skin moles to detect skin cancer
Astrophysicists at the University of Southampton are adapting an automated algorithm used for monitoring supernovae explosions to detect the early signs of skin cancer.
The project, known as MoleGazer, will track changes in patient images to potentially lead to earlier diagnoses and improved survival rates.
Head of Physics and Astronomy Professor Mark Sullivan and Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Mathew Smith will work alongside Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustÂs Dr Rubeta Matin on the proof of concept, which is funded by the European Research Council.
Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK. According to Cancer Research UK there are 16,000 new cases of melanoma and 147,000 of new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosed each year.
Dr Andrei Dragomir speaks to the media at CES 2020
Physicists from the University of Southampton have unveiled the first design for a portable atomic clock at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020.
The device's miniaturised hardware, developed in the Quantum, Light and Matter Group, launched today as part of the only UK university exhibit at the world-renowned technology showcase in Las Vegas.
Dr Andrei Dragomir and his spinout, Aquark Technologies, is demonstrating the quantum leap this week on the University's Future Worlds accelerator stand in Eureka Park.
Aquark Technologies is helping unlock the future of quantum technology through its unique microfabricated ultra-high vacuum chamber which employs cold atom technology. The result is the first simple, plug-and-play quantum device on the market that includes cold atoms, opening new possibilities for the next generation of computing, sensing and communications applications.
Whilst the feat of the atomic clock represents the first step in the market for Aquark Technologies, the spinout's main focus is on the vacuum chamber and novel optical geometry that sits at the heart of its devices, which allow the miniaturisation of most quantum technology-based systems.
"Quantum technology offers so many opportunities for incredible technological advances, however most of this is currently unreachable by users or companies due to the size, weight and level of complexity," Andrei says. "We will turn these incredible but complex devices into simple to use systems and we are delighted to present at CES the potential miniaturisation of future quantum devices."
The spinout's enabling technologies are building upon Andrei's doctoral thesis, 'Cold atoms in your pocket', which focussed on the construction of these vacuum chambers, the study of bonding technologies and the manufacturing of integrated electric feedthroughs, together with the development of new cold atom trap geometries.
Graham Stuart MP, Minister for Investment, says: "Aquark Technologies have used world-leading UK university research to launch a ground-breaking product which shows the commercial potential of quantum technology. We are significantly increasing science and R&D spend, strengthening the UK's European leadership in innovation and helping our companies push the boundaries in quantum technology to unlock the potential for all mankind."
CES 2020 includes over 4,500 exhibiting companies and is expected to attract more than 180,000 attendees wanting to see the next generation of consumer technologies.
University startups SPYDERISK, a cyber-security threat assessment tool, and Radii Devices, a cloud-based design assistant for prosthetists, are also exhibiting with Future Worlds at CES 2020.
Ben Clark, Future Worlds Director, says: "The Future Worlds stand at CES proudly puts UK university innovation on the world stage. Our students and academics are turning world-leading research into products that change the world. Exhibiting at CES has helped startups and spinouts from the University of Southampton gain hundreds of commercial leads and secure millions of pounds of investment, and we're excited to see these latest innovations make global impact in 2020."
Future Worlds is based in Booths 51733 and 51735 in Eureka Park at the Sands Expo. You can follow daily updates from Andrei and other University entrepreneurs on the Future Worlds website.
Professor Hendrik Ulbricht (centre) hopes the new approach could help merge two prominent theories
Physicists from the universities of Southampton and Glasgow have conducted an innovative low-energy experiment that tests the unexplained interface between quantum mechanics and general relativity.
The collaborative research studied the quantum interference effect, known as the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) dip, in a rotating frame equivalent to curved space time. Their findings have been published as an Editor's Suggestion in Physical Review Letters.
Finding a consistent explanation of quantum mechanics and general relativity represents one of the greatest challenges in modern science, with many prominent experiments such as the Large Hadron Collider considering high-energy physics to unite the theories.
This new study instead looked to the low-energy regime by running an optical experiment in a non-inertial frame.
Professor Hendrik Ulbricht, Head of the Southampton Quantum, Light and Matter research group, says: "Scientists have tried for decades to find an answer to this profound fundamental physics question with no success. This experiment is a first step in a very promising direction as it questions the possible merger of the theories in a different way by looking in a completely different regime.
"The rotating HOM experiment is one possible answer to this question, but there are more and I expect this will become a fruitful research field in fundamental physics, starting from existing quantum optical experiments and turning on non-inertial effects."
Rotation is the simplest way to experimentally implement a non-inertial frame. Quantum mechanics is formulated with inertial frames in flat spacetime, with no acceleration relative between the particle and reference frame. In general relativity, gravity comes from acceleration because of curvature of spacetime. According to the theory's equivalence principle, gravity can then be mimicked in an experiment through acceleration.
Scientists installed the rotating frame by putting the HOM interferometer on a large rotating platform, with experimental parts moving with the frame while the photons were propagated in free spacetime. The experiment's observations matched the expected outcomes as defined by quantum mechanics.
The study took place in facilities at the University of Glasgow and was directed by Professors Miles Padgett and Daniele Faccio. Southampton expertise from Hendrik and Marko Toros contributed to the theory, data analysis and discussion of results.
Physicists combined deep learning with nanophotonics in the new study
Physicists at the University of Southampton have taught an artificial neural network to develop an intuitive understanding of the flow of light in nanostructures.
The pioneering study opens new routes for nano-optical modelling at unprecedented speed, potentially enabling formerly impossible real-time performance of nanophotonic devices found in optical chips, metasurface flat lenses and quantum technology.
These applications offer optical properties 'on demand' but typically need to be designed in a process that requires time-consuming numerical simulations, taking hours or even days in complex systems. The new research, published this month in Nano Letters, demonstrates speeds that are thousands of times faster by making use of neural networks.
Lead author Dr Peter Wiecha, of Physics and Astronomy, says: "Deep learning neural networks can be trained to solve a wide range of situations by extracting some basic underlying rules. Here, we show for the first time that a neural network can be used to infer the precise flow of light at the nanoscale. This three-dimensional solving network is a ground-breaking demonstration of what deep learning can be capable to do in a scientific context."
The interactions of light with nanostructures are governed by a set of electromagnetic equations that are generally applicable from radio waves to light waves. These Maxwell's equations represent some of the most profound foundations of physics.
In their new work, the researchers showed that neural networks can be developed to learn the essential light-matter interactions resulting from Maxwell's equations and hence capture a much more generalised class of problems related to the electromagnetic fields inside the nano-optical devices. Knowledge of these fields in all three dimensions allowed researchers to reconstruct most of the characteristics of the light-matter interaction without any approximations.
Co-author Professor Otto Muskens, Leader of the Integrated Nanophotonics Group, says: "Manifold applications will arise from this work now we have proven that a neural network can learn the optical response in a generalised way. We believe that these ideas are very applicable to many other problems in physics. We are currently working on further generalising the neural network's understanding of light-matter interaction with the long term goal to reach an ultra-fast model, able to deal with multi-material systems, arbitrary illumination conditions and possibly large-area geometries such as entire photonic meta-surfaces."
The new study included the latest developments in deep learning neural networks to deal with the multi-dimensional and large data-sets. The neural network was run on a graphics processing unit (GPU), awarded by industry partner NVIDIA to the project. The lead author was supported by an international fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG).
X-ray imaging can reveal the microscopic scales on butterfly wings
Microscopic imaging techniques targeted at life-saving health, industrial and academic applications will be developed through new research at the University of Southampton.
Physicist Dr Pierre Thibault has been awarded a €2.2 million Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) to develop his cutting-edge research into X-ray imaging and tomography.
The project will use advanced methods to enable experts to diagnose breast cancer earlier, read ancient scrolls that were damaged by Vesuvius during the Roman Empire and design aeroplanes that are fully carbon fibre.
"X-rays are hard to focus and hard to manipulate," Pierre says. "The techniques I am developing solve this problem by removing the need for lenses or complicated optics. One of them is called ptychography and is a technique that has been in use in X-rays for about 10 years. It's a method that provides high contrast and high resolution, down to the nanometre scale. I am working on making it more efficient, to take ptychography to the next generation."
Ptychography enables scientists to see the tiniest details - details that are invisible to the naked eye, such as the scales on a butterfly's wings. Pierre is combining ptychography with tomography, a technique that turns a 2D image into 3D.
His research will develop new theoretical and experimental tools that look at the nanoscopic structure of carbon fibre to determine fibre orientation.
Understanding how fibres are put together is vital in the construction of aircraft, where engineers must know if there are any kinks or waves in the structure. “Parts of aircrafts are already constructed using carbon fibre, but more powerful characterisation methods could enable the material to be more widely used" Pierre explains.
He also plans to examine fragile heritage documents that cannot be analysed by other methods, such as papyrus scrolls that were damaged by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.
The new technology has the potential to deliver currently unseen insight to health professionals. "Breast cancer tumours are difficult to pick up early with mammograms, but the methods we develop could allow medical doctors to detect tumours earlier on" he says.
The ERC Consolidator Grant will bring in €2.2 million over five years. Pierre will employ two postdoctoral researchers and three postgraduates to work on the project, which will start in September 2020.
Clustering of galaxies with active black holes (Credit: Chris Marsden, University of Southampton)
An international team of astronomers led by the University of Southampton have observed an unexpected link between supermassive black holes and their galaxies which could be used to help estimate their mass.
The new study, led by Physics and Astronomy's Dr Francesco Shankar, has 'weighed' supermassive black holes by measuring the distances between the galaxies that contain them. Researchers have published their findings this week in Nature Astronomy.
The observations are based on the surprising finding that the size of supermassive black holes might correlate with those of their galactic hosts.
By comparing simulations with recent data on the spatial distribution of galaxies, the group found evidence that supermassive black holes are, on average, not as massive as previously thought.
"These findings have significant implications for our understanding of the evolution and growth of supermassive black holes," Francesco says. "What we have discovered suggests a greater ability to release energy, and less strength in powering gravitational waves as supermassive black holes merge."
Turkish particle physicist Dr Yasar Hicyilmaz will use data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to strengthen Southampton research into high energy particle physics - the characterisation of Dark Matter (DM).
Yasar, from Balikesir University, has been awarded a year-long Fellowship by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), which supports promising Turkish scientists by funding international research collaborations.
SHEP studies the most elementary constituents of matter, the basic forces by which they interact, and their role in the early Universe to present days. NExT brings together theorists and experimentalists in the process of new physics discovery.
Yasar’s Fellowship research will build on his previous work in searching for ways to discover DM at colliders. He will now use data from the LHC at CERN to explore the characterisation of DM through the theory of Supersymmetry – a supposed symmetry of nature where all elementary particles have a related superparticle with half a spin less, so that bosons and fermions are one and the same.
He said: “I am very excited about gaining this Fellowship as it will allow me to visit a top 100 worldwide University and work within the NExT Institute - a centre of research excellence in the UK. I am hoping that this will enable me to establish ties for the future.
“It will be a big chance for me to improve my knowledge and experience in a scientifically active environment. NExT has a large number of both theoretical and experimental research groups in particle physics, and interacting with these experimentalists will be a great opportunity to learn the processes of data analyses at the LHC and other experiments.
“I am also hoping to benefit from, and gain a deep learning from, the experience of Southampton Physics and Astronomy scientists who work in DM detection collaborations.”
TUBITAK aims to advance science and technology, conduct research and support Turkish researchers, and has awarded Yasar the Fellowship for a year.
Stefano added: “I am delighted that TUBITAK funding will seed a new collaboration between the UK and Turkey that brings together theorists and experimentalists in the process of new physics discovery.
“The work with Yasar will explore the potential of the LHC at CERN to discover DM. This Fellowship is extremely timely as we are at a cross-roads in high energy particle physics with the LHC experiments currently in the crucial position of being able to confirm or disprove Supersymmetry.
“The rapid and accurate interpretation of this data will point the way to a higher level of understanding of the fundamental interactions of matter and forces, as well as possibly paving the way towards an underlying grand unified theory.”
Dr Andrei Dragomir has dramatically reduced the size of a core component of quantum technology.
Physicists at the University of Southampton have developed a miniaturised cold atom system that will help unlock the commercial potential of quantum devices.
The vacuum chamber vastly reduces the size of a core component of quantum technology, opening new possibilities for the next generation of computing, sensing and communications applications.
Unlike modern electronics, which rely on the manipulation of electrons, quantum devices tap into the potential of new physics exploring tiny energy levels of atoms and sub-atomic particles.
"There has been a surge of investment in bringing these quantum technologies to market, however most of it is directed toward software development rather than hardware components," Andrei explains.
"Whilst these devices do perform better than their classical counterparts, they depend on cold atoms systems which occupy large spaces, are complex, power hungry and require expensive qualified personnel to operate them. This creates a tremendous engineering challenge for the commercial application of quantum devices and is the major obstacle preventing wider adoption."
After years of research, Southampton physicists have transformed the current complex, power-intensive systems into the miniaturised vacuum chamber which can accomplish all the tasks for a fraction of the weight, size and power requirements.
The spinout's enabling technologies are building upon Andrei's doctoral thesis, 'Cold atoms in your pocket', which focussed on the construction of these vacuum chambers, the study of the eutectic bond and the manufacturing of integrated electric feedthroughs, together with the development of new cold atom trap geometries.
"The emerging generation of quantum devices will revolutionise countless industries, including computing, civil engineering, telecoms, oil and gas, and semiconductors," Andrei says. "Aquark technologies is positioned at the heart of this step change, as we can achieve for quantum technology what miniaturising transistors did for semiconductors and so power the continued growth of this emerging industry.
"We will turn these incredible but complex devices into simple to use, plug-and-play systems, starting by establishing ourselves as market leaders in the miniaturisation of vacuum technology, atom sources and electronics."