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Professor Justin Wark at Hibef beamline (XFEL)

Inauguration of new beamline at European XFEL

In a milestone for high energy density physics, a new beamline at the European X-Ray Laser (XFEL), was officially opened yesterday, 31 August 2021.

1 September 2021

An image of the new threshold

Laser fusion at the threshold of ignition

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US has reached the threshold of realising controlled thermonuclear fusion in the laboratory

Peter Hatfield

Meet...Peter Hatfield

We work among extraordinary people doing extraordinary things; get to know some of them by reading these quick-fire interviews.

A colour-enhanced image of the inside of a NIF preamplifier support structure

Extreme physics, extreme data

Researchers at the Department of Physics have today published a paper reviewing the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for understanding "extreme physics" – the physics of matter at extremely high temperatures and densities.

A close-up of the experimental target, consisting of two foils and a pair of grids, held together by cylindrical shields. Each target is about the size of a penny. They were carefully designed and machined to produce a turbulent plasma at conditions never reached before.

An insight into astrophysical magnetic fields

An international collaboration has conducted experiments that captured for the first time a physical mechanism thought to be responsible for generating and sustaining astrophysical magnetic fields.