Electron and Positron Interactions with Bio-Molecules. This program of research will quantify reaction rates and elucidate reaction pathways for a range of important processes in our bodies involving ionising radiation. It will lead to a greatly improved understanding of positron and electron interactions with biological systems, including DNA and its constituent molecules and, through a better understanding of the underlying fundamental interactions, will lay foundations for improvements in te ....Electron and Positron Interactions with Bio-Molecules. This program of research will quantify reaction rates and elucidate reaction pathways for a range of important processes in our bodies involving ionising radiation. It will lead to a greatly improved understanding of positron and electron interactions with biological systems, including DNA and its constituent molecules and, through a better understanding of the underlying fundamental interactions, will lay foundations for improvements in technologies such as PET imaging. Read moreRead less
Physics of Self-Organization: From Space Plasmas to Brain Dynamics. Nature displays intricate, self-organized structures and behaviors that often emerge from simple underlying rules. This project will explore and unify fundamental regimes of self-organization, and apply them to explain phenomena in space, plasma, and wave physics, including making key inputs to the international STEREO space mission. In a core initiative, sophisticated tools from these fields will be transfered and adapted to a ....Physics of Self-Organization: From Space Plasmas to Brain Dynamics. Nature displays intricate, self-organized structures and behaviors that often emerge from simple underlying rules. This project will explore and unify fundamental regimes of self-organization, and apply them to explain phenomena in space, plasma, and wave physics, including making key inputs to the international STEREO space mission. In a core initiative, sophisticated tools from these fields will be transfered and adapted to analyze self-organized brain dynamics, leading to the first self-consistent "working brain" model. The results of this innovation will be used to develop new imaging technologies, to probe brain function via the new windows they open, and to exploit them commercially.Read moreRead less
A New Window on Photosynthesis: Ultrafast Coherence Dynamics in Biomolecules and Semiconductor Nanostructures. Recent research has indicated that the remarkable efficiency of energy capture and transfer in photosynthesis may be due to the effects of quantum coherence, which is an intrinsically non-classical phenomenon. We will investigate these effects in biological and nanofabricated systems using ultrafast laser spectroscopy . An understanding of these energy transfer processes may open the d ....A New Window on Photosynthesis: Ultrafast Coherence Dynamics in Biomolecules and Semiconductor Nanostructures. Recent research has indicated that the remarkable efficiency of energy capture and transfer in photosynthesis may be due to the effects of quantum coherence, which is an intrinsically non-classical phenomenon. We will investigate these effects in biological and nanofabricated systems using ultrafast laser spectroscopy . An understanding of these energy transfer processes may open the door to the development to a range of new technologies, including clean and virtually limitless energy sources that convert solar energy directly into useful power and quantum computers that will revolutionize our ability to process information.Read moreRead less