Physics Lives

These videos from the Institute of Physics look at the innovations made by four physicists and their potential impact on society.

[b]Air apparent[/b] asks the question “What if you could see the pollution around you?”. Mark Richards has developed a way to measure pollution using ultra-violet light. Each pollutant has its own signature spectrum which can be analysed using his portable detector. He takes his detector to the roadside in London to measure the emissions from vehicles and uses GPS to create a pollution map.

[b]Ion beam cop[/b] looks at a new technique, developed by Melanie Bailey, for forensic analysis of gunshot residue. She places gunshot residue into an ion beam and analyses the X-ray or gamma ray emission from the sample to detect the types of metal present. This technique is more sensitive than the current methods of detection, and gives a more accurate picture of the origin of the residue.

[b]Written in the sky[/b] looks at the physics of the Northern Lights. Jim Wild heads to the northern tip of Iceland to measure the aurora using an all-sky camera. Jim talks about the link between the Sun’s activity, the aurora and geomagnetic storms. He compares his measurements to satellite data to investigate the origin of the aurora.

[b]Baths and quarks[/b] looks at the link between bubble rings (solitons) and quarks. David Tong is investigating how solitons could hold the universe together.