iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Ifan Hughes

BREAKING NEWS The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2026 #NobelPrize in Physics to Francis Halzen “for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.”

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

This week sees the first 2 lectures of Quantum Information and Computing, part of the PHYS4121 Atoms Lasers and Qubits module at @durhamphysics.bsky.social Themes of the course: can we exploit the weirdness of QM? How should we go about building a quantum computer? 🧪 #physics ⚛️ #iTeachPhysics 🎢

A slide showing the title from a Physics World article entitled "Can we exploit the weirdness of quantum mechanics?"

A slide with a list of topics where there could be a quantum enhancement: Quantum computing, quantum key distribution, quantum metrology, quantum simulation, quantum biology.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Trip to see As You Like It. I first came to Stratford with my parents and brother in 1980(!). It was also to see As You Like It. My parents kept programmes, which I have inherited. Here is the one from 46 years ago. Mostly full of adverts for cigarettes. And some asbestos and lard products.

The programme for the 2026 RSC production of As You Like It. The front is a photo of Jonathan Groff. And an edition of the play. Edited by Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen.

The 1980 programme for RSC production of As You Like It.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Final prep completed! Ready to teach a new lecture course this term - The Quantum Information and Computing component of the PHYS4121 Atoms Lasers and Qubits module at @durhamphysics.bsky.social 🧪 #physics ⚛️ #iTeachPhysics 🎢

A white board with a colour-coded list of Weekly Problems, Example Classes and Lectures. The topic to be covered in each of the 18 lectures is noted.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

New! Transformation of vector modes by the Faraday effect in strong magnetic fields opg.optica.org/josab/fullte... From the Special Issue TWISTED LIGHT IN QUANTUM AND NANOPHOTONIC SYSTEMS 2026 Collaboration with @sonjafrankearnold.bsky.social Atoms, lasers, and magnets! 🧪 #physics ⚛️ #optics 💡

A series of images depicting Frequency dependent absorption and Faraday rotation

A series of images depicting (a) Azimuthally polarised probe beam and its decomposition in right and left handed polarisation components. (b)
Explanation of the colour scheme used to represent polarisation states, parametrised by the eccentricity angle χ and the
alignment angle ψ. (c) Schematic of the experimental setup

Two images depicting Absorption and Faraday rotation across a range of temperatures, showing the increasing absorption and saturation of the atomic transitions, as well as large fluctuations in
Faraday rotation.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Château la Lagune 1978. Required decanting and lot of breathing. A classic claret. Deep garnet colour. Hints of spice, more prominent fruit. Some tobacco. Silky texture. Great length. Iechyd da! #BywFelBrenin #wine #winereviews #winesky

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

It is 40 years(!) since I started at Imperial in a cohort of 200 first-year physicists.

A collection of 200 passport photos of the Physics 1st year undergraduate class 1986-7 at Imperial college London.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

L'étoile Savagnin. Domaine de Montbourgeau (2020). Bone-dry Jura white. Strong flavour of nuts and hint of brioche. Creamy texture. Very persistent. Pairs well with pumpkin risotto and hard cheese. Iechyd da! #BywFelBrenin #wine #winereviews #winesky

A bottle of Jura white wine. Domaine de Montbourgeau.

The label on the back of the bottle with some technical details.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Ingrid Bergman putting on a fabulous September display. #BloomScrolling

A photograph of the hybrid tea rose Ingrid Bergman. Three very large red blooms are seen, with glossy dark green foliage.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Interesting @durhamqlm.bsky.social seminar by Ivan Deutsch on quantum computing. Second talk today about qudits!

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Reposted by Ifan Hughes

Quantum Light and Matter at Durham University @durhamqlm.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Despite the title, there is in fact a mention of the Durham physics @durhamphysics.bsky.social QUASAR underground quantum experiment in this article. See here for more details: www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...

durham.ac.uk

Pioneering quantum research moves deep underground - Durham University

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Hot off the press! Quantified absorption of laser light by silver atoms in a hollow-cathode lamp arxiv.org/abs/2608.27700 First foray into silver spectroscopy, with two undergraduate final year project students as authors. Atoms, lasers, and lamps! 🧪 #physics ⚛️ #optics 💡

Four different experimental spectra obtained for a range of lamp currents. Each spectrum is fit with a theoretical model, showing excellent agreement. There is also a normalised residuals plot to quantify the fit.

A figure where part (a) shows the fluorescence spectrum emitted from the hollow cathode lamp. Part (b) is a schematic of the apparatus and laser system.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Gigondas, Domaine du Clos des Tourelles (2020). Classic multi-layered Gigondas. Plenty of fruit, especially blackberries. Full bodied. Ripe tannins. Pairs well with slow roast shoulder of Welsh salt marsh lamb. ##BywFelBrenin #wine #winereviews #winesky

A bottle of wine, Domaine du Clos des Tourelles.

Plate with roast lamb and vegetables. Mint sauce.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Went on a walk to Finchale Priory. Here is the local PostBox. With whom was Godric corresponding in Welsh?!?

Finchale Priory seen across the Wear from Cocken Wood.

English Heritage sign for Finchale Priory.

A post box. The tag indicating the day of the next collection has both MON and LLUN, i.e. bilingual English/Welsh.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Saw two very different plays in Stratford. The Mad King was an amazing theatric experience. The Cherry Orchard was by contrast much more sedate, with possibly too bare a stage. Excellent performances by Helen Hunt, Kenneth Branagh (superb accent!), Alfred Enoch, and Bill Pullman.

A photograph of a poster advertising George R R Martin's Game of Thrones: The Mad King.

The poster advertising Chekhov's Cherry Orchard with ohotis of Helen Hunt and Kenneth Branagh. Outside Swan theatre in Stratford.

Two programmes. One for The Mad King. The other for The Cherry Orchard.

Photograph showing the programme for The Cherry Orchard and the stage in the background.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Italian Nero di Troia del Falco. Tasting notes: Mediterranean herbs, fruit, dry flavour, soft tannins. Goes well with minced Welsh lamb curry. #BywFelBrenin #wine ##winereviews #winesky

Photograph of a bottle of Torre del Falco wine.

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Reposted by Ifan Hughes

Marco Langbroek @marcolangbroek.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Very happy with this result. Combination of #eclipse images (time lapse) with 35 mm lens, one image per 5 minutes, from #Leiden, the Netherlands. Old Leiden Observatory bottom right.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Interesting and informative exhibition at the Saatchi gallery.

Photograph of a poster for the Sun and the Moon exhibition.

Another photograph of another poster for The Sun and The Moon exhibition

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

A brilliant production of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. Excellent acting by whole cast. Themes include science, gardening and the meaning of knowledge and knowing. More humour than I had anticipated. An intense three hours. Very clever (too?) jumping between times and fantastic use of rotating stage.

A photograph of a poster advertising Arcadia by Tom Stoppard outside a theatre.

A photograph of the front cover of the play Arcadia by Tom Stoppard.

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Reposted by Ifan Hughes

Ann Parry Owen @collen105.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Edrych ymlaen at eclips rhannol yr haul dydd Mercher (12.08.26)? Dyma ddiagram a wnaeth Thomas Evans, Hendreforfudd, Glyndyfrdwy, yn 1596, yn esbonio sut mae'r eclips yn gweithio (Peniarth 187 @librarywales.bsky.social)

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Cyfansoddiadau. Coffi. Cacen. Sadwrn olaf Steddfod. #DarllenGwyliau

A photo of two books, coffe and a custard slice.

Photo of four books: Y Cyfansoddiadau; Ynys Gwales gan Rebecca Thomas; Ffrwyth gan Gareth Evans-Jones; Cestyll Tywod gan Ceri Wyn Jones.

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Reposted by Ifan Hughes

Dr Dan Jones @hookean.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

If you teach Physics in schools in Wales, it would be lovely if you could help Cerys, a PhD candidate in Cardiff, by completing this short survey on curiosity in Physics classrooms #iTeachPhysics cardiffmet.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

cardiffmet.eu.qualtrics.com

Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management

I am a Cardiff Met PhD student researching 'Designing for Curiosity in progression step 4 Physics Education'. As part of my research project I want to understand what it is like for science teachers i...

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Reposted by Ifan Hughes

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I'm absolutely devastated for colleagues at Jodrell Bank who found out this morning that funding for the UK's e-MERLIN radio telescope array will be terminated. This is a short-sighted move, to save a tiny fraction of the overall UK science budget. #SaveJodrellBank 🔭🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands

Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.

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Reposted by Ifan Hughes

Royal Astronomical Society @royalastrosoc.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The Royal Astronomical Society is shocked and dismayed to hear that the UK's iconic Jodrell Bank Observatory is at risk of closure amid a slew of catastrophic budget cuts. Read our full statement here: ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

It is 25 years (!) since my first paper was published with a Durham final-year project student as a co author. Periodic trajectories of cold atoms in a gravitational cavity doi.org/10.1088/0953... via @ioppublishing.bsky.social

doi.org

Periodic trajectories of cold atoms in a gravitational cavity

Periodic trajectories of cold atoms in a gravitational cavity, Ifan G Hughes, Timothy Darlington, E A Hinds

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Some context for the Florence Nightingale Prize for Graphical Excellence.

A poster explaining the context of the Florence Nightingale Prize. There is an image of Florence Nightingale and an example of one of her influential charts.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

The 2026 Florence Nightingale Prize for Graphical Excellence at @durhamphysics.bsky.social In recognition of undergraduates who produce the most effective graphical presentation of data to illustrate complex physical phenomena in their laboratory reports.

Photograph of a poster with three separate images from Louis Jonss, Sean Ridge, and James Hartman.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Gigondas Clos des Tourelles, Perrin 2020. Classic gigondas, garnet coloured. Very deep flavour. Interesting battle between fruit and tannins, that fruit won- cherry, strawberry, blackberry and plumb. Sumptuous. #wine #winereviews #winesky

A case of red French wine. Gigondas Clos des Tourelles. Famille Perrin. 2020.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

The standard rose Lady of Shalott is thriving. #BloomScrolling

Macro clise up of a single orange flower of Lady of Shalott.

Photo showing whole bush with numerous orange blooms.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Hot off the press! Transformation of vector modes by the Faraday effect in strong magnetic fields arxiv.org/pdf/2607.15088 Collaboration with @sonjafrankearnold.bsky.social Atoms, lasers, and magnets! 🧪 #physics ⚛️ #optics 💡

Two images depicting Absorption and Farady rotation across a range of temperatures, showing the increasing absorption and saturation of the atomic transitions, as well as large fluctuations in
Faraday rotation.

A series of images depicting Azimuthally polarised probe beam and its decomposition in right and left handed polarisation components. b)
Explanation of the colour scheme used to represent polarisation states, parametrised by the eccentricity angle χ and the
alignment angle ψ. c) Schematic of the experimental setup

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Reposted by Ifan Hughes

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

On display this morning, parliamentary scrutiny at its very best with @chionwurah.bsky.social and her committee questioning Secretary of State Liz Kendall about the STFC funding cuts. Worth watching in full, but here are some of the highlights! 1: Doctoring the minutes!

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Reposted by Ifan Hughes

turgut keskintürk @tkeskinturk.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

data visualization is my passion.

fox news showing weekly temperatures: 92, 92, 92, 94, 94, 92, 92, with a very strong gap between 94 and 92.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Profound and deeply moving immersive audition installation of Ára by Sigur Rós. First visit to the impressive Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities.

A poster advertising an immersive audition installation of Ára by Sigur Rós.

A photograph of the outside of the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities on a sunny day with blue sky.

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Reposted by Ifan Hughes

Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I hate that this — urgent pleas to save prestigious departments from drastic cuts — is becoming a regular occurrence. A program like this takes decades to build and a few strokes of a pen to destroy.

sussexphysics.github.io

Save Sussex Physics

Save Sussex Physics - Open Letter

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

One of Côte de Beaune's finest: Chassagne Montrachet Doudet Naudin. Traditional pinot noir ruby colour. On the nose many fruit and spices. Palate has blackberry, cherry, gooseberry. Persistent. Superb finesse and complexity. Paired well with goose truffle risotto. #wine #winereviews #winesky

A photo of a wine bottle labelled Doudet- Naudin. Chassagne Montrachet.

Photo of risotto. Parmesan visible, as are mushrooms and asparagus.

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Quantum Light and Matter at Durham University @durhamqlm.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

At the department Research Away Day at Ushaw College Phil and Alex presented an overview of the section's research, and our vision for the future. There has been a significant increase in the size of the section in the last 4 years, mostly as a consequence of hosting early-career fellows.

An image giving an overview of QLM research. There are four images from recent research papers.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Greatly enjoyed our Physics department research away day at Ushaw College. The theme was "A 10-year horizon". Two of my early career colleagues gave the talk on behalf of @durhamqlm.bsky.social .

Phil and Alex about to give their presentation.

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Physics World @physicsworld.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Producing pairs of entangled photons usually requires a complex laser system, but researchers in China have shown that these crucial ingredients in #quantum optics experiments can come from a far more basic source: sunlight. 🧪⚛️💡 physicsworld.com/a/sunlight-c...

physicsworld.com

Sunlight can produce correlated pairs of photons – Physics World

Novel source for quantum optics experiments could enable experiments in space or other locations with limited electricity

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Royal Astronomical Society @royalastrosoc.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Stars of physics are in Westminster right now to call on the Government to halt funding cuts to astronomy and particle physics research. Professor Brian Cox called them "inexplicable", urging the Government to instead "trust, inspire and continue to invest in the next generation of scientists".

Stars of physics outside the Houses of Parliament.

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Robert "The Bobby Yaga" McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

James Clerk Maxwell was born #OTD in 1831. He showed that electric and magnetic fields are aspects of a single phenomenon, determined its governing equations, and concluded that light and other forms of radiation are electromagnetic waves. 🧪 ⚛️ 🎢 Image: J.C. Maxwell Foundation

A black and white photo of a young James Maxwell seated in a chair, wearing a dark suit and a white shirt with a band collar and tie a la Byron. He is holding something in his hand that looks like a large dial.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Attended book launch for Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches By Alan McDougall and Tony Shaw. Looking forward to read the book now!

Front cover of the book Cold War Football. Authors Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall.

The authors being interviewed. They are sat on chairs on a stage with a banner of the book cover in the background.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Os oes diddordeb gennych mewn clywed am ddatblygiadau diweddar ym myd cyfrifiadura cwantwm yna gwrandewch ar Dros Ginio. Dechrau ar ôl 9 1/2 munud. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

Dros Ginio - Cennydd Davies yn cyflwyno - BBC Sounds

Trin a thrafod Cymru a'r byd, gan godi'r pynciau a gofyn y cwestiynau sy'n bwysig i chi.

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Iris pseudacorus. Thriving in the garden pond. #BloomScrolling

Close up photo of a yellow flower iris pseudacorus

Photo showing a few stems, leaves and yellow flowers from iris pseudacorus

Photo showing the yellow iris pseudacorus in a garden pond.

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Margaret Harris @drmlharris.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I'm delighted to share that my deep dive into the early history of the physics Nobel Prize has been named as a finalist in the 2026 Association of British Science Writers @absw.bsky.social awards. It's such an honour to be in the list with so many great writers! 🧪⚛️ www.absw.org.uk/pages/meet-t...

absw.org.uk

Meet the finalists – ABSW Awards 2026 | Association of British Science Writers

Who has made it to the finals in the ABSW Awards 2026?

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

The Rochester Lecture 2026 was delivered by Prof. Antoine Browaeys - www.durham.ac.uk/departments/...

durham.ac.uk

The Rochester Lecture 2026 was delivered by Prof. Antoine Browaeys - Durham University

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Prof. Stuart Adams receives Holweck Prize - www.durham.ac.uk/departments/...

durham.ac.uk

Stuart Adams receives Holweck Prize - Durham University

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Ifan Hughes @ifanghughes.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

A moving book. Final 2/3 is an uplifting tale of Doran travelling the world finding Shakespeare first folios. First 1/3 is a profound and moving testament of grief from Antony Sher's death as Doran cares for his husband. Brutally honest account of living with cancer. #SummerReading

Cover of the book Walking Shadow, Love, loss and Shakespeare. Author Greg Doran.

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