The Research School in the Department of Physics supports research groups competing at the forefront of international science. The excitement of studying in a department alongside professional scientists working at the frontiers of knowledge is an essential part of being a student at Aberystwyth. It is also widely recognised that teaching benefits greatly from taking place within a framework of research. Students graduating from Aberystwyth's undergraduate physics degrees are obviously in a position to take advantage of research studentships offered in these groups. The materials physics team is engaged in determining the intricate relationships between the atomic structure and the macroscopic properties of materials, including the glasses, ceramics, semiconductors and catalysts that are vital to modern technology.
Major use is made of intense X-ray and synchrotron radiation as well as theoretical work.
In most cases it is the disorder rather than order that is the key feature at an atomic level giving rise to the useful property of the material. For example, many-body effects alter the diffusion of ions in a glassy electrolyte and the electronic activity of concentrated dopants in a semiconductor. By study of the Aurora Borealis researchers discover how energy from the solar wind is trapped in the Earth's magnetic field and directed into the atmosphere - where it causes the magical display of the Northern Lights. Aberystwyth's research group also observes the final stages of this process where massive upper atmosphere waves radiate from the auroral regions to the equator and beyond. Recently, the work has been extended to the Antarctic.