physicsworld--2020-10-28--US heads to the polls in an election focused on science - Physics World

Next week ’ s presidential election between the incumbent Republican Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden presents voters with a stark choice between two candidates with strikingly different views of national and international policy .
With issues such as how to halt the spread of COVID-19 and how to resuscitate an economy battered by the pandemic , science has played a key role in an election that sees a strongly divided electorate head to the polls on 3 November .
In a report released in March just as the pandemic was starting to bite , the American Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic-related shutdown had already “ stalled research , curtailed the operation of major facilities and international travel , and negatively impacted students and early career scientists ” .
AIP chief executive Michael Moloney noted in June that without swift action to rebuild and renew , the US was in “ peril of losing the resilient and robust physical sciences enterprise we need to remain healthy , innovative and prosperous ” .
Opponents of Trump have accused his administration of being “ anti-science ” – a concern that has increased during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical authorities ’ recommendations for lessening the impact of COVID-19 and his insistence on promoting unproven remedies .
They also point to Trump ’ s dismissal of anthropogenic climate change as a hoax – following recent devastating wildfires in California he claimed that “ it ’ ll start getting cooler ” – and his administration ’ s consistent efforts to cut funding for science in its annual budget proposals .
So far , however , Congress has refused to agree to those reductions .
“ Had they gone along with the requested cuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 50 % , ” says Neal Lane , a physicist and former presidential science adviser who is now a senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice University .
“ I ’ ve seen no signs from Trump ’ s side that he has much interest in science.
” Criticism of the Trump administration ’ s science policy started in its earliest days when it pulled the US out of the Paris climate agreement .
Environmentalists were further incensed by the relaxation of environmental protection regulations created under Democratic president Barack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration ’ s perceived suspicion of “ experts ” , exemplified by a failed effort to ban academic scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency ’ s scientific advisory panels .
The Washington Post reported earlier this year that 20 % of high-level science positions in the civil service are currently vacant .
International policy during Trump ’ s tenure has also caused some angst in the US science community .
“ The US has always been a leader in international collaboration , ” says Philip Bucksbaum , chair of natural science at Stanford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Physical Society ( APS ) .
“ But that ’ s begun to change because of disagreements with China.
” Bucksbaum points to several high-profile arrests of scientists accused of risking US national security , while in September the Department of Homeland Security revoked the US visas of more than 1000 Chinese students and researchers , citing security risks .
“ That sends a chilling message , ” says Busksbaum , who emphasizes that his comments represent his personal views and not those of the APS .
Such moves also have a potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students make up about half of graduate students in the US – and a third of them come from China .
“ Science affects everything the government does , ” adds Bucksbaum .
“ The difference in this election is the number of cases at the national level in which the two parties differ on the merits of science itself – it feels as if science is on the ballot , in a way.
” In early September 81 US science Nobel laureates , including 26 from physics , issued an open letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017 .
“ At no time in our nation ’ s history has there been a greater need for our leaders to appreciate the value of science in formulating public policy , ” the laureates argued .
“ During his long record of public service , Joe Biden has consistently demonstrated his willingness to listen to experts , his understanding of the value of international collaboration in research , and his respect for the contribution that immigrants make to the intellectual life of our country.
” The letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Illinois , the only physicist currently in Congress , who said it would be an “ important ” development for the Biden campaign .
Foster says that “ a core group ” of laureates decided which issues to raise in the letter , but when he started calling the laureates to back the initiative , “ it was like pushing at an open door…there was a lot of enthusiasm because of the difference [ the laureates ] perceive in the scientific understanding ” between the two candidates .
The Nobel laureates ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letters were penned in 2016 to support Hillary Clinton and in 2008 for Barack Obama .
More unusual , however , was a strongly worded editorial in Science in September by its editor-in-chief , the chemist Holden Thorp .
Entitled “ Trump lied about science ” , Thorp claimed that the president ’ s remarks in February to Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward , in which he sought to downplay the severity of COVID-19 , meant that “ a US president ha [ d ] deliberately lied about science in a way that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly led to widespread deaths of Americans ” .
Thorp suggested this was “ the most shameful moment in the history of US science policy ” .
Meanwhile , political appointees of the Trump administration without medical backgrounds have been accused of meddling with health statistics and announcements of potential treatments for COVID-19 .
In late August , Food and Drug Administration director Stephen Hahn apologised for the administration ’ s release of statistics that greatly overstated the benefit of blood plasma in treating COVID-19 .
Republican supporters of Trump respond that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy – at least until the coronavirus arrived .
They point to recent initiatives that created centres for artificial intelligence and quantum information science .
They also note a renewed effort to send astronauts to the Moon , as a starting point for a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s , and the debut – on the administration ’ s watch – of the commercial SpaceX system for ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station , which marked the end of US dependence on Russia ’ s Soyuz spacecraft .
Trump also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , particularly among deniers of climate change .
Will Happer , an emeritus professor of physics at Princeton University who believes that carbon dioxide benefits living things , has served as an official and unofficial adviser to the president on climate change .
Howard Hayden , an emeritus physicist at the University of Connecticut associated with the Heartland Institute , which promotes “ free market solutions to social and economic problems ” , says that Trump “ has never been opposed ” to science .
“ I don ’ t think Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community , ” he adds .
“ I suspect the [ Nobel laureates ’ open ] letter is more animated by animus for Trump than anything for science.
” Yet Trump ’ s own party has issued no science manifesto for the next four years .
The administration ’ s annual memorandum on its R & D priorities , released in mid-August , will likely shape its future budget requests should Trump win re-election .
The priorities include “ industries of the future ” such as artificial intelligence , quantum-information science , advanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ memorandum also foresees the creation of “ Industries of the Future Institutes ” that would house up to “ a few thousand ” researchers carrying out interdisciplinary R & D .
The Biden campaign ’ s manifesto , meanwhile , calls for $ 300bn on R & D over the next four years and $ 400bn over a decade to make “ the largest-ever investment in clean energy research ” .
The plan targets a zero-emissions US by 2050 via R & D , investments in infrastructure , regulations on emissions and retraining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The $ 300bn would serve “ to sharpen Americans ’ competitive edge in new industries [ such as ] battery technology , artificial intelligence , biotechnology and clean energy ” .
Whoever wins the next election will have to spend extra on science , Lane believes .
“ Funding has been trending downward for the last decade or so , ” he says .
“ What you need in science and R & D generally is sustainable , steady growth of government funding.
” Foster agrees , adding that he sees the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the importance of science .
“ The only reason we ’ re in a position to develop vaccines rapidly is decades of scientific research , ” he says .
“ This may be an opportunity for the scientific community to remind everyone about long-term investment in science .
”

Physics World, where it appeared under the headline "US election focuses on science". Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue Taken from the October 2020 issue of, where it appeared under the headline "US election focuses on science". Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app
From dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic to stimulating industries of the future, science policy has played a larger role than usual in next week’s US election, as Peter Gwynne reports
Battle ground Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Joe Biden (pictured) will have to deal with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy: Michael Stokes/CC BY 2.0)
Next week’s presidential election between the incumbent Republican Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden presents voters with a stark choice between two candidates with strikingly different views of national and international policy. With issues such as how to halt the spread of COVID-19 and how to resuscitate an economy battered by the pandemic, science has played a key role in an election that sees a strongly divided electorate head to the polls on 3 November.
In a report released in March just as the pandemic was starting to bite, the American Institute of Physics (AIP) noted that the pandemic-related shutdown had already “stalled research, curtailed the operation of major facilities and international travel, and negatively impacted students and early career scientists”. AIP chief executive Michael Moloney noted in June that without swift action to rebuild and renew, the US was in “peril of losing the resilient and robust physical sciences enterprise we need to remain healthy, innovative and prosperous”.
Opponents of Trump have accused his administration of being “anti-science” – a concern that has increased during the pandemic. Critics highlight his failure to accept medical authorities’ recommendations for lessening the impact of COVID-19 and his insistence on promoting unproven remedies. They also point to Trump’s dismissal of anthropogenic climate change as a hoax – following recent devastating wildfires in California he claimed that “it’ll start getting cooler” – and his administration’s consistent efforts to cut funding for science in its annual budget proposals.
So far, however, Congress has refused to agree to those reductions. “Had they gone along with the requested cuts, funding for science would be down by 50%,” says Neal Lane, a physicist and former presidential science adviser who is now a senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice University. “I’ve seen no signs from Trump’s side that he has much interest in science.”
The difference in this election is the number of cases in which the two parties differ on the merits of science itself – as if science is on the ballot, in a way
Criticism of the Trump administration’s science policy started in its earliest days when it pulled the US out of the Paris climate agreement. Environmentalists were further incensed by the relaxation of environmental protection regulations created under Democratic president Barack Obama. Another problem is the current administration’s perceived suspicion of “experts”, exemplified by a failed effort to ban academic scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific advisory panels. The Washington Post reported earlier this year that 20% of high-level science positions in the civil service are currently vacant.
International policy during Trump’s tenure has also caused some angst in the US science community. “The US has always been a leader in international collaboration,” says Philip Bucksbaum, chair of natural science at Stanford University and current president of the American Physical Society (APS). “But that’s begun to change because of disagreements with China.”
Bucksbaum points to several high-profile arrests of scientists accused of risking US national security, while in September the Department of Homeland Security revoked the US visas of more than 1000 Chinese students and researchers, citing security risks. “That sends a chilling message,” says Busksbaum, who emphasizes that his comments represent his personal views and not those of the APS. Such moves also have a potential impact on US universities given that international students make up about half of graduate students in the US – and a third of them come from China.
“Science affects everything the government does,” adds Bucksbaum. “The difference in this election is the number of cases at the national level in which the two parties differ on the merits of science itself – it feels as if science is on the ballot, in a way.”
A “shameful” moment
In early September 81 US science Nobel laureates, including 26 from physics, issued an open letter endorsing Biden – who was vice-president under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017. “At no time in our nation’s history has there been a greater need for our leaders to appreciate the value of science in formulating public policy,” the laureates argued. “During his long record of public service, Joe Biden has consistently demonstrated his willingness to listen to experts, his understanding of the value of international collaboration in research, and his respect for the contribution that immigrants make to the intellectual life of our country.”
The letter was organized by Democratic Representative Bill Foster of Illinois, the only physicist currently in Congress, who said it would be an “important” development for the Biden campaign. Foster says that “a core group” of laureates decided which issues to raise in the letter, but when he started calling the laureates to back the initiative, “it was like pushing at an open door…there was a lot of enthusiasm because of the difference [the laureates] perceive in the scientific understanding” between the two candidates.
The Nobel laureates’ Democratic leanings are nothing new: similar letters were penned in 2016 to support Hillary Clinton and in 2008 for Barack Obama. More unusual, however, was a strongly worded editorial in Science in September by its editor-in-chief, the chemist Holden Thorp. Entitled “Trump lied about science”, Thorp claimed that the president’s remarks in February to Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, in which he sought to downplay the severity of COVID-19, meant that “a US president ha[d] deliberately lied about science in a way that was imminently dangerous to human health and directly led to widespread deaths of Americans”. Thorp suggested this was “the most shameful moment in the history of US science policy”.
Meanwhile, political appointees of the Trump administration without medical backgrounds have been accused of meddling with health statistics and announcements of potential treatments for COVID-19. In late August, Food and Drug Administration director Stephen Hahn apologised for the administration’s release of statistics that greatly overstated the benefit of blood plasma in treating COVID-19.
Lunar vision
Republican supporters of Trump respond that his administration’s policies have improved the economy – at least until the coronavirus arrived. They point to recent initiatives that created centres for artificial intelligence and quantum information science. They also note a renewed effort to send astronauts to the Moon, as a starting point for a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s, and the debut – on the administration’s watch – of the commercial SpaceX system for ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station, which marked the end of US dependence on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.
Trump also has his defenders in the scientific community, particularly among deniers of climate change. Will Happer, an emeritus professor of physics at Princeton University who believes that carbon dioxide benefits living things, has served as an official and unofficial adviser to the president on climate change. Howard Hayden, an emeritus physicist at the University of Connecticut associated with the Heartland Institute, which promotes “free market solutions to social and economic problems”, says that Trump “has never been opposed” to science. “I don’t think Joe Biden has any particular credentials in the science community,” he adds. “I suspect the [Nobel laureates’ open] letter is more animated by animus for Trump than anything for science.”
This may be an opportunity for the scientific community to remind everyone about long-term investment in science Neal Lane
Yet Trump’s own party has issued no science manifesto for the next four years. The administration’s annual memorandum on its R&D priorities, released in mid-August, will likely shape its future budget requests should Trump win re-election. The priorities include “industries of the future” such as artificial intelligence, quantum-information science, advanced communication networks and advanced manufacturing. The memorandum also foresees the creation of “Industries of the Future Institutes” that would house up to “a few thousand” researchers carrying out interdisciplinary R&D.
The Biden campaign’s manifesto, meanwhile, calls for $300bn on R&D over the next four years and $400bn over a decade to make “the largest-ever investment in clean energy research”. The plan targets a zero-emissions US by 2050 via R&D, investments in infrastructure, regulations on emissions and retraining of workers in traditional energy industries. The $300bn would serve “to sharpen Americans’ competitive edge in new industries [such as] battery technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and clean energy”.
Whoever wins the next election will have to spend extra on science, Lane believes. “Funding has been trending downward for the last decade or so,” he says. “What you need in science and R&D generally is sustainable, steady growth of government funding.” Foster agrees, adding that he sees the coronavirus pandemic as a factor in refocusing voters on the importance of science. “The only reason we’re in a position to develop vaccines rapidly is decades of scientific research,” he says. “This may be an opportunity for the scientific community to remind everyone about long-term investment in science.”


physicsworld--2020-10-28--RadCalc innovations reinforce the benefits of independent QA - Physics World

While the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc across national healthcare systems and the global economy , many technology companies have bunkered down and spent a good chunk of 2020 focusing on what they do best : relentless product innovation .
A case study in this regard is the development team behind RadCalc QA secondary check software , a suite of widely deployed quality-assurance ( QA ) tools that provides medical physicists and dosimetrists with fully automated and independent dosimetric verification of their radiotherapy treatment planning systems ( TPS ) .
Among a raft of advanced RadCalc features unveiled this year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ automated 3D dose-volume verification – a result of the successful integration of Monte Carlo and collapsed-cone dose calculation algorithms into the platform .
That 3D capability is reinforced by a continuous-improvement mindset – aligned with the evolving operational priorities of end-users at more than 2500 clinics worldwide – which ensures that automation , speed and workflow efficiency remain hard-wired into the RadCalc develop-and-release programme .
“ For the past 20 years , we have provided independent QA software that ’ s fast , easy-to-use and accurate when it comes to identifying TPS dose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president and co-founder of the RadCalc software portfolio , part of LAP ’ s growing QA product line in radiotherapy .
As such , the addition of automated 3D dose verification represents a natural progression for RadCalc , ensuring enhanced QA accuracy for harder-to-treat cases – for example , metastatic brain tumours or small tumour targets surrounded by lung heterogeneities – as well as an independent check for a range of advanced treatment modalities , including intensity-modulated radiation therapy ( IMRT ) , volumetric modulated-arc therapy ( VMAT ) , stereotactic radiosurgery ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SBRT ) plus hypofractionation and ultrahypofractionation .
Under the hood , RadCalc ’ s 3D Monte Carlo module exploits the well-established BEAMnrc dose engine in tandem with proprietary machine modelling acquired from the medical physics team at McGill University , Canada .
The collapsed-cone convolution superposition algorithm is the result of a separate acquisition covering the source code and related patents of a product called DosimetryCheck ( purchased from US radiological software specialist Math Resolutions back in 2017 ) .
“ Our investment in Monte Carlo and collapsed-cone algorithms gives users a higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dose calculations , ” adds Dube .
“ That certainty translates into improved targeting accuracy and dose distribution accuracy – and ultimately better patient outcomes.
” If accuracy is a given for 3D dose verification , so too are automation and speed .
Put simply , says Dube , all the physicist has to do is export a treatment plan via their DICOM RT and RadCalc will automatically verify the plan using either a Monte Carlo or collapsed-cone algorithm , generating results in minutes .
“ If the treatment plan doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adds , “ RadCalc will prompt the user to investigate what ’ s going on using a suite of dose analysis tools .
They can slice-and-dice the plan just about any way they want to see where the hot or cold spot is and figure out what to do from there.
” Functionality aside , there ’ s also significant innovation to report on the RadCalc commercial model – most notably the availability of subscription licensing for radiation oncology clinics in North America .
In terms of specifics , end-users can now select @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3D Premium , 3D Gold and 3D Unlimited – and add functional modules to meet their changing clinical needs .
“ We are constantly working on new features , new releases and the optimization of the software platform , ” says Dube .
“ With a subscription , users can access all the latest features to ensure they are always up to date.
” Annual and multiyear RadCalc subscription packages are available , all with technical support and maintenance included .
The financial driver here is that even in the best of times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic – the upfront capital outlay on a traditional QA software licence can prove a blocker for smaller clinics , many of which struggle to accommodate spending spikes outside their annual budgeting cycle .
The RadCalc subscription model offers customers a fast-track workaround , spreading their software investment over an extended timeframe .
“ Subscription packages provide 70 % lower upfront spend compared to traditional licence fees , ” claims Dube .
“ It ’ s a win–win , with the client getting much-improved visibility and certainty about their QA software spending over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team is hard at work fleshing out the development roadmap for 2021 and beyond , including the release of 3D EPID-based functionality to underpin true measurement-based IMRT QA and in vivo verification .
In short , RadCalc will import the necessary EPID data/image files , process them , and then send to the collapsed-cone dose engine to calculate the dose .
Ongoing requirements-gathering and prioritization are built upon what Dube calls “ dialogue at scale ” with the clinical user base – though he concedes that “ it ’ s suddenly not so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a face-to-face setting ” as the main scientific conferences and tradeshows go virtual .
All things considered , though , it seems the collective conversation on RadCalc is in good shape , with the technical support and sales teams very much the “ eyes and ears ” for customer feedback and new feature requests .
“ Our annual customer survey is another fantastic channel to inform our product development , ” says Dube , “ and very much in the spirit of ‘ what are we doing well , what could we do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make your life easier ?
’ ” Operationally , RadCalc ’ s incorporation into the LAP group ( in January 2019 ) has also opened up new growth opportunities through the latter ’ s global customer base .
LAP laser systems are used worldwide for patient positioning in radiotherapy , both in the imaging and treatment unit .
More broadly , the company is focused on delivering the enabling technologies for next-generation radiation therapy with ongoing innovation across its QA and multileaf-collimator product lines .
Capitalizing on that access , Dube concludes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ core value proposition to the radiation oncology community : “ Independent verification is , and will remain , a big deal for medical physicists and for the radiotherapy equipment vendors .
Why wouldn ’ t they want independent QA providing a double-check of their treatment plans ?
”

LAP is majoring on functional and commercial innovation with the roll-out of automated 3D dose verification and a new subscription licensing model for its RadCalc QA software
Second check: RadCalc’s automated 3D dose-volume verification capability is a result of the successful integration of Monte Carlo and collapsed-cone dose calculation algorithms. (Courtesy: LAP)
While the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc across national healthcare systems and the global economy, many technology companies have bunkered down and spent a good chunk of 2020 focusing on what they do best: relentless product innovation. A case study in this regard is the development team behind RadCalc QA secondary check software, a suite of widely deployed quality-assurance (QA) tools that provides medical physicists and dosimetrists with fully automated and independent dosimetric verification of their radiotherapy treatment planning systems (TPS).
Among a raft of advanced RadCalc features unveiled this year, top billing goes to the addition of automated 3D dose-volume verification – a result of the successful integration of Monte Carlo and collapsed-cone dose calculation algorithms into the platform. That 3D capability is reinforced by a continuous-improvement mindset – aligned with the evolving operational priorities of end-users at more than 2500 clinics worldwide – which ensures that automation, speed and workflow efficiency remain hard-wired into the RadCalc develop-and-release programme.
3D thinking
“For the past 20 years, we have provided independent QA software that’s fast, easy-to-use and accurate when it comes to identifying TPS dose errors,” explains Jim Dube, president and co-founder of the RadCalc software portfolio, part of LAP’s growing QA product line in radiotherapy. As such, the addition of automated 3D dose verification represents a natural progression for RadCalc, ensuring enhanced QA accuracy for harder-to-treat cases – for example, metastatic brain tumours or small tumour targets surrounded by lung heterogeneities – as well as an independent check for a range of advanced treatment modalities, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), volumetric modulated-arc therapy (VMAT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) plus hypofractionation and ultrahypofractionation.
Jim Dube: “Independent verification is, and will remain, a big deal for medical physicists and for the radiotherapy equipment vendors.”
Under the hood, RadCalc’s 3D Monte Carlo module exploits the well-established BEAMnrc dose engine in tandem with proprietary machine modelling acquired from the medical physics team at McGill University, Canada. The collapsed-cone convolution superposition algorithm is the result of a separate acquisition covering the source code and related patents of a product called DosimetryCheck (purchased from US radiological software specialist Math Resolutions back in 2017). “Our investment in Monte Carlo and collapsed-cone algorithms gives users a higher degree of certainty in their QA 3D dose calculations,” adds Dube. “That certainty translates into improved targeting accuracy and dose distribution accuracy – and ultimately better patient outcomes.”
If accuracy is a given for 3D dose verification, so too are automation and speed. Put simply, says Dube, all the physicist has to do is export a treatment plan via their DICOM RT and RadCalc will automatically verify the plan using either a Monte Carlo or collapsed-cone algorithm, generating results in minutes. “If the treatment plan doesn’t pass versus preset criteria,” he adds, “RadCalc will prompt the user to investigate what’s going on using a suite of dose analysis tools. They can slice-and-dice the plan just about any way they want to see where the hot or cold spot is and figure out what to do from there.”
Buy vs subscribe
Functionality aside, there’s also significant innovation to report on the RadCalc commercial model – most notably the availability of subscription licensing for radiation oncology clinics in North America. In terms of specifics, end-users can now select from four preconfigured packages – Essential, 3D Premium, 3D Gold and 3D Unlimited – and add functional modules to meet their changing clinical needs. “We are constantly working on new features, new releases and the optimization of the software platform,” says Dube. “With a subscription, users can access all the latest features to ensure they are always up to date.”
Annual and multiyear RadCalc subscription packages are available, all with technical support and maintenance included. The financial driver here is that even in the best of times – let alone the middle of a pandemic – the upfront capital outlay on a traditional QA software licence can prove a blocker for smaller clinics, many of which struggle to accommodate spending spikes outside their annual budgeting cycle.
The RadCalc subscription model offers customers a fast-track workaround, spreading their software investment over an extended timeframe. “Subscription packages provide 70% lower upfront spend compared to traditional licence fees,” claims Dube. “It’s a win–win, with the client getting much-improved visibility and certainty about their QA software spending over time.”
Listening to the user
Right now, the RadCalc team is hard at work fleshing out the development roadmap for 2021 and beyond, including the release of 3D EPID-based functionality to underpin true measurement-based IMRT QA and in vivo verification. In short, RadCalc will import the necessary EPID data/image files, process them, and then send to the collapsed-cone dose engine to calculate the dose.
Ongoing requirements-gathering and prioritization are built upon what Dube calls “dialogue at scale” with the clinical user base – though he concedes that “it’s suddenly not so easy to gather ideas from customers in a face-to-face setting” as the main scientific conferences and tradeshows go virtual.
All things considered, though, it seems the collective conversation on RadCalc is in good shape, with the technical support and sales teams very much the “eyes and ears” for customer feedback and new feature requests. “Our annual customer survey is another fantastic channel to inform our product development,” says Dube, “and very much in the spirit of ‘what are we doing well, what could we do better, what can we do to make your life easier?’”
Operationally, RadCalc’s incorporation into the LAP group (in January 2019) has also opened up new growth opportunities through the latter’s global customer base. LAP laser systems are used worldwide for patient positioning in radiotherapy, both in the imaging and treatment unit. More broadly, the company is focused on delivering the enabling technologies for next-generation radiation therapy with ongoing innovation across its QA and multileaf-collimator product lines.
Capitalizing on that access, Dube concludes, starts and ends with RadCalc’s core value proposition to the radiation oncology community: “Independent verification is, and will remain, a big deal for medical physicists and for the radiotherapy equipment vendors. Why wouldn’t they want independent QA providing a double-check of their treatment plans?”


physicsworld--2020-10-29--LIGO–Virgo announces ‘bumper crop’ of gravitational-wave detections - Physics World

Physicists working on LIGO–Virgo have confirmed the detection of 39 gravitational-wave signals by the observatories in April–October 2019 .
This brings the total catalogue of confirmed observations of gravitational waves to 50 .
While these 39 signals have been public knowledge for some time – indeed we have covered several of them in Physics World – this announcement from LIGO-Virgo comes as the detections are described in papers that have been submitted for peer review .
According to the LIGO and Virgo collaborations , the upturn in the number of detections was achieved by making significant improvements to the gravitational-wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US and Italy .
Upgrades included boosting the laser power , better mirrors and the use of quantum squeezing technology .
Most of the 39 new signals appear to come from the merger of two black holes , but the haul also includes the second-ever signal received from a pair of merging neutron stars ( “ LIGO–Virgo claims another neutron-star merger ” ) and also what could be the first-ever signal from the merger of a black hole and a neutron star ( “ Black-hole–neutron-star merger may have been spotted by LIGO–Virgo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 39 is the gravitational-wave signal from the most massive merger of two black holes ever seen ( “ LIGO–Virgo spots its most massive black hole merger so far ” ) .
This was the topic of a Physics World Weekly podcast in September that featured gravitational-wave expert Laura Nuttall ( “ Why that massive black-hole merger is important… ” ) .
With the expanded catalogue , researchers could study the remnant objects produced by the mergers .
They were able to rule out the creation of “ echoes ” after the main merger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as predicted by Einstein ’ s general theory of relativity .
The 39 signals were detected in the first half of run three of the observatories and scientists are still analysing data from the second half .
Meanwhile , LIGO and Virgo are undergoing further upgrades and will be joined in their fourth observing run by the KAGRA detector in Japan .
The papers are available on the LIGO website .

Biggest yet: illustration of the gravitational waves given off by the pair of black holes just before they merged. (Courtesy: MIT)
Physicists working on LIGO–Virgo have confirmed the detection of 39 gravitational-wave signals by the observatories in April–October 2019. This brings the total catalogue of confirmed observations of gravitational waves to 50.
While these 39 signals have been public knowledge for some time – indeed we have covered several of them in Physics World – this announcement from LIGO–Virgo comes as the detections are described in papers that have been submitted for peer review.
According to the LIGO and Virgo collaborations, the upturn in the number of detections was achieved by making significant improvements to the gravitational-wave detectors – which are kilometre-scale interferometers in the US and Italy. Upgrades included boosting the laser power, better mirrors and the use of quantum squeezing technology.
Black hole versus neutron star
Most of the 39 new signals appear to come from the merger of two black holes, but the haul also includes the second signal ever received from a pair of merging neutron stars (“LIGO–Virgo claims another neutron-star merger”) and also what could be the first ever signal from the merger of a black hole and a neutron star (“Black-hole–neutron-star merger may have been spotted by LIGO–Virgo”).
Also included in the 39 is the gravitational-wave signal from the most massive merger of two black holes ever seen (“LIGO–Virgo spots its most massive black hole merger so far”). This was the topic of a Physics World Weekly podcast in September that featured gravitational-wave expert Laura Nuttall (“Why that massive black-hole merger is important…”).
With the expanded catalogue, researchers could study the remnant objects produced by the mergers. They were able to rule out the creation of “echoes” after the main merger signals, which suggests that remnants behave as predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
The 39 signals were detected in the first half of run three of the observatories and scientists are still analysing data from the second half. Meanwhile, LIGO and Virgo are undergoing further upgrades and will be joined in their fourth observing run by the KAGRA detector in Japan.
The papers are available on the LIGO website.


physicsworld--2020-10-28--Do colliding neutron stars or supernovae produce heavy elements? - Physics World

The mystery of where heavy elements such as gold and silver come from has deepened with research groups clashing over whether binary neutron-star mergers can account for the abundance of those elements in the universe .
On 17 August 2017 , a burst of gravitational waves was detected by the LIGO and Virgo detectors .
Astronomer quickly turned their telescopes towards the source of the waves and observed the afterglow of a kilonova – the collision of two neutron stars – in a galaxy 140 million light years away .
The light of the kilonova was powered by the radioactive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ formed by rapid neutron capture ( the “ r-process ” ) .
In particular , a team led by Darach Watson at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen identified the spectral line of strontium in the kilonova ’ s light .
It is now certain that neutron star collisions produce r-process elements such as strontium , europium , silver and gold .
However , debate continues as to whether there are enough such collisions to produce the abundance of those elements that we observe in the universe .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Royal Astronomical Society , astronomers led by Irina Dvorkin of the Institut d ’ Astrophysique de Paris studied how the interstellar medium becomes enriched in r-process elements and concluded that binary neutron-star mergers are the main source of these elements in environments that have generally low levels of heavy elements .
These regions include the Milky Way ’ s halo , dwarf galaxies and the early universe .
Although their models did not focus on environments richer in heavy elements , such as the Milky Way ’ s disc , they propose that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dominant source there too .
One of their reasons for this conclusion is the observed variations in the ratios of r-process element abundances compared to iron-group elements , which are formed in supernovae .
If r-process elements were also formed in supernovae , we would expect them to have a constant ratios relative to the iron-group elements .
Instead , there is a large scatter observed in the ratios of the two element groups , implying different origins .
However , this conclusion is disputed by a paper in The Astrophysical Journal by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and colleagues .
Kobayashi ’ s team created models describing the origin of every element in the universe as a function of time and environment .
They came to the conclusion that the timescale of binary neutron stars forming from supernovae and then spiralling into a collision is too long to explain the observed abundance of r-process elements .
“ The important difference between our paper and the Dvorkin et al .
paper is the time delay of neutron star merger events , ” Kobayashi tells Physics World .
Following their formation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years to get close enough to collide .
However , some binary neutron stars may be able to merge much faster ; for example , PSR J0737-3039 – the only double pulsar discovered so far – is a relatively young binary neutron-star system that will merge within a timescale of 85 million years .
Dvorkin adds , “ In my opinion , the fraction of fast mergers needs to be further studied , as it ’ s clearly central to the question of the early production of heavy elements ” .
If a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undergo fast mergers , it will speed up the rate at which they enrich the interstellar medium – the gas and dust between stars – with r-process elements .
Watson , who made the key strontium discovery in the kilonova afterglow , acknowledges that observations are currently contradictory .
“ The amount of material produced in small dwarf galaxies [ with low heavy-element abundances ] is , I believe , largely inconsistent with neutron star production , ” he says .
“ However , I also believe that it may be possible for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Watson points out another line of evidence not considered in the Dvorkin or Kobayashi papers : nanodiamonds .
These are tiny , sub-micron diamonds that can form in a variety of environments in space , from star-forming regions to asteroid collisions , but some nanodiamonds also contain r-process elements .
Since neutron-star collisions do not produce nanodiamonds , the only other possible source of r-process enriched nanodiamonds is supernovae , says Watson .
Although the scatter in the ratios of r-process elements to iron-group elements observed by Dvorkin ’ s team seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposes a new type of exploding star called a magneto-rotational supernova .
However , there is no direct evidence for the existence of such supernovae and the debate regarding the origin of r-process elements will continue to rumble on .

Heavy duty: artist’s impression of a kilonova releasing r-process elements into the cosmos. (Courtesy: ESO/L Calçada/M Kornmesser)
The mystery of where heavy elements such as gold and silver come from has deepened with research groups clashing over whether binary neutron-star mergers can account for the abundance of those elements in the universe.
On 17 August 2017 a burst of gravitational waves was detected by the LIGO and Virgo detectors. Astronomers quickly turned their telescopes towards the source of the waves and observed the afterglow of a kilonova – the collision of two neutron stars – in a galaxy 140 million light-years away.
The light of the kilonova was powered by the radioactive decay of large amounts of heavy elements formed by rapid neutron capture (the “r-process”). In particular, a team led by Darach Watson at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen identified the spectral line of strontium in the kilonova’s light.
Enough collisions
It is now certain that neutron-star collisions produce r-process elements such as strontium, europium, silver and gold. However, debate continues as to whether there are enough such collisions to produce the abundance of those elements that we observe in the universe.
In a paper submitted to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, astronomers led by Irina Dvorkin of the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris studied how the interstellar medium becomes enriched in r-process elements and concluded that binary neutron-star mergers are the main source of these elements in environments that have generally low levels of heavy elements. These regions include the Milky Way’s halo, dwarf galaxies and the early universe. Although their models did not focus on environments richer in heavy elements, such as the Milky Way’s disc, they propose that binary neutron-star mergers could also be the dominant source there too.
One of their reasons for this conclusion is the observed variations in the ratios of r-process element abundances compared to iron-group elements, which are formed in supernovae. If r-process elements were also formed in supernovae, we would expect them to have a constant ratios relative to the iron-group elements. Instead, there is a large scatter observed in the ratios of the two element groups, implying different origins.
Timescale too long
However, this conclusion is disputed by a paper in The Astrophysical Journal by Chiaki Kobayashi of the University of Hertfordshire and team. Kobayashi and colleagues created models describing the origin of every element in the universe as a function of time and environment. They came to the conclusion that the timescale of binary neutron stars forming from supernovae and then spiralling into a collision is too long to explain the observed abundance of r-process elements.
“The important difference between our paper and the Dvorkin et al. paper is the time delay of neutron-star merger events,” Kobayashi tells Physics World. Following their formation, binary neutron stars could take billions of years to get close enough to collide. However, some binary neutron stars may be able to merge much faster; for example, PSR J0737-3039 – the only double pulsar discovered so far – is a relatively young binary neutron-star system that will merge within a timescale of 85 million years.
Dvorkin adds, “In my opinion, the fraction of fast mergers needs to be further studied, as it’s clearly central to the question of the early production of heavy elements.”
If a significant number of binary neutron stars can undergo fast mergers, it will speed up the rate at which they enrich the interstellar medium – the gas and dust between stars – with r-process elements.
Watson, who made the key strontium discovery in the kilonova afterglow, acknowledges that observations are currently contradictory. “The amount of material produced in small dwarf galaxies [with low heavy-element abundances] is, I believe, largely inconsistent with neutron star production,” he says. “However, I also believe that it may be possible for neutron stars to merge on fast timescales.”
Sub-micron diamonds
Watson points out another line of evidence not considered in the Dvorkin or Kobayashi papers: nanodiamonds. These are tiny, sub-micron diamonds that can form in a variety of environments in space, from star-forming regions to asteroid collisions, but some nanodiamonds also contain r-process elements. Since neutron-star collisions do not produce nanodiamonds, the only other possible source of r-process enriched nanodiamonds is supernovae, says Watson.
Although the scatter in the ratios of r-process elements to iron-group elements observed by Dvorkin’s team seems to rule out ordinary supernovae, Kobayashi proposes a new type of exploding star called a magneto-rotational supernova. However, there is no direct evidence for the existence of such supernovae and the debate regarding the origin of r-process elements will continue to rumble on.


physicsworld--2020-10-28--Proteox5mK: Low electron temperatures for new materials characterization - Physics World

Low-electron temperatures are a key requirement to explore exotic quantum states such as Majorana ferions and Fibonacci particles , with @ @ @ @ @ and next-generation quantum processors .
This webinar introduces the Proteox5mK system from Oxford Instruments , @ @ @ @ @ designed to allow researchers to achieve their lowest electron temperatures for improved resolution in quantum @ @ @ @ @ the fractional quantum hall effect .
Further benefits are discussed , with the high cooling @ @ @ @ @ to a wider range of applications .
James Robinson graduated with a materials science degree @ @ @ @ @ .
He gained a background in plasma technology prior to joining Oxford Instruments Nanoscience as @ @ @ @ @ company ’ s ultra-low temperature systems .
Responsible for the new Proteox® system , James @ @ @ @ @ of its usability and unique features that makes it an ideal alternative tool for the @ @ @

Available to watch now, this webinar explores the Proteox5mK system from Oxford Instruments, the world’s coldest commercially available continuous operation Cryofree® dilution unit
Want to learn more on this subject? Watch now
Low-electron temperatures are a key requirement to explore exotic quantum states such as Majorana fermions and Fibonacci particles, with potential applications towards topological qubits and next-generation quantum processors.
This webinar introduces the Proteox5mK system from Oxford Instruments, an ultra-low base temperature system designed to allow researchers to achieve their lowest electron temperatures for improved resolution in quantum transport measurements, such as the fractional quantum hall effect.
Further benefits are discussed, with the high cooling power and low vibration applicable to a wider range of applications.
Following this, Dr Levitin talks about the benefits of low temperature for research including electrons in 2D electron gas and semiconductor nanodevices, fragile ordered states in heavy-fermion metals, and bulk topological superconductors. During the Q&A we also welcome Dr Harriet van der Vliet, the quantum engineer at Oxford Instruments NanoScience to join the team. Want to learn more on this subject? Watch now
James Robinson graduated with a materials science degree from the University of Oxford. He gained a background in plasma technology prior to joining Oxford Instruments Nanoscience as a product manager for the company’s ultra-low temperature systems. Responsible for the new Proteox® system, James has developed a vast knowledge of its usability and unique features that makes it an ideal alternative tool for the low-temperature research.


physicsworld--2020-10-29--Finding a way to belong: impostor syndrome and mental health - Physics World

“ I am not who they think I am.
” When my impostor syndrome flares up , I ’ m constantly afraid that I will be “ exposed ” for who I truly am , and then excommunicated from physics for not being “ one of them ” .
These thoughts started to creep in when I was taking my first real physics class as an undergraduate .
I wasn ’ t doing well on the exams and I was struggling with the homework .
I started to think , “ Can I really do this ?
Am I meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , I thought that if you ’ re meant to follow a certain path , then it should come naturally to you .
But physics definitely didn ’ t come naturally to me , so why did I stay in it ?
Why didn ’ t I just quit and pick a different field ?
Well , the first reason is that I am a really stubborn person .
When I say I want to do something , I will do it , because I feel I need to prove the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The second reason is that I love science , especially physics .
Physics is the subject that satisfies my curiosity and allows me to ask the many questions that run through my mind .
How could I not want to pursue it ?
When I was a senior in high school , I told my mathematics teacher that I wanted to study astrophysics .
He responded by telling me that physics is really hard .
So I knew from the start that it wouldn ’ t be easy , but I told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long as I put in the effort .
The truth , though , is that physics isn ’ t just hard .
It ’ s super hard , and it was much harder for me than I thought it would be .
That ’ s when I started to have doubts about whether I was a good fit .
I also had a couple of added challenges .
The first challenge was that I wasn ’ t very good at mathematics .
In high school I took most of my mathematics classes through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for two years .
After that , I spent a year not taking any mathematics at all because I was supposedly “ ahead ” and couldn ’ t take the next class because it didn ’ t fit in my schedule .
So when I took a placement exam at the beginning of my undergraduate degree , I was shocked to find that I scored well enough to start calculus right away .
I honestly felt like this was a mistake , but I decided to go ahead because I didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my mathematics and physics professors were patient with me even though I struggled so much in their classes .
My other added challenge was more personal .
My father passed away during my junior year of high school , and afterward things became difficult for me , my mother and my younger brother .
I didn ’ t give myself time to address my grief because I felt I had to step up and take care of my family ; I couldn ’ t waste time feeling sad and vulnerable .
I also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ succeed , even though they never told me so .
All of this took a toll on my mental health , and four years later , during my junior year of undergrad , the effects of never addressing my father ’ s death finally reached a breaking point .
I sought help through therapy , and although I didn ’ t find it super useful , it did give me tools to help me grieve by writing letters to my father and allowing myself to feel sadness .
If I hadn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have completely broken down .
By the time I finished my undergrad I was starting to feel more confident .
I still had doubts about certain aspects of my physics ability , but I had stopped questioning whether I belonged in the field .
I truly felt like I was a physicist , and that was due to the wonderful support of the faculty at my undergrad institution .
I also found that pressure from my family fuelled my desire to keep going and do well in my chosen path .
My loved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get where I am today that I simply couldn ’ t give up , even if I wanted to .
I didn ’ t do all that well on my physics and general GREs ( the entrance exam for postgraduate studies in the US ) , so I was very surprised when I got accepted into a few PhD programmes .
I was even more shocked when I got a fellowship offer from one of them .
After visiting a couple of institutions and deliberating over the pros and cons , I settled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in part because , out of all the institutions that accepted me , WVU was the closest to my family , and that was very important to me .
Upon entering grad school , I quickly realized that it was more difficult than I thought it would be .
( Does this pattern seem familiar ? )
Between juggling coursework and dipping my feet into research , I was struggling .
This was also my first time living by myself , so I felt lonely and isolated .
The pressure to do well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impostor syndrome , once whisper-quiet , came in like a loud roar : “ Are you sure you can do this ?
Everyone else is doing fine , so why are you struggling so hard ?
If you keep messing up , people will figure out that you ’ re not meant to be here.
” During my first year of grad school , these thoughts were in my mind day in and day out .
After that , though , I started to socialize with people more , and I realized I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggling with my classes .
I gained comfort from the fact that I was not alone , even though it sometimes felt like it .
Unfortunately , the research side was a different story , because my first adviser made me feel like I was not a good researcher .
Often , our conversations centred on how I wasn ’ t doing enough or putting the time into my work .
He would even compare me to his other students and tell me how they were making so much more progress .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to others , which is a major driving force for impostor syndrome because it makes you feel like you shouldn ’ t be there .
As a result , I became depressed , and I started to lose both my passion for research and my motivation to do well .
I even started to question why I was in grad school and whether it mattered if I got a PhD .
After I was forced to leave this first research group , I participated in a summer internship as a way of escaping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helps to place yourself in a safer , more positive environment for a while , and my internship gave me that refuge .
When I returned , though , I was immediately thrown into the cycle of impostor syndrome again , because switching advisers would have meant that I had to take on a new research project .
At this point , I knew I needed to seek mental health counselling .
Reluctantly , I scheduled some one-on-one sessions at our student counselling centre , and those sessions helped me address the trauma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journey , I became accustomed to running away from my problems because I thought if I took the time to address them and take care of my mental health , I would “ fall behind ” everyone else .
Since then , I ’ ve learned that the opposite is true : avoiding problems and not addressing trauma is actually a great way to make your mental health worse .
It also fuels impostor syndrome because you ’ re “ not being productive like everyone else ” .
The first step to achieving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledge the problems you ’ re facing .
By doing that , you give yourself space to work through whatever emotions you ’ re experiencing .
My impostor syndrome constantly told me that I was not like everyone else ; that I couldn ’ t succeed ; that my accomplishments were small in comparison to those of my peers ; and that I shouldn ’ t be held up on the same pedestal as them .
In fact , none of these things is true .
We are all on different paths , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to compare yourself to others , even if they look like you .
Taking care of your mental health and combating feelings of impostor syndrome takes time , but it can be done .
Ultimately , my path is my own , and however long it takes me to traverse it is up to me .

This article is the fifth in a series of essays written by Black physicists and co-published with Physics Today as part of #BlackInPhysics Week, an event dedicated to celebrating Black physicists and their contributions to the scientific community, and to revealing a more complete picture of what a physicist looks like.
Rightful place PhD student Belinda Cheeseboro offers advice on how to overcome impostor syndrome in physics. (Courtesy: Belinda Cheeseboro)
“I am not who they think I am.”
When my impostor syndrome flares up, I’m constantly afraid that I will be “exposed” for who I truly am, and then excommunicated from physics for not being “one of them”. These thoughts started to creep in when I was taking my first real physics class as an undergraduate. I wasn’t doing well on the exams and I was struggling with the homework. I started to think, “Can I really do this? Am I meant to be here?”
At that time, I thought that if you’re meant to follow a certain path, then it should come naturally to you. But physics definitely didn’t come naturally to me, so why did I stay in it? Why didn’t I just quit and pick a different field? Well, the first reason is that I am a really stubborn person. When I say I want to do something, I will do it, because I feel I need to prove the people wrong who said I couldn’t. The second reason is that I love science, especially physics. Physics is the subject that satisfies my curiosity and allows me to ask the many questions that run through my mind. How could I not want to pursue it?
Overcoming hardships
When I was a senior in high school, I told my mathematics teacher that I wanted to study astrophysics. He responded by telling me that physics is really hard. So I knew from the start that it wouldn’t be easy, but I told myself that I could do it as long as I put in the effort. The truth, though, is that physics isn’t just hard. It’s super hard, and it was much harder for me than I thought it would be. That’s when I started to have doubts about whether I was a good fit.
I also had a couple of added challenges. The first challenge was that I wasn’t very good at mathematics. In high school I took most of my mathematics classes through an online platform and essentially learned nothing for two years. After that, I spent a year not taking any mathematics at all because I was supposedly “ahead” and couldn’t take the next class because it didn’t fit in my schedule. So when I took a placement exam at the beginning of my undergraduate degree, I was shocked to find that I scored well enough to start calculus right away. I honestly felt like this was a mistake, but I decided to go ahead because I didn’t want to fall behind. Fortunately, my mathematics and physics professors were patient with me even though I struggled so much in their classes.
My other added challenge was more personal. My father passed away during my junior year of high school, and afterward things became difficult for me, my mother and my younger brother. I didn’t give myself time to address my grief because I felt I had to step up and take care of my family; I couldn’t waste time feeling sad and vulnerable. I also felt that my family needed me to succeed, even though they never told me so. All of this took a toll on my mental health, and four years later, during my junior year of undergrad, the effects of never addressing my father’s death finally reached a breaking point. I sought help through therapy, and although I didn’t find it super useful, it did give me tools to help me grieve by writing letters to my father and allowing myself to feel sadness. If I hadn’t done that, I think I would have completely broken down.
The next transition
By the time I finished my undergrad I was starting to feel more confident. I still had doubts about certain aspects of my physics ability, but I had stopped questioning whether I belonged in the field. I truly felt like I was a physicist, and that was due to the wonderful support of the faculty at my undergrad institution. I also found that pressure from my family fuelled my desire to keep going and do well in my chosen path. My loved ones sacrificed so much for me to get where I am today that I simply couldn’t give up, even if I wanted to.
I didn’t do all that well on my physics and general GREs (the entrance exam for postgraduate studies in the US), so I was very surprised when I got accepted into a few PhD programmes. I was even more shocked when I got a fellowship offer from one of them. After visiting a couple of institutions and deliberating over the pros and cons, I settled on West Virginia University (WVU) in part because, out of all the institutions that accepted me, WVU was the closest to my family, and that was very important to me.
Upon entering grad school, I quickly realized that it was more difficult than I thought it would be. (Does this pattern seem familiar?) Between juggling coursework and dipping my feet into research, I was struggling. This was also my first time living by myself, so I felt lonely and isolated. The pressure to do well grew exponentially, and the voice of impostor syndrome, once whisper-quiet, came in like a loud roar: “Are you sure you can do this? Everyone else is doing fine, so why are you struggling so hard? If you keep messing up, people will figure out that you’re not meant to be here.”
During my first year of grad school, these thoughts were in my mind day in and day out. After that, though, I started to socialize with people more, and I realized I was not the only one who was struggling with my classes. I gained comfort from the fact that I was not alone, even though it sometimes felt like it.
The pressure to do well grew exponentially, and the voice of impostor syndrome, once whisper-quiet, came in like a loud roar
Unfortunately, the research side was a different story, because my first adviser made me feel like I was not a good researcher. Often, our conversations centred on how I wasn’t doing enough or putting the time into my work. He would even compare me to his other students and tell me how they were making so much more progress. This meant that I was constantly comparing myself to others, which is a major driving force for impostor syndrome because it makes you feel like you shouldn’t be there. As a result, I became depressed, and I started to lose both my passion for research and my motivation to do well. I even started to question why I was in grad school and whether it mattered if I got a PhD.
After I was forced to leave this first research group, I participated in a summer internship as a way of escaping my toxic situation. Sometimes, it helps to place yourself in a safer, more positive environment for a while, and my internship gave me that refuge. When I returned, though, I was immediately thrown into the cycle of impostor syndrome again, because switching advisers would have meant that I had to take on a new research project. At this point, I knew I needed to seek mental health counselling. Reluctantly, I scheduled some one-on-one sessions at our student counselling centre, and those sessions helped me address the trauma I experienced.
Facing problems
Earlier in my academic journey, I became accustomed to running away from my problems because I thought if I took the time to address them and take care of my mental health, I would “fall behind” everyone else. Since then, I’ve learned that the opposite is true: avoiding problems and not addressing trauma is actually a great way to make your mental health worse. It also fuels impostor syndrome because you’re “not being productive like everyone else”. The first step to achieving mental wellness, therefore, is to acknowledge the problems you’re facing. By doing that, you give yourself space to work through whatever emotions you’re experiencing.
My impostor syndrome constantly told me that I was not like everyone else; that I couldn’t succeed; that my accomplishments were small in comparison to those of my peers; and that I shouldn’t be held up on the same pedestal as them. In fact, none of these things is true. We are all on different paths, so it doesn’t make sense to compare yourself to others, even if they look like you. Taking care of your mental health and combating feelings of impostor syndrome takes time, but it can be done. Ultimately, my path is my own, and however long it takes me to traverse it is up to me.


physicsworld--2020-10-29--Celebrating Black physicists - Physics World

This week is # BlackInPhysics week , a series of events dedicated to celebrating Black physicists and their contributions to the scientific community .
In this episode of the podcast , we talk to two of the week ’ s co-organizers , Ashley Walker and Xandria Quichocho , about what # BlackInPhysics week involves , why it ’ s needed and what they hope to achieve .
Walker and Quichocho also discuss their own careers and experiences .
Neither followed a traditional path into physics – Walker started out studying business , while Quichocho ’ s first interest was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeply immersed in the field , as a planetary astrochemist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and a PhD student in physics education at Michigan State University , respectively .
“ We ’ re here , we ’ re doing stuff and we ’ re an active part of the science community , ” Quichocho says .
“ We want to show that it ’ s okay to be a Black physicist , it ’ s okay to be a Black scientist , ” Walker adds .
“ We want to show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we exist .
”

This week is #BlackInPhysics week, a series of events dedicated to celebrating Black physicists and their contributions to the scientific community. In this episode of the podcast, we talk to two of the week’s co-organizers, Ashley Walker and Xandria Quichocho, about what #BlackInPhysics week involves, why it’s needed and what they hope to achieve.
Walker and Quichocho also discuss their own careers and experiences. Neither followed a traditional path into physics – Walker started out studying business, while Quichocho’s first interest was in music education – but they are now deeply immersed in the field, as a planetary astrochemist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and a PhD student in physics education at Michigan State University, respectively. “We’re here, we’re doing stuff and we’re an active part of the science community,” Quichocho says. “We want to show that it’s okay to be a Black physicist, it’s okay to be a Black scientist,” Walker adds. “We want to show more visibility so that children can know that we exist.”


physicsworld--2020-10-28--Electrochemistry in rechargeable lithium metal batteries - Physics World

The thermodynamically instable nature of lithium metal in liquid electrolytes significantly delays the implementation of the high-energy rechargeable lithium battery technology in electrical vehicles .
Although many approaches have been proposed to rescue Li metal anodes , most of the work is performed in small-scale coin cells and tested in the conditions drastically different from the reality .
A full knowledge of Li metal activities at the cell level is lacking but extremely critical for the success of developing next-generation rechargeable Li metal batteries .
This webinar will start with discussing the root causes of forming Li metal dendrite in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ view and then step into understanding the implications of Li metal dendrites in realistic high-energy pouch cells .
The recent progress of Battery500 Consortium will be discussed to highlight the importance of applying electrochemistry principles to understand , identify and address the fundamental challenges in realistic battery technologies .
Dr Jie Xiao is currently a laboratory fellow and group leader of the Battery Materials and System Group at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory .
She holds a joint position at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arkansas .
Xiao @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ECS Battery Division secretary .
She received her PhD in materials chemistry from the State University of New York at Binghamton .
Xiao has been leading research on practical applications and the fundamental study of energy-storage materials and systems , spanning from microbatteries for acoustic fish tags to advanced battery technologies for vehicle electrification and grid-energy storage .
She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal papers , two book chapters , and holds 17 US patents in the energy-storage research area .
Xiao has been a top 1 % Clarivate Analytics @ @ @ @ @ @

Available to watch now, The Electrochemical Society in partnership with Hiden Analytical, Royal Society of Chemistry, BioLogic and Admiral Instruments, explores the developments needed for next-generation rechargeable Li metal batteries
Want to learn more on this subject? Watch now
The thermodynamically instable nature of lithium metal in liquid electrolytes significantly delays the implementation of the high-energy rechargeable lithium battery technology in electrical vehicles. Although many approaches have been proposed to rescue Li metal anodes, most of the work is performed in small-scale coin cells and tested in the conditions drastically different from the reality. A full knowledge of Li metal activities at the cell level is lacking but extremely critical for the success of developing next-generation rechargeable Li metal batteries.
This webinar will start with discussing the root causes of forming Li metal dendrite in liquid batteries from an electrochemistry point of view and then step into understanding the implications of Li metal dendrites in realistic high-energy pouch cells. The recent progress of Battery500 Consortium will be discussed to highlight the importance of applying electrochemistry principles to understand, identify and address the fundamental challenges in realistic battery technologies.
Want to learn more on this subject? Watch now
Dr Jie Xiao is currently a laboratory fellow and group leader of the Battery Materials and System Group at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She holds a joint position at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arkansas. Xiao is an ECS fellow and serves as the ECS Battery Division secretary. She received her PhD in materials chemistry from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Xiao has been leading research on practical applications and the fundamental study of energy-storage materials and systems, spanning from microbatteries for acoustic fish tags to advanced battery technologies for vehicle electrification and grid-energy storage. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal papers, two book chapters, and holds 17 US patents in the energy-storage research area. Xiao has been a top 1% Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher since 2017.


physicsworld--2020-10-08--Optical micro-spectroscopies on the tracks of 2D materials - Physics World

The emergence of 2D materials requires technologies to characterize their properties .
Optical micro- spectroscopic platforms such as LabRAM Soleil offer both physical and chemical information in one system .
Thus , the number of atomic layers , the effect of vertical or lateral heterostructures on the electronic properties and homogeneities of the structures can be controlled .
In this webinar , Thibault Brulé and Agnès Tempez will highlight how photoluminescence and Raman microscopies can address 2D materials challenges .
They will also point out how the combination of micro-spectroscopies with AFM can lead to the nano resolution and to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brulé is Raman application scientist at HORIBA France , working in the Demonstration Centre at the HORIBA Laboratory in Palaiseau .
He is responsible for providing Raman spectroscopy applications support to key customers from various industries , as well as contributing to HORIBA ’ s application strategies .
Prior to joining HORIBA in 2017 , he conducted research on proteins in blood characterization based on dynamic surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy .
He then applied this technique to cell-secretion monitoring .
Thibault holds a MSc from the University of Technologies of Troyes , completed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and followed on with a postdoc fellowship at the University of Montreal .
Agnès Tempez is application scientist at HORIBA France , working in the Nanoscopy group , connected to the Demonstration Centre at the HORIBA Laboratory in Palaiseau .
She is responsible for providing applications support to key customers involved in nanoscopy and TOF-related research projects .
Prior to joining HORIBA in 2006 as project manager , she worked as a research scientist at Ionwerks , Inc. in Houston , Texas , to develop time-of-flight mass spectrometry instrumentation for materials characterization and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Agnès holds a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Houston , Texas .
She is the author of nine patents , one book chapter and more than 75 articles in peer-reviewed journals .

Available to watch now, Horiba Scientific explores how Raman and photoluminescence microscopies can address 2D materials challenges
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The emergence of 2D materials requires technologies to characterize their properties. Optical micro- spectroscopic platforms such as LabRAM Soleil offer both physical and chemical information in one system. Thus, the number of atomic layers, the effect of vertical or lateral heterostructures on the electronic properties and homogeneities of the structures can be controlled.
In this webinar, Thibault Brulé and Agnès Tempez will highlight how photoluminescence and Raman microscopies can address 2D materials challenges. They will also point out how the combination of micro-spectroscopies with AFM can lead to the nano resolution and to deeper understanding of these structures.
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Thibault Brulé is Raman application scientist at HORIBA France, working in the Demonstration Centre at the HORIBA Laboratory in Palaiseau. He is responsible for providing Raman spectroscopy applications support to key customers from various industries, as well as contributing to HORIBA’s application strategies. Prior to joining HORIBA in 2017, he conducted research on proteins in blood characterization based on dynamic surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. He then applied this technique to cell-secretion monitoring. Thibault holds a MSc from the University of Technologies of Troyes, completed his PhD at the University of Burgundy and followed on with a postdoc fellowship at the University of Montreal.
Agnès Tempez is application scientist at HORIBA France, working in the Nanoscopy group, connected to the Demonstration Centre at the HORIBA Laboratory in Palaiseau. She is responsible for providing applications support to key customers involved in nanoscopy and TOF-related research projects. Prior to joining HORIBA in 2006 as project manager, she worked as a research scientist at Ionwerks, Inc. in Houston, Texas, to develop time-of-flight mass spectrometry instrumentation for materials characterization and MALDI/ion mobility coupling for complex biological samples. Agnès holds a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Houston, Texas. She is the author of nine patents, one book chapter and more than 75 articles in peer-reviewed journals.


physicsworld--2020-10-29--Quantum coherence turns up the heat on Maxwell’s demon - Physics World

The question of how much heat is given off when erasing a single bit of information has excited scientists for decades , given its fundamental implications for thermodynamics and computation .
Physicists in Ireland and the UK have now asked this question of quantum-mechanical bits ( qubits ) and found that the qubits ’ coherence can lead to surprisingly high heat dissipation .
They say that the result has important implications for protecting thermally sensitive quantum hardware and also shines further light on the paradox of Maxwell ’ s demon .
James Clerk Maxwell proposed his famous demon in 1867 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to violate the second law of thermodynamics , which states that the entropy of a closed system tends only to increase over time .
Maxwell envisaged a tiny intelligent being controlling a door in a partition dividing up a box of gas , which is initially at a uniform temperature .
He argued that by opening and closing the door at just the right times , the demon could sort the gas molecules according to their speeds so that one half of the box contains faster molecules and is therefore hotter than the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without directly transferring energy to the particles .
In 1961 , Rolf Landauer at IBM put forward a principle stating that any logically irreversbile computation produces entropy .
In particular , he found that erasing a single bit of information necessitates the release of a certain minimum amount of heat – kTln ( 2 ) , where k is Boltzmann ’ s constant and T is the temperature .
Drawing on this idea , Charles Bennett , also at IBM , then argued in 1982 that this principle explains Maxwell ’ s paradox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sort the molecules , with that memory needing to be continually updated and scrubbed – thereby boosting entropy .
In the latest work , John Goold , Giacomo Guarnieri and Mark Mitchison at Trinity College Dublin and Harry Miller at the University of Manchester , investigated whether qubit erasure dissipates more heat than does scrubbing a classical bit .
Qubits can be in superposition states , allowing them to exist as a one and a zero at the same time and so forming the basis of quantum computers .
As Goold and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be minimized by erasing information over an extended time in order to keep the system close to thermal equilibrium .
Nevertheless , there will always be some thermal fluctuation , meaning that in practice there is a chance that any given bit erasure dissipates significantly more heat than the Landauer limit .
Physicists have done several experiments looking at how low this dissipation can be pushed – typically using particles undergoing Brownian motion and confined in double-well potentials .
This research showed that when erasing information repeatedly , the amount of heat dissipated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close to the Landauer limit .
To see whether the statistical distribution of dissipations looks any different in the quantum case , Goold and colleagues extended the theoretical analysis of double-well potentials .
In these two-level systems , the stored bit value simply corresponds to which of the wells the particle occupies .
A demon can raise the energy level of either well so that its potential is nearly flat and then allow thermal fluctuations to tip the particle into the other well – if it is not there in the first place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pre-defined state , so erasing the bit value and releasing some heat to the environment .
In the case of a qubit that is a coherent superposition of the two well states , however , there are two ways to overcome the remaining energy barrier – one is to hop over it via thermal fluctuations and the other is to tunnel underneath it .
This latter mechanism can generate large quantum fluctuations in the dissipated heat , meaning that on average some small fraction of erasure cycles will release a large amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sums , Goold and colleagues found , as expected , that the average amount of heat dissipated when erasing a qubit is like that given off in the case of a classical bit .
However , they discovered that the energies involved in the most wasteful erasures in the two cases are very different .
In one simulation they found that the most heat given off in any single classical cycle was about four times the Landauer limit , whereas in erasures that involved tunneling – roughly one in every thousand for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Landauer limit by more than a factor of 30 .
They reckon that even this small fraction of erasure cycles could pose a serious problem of potential overheating in future quantum-scale devices , given that modern computers irreversibly process many billions of bits each second .
They also say that it provides further perspective on the paradox of Maxwell ’ s demon , given that a demon with a quantum memory will end up dissipating even more heat than one with a classical memory .
The results for the moment remain purely theoretical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide markers for experimentalists to distinguish between quantum and thermal fluctuations – the fact that only the former can generate two consecutive events involving emission of energy quanta .
State-of-the-art quantum technologies such as superconducting circuits could be used to look for such dual events , they add .
The research is described in Physical Review Letters .

Quantum erasure: calculations suggest that heat dissipation could be a problem in large-scale quantum computers of the future. (Courtesy: iStock/agsandrew)
The question of how much heat is given off when erasing a single bit of information has excited scientists for decades, given its fundamental implications for thermodynamics and computation. Physicists in Ireland and the UK have now asked this question of quantum-mechanical bits (qubits) and found that the qubits’ coherence can lead to surprisingly high heat dissipation. They say that the result has important implications for protecting thermally sensitive quantum hardware and also shines further light on the paradox of Maxwell’s demon.
James Clerk Maxwell proposed his famous demon in 1867 to show how it might be possible to violate the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the entropy of a closed system tends only to increase over time. Maxwell envisaged a tiny intelligent being controlling a door in a partition dividing up a box of gas, which is initially at a uniform temperature. He argued that by opening and closing the door at just the right times, the demon could sort the gas molecules according to their speeds so that one half of the box contains faster molecules and is therefore hotter than the other half. This would decrease entropy without directly transferring energy to the particles.
In 1961, Rolf Landauer at IBM put forward a principle stating that any logically irreversbile computation produces entropy. In particular, he found that erasing a single bit of information necessitates the release of a certain minimum amount of heat – kTln(2), where k is Boltzmann’s constant and T is the temperature. Drawing on this idea, Charles Bennett, also at IBM, then argued in 1982 that this principle explains Maxwell’s paradox. The demon relies on a memory to sort the molecules, with that memory needing to be continually updated and scrubbed – thereby boosting entropy.
Is qubit erasure more expensive?
In the latest work, John Goold, Giacomo Guarnieri and Mark Mitchison at Trinity College Dublin and Harry Miller at the University of Manchester, investigated whether qubit erasure dissipates more heat than does scrubbing a classical bit. Qubits can be in superposition states, allowing them to exist as a one and a zero at the same time and so forming the basis of quantum computers.
As Goold and colleagues point out, heat dissipation can be minimized by erasing information over an extended time in order to keep the system close to thermal equilibrium. Nevertheless, there will always be some thermal fluctuation, meaning that in practice there is a chance that any given bit erasure dissipates significantly more heat than the Landauer limit.
Physicists have done several experiments looking at how low this dissipation can be pushed – typically using particles undergoing Brownian motion and confined in double-well potentials. This research showed that when erasing information repeatedly, the amount of heat dissipated forms a Gaussian distribution with an average close to the Landauer limit.
To see whether the statistical distribution of dissipations looks any different in the quantum case, Goold and colleagues extended the theoretical analysis of double-well potentials. In these two-level systems, the stored bit value simply corresponds to which of the wells the particle occupies. A demon can raise the energy level of either well so that its potential is nearly flat and then allow thermal fluctuations to tip the particle into the other well – if it is not there in the first place. This re-sets the system to a pre-defined state, so erasing the bit value and releasing some heat to the environment.
Tunnelling option
In the case of a qubit that is a coherent superposition of the two well states, however, there are two ways to overcome the remaining energy barrier – one is to hop over it via thermal fluctuations and the other is to tunnel underneath it. This latter mechanism can generate large quantum fluctuations in the dissipated heat, meaning that on average some small fraction of erasure cycles will release a large amount of heat to the environment.
Doing their sums, Goold and colleagues found, as expected, that the average amount of heat dissipated when erasing a qubit is like that given off in the case of a classical bit. However, they discovered that the energies involved in the most wasteful erasures in the two cases are very different. In one simulation they found that the most heat given off in any single classical cycle was about four times the Landauer limit, whereas in erasures that involved tunneling – roughly one in every thousand for a qubit – heat dissipation could exceed the Landauer limit by more than a factor of 30.
They reckon that even this small fraction of erasure cycles could pose a serious problem of potential overheating in future quantum-scale devices, given that modern computers irreversibly process many billions of bits each second. They also say that it provides further perspective on the paradox of Maxwell’s demon, given that a demon with a quantum memory will end up dissipating even more heat than one with a classical memory.
The results for the moment remain purely theoretical, but the group says that they provide markers for experimentalists to distinguish between quantum and thermal fluctuations – the fact that only the former can generate two consecutive events involving emission of energy quanta. State-of-the-art quantum technologies such as superconducting circuits could be used to look for such dual events, they add.
The research is described in Physical Review Letters.


physicsworld--2020-10-29--New ‘femtosecond streaking’ method makes quick and easy measurements on light - Physics World

A new “ femtosecond streaking ” technique has been used to directly measure oscillations in the electric fields of visible and infrared light .
Developed by researchers in Canada and Germany , led by Aleksey Korobenko at the University of Ottawa , the method is a cheaper , faster and more practical version of the established technique of attosecond streaking .
Through further improvements , the new technique could find use in high-speed electronics and studies of plasma dynamics .
By determining the characteristics of coherent light fields , researchers can learn much about how light interacts with matter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the shortest timescales .
For visual and infrared frequencies , this can be done by visualizing how light ’ s electric field evolves over time using attosecond streaking .
This involves using an attosecond pulse of extreme-ultraviolet light to ionize a gas target .
The electrons released in this process are then accelerated by the electric field of the light wave being sampled .
Since the electric field of the light wave varies over time , it accelerates the electrons to a range of different velocities , producing a “ streak ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measuring this pattern in real time , researchers can reconstruct the light wave ’ s electric field , and study its evolution .
While this technique offers advantages , it can not be done routinely in many labs because it requires a complex high-vacuum set-up as well as an expensive electron time-of-flight spectrometer .
Korobenko and team have created a new technique they call femtosecond streaking , which makes direct measurements of optical and infrared electric fields in ambient air .
First , the air is ionized using a femtosecond laser pulse to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are then steered by the light wave being sampled , producing transient , directional currents in the plasma .
Finally , these currents are probed and amplified using a pair of metal electrodes , allowing the researchers to determine the streaking pattern induced by the wave .
For the first time , this approach allowed for real-time oscillation measurements of visible and infrared electric fields using a simple and inexpensive apparatus .
Korobenko ’ s team believes that the capabilities of femtosecond streaking could soon reach far beyond the characterization of electric fields @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the stability of the set-up could lead to new applications in petahertz electronics – which operate a million times faster than modern processors .
For experimental physicists , the technique could support advanced new studies of how plasmas evolve on ultrashort timescales .
Femtosecond streaking is described in Optica .

Streaking ahead: in this illustration of femtosecond streaking the detection of electron currents induced in ambient air plasma by a pair of cross-polarized laser pulses is used to sample the electric field of light waves. (Courtesy: Aleksey Korobenko)
A new “femtosecond streaking” technique has been used to directly measure oscillations in the electric fields of visible and infrared light. Developed by researchers in Canada and Germany, led by Aleksey Korobenko at the University of Ottawa, the method is a cheaper, faster and more practical version of the established technique of attosecond streaking. Through further improvements, the new technique could find use in high-speed electronics and studies of plasma dynamics.
By determining the characteristics of coherent light fields, researchers can learn much about how light interacts with matter, and how it can be better manipulated on the shortest timescales. For visual and infrared frequencies, this can be done by visualizing how light’s electric field evolves over time using attosecond streaking.
This involves using an attosecond pulse of extreme-ultraviolet light to ionize a gas target. The electrons released in this process are then accelerated by the electric field of the light wave being sampled. Since the electric field of the light wave varies over time, it accelerates the electrons to a range of different velocities, producing a “streak” in their overall velocity distribution.
Complex and expensive
By measuring this pattern in real time, researchers can reconstruct the light wave’s electric field, and study its evolution. While this technique offers advantages, it cannot be done routinely in many labs because it requires a complex high-vacuum set-up as well as an expensive electron time-of-flight spectrometer.
Korobenko and team have created a new technique they call femtosecond streaking, which makes direct measurements of optical and infrared electric fields in ambient air. First, the air is ionized using a femtosecond laser pulse to create the desired electrons. These electrons are then steered by the light wave being sampled, producing transient, directional currents in the plasma.
Finally, these currents are probed and amplified using a pair of metal electrodes, allowing the researchers to determine the streaking pattern induced by the wave. For the first time, this approach allowed for real-time oscillation measurements of visible and infrared electric fields using a simple and inexpensive apparatus.
Korobenko’s team believes that the capabilities of femtosecond streaking could soon reach far beyond the characterization of electric fields. The group now hopes that improvements to the stability of the set-up could lead to new applications in petahertz electronics – which operate a million times faster than modern processors. For experimental physicists, the technique could support advanced new studies of how plasmas evolve on ultrashort timescales.
Femtosecond streaking is described in Optica.