Latest news with #UniversityofYork
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Why isn't an atom's nucleus round?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Since the atomic nucleus was first proposed in 1911, physicists simply assumed it was round. But are the nuclei of atoms really round? Intuitively this shape makes sense and physicists believed it aptly explained early measurements of nuclear properties. It wasn't until years later that the first evidence of a more complex picture started to emerge. First, let's explore the atom's architecture. Formed from a cluster of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom, a nucleus is 10,000 times smaller than the atom as a whole, "like a fly in a cathedral," said David Jenkins, a nuclear physicist at the University of York in the U.K. Despite containing the overwhelming majority of an atom's mass, the nucleus itself has very little impact on the atom's properties at first glance. An atom's chemistry is determined by the electron configuration, while any physical characteristics arise from how it interacts with other atoms. Paralleling the idea of electron shells in atomic physics, in 1949 scientists proposed the nuclear shell model: protons and neutrons sit in distinct nuclear shells, and additional energy input can excite these particles to jump up and down between fixed energy levels. "But later, it became obvious that most of the behavior in nuclei was described by what you call collective behavior — it acts as one coherent object," Jenkins told Live Science. The result is that the nucleus as a whole can then manifest two types of properties: It can rotate, or it can vibrate. Related: Where do electrons get energy to spin around an atom's nucleus? Spectroscopic methods can detect this rotation in most molecules, measuring a fingerprint of different rotational energy levels. But spherical objects look the same whichever direction they are turned, so symmetrical systems — like atoms — don't generate a spectrum. "The only way that you can see evidence of rotation in nuclei is if the nucleus is deformed," Jenkins explained. "And people saw the nucleus has patterns of excitation known as rotational bands, so that pointed to the nucleus being deformed." Since this astonishing discovery in the 1950s, targeted experiments have revealed a raft of nuclear shapes, from pears to M&Ms — and round is very much the exception and not the rule. About 90% of nuclei are shaped like an American football — technically termed "prolate deformed" — in their lowest energy state, with surprisingly few taking the opposite squashed-sphere, M&M-like shape, called oblate deformed. "We don't know why this prolate shape seems more favorable than the oblate shape," Jenkins said. "Some nuclei also have multiple shapes so they can exhibit one in the ground state, and then you put some energy into them and they deform into another shape." The more exotic pear-shaped nucleus is restricted to certain areas of the nuclear chart, particularly around radium, while spherical nuclei are generally confined to atoms with "magic" numbers (or full shells) of nuclear particles. But what causes the deformation? "It feels intuitive that the basic shape of an object not being excited or wobbled or stretched should be spherical," said Paul Stevenson, a nuclear physicist at the University of Surrey in the U.K. "But actually, in the case of nuclei, it's surprising that any of them are spherical because they obey the laws of quantum mechanics." The Schrödinger equation — one of the most fundamental principles in quantum mechanics — mathematically predicts how an object's wave function will change over time, essentially providing a means to estimate the possible movement and position of that object. Solving this for an atomic nucleus therefore provides a cloud of probability for all of the possible places it could be, which, taken together, give the nuclear shape. RELATED MYSTERIES —What is the smallest particle in the universe? (What about the largest?) —How many atoms are in the observable universe? —Do atoms ever touch? "The basic solutions of Schrödinger's equation don't look spherical — you get these shapes that sort of go in a circle, but then they start waving," Stevenson explained. "So because these quantum wave-function solutions have asymmetry themselves, it makes the particles in the nucleus more likely to point in one direction." For rare spherical nuclei, this waviness just happens to cancel out. But scientists don't yet understand the reason — or if there even is one — why some of these deformed shapes are much more common than others. "This is overturning a legacy," Jenkins said. "It's a complete reversal from how people originally perceived nuclei, and there are still a lot of open questions."
Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
'My housemate is still missing - statistically one of us is probably behind it'
The former close friend of Claudia Lawrence says it's understandable to believe one of the missing chef's pals could be behind her vanishing more than 15 years ago Missing Claudia Lawrence's former pal and housemate says that "statistically it probably is one of us" behind the chef's disappearance. Jen King, 40, says she is not surprised police suspected Claudia's friends and acquaintances but points out she has repeatedly proved her innocence. Claudia was 35 when she failed to turn up for work at the University of York in March 2009. She has not been seen or heard from since despite a massive police operation. Her phone, hair straighteners, rucksack and chef's whites, were all missing. Detective Superintendent at North Yorkshire Police, Dai Malyn, in 2015 said: 'I'm still convinced people close to Claudia have told us lies'. Later in the case four men were later arrested then released but after a file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service no charges were ever brought due to a 'lack of evidence'. Many more of her friends were quizzed by police, including Jen, who spoke to Tom McDermott from the 'Answers for Claudia' podcast. She told him how she is now 'obsessed' about her own security after being the victim of a stalker. She described being questioned by police as 'traumatic' but understands why they were convinced answers about her disappearance could come from someone who knew Claudia. She said: 'I understand why the police did what the police were doing because statistically it should have been one of us, statistically it probably is one of us. All I can say is hand on heart it's not me. " Former barmaid Jen and university chef Claudia were close friends who once lived together on York's Heworth Road. Jen worked at the nearby Nag's Head pub, which was at the centre of Claudia's social life and only a few yards from the missing woman's front door. The pair would often go out into York city centre at the weekend and said Claudia hated walking anywhere, always insisting on getting a taxi. Jen says of her treatment by police and those on social media since her friend went missing: 'You just lose trust in the people around you. Undercover police officers, they pretended to be our friend. They had a job to do, I got it, it's fine, all we did is prove our innocence. ' About social media 'cruelty' she has suffered, she said: 'I don't really care if people think that I am something to do with it, because I get - statistically - everything points to us. I get that! It's more when people get abusive or try and take things too far, take things into their own hands. 'I feel so cast adrift. I just almost want to put my head under the blanket and just wake up from this f***ing nightmare... "I started off being a victim of crime, being one of Claudia's friends and then became a suspect and then I was just another person on the street, and that's it. 'When you've proven your innocence, which I've done more than once…you don't get a sorry letter, when they've searched your house and tipped it all upside down, they don't send in a cleaning crew to put it all back together again. 'They don't give you that time back when you've been separated from your loved ones because they've had to go and answer questions in one place and I've had to go answer questions in another place. 'They've taken my car, they've taken my work stuff. I couldn't work for two months because they took all my work equipment. I was on the verge of moving because I just couldn't settle in that house any more. 'It was pretty horrific, the impact of even when you've proved your innocence that you are still made to feel you have something to be guilty for when you don't. "I have never been through anything - other than Claudia going missing - more traumatic than the police investigation.' She told the Answers for Claudia podcast she has been obsessed about her security since Claudia vanished. 'I myself have been through varying degrees of trauma and coping mechanisms…I've definitely become obsessed with security over things, I'm really funny with door locks and making sure that things are secure. '...Just knowing that people talk about it and not necessarily in a nice way, you just never quite know who to trust. I did have a stalker at one point, which is horrendous. I was living on my own at the time. I knew that this person kept travelling to the area, kept taking pictures outside my house, would stand on my driveway and would turn up at my local pub. The social media sites are doing nothing to protect us.' Jens told journalist Tom McDermott about the last time she saw Claudia, she explained it was days before her pal vanished after a night out in the Nag's Head a few properties away from Claudia's terraced home. Jen said: 'I suppose the last time I saw her, me and my boyfriend at the time, we'd all been drinking in the pub and not surprisingly she hadn't put the spring key fob into her handbag and so she was rooting around for her key, as we were waiting for her at the end of the gate just to make sure she got in safe. 'And then we went home and that was the last time I ever really saw her. I heard from her again, we text during that week.' But she added: 'It's nice to know the last time I ever saw her I was doing what I thought was the right thing and making sure she was safe.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Medals distributed to participants of University of York Roses Fun Run
The University of York Students' Union's 'Roses Fun Run' took place on Saturday, May 3, and saw Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, distribute medals to the participants. The event was part of the 'Run to Roses' community challenge, which had been taking place between the University of York and Lancaster University during the previous ten weeks, and which encouraged people to run, walk, or otherwise move 60km to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 'Roses' sporting varsity between the two institutions. More than 400 participants took part in the Run to Roses challenge, with 27,148 kilometres logged over the ten weeks. Tanisha Jain, York Sport president, said: "Roses is about more than just sport — it's a celebration of community, and the Family Fun Run event showcased that. "It was fantastic to see our students come together with local families and children at the event, creating lasting memories through exercise and physical activity." More information is available at
BBC News
04-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
University of York plans to open campus in India
The University of York has announced plans to open a new campus in institution said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chief Minister of the state of Maharashtra to open the site in Mumbai.A spokesperson said it hoped to begin accepting students in time for the 2026/27 academic of the University of York, Prof Charlie Jeffery, described the plan as "a really exciting venture" and a chance to contribute to the education of India's "future leaders and entrepreneurs". A university spokesperson said the next step would be to receive a licence from the University Grants Commission in India to develop the would initially offer undergraduate and post-graduate courses in computer science, with AI and cyber security, business, economics and creative industries. Prof Jeffery, who met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the plans, said: "We're working with a country that has an ambitious drive for global influence, skills development and economic growth."This is a really exciting venture and we are committed to building and strengthening our connections in India and contributing to the education of its future leaders and entrepreneurs."Studies are expected to begin in an existing building in a business quarter of Mumbai, with plans to develop a full campus complex over the coming years. A university spokesperson said students would study in India and follow the curriculum taught at its UK base, graduating with a University of York Fadnavis, said: "It is a privilege to welcome the University of York to Mumbai as we expand world-class educational opportunities in India." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Hindu
03-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
University of York to open Mumbai campus by 2026, offering AI, Business, and creative courses
The University of York, one of the U.K.'s research-intensive institutions and a member of the Russell Group, plans to open a new campus in Mumbai, officials said on Friday. During the ongoing WAVES Summit in Mumbai, the university's vice-chancellor, Charlie Jeffery, discussed the initiative with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A formal memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed with the Maharashtra chief minister, paving the way for the new campus. The proposed campus is expected to welcome its first cohort of students in 2026. Subject to the final regulatory approvals from the University Grants Commission (UGC), it will offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security, Business, Economics, and creative industries. It will initially open its doors in an existing building in a business quarter of Mumbai, with plans to develop a full campus complex over the coming years. Students will study in India and follow the York curriculum taught at its U.K. base, graduating with a University of York degree. Programmes in emerging fields like AI, Cyber Security, and creative industries will be designed with global industry input, boosting job readiness in high-demand sectors and opening career pathways for Indian learners. "York's global reputation rests on its outstanding achievements in teaching and research and it is one of the only four universities in the U.K. alongside Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London which is both in the top 10 in the U.K. for the quality of its research and has a gold ranking for the quality of its teaching," Mr. Jeffery said. Mr. Jeffery added, 'We have research strengths that align with India's priorities, especially in the areas of digital technologies, creative industries and the real-world applications for AI systems. We look forward to working with our partners in India to welcome students and establish new research opportunities'. The UGC had, in 2023, announced the setting up and operation of campuses under the Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India Regulations. The U.K.'s Southampton University is in the process of setting up its campus in India this year. Two Australian universities, Deakin and Wollongong, already have campuses in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). The Queen's University Belfast and the Coventry University have also received approval for setting up campuses in the GIFT City. So far, no U.S. university has an offshore campus in India.
