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Our Astrophysics Labs are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment designed to allow staff and students to observe the wonders of the universe. On the roof outside the lab, we have the Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Observatory (equipped with a Celestron CGE1400 XLT 14" Schmidt telescope), as well as a range of free-standing telescopes available for use.
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This is a suite of 3 ultra-low noise laboratories. It minimises noise vibration, noise and electromagnetic disturbance to provide one of the most advanced 'ultra-clean' measurement environments in the world. The building is embedded in the ground and separated from other buildings. Further isolation from the surrounding environment comes from three 50-tonne floating experimental platforms.
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Our X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) facility allows us to determine the elemental composition, identify potential contamination, and check for successful chemical modification of materials from as little as a few microns in size.
Lancaster XPS
This unique facility contains £4 million worth of nanotechnology equipment, including state-of-the-art clean-room fabrication facilities. These are capable of producing objects with a lateral dimension of 10nm. This research is further supported by our £1.5 million molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) reactors. We use these to create novel structures for research projects. There is also a dedicated electron-beam writer and electron and atomic-force microscopy.
Quantum Technology Centre
The Department operates three ultrafast (sub-picosecond) laser labs, one of which also includes ultrafast electron beams in a radiation-shielded environment.
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The ULT facilities feature custom-made dilution refrigerators, built in-house with nuclear cooling stages. These allow us to cool materials and devices to some of the coldest temperatures ever measured on earth. This enables our researchers to make ground-breaking discoveries about superfluids, produce purified helium-4, and study the ion transport in quantum fluids.
ULT Labs
Because of our participation in international collaborations, we have access to a wide range of equipment, including CERN, the James Webb Telescope, and FermiLab.
Partner Facilities