Explore Physics and Astronomy

Date Wednesday 14th March
Where Streatham Campus
Time 10:00am to 2:30pm
Who Year 12

Cold Temperature Physics

Find out what happens to everyday objects when they are cooled to -200o C with liquid nitrogen, and investigate superconductivity, magnetic levitation and other exotic low-temperature phenomena.

General Physics

A chance to visit our undergraduate physics laboratory and carry out a range of experiments with the help and supervision of the Department of Physics staff. Try your hand at measuring the speed of light or the mass of the electron!

The Physics of Graphene, by Dr. Eros Mariani

Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms, is the most recent and remarkable example of a two dimensional (2D) electronic system. Since its discovery about five years ago, this material has generated an unprecedented interest for its unique fundamental physical properties as well as for its potential for future device applications.

Electrons in graphene behave as massless Dirac fermions, allowing for the first experimental verification of fundamental ideas dating back to almost 80 years ago.

As a further unique feature, graphene is the only existing 2D conducting membrane, where mechanical deformations couple to the electronic motion. These and other remarkable properties of graphene make it an ideal candidate for future ultrafast, flat and transparent elastic electronic devices.

In this talk, Dr. Eros Mariani will present an introduction to the basic properties of graphene, from its early experimental realisation to the main new physical phenomena detected in recent years.