Recent Stories
- Social media plagued by privacy problems, say researchers
- Lancaster set to receive funding boost to stimulate UK's economy
- Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars
- How do we find out about cyber criminals?
- First, carbon footprints... now you can calculate your 'nitrogen footprint'
- Lancaster to play leading role in UK-India cyber security team
- LEC PhD student, Beth Brockett, organises knowledge-exchange event for farmers
- Florence Nightingale Day successfully raises profile of women in mathematics and statistics
- LEC Volcanology Field Course sees erupting Mount Etna
- Company rewards Security Lancaster students for business solutions
Lancaster Emeritus Professor Wins Prestigious Physics Prize
Image Professor David Lyth (right) at the awards ceremony with Professor Sir Peter Knight, President of the Institute of Physics
Professor David Lyth (Lancaster University physics) has won the 2012 Hoyle medal and prize from the Institute of Physics for his contributions to particle cosmology, in particular to the origin of the structure of the Universe.
The citation reads as follows:
One of the central planks of modern cosmology is the idea of in?ation. In?ationary cosmology postulates a period of accelerated expansion during the Universe's earliest stages. Originally introduced by Guth in order to explain the initial conditions for the hot big bang model, it has subsequently played a much more important role in providing a possible explanation for the origin of structures in the Universe, such as galaxies, galaxy clusters and cosmic microwave background anisotropies.
David Lyth has been responsible for many of the key advances in the theory of inflation, and has devised many of the analytical tools that are now widely used by the theoretical cosmology community. His work is always characterised by an incisive clarity. Although mathematically sophisticated, it always maintains contact with observation.
The methods he developed have become the standard language for those who compare observational data obtained by the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) with the predictions of inflationary theory. While much work on inflation has been purely phenomenological, David has linked cosmology with fundamental physics, particularly extensions of the Standard Model.
In 2000, together with Andrew Liddle, he published a textbook on cosmological inflation and large-scale structure that has become the standard reference and an essential resource for everyone in the field. They followed this up in 2009 with the first graduate-level textbook devoted specifically to the primordial density perturbation. Both books exemplify David's dedication to accurate scholarship and his ability to make complex concepts accessible.
Tue 03 July 2012
Latest News
Social media plagued by privacy problems, say researchers
The privacy management of 16 popular social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter, is "seriously deficient," according to a study being published in the June issue of Computer magazine.
Story supplied by LU Press Office
Tue 21 May 2013
Lancaster set to receive funding boost to stimulate UK's economy
Lancaster is amongst leading universities who are set to benefit from a £50 million investment in cutting-edge research and innovation projects to drive growth. Lancaster's project will use the strong international reputation and links in China, in particular with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to address the Government's priorities to focus on high-growth SMEs and to increase exports. Using expertise from across the University, it focuses on improved leadership and new technology...
Story supplied by LU Press Office
Fri 17 May 2013
Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars
A UK-Canadian team of scientists has discovered ancient pockets of water, which have been isolated deep underground for billions of years and contain abundant chemicals known to support life.
Story supplied by LU Press Office
Thu 16 May 2013
How do we find out about cyber criminals?
Security Lancaster and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics held a workshop to form a new collaborative group who will widen the knowledge of cybercrime and start developing innovative approaches to obtaining information on cyber criminals. The workshop included security researchers and statisticians, solicitors specialising in cybercrime, and experts from government agencies.
Thu 16 May 2013