The Cockcroft Institute

May 26, 2023

A unique CERN-inspired collaboration see Cockcroft Institute physicist team with science-fiction titans

The recently launched book Collision: Stories from the science of CERN is the culmination of a unique, two-year-long collaboration between fiction writers and pioneering physicists. As part of Comma’s Science-into-Fiction series, the project paired award-winning UK writers with leading physicists and…

May 24, 2023

Tribute to Professor Peter Ratoff

Cockcroft Institute (CI) members past and present gathered in the Daresbury Laboratory atrium on the 19th of April for a special lunch to say goodbye to our long-standing retired Director Prof Peter Ratoff. Peter was one of the original founders…

May 22, 2023

Opportunities for research fellowships in accelerator science & technology

STFC is about to launch a call for the next round of Ernest Rutherford Fellowships. It aims to support future scientific leaders to establish a strong, independent research programme. The fellowships last for five years and are intended for early…

May 17, 2023

History of UK particle accelerators event

An event about the History of UK particle accelerators has taken place at the Cockcroft Institute (Daresbury Laboratory) and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory as well as online. The event took place on Tuesday 7th March. The program for the event…

May 12, 2023

New Director appointed to lead the Cockcroft Institute

The Cockcroft Institute is pleased to announce Professor Stewart Boogert as the new Director of the Institute. As director, Professor Boogert will drive the continued growth and development of the Cockcroft Institute of Accelerator Science and Technology, located at the…

April 28, 2023

Surfatron brings the physics of plasma accelerators to the classroom

The online game Surfatron, designed by CI member Ricardo Torres has proven a useful tool to convey the challenges of plasma wakefield acceleration to a broad range of audiences. The Surfatron has now been introduced to the international science teacher…

April 26, 2023

Permanent Magnets: a green alternative for accelerators?

Accelerators use a huge amount of electrical energy, both to create high-energy beams and to steer and focus those beams. In the vast majority of cases, the steering and focusing is carried out by electromagnets. If they were replaced by…

April 19, 2023

Liverpool expert takes the stage at Star Wars Celebration 2023

Prof Carsten P Welsch, Head of Liverpool’s Department of Physics and Head of Communications of the Cockcroft Institute, joined host James Floyd (Star Wars Insider regular contributor, Star Warsologies podcast) and experts from palaeontology to meteorology and history for a…

April 12, 2023

Characterising photocathodes: the development of TESS

A group of Cockcroft Institute scientists led by Lee Jones has published an article in the Review of Scientific Instruments summarising years of work in the development of the Transverse Energy Spread Spectrometer (TESS) apparatus at Daresbury Laboratory. The TESS…