Share This Article
In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast Giovanna Fragneto explains why neutrons are an ideal probe for studying the SARS coronavirus that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Fragneto is leader of the Large Scale Structures group at the Institut Laue-Langevin, which is a world-leading centre for neutron science in Grenoble, France. In the podcast she mentions a recent webinar from the League of Advanced European Neutron Sources about how neutron science is contributing to the fight against global health threats.
Computation will also play and important role in understanding the SARS coronavirus and it is likely that those studying future viruses will benefit from quantum-computing technologies that are being developed today. In this episode we hear from Winfried Hensinger at the University of Sussex, who is cofounder of a quantum-technology start-up called Universal Quantum. The firm has just received a round of seed funding to help it achieve its ultimate goal of integrating a million ion-based quantum bits within a practical quantum computer.
Also on hand is Physics World student contributor Robin Kerr, who explains how living organisms can be integrated into solar cells. Kerr also chats about why he joined the Physics World student contributor network.