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Our many-body approach to positron binding in polyatomic molecules has been published in Nature [J. Hofierka, B. Cunningham, C. M. Rawlins, C. H. Patterson and D. G. Green, Nature 606, 688 (2022)]. (Jaroslav and Brian were joint-first authors.) As well as providing the first accurate description of over two decades of measurements made by the pioneering…

June 2022: PhD student and group member Jaroslav Hofierka gave a talk on our positron-many-body theory work at the 11th International Meeting on Atomic and Molecular Physics and Chemistry, Prague, Czech Republic. Update: Jaro was awarded the prize for the best hot-topic presentation! Congratulations to Jaro!

Having worked remotely since ~ March 2022, more than 2 years later the group finally met in person! We climbed Cavehill (see the photos below with “Napoleon’s Nose” in the background, and of Brian scaling the wall to enter one of the caves. Unfortunately Sarah couldn’t make the walk, but everyone got together before on…

Dermot spoke in the “Focus Session: Few Body Problems and Long Range Interactions: Memorial for Richard Drachman”.about the group’ current work, highlighting the complexities of positron-molecule interactions, and referencing Drachman’s paper “Why positron physics is fun”.

Research Fellow Charlie Rawlins has taken up a new Research Fellow post at Queen’s focussing on developing molecular dynamics funded by US-Ireland programme. Charlie was a very welcome addition to the group: coming from Perth, Australia, he joined the group (as the second Research Fellow) winter 2019, not long before UK lockdown, and worked on…

Dermot has been appointed as a Specialist Editor (Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics) of the international journal Computer Physics Communications

Dermot presented the group’s work and latest developments in positron-molecule many-body theory at the 74th International Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC2021).

The group was out in force at ICPEAC International Conference on Photonic, Electronic and Atomic Collisions (vICPEAC) 2021, a flagship international conferences in the field, and EGAS 52 (European Group meeting on Atomic Systems) Group member Dr Charlie Rawlins (Research Fellow) delivered a Special Report on our many-body theory of positron scattering and annihilation on…

The Young Academy of Europe (YAE) is a pan-European initiative of outstanding young scientists for networking, advocacy, scientific exchange, and science policy. The YAE is organised as a bottom-up initiative of a dynamic and innovative group of recognised European young scientists and scholars with outspoken views about science and science policy. Dermot has been recognised for his…

The 52nd meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (DAMOP 2021 international conference) was held virtually in June 2021. Dermot’s invited talk, “Many-body theory of positron binding in polyatomic molecules” , (title slide below) presented results of the group’s intensive efforts in developing many-body theory of positron binding in polyatomic molecules…