Oxford University Physics Society

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OUPS brings you talks, socials, extracurricular classes and more, spreading awesome physics in Oxford Even better, become a member of the Society for just £10.

The Oxford University Physics Society exists to promote and encourage an interest in Physics throughout the University and to provide opportunities for physicists and people with an interest in Physics to get to know each other. Like this page to be kept up to date with the Society's activities. You can subscribe to our newsletter here: https://oxford-physsoc.com/how-to-join/

Buy our stash here: https://shop.spreadshirt.co.uk/ou-physics-society-stash/

28/10/2026

🎃🍁 PUMPKIN CARVING 🍂👻

Happy Halloween! We’re having a Pumpkin Carving social on the 31st @ Christchurch Research Centre — everyone is welcome! We will provide pumpkins, tools and snacks :)

26/10/2026

‼️ MITCHELL YZER TALK 🌈☁️

🗣️: Mitchell Yzer (3rd Year DPhil)
⏰: Week 3 Thursday (29/10), 5:30pm
📍: Martin Wood Lecture theatre
🍕 FREE PIZZA AFTER TALK

Talk Description:
“Are we alone?” It is one of the biggest open questions in astronomy, and we are about to enter an era in which we will finally have the tools to try and find an answer. Solar system space missions to Mars, Venus, Titan, and the icy moons will deepen our understanding of the limits of habitability.

Meanwhile, the search for biosignatures outside the solar system will truly kick into gear when the next generation of telescopes, including the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), and the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE), are pointed at our neighbouring exoplanets and start characterising their atmospheres. All the while, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) focuses on the detection of so-called technosignatures: signs of extraterrestrial technology, primarily through radio observations and astronomical anomaly detection.

While all three of these fields might have started out as small, niche, and independent research endeavours, they have since become much more mainstream and interconnected. My work lies at the boundary between two of these: I investigate whether we could use high-resolution spectroscopy with the ELT to search for the atmospheric signatures of the technosignature gases we are currently releasing into our own atmosphere.

In this talk, I will discuss the past, present, and future of the search for life in the Universe, focusing on the challenges we face and how I try to overcome them in my own research.

19/10/2026

🍻 STEM DRINKS 🥂 (signups required!)

Come along to Cosy Club THIS FRIDAY for free drinks!! We are hosting across *7 societies this year :)

SIGN UPS REQUIRED — each society has a different link, please only sign up once!

18/10/2026

‼️ MICHAEL BERRY TALK 🌈☁️

🗣️: Michael Berry (known for Berry phase)
⏰: Week 2 Thursday (22/10), 5:30pm
📍: Keble College, O’Reilly Theatre
🍕 FREE PIZZA AFTER TALK

Talk Description:
As well as describing the beautiful physics of a dramatic natural phenomenon, rainbow studies over several centuries have illustrated unexpected connections with other areas of physics and the practice of science more generally.
The connections include:
• Numerical experiments when mathematics is too
difficult
・ Illusions: there is no arc in the sky
・A theory (light rays) being replaced by a deeper one (light waves)
• Decoherence: wave interference blurred by imperfect resolution
• Universal wave decoration of smooth focal lines
• Rainbow waves in water
• Colour theory
• Gell-Mann’s totalitarian principle
• Mathematics of divergent series

12/10/2026

‼️ FIRST TALK OF MT26 ‼️

🗣️: Alexander Lvovsky (speaker details on slide 2)
📅: Week 1 Thursday (15th October), 5:30pm
📍: Martin Wood Lecture Theatre
🍕 FREE PIZZA AFTER TALK!

11/10/2026

🥂🐥 OU EST LE POULET 🐓🍻

First social of the term! Rules of the game are on the second slide - SIGN UP IN TEAMS, link in bio & highlights!

09/10/2026

‼️ MT26 TERMCARD ‼️

We have one talk and social a week (exc. week 8) this term, all are welcome! Topics for talks are on slide 2.

05/10/2026

‼️ 2026 FRESHERS’ FAIR 📢

Come visit OUPS at the Fresher’s Fair THIS WED&THU!
📍SOUTH SCHOOLS STALL 102-3📍

There will be:
💙 Free society merch
🗣️ Committee to chat to
📰 Termcards
🎰 A members raffle for exclusive OUPS merch!

17/05/2026

🌊 WEEK 4 TALK 🌊

Talk by David Marshall this Thursday!

📍 Martin Wood Lecture Theatre
🕠 5:30PM Thurs W4

Talk Description:

Adventures of a Physicist Exploring the Global Ocean Circulation

This talk has two parallel aims. The first is to describe how, as an undergraduate set on becoming a theoretical particle physicist, I stumbled into research on the fluid dynamics of the global ocean by accident - one of the best things that could have happened! The second is to explain how the fundamental knowledge and skills I learnt in my Physics degree continue to prove valuable in understanding how small-scale turbulent eddies affect the global ocean structure and circulation, often in surprising ways.

12/05/2026

‼️ SAM VINKO TALK ‼️

📍 Univ College Swire Seminar Room
🕠 THIS THURSDAY (W3) 5:30PM
🍕 Free Pizza!

In this talk, I will introduce the basic ideas behind XFELs and show how they are used to “light up”
matter at extreme temperatures and pressures. We will explore how these tools are helping answer fundamental questions about the behaviour of matter far from everyday conditions, from the structure of dense plasmas to the physics of materials under shock at pressures of millions of
atmospheres. Along the way, I will highlight how experiments in this field connect to big challenges
such as clean energy and our understanding of the universe. Finally, I will discuss how this rapidly evolving area of science opens up exciting opportunities for students and early-career researchers, combining ideas from physics, computation, and data science. XFEL science sits at the intersection of disciplines, offering a unique playground for those interested in both fundamental discovery and real-world impact.”

Address

Oxford
OX13PU

Website

https://oxford-physsoc.com/

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