Welcome
In 2013 the Theoretical Physics Group at Imperial College initiated a new association called "Friends of Imperial Theoretical Physics" or FITP for short. The vision is that FITP will host periodic popular talks at South Kensington campus which will allow members to keep abreast of the exciting research that is currently going on in the Group and in theoretical physics more generally. We hope that it will provide a useful forum for alumni to renew and maintain contacts.
FITP also enables members, if they so wish, to contribute financially to the research being carried out in the Group (see sidebar for details); Donate to FITP.
If you would like to become a member of FITP please register your interest by emailing us at fitp@imperial.ac.uk, including your name, affiliation, dates of your time at Imperial (if applicable) and any other relevant information.
Click on the following picture to see our new documentary about Abdus Salam.
Upcoming Events
TBA
Past Events
- Abdus Salam Exhibition
- Transcending Boundaries: The Life, Work and Legacy of Abdus Salam
- A Celebation of the Centenary of General Relativity
- The Universe Unveiled
- "The World in Eleven Dimensions"
- Symposium celebrating Tom Kibble's 80th Birthday
January 29th, 2024
As part of the day of events to celebrate the renaming of the central library the Abdus Salam Library, an exhibition was been set up in Queen’s Tower Rooms, featuring Salam's life, highlighting his scientific and humanitarian journey and the role played by Imperial College London as his scientific home throughout his life.
Highlights of the exhibition will were:
- His 1979 Nobel Prize and other exhibit objects from Salam’s life
- A special documentary made for the occasion and filmed in our very own Physics Department featuring members of Theoretical Physics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hye8dmpql9g
- A collection of essays, submitted by Pakistani schoolchildren, which talk about how Salam has personally inspired them
- The ongoing legacy through the work of Physics PhD students in fundamental physics presented at a level accessible to everyone.
An online version of the exhibition is featured permanently online with its own dedicated domain salamexhibition.uk
January 29th, 2024
As part of the day of events to celebrate the renaming of the central library the Abdus Salam Library, Dr. Tasneem Zehra Husain, Pakistan's first female string theorist and author of Only the Longest Threads spoke to London high school children about Abdus Salam, his life and work. An online version of her talk can be found here.
A Celebation of the Centenary of General Relativity took place on Nov 23rd 2015 with talks by Fay Dowker and Jerome Gauntlett.
- Talk entitled The Universe Unveiled by Prof Carlo Contaldi on 29th April 2015
"The World in Eleven Dimensions"
talk by Professor Michael Duff FRS,
Abdus Salam Chair of Theoretical Physics
Friday 30 May 2014 at 19:00
Abstract:
The leading candidate for an all-embracing theory of physics, one that would unify quantum mechanics and Einstein's general relativity and describe all physical phenomena from quarks to the Big Bang, is called ‘M-theory', where M stands for magic, mystery or membrane, according to taste. M-theory requires eleven spacetime dimensions (the maximum permitted by supersymmetry of the elementary particles) and subsumes all five ten-dimensional superstring theories. Is M really the ‘final theory'? Michael Duff will critically discuss the evidence.
Location:
The talk was held in Lecture Theatre 1 in the Blackett Laboratory (Department of Physics), starting at 7pm. Following the talk there was a drinks Reception for registered participants in the Physics Common Room on Level 8 from 8pm-9:30pm
Biography:
Professor Duff gained his PhD in theoretical physics in 1972 at Imperial College under Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam. He returned to Imperial College as a member of staff in 1979, taking leave of absence to visit the Theory Division at CERN, first in 1982 and then again as a Staff Member from 1984 to 1987 when he became Senior Physicist. He took up his professorship at Texas A&M University in 1988 and was appointed Distinguished Professor in 1992. In 1999 he became Oskar Klein Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan and was elected to serve as first Director of the Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics 2000-2005. In 2005 he returned once more to Imperial as Professor of Physics and Principal of the Faculty of Physical Sciences. He was appointed Abdus Salam Professor of Theoretical Physics in 2006. Michael's interests lie in unified theories of the elementary particles, quantum gravity, supergravity, Kaluza-Klein theory, superstrings, supermembranes, M-theory and quantum information theory. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and Recipient of the 2004 Meeting Gold Medal, El Colegio Nacional, Mexico.
- Symposium celebrating Tom Kibble's 80th Birthday on 13 March 2013 concluding with a keynote talk by Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg to an audience of 800 people in the Great Hall
Donations to FITP
Donations will be used to help finance the general running of the Theory Group activities, as decided by the Head of Theoretical Physics Group in consultation with the staff members of the Group. For example, this could includes financing international visitors to the Group, supporting travel for Group members, including postdocs, PhD and MSc students, and so on. A longer term goal is to raise funds to endow a postdoctoral position in Theoretical physics. If there is a specific use for a donation that you have in mind, please contact Professor Jerome Gauntlett