In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, we begin by looking at the latest developments in the world of atomic clocks. It’s a timely topic as this Monday was World Metrology Day, a celebration of the field of measurement science. Hamish Johnston reports from JILA in Colorado where he caught up with Jun Ye who explains why even more accurate timekeepers will help us to test the frontiers of physics including general relativity and theories of dark matter.
Later in the podcast, we take a look at the emerging communications technology known as LiFi. Standing for light fidelity, LiFi is an alternative to WiFi that allows people to connect to the Internet via data encoded into light bulbs – perhaps even the the lights in your own home. We’re joined by “the father” of LiFi Harald Haas who’s in conversation with Physics World’s industry editor Margaret Harris about the journey of innovation from concept to commercial product. Haas, the co-founder and chief scientific officer of Pure LiFi, reflects on the progress made since he caught the public imagination with 2011 TED talk, which included a live demonstration of a prototype LiFi system in action.
As always, we also bring you a roundup of some of the research highlights making the headlines this week, including an update on the LISA Pathfinder mission and the progress for a new type of radiotherapy treatment. If you like what you hear then please subscribe via your chosen podcast app and we’re also available now to follow on Spotify.
