معرفی
Professor Michael Charlton is a distinguished physicist at Swansea University's Department of Physics, where he has served as Professor of Physics since 1999. Previously, he held positions at University College London including Reader in Physics (1991-1999) and Royal Society University Research Fellow (1983-1991). His leadership roles include Head of Department (2001-2007, 2012-2016) and Head of the School of Physical Sciences (2005-2007) at Swansea University.
Professor Charlton received his academic training at University College London, where he earned his BSc in Physics with First Class Honours (1975-1978) followed by a PhD (1978-1980) with a thesis titled "An Experimental Study of the Interactions of Positrons and Electrons in Gases".
His research focuses on antimatter physics, particularly antihydrogen creation and experimentation. Charlton's work encompasses charged particle traps for antiparticles, low-energy antihydrogen physics, positron physics including production of low-energy positron beams, and atomic scattering processes. His research has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of antimatter properties through precision measurements of antihydrogen.
Analysis of his publication record reveals a consistent trajectory in antimatter research, with landmark papers published in Nature between 2002 and 2018 documenting the progression from initial antihydrogen production to sophisticated spectroscopic measurements. His work demonstrates increasing precision in antihydrogen trapping and measurement techniques, culminating in high-precision tests of fundamental symmetries in physics.
Professor Charlton's significant contributions to physics have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards:
- 2018: Elected as Vice President of the Learned Society of Wales for STEMM
- 2011: Recipient of the American Physical Society John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research (with ALPHA Collaboration)
- 2011: Elected as an Inaugural Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW)
- 2010: ALPHA's work on Trapped Antihydrogen selected by Physics World as physics highlight of the year
- 2007: Awarded EPSRC Senior Research Fellowship
- 2004: Elected to Fellowship of the Institute of Physics (FInstP)
Throughout his career, Professor Charlton has secured substantial research funding, including an EPSRC Senior Research Fellowship (2007-2012) and a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (1983-1991). His work has been consistently recognized as an EPSRC highlight, featuring in multiple celebratory publications. As a leader in the ALPHA Collaboration, he has directed major international research efforts in antimatter physics.
Professor Charlton leads research within the ALPHA Collaboration, an international team focused on antihydrogen production, trapping, and spectroscopy. His work involves sophisticated experimental setups combining particle trapping techniques with precision laser spectroscopy to compare hydrogen and antihydrogen properties, testing fundamental symmetries of nature.
