Precision measurements of radiation will be the key to pinpointing breast cancers smaller than a grain of sand and discovering what lies in the space between galaxies, an international conference will discover today (see note).
The unique gathering of scientists and engineers at University College London will also hear the answer to the haunting question - can silicon chips "come back from the dead?"
The 5th International Conference on Position Sensitive Detectors has attracted 200 delegates to report on new techniques and applications in this diverse and challenging area. The participants - comprising users, service providers, physicists and astronomers - have invented detectors that are now used in a wide variety of applications, from the study of protein structure to airport security cameras.
Despite their wide ranging interests, participants at the conference share common aims - improved detector performance, finer positional information, cheaper costs and better resistance to intense radiation. The conference will provide a vital forum for exchanging research ideas and experiences.
Speaking today David Miller, Professor of Physics at University College London and the conference organiser , said;
"This is the best kind of technology transfer. Since the first conference in 1987 detector experts have discovered that they need each other's good ideas which can be put to work immediately in hospitals and factories as well as in labs and observatories."
Further information:
Alexandra Alerte, UCL Media Relations, 44-171-391-1619
Professor David Miller, Physics & Astronomy,
(Office) 44-171-380-7152, (Mobile) 44-7747-030-752
NOTES TO EDITORS.
(i) The 5th International Conference on Position Sensitive Detectors will be held on 13-17 September 1999 at University College London. A programme for the conference can be found on http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/psd5/Welcome.html
(ii) Members of the press are invited to attend the overview talks on applications in particle physics, synchroton radiation studies (plus three short talks on medical imaging) on the afternoon of Wednesday 15 September 1999. A reception hosted by EEV and Oxford Instruments will follow. Contact Antonis Papanestis (antonis@medphys.ucl.ac.uk).