Jacopo Bertolotti
@jacopobertolotti.com
Associated Professor of Physics at the University of Exeter.
Scientific visualizations (grouped under the hastag #PhysicsFactlet).
He/lui/on. All opinions are my own fault.
Scientific visualizations (grouped under the hastag #PhysicsFactlet).
He/lui/on. All opinions are my own fault.
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
Many people have wondered why the Chien-Shiung Wu never won the Nobel Prize for Physics. New findings from the Nobel archives, exclusively revealed in Physics World, show she was nominated 23 times by 18 different physicists - and yet was still left empty-handed. 🧪⚛️
physicsworld.com/a/twenty-thr...
physicsworld.com/a/twenty-thr...
Twenty-three nominations, yet no Nobel prize: how Chien-Shiung Wu missed out on the top award in physics – Physics World
Mats Larsson and Ramon Wyss reveal why Chien-Shiung Wu never won a Nobel prize
physicsworld.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Many people have wondered why the Chien-Shiung Wu never won the Nobel Prize for Physics. New findings from the Nobel archives, exclusively revealed in Physics World, show she was nominated 23 times by 18 different physicists - and yet was still left empty-handed. 🧪⚛️
physicsworld.com/a/twenty-thr...
physicsworld.com/a/twenty-thr...
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
Scientist types as #DnD classes:
Fighter: The best way to approach any problem is to do an experiment first and ask questions later (assuming there is any question left to ask). Very high volume of fire, but needs a constant stream of money to pay for fancier and fancier equipment.
1/
Fighter: The best way to approach any problem is to do an experiment first and ask questions later (assuming there is any question left to ask). Very high volume of fire, but needs a constant stream of money to pay for fancier and fancier equipment.
1/
December 2, 2024 at 1:48 PM
Scientist types as #DnD classes:
Fighter: The best way to approach any problem is to do an experiment first and ask questions later (assuming there is any question left to ask). Very high volume of fire, but needs a constant stream of money to pay for fancier and fancier equipment.
1/
Fighter: The best way to approach any problem is to do an experiment first and ask questions later (assuming there is any question left to ask). Very high volume of fire, but needs a constant stream of money to pay for fancier and fancier equipment.
1/
These are the days I am happy to live high up the hill.
The Waterfront a bit closer to the water front than usual.
January 27, 2026 at 11:10 AM
These are the days I am happy to live high up the hill.
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
The Waterfront a bit closer to the water front than usual.
January 27, 2026 at 10:56 AM
The Waterfront a bit closer to the water front than usual.
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
SpaceX's Starlink dodged 300,000 collisions in 2025.
That's nearly 40 maneuvers per satellite, and it's rising fast – possibly hitting 1 million maneuvers in 2027.
"If they make a mistake, we’re in really big trouble.”
Story by me in @newscientist.com
www.newscientist.com/article/2512...
That's nearly 40 maneuvers per satellite, and it's rising fast – possibly hitting 1 million maneuvers in 2027.
"If they make a mistake, we’re in really big trouble.”
Story by me in @newscientist.com
www.newscientist.com/article/2512...
SpaceX’s Starlink dodged 300,000 satellite collisions in 2025
The company’s mega-constellation is having to perform a huge number of manoeuvres to prevent a collision in Earth orbit
www.newscientist.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:36 AM
SpaceX's Starlink dodged 300,000 collisions in 2025.
That's nearly 40 maneuvers per satellite, and it's rising fast – possibly hitting 1 million maneuvers in 2027.
"If they make a mistake, we’re in really big trouble.”
Story by me in @newscientist.com
www.newscientist.com/article/2512...
That's nearly 40 maneuvers per satellite, and it's rising fast – possibly hitting 1 million maneuvers in 2027.
"If they make a mistake, we’re in really big trouble.”
Story by me in @newscientist.com
www.newscientist.com/article/2512...
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
Help us make hope normal again.
Join the Green Party now.
Join the Green Party now.
January 22, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Help us make hope normal again.
Join the Green Party now.
Join the Green Party now.
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
It's weird
I was REPEATEDLY told that payment processors "had" to ban all nsfw to mitigate the risk of processing CSAM.
So if that's true then why wasn't X immediately dumped by every one of those payment processors when Grok turned into an automated CSAM generator?
I was REPEATEDLY told that payment processors "had" to ban all nsfw to mitigate the risk of processing CSAM.
So if that's true then why wasn't X immediately dumped by every one of those payment processors when Grok turned into an automated CSAM generator?
January 22, 2026 at 4:18 AM
It's weird
I was REPEATEDLY told that payment processors "had" to ban all nsfw to mitigate the risk of processing CSAM.
So if that's true then why wasn't X immediately dumped by every one of those payment processors when Grok turned into an automated CSAM generator?
I was REPEATEDLY told that payment processors "had" to ban all nsfw to mitigate the risk of processing CSAM.
So if that's true then why wasn't X immediately dumped by every one of those payment processors when Grok turned into an automated CSAM generator?
My long trip to Glasgow begins with me getting soaking wet on my way to train station. ☔️
How can you not love the British weather?
How can you not love the British weather?
January 20, 2026 at 9:26 AM
My long trip to Glasgow begins with me getting soaking wet on my way to train station. ☔️
How can you not love the British weather?
How can you not love the British weather?
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
This seems like a maliciously put headline to make people feel a certain way.
Wikipedia is not partaking in generative AI. They are making AI companies and scrappers having to pay for training their modules off wikipedia texts. And having an AI (not that ai) tasked with updating dead links.
Wikipedia is not partaking in generative AI. They are making AI companies and scrappers having to pay for training their modules off wikipedia texts. And having an AI (not that ai) tasked with updating dead links.
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia written by volunteers, is embracing artificial intelligence to mark its 25th anniversary.
Wikipedia unveils new AI licensing deals as it marks 25th birthday
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia written by volunteers, is embracing artificial intelligence to mark its 25th anniversary.
bit.ly
January 15, 2026 at 7:08 PM
This seems like a maliciously put headline to make people feel a certain way.
Wikipedia is not partaking in generative AI. They are making AI companies and scrappers having to pay for training their modules off wikipedia texts. And having an AI (not that ai) tasked with updating dead links.
Wikipedia is not partaking in generative AI. They are making AI companies and scrappers having to pay for training their modules off wikipedia texts. And having an AI (not that ai) tasked with updating dead links.
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
A U.S. president cannot be held accountable. Therefore, a U.S. president must never make a policy decision.
January 14, 2026 at 4:41 AM
A U.S. president cannot be held accountable. Therefore, a U.S. president must never make a policy decision.
tl;dr: Meta jumps from one unprofitable bubble to another unprofitable bubble.
Meta refocuses on AI hardware as metaverse layoffs begin
Meta has begun a massive set of layoffs in its reality Labs Division, as the company refocuses on developing AI-powered hardware.
www.engadget.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:36 AM
tl;dr: Meta jumps from one unprofitable bubble to another unprofitable bubble.
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 13, 2026 at 8:27 AM
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
Ursula K. Le Guin, spitting truth.
January 13, 2026 at 3:21 AM
Ursula K. Le Guin, spitting truth.
Students sometimes fail to appreciate that relativity did not emerge fully formed from Einstein's head. I for sure failed to appreciate how long before Einstein's 1915 general relativity paper people were already discussing the idea that mass might distort space-time.
⚛️🧪🎢
⚛️🧪🎢
Sylvester and Clifford on Curved Space
Einstein realized that gravity is due to the curvature of spacetime, but let’s go back earlier: On the 18th of August 1869, the eminent mathematician Sylvester gave a speech arguing that geom…
johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com
January 12, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Students sometimes fail to appreciate that relativity did not emerge fully formed from Einstein's head. I for sure failed to appreciate how long before Einstein's 1915 general relativity paper people were already discussing the idea that mass might distort space-time.
⚛️🧪🎢
⚛️🧪🎢
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
There is always an XKCD
January 12, 2026 at 8:58 AM
There is always an XKCD
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
And 🥁 the final program of the *"Image Science" Gordon Research Conference*, to take place in Italy April 26-May 1st, is out!
Please take some time to check the program, apply, *share* with your colleagues.
www.grc.org/image-scienc... (1/N)
Please take some time to check the program, apply, *share* with your colleagues.
www.grc.org/image-scienc... (1/N)
January 5, 2026 at 9:07 AM
And 🥁 the final program of the *"Image Science" Gordon Research Conference*, to take place in Italy April 26-May 1st, is out!
Please take some time to check the program, apply, *share* with your colleagues.
www.grc.org/image-scienc... (1/N)
Please take some time to check the program, apply, *share* with your colleagues.
www.grc.org/image-scienc... (1/N)
Quantum mechanics is a wave theory, and once you look at it as a wave theory 99% of its weirdness completely disappears.
(The "wavefunction collapse" is the only part that is not about waves, and also the only part that is genuinely weird.)
(The "wavefunction collapse" is the only part that is not about waves, and also the only part that is genuinely weird.)
Most quantum computer scientists obliviate the fact that complex numbers are just a compact way to represent the wave function. Waves mean something to most people. Complex numbers, not so much.
January 9, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Quantum mechanics is a wave theory, and once you look at it as a wave theory 99% of its weirdness completely disappears.
(The "wavefunction collapse" is the only part that is not about waves, and also the only part that is genuinely weird.)
(The "wavefunction collapse" is the only part that is not about waves, and also the only part that is genuinely weird.)
Paper accepted! 🥳
"Explaining and exploiting the radial memory effect in multimode optical fibres"
(A slightly older version is on ArXiv: arxiv.org/abs/2508.11389 )
1/3
💡 ⚛️ 🧪 #OpticalFibers
"Explaining and exploiting the radial memory effect in multimode optical fibres"
(A slightly older version is on ArXiv: arxiv.org/abs/2508.11389 )
1/3
💡 ⚛️ 🧪 #OpticalFibers
The radial memory effect in multimode optical fibres
We present a study of a novel memory effect in multimode optical fibres, which manifests itself as an output ring of excess energy at the same radius as an input focussed spot. This effect is robust a...
arxiv.org
January 9, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Paper accepted! 🥳
"Explaining and exploiting the radial memory effect in multimode optical fibres"
(A slightly older version is on ArXiv: arxiv.org/abs/2508.11389 )
1/3
💡 ⚛️ 🧪 #OpticalFibers
"Explaining and exploiting the radial memory effect in multimode optical fibres"
(A slightly older version is on ArXiv: arxiv.org/abs/2508.11389 )
1/3
💡 ⚛️ 🧪 #OpticalFibers
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
Nominations are now open for the Trust’s Philip Leverhulme Prizes, which are awarded in six broad subject areas and worth £100,000 each for two to three years.
Deadline: Wednesday 14 May 2026, 4pm.
🔗 For more details, visit: www.leverhulme.ac.uk/philip-lever...
Deadline: Wednesday 14 May 2026, 4pm.
🔗 For more details, visit: www.leverhulme.ac.uk/philip-lever...
January 9, 2026 at 9:28 AM
Nominations are now open for the Trust’s Philip Leverhulme Prizes, which are awarded in six broad subject areas and worth £100,000 each for two to three years.
Deadline: Wednesday 14 May 2026, 4pm.
🔗 For more details, visit: www.leverhulme.ac.uk/philip-lever...
Deadline: Wednesday 14 May 2026, 4pm.
🔗 For more details, visit: www.leverhulme.ac.uk/philip-lever...
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
I took to the blog and wrote about the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics, in case you're in the mood for a discount @seanmcarroll.bsky.social kind of thing: chadorzel.substack.com/p/why-the-ev...
Why the Everett Interpretation of QM Is Not Insane
The dollar-store version of Sean Carroll
chadorzel.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 1:29 AM
I took to the blog and wrote about the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics, in case you're in the mood for a discount @seanmcarroll.bsky.social kind of thing: chadorzel.substack.com/p/why-the-ev...
Dear Journal editors sending a request to review a paper on Dec 26, a reminder on Dec 28, and a second one (called "final reminder") on Jan 2: don't.
#AcademicChat
#AcademicChat
January 6, 2026 at 9:45 AM
Dear Journal editors sending a request to review a paper on Dec 26, a reminder on Dec 28, and a second one (called "final reminder") on Jan 2: don't.
#AcademicChat
#AcademicChat
Reposted by Jacopo Bertolotti
Join our team at Imperial College London! 🚀
I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher in time-varying metamaterials and ultrafast structured light in space and time.
👉 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPX643/r...
🔹 Deadline: 31st January 2026
#Photonics #Postdoc #Physics #Metamaterials #ScienceJobs
I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher in time-varying metamaterials and ultrafast structured light in space and time.
👉 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPX643/r...
🔹 Deadline: 31st January 2026
#Photonics #Postdoc #Physics #Metamaterials #ScienceJobs
January 6, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Join our team at Imperial College London! 🚀
I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher in time-varying metamaterials and ultrafast structured light in space and time.
👉 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPX643/r...
🔹 Deadline: 31st January 2026
#Photonics #Postdoc #Physics #Metamaterials #ScienceJobs
I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher in time-varying metamaterials and ultrafast structured light in space and time.
👉 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPX643/r...
🔹 Deadline: 31st January 2026
#Photonics #Postdoc #Physics #Metamaterials #ScienceJobs
