Physicist in France originally from New Zealand. Research in nonlinearity, optics, extremes and lots else. Posts on academia, science & history, outreach. In English et en français @johnmdudley on Twitter Web: http://members.femto-st.fr/john-dudleyhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3mugz5l76bk2mIUPAP Commission 17 Laser Physics and Photonics is seeking nominations for its biennial Early Career Scientist Prizes. Recipients must be within 5 years of their PhD and nominations must be received before 30 September 2026. More details at the prize webpage https://iupap.org/who-we-are/internal-organization/commissions/c17-laser-physics-and-photonics/c17-news/01 Sep 2026 08:33 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mugz5l76bk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3mucxokfirc25We have lost a giant with the passing of Mary Tsingou Menzel aged 97. A family announcement is here: https://www.riverafamilyfuneralhome.com/obituaries/mary-menzel The image below is her FPUT algorithm that you can read about in Thierry Dauxois's article: https://www.cs.princeton.edu/courses/archive/fall08/cos323/papers/Dauxios-Tsingou08.pdf An amazing life!30 Aug 2026 17:56 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mucxokfirc25https://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3mc6e2e5lzk2fSo sad to see the loss of another laser pioneer with the passing of Orazio Svelto on 10 Jan. As well as being an inspiring scientist who helped create the European ultrafast community, he was gracious and generous with his time and support for international science. https://www.ansa.it/canale_scienza/notizie/fisica_matematica/2026/01/10/addio-a-orazio-svelto-pioniere-della-ricerca-sui-laser-in-italia_74e40b1b-27ef-40d9-8f8d-e0338ea01d95.html11 Jan 2026 20:21 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mc6e2e5lzk2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3mb6u37n36k2tWonderful news and heartfelt congratulations to UCL prof Polina Bayvel on being named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2026 New Year Honours List. A truly outstanding and well-deserved achievement. Congratulations, Polina!30 Dec 2025 07:43 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mb6u37n36k2thttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3m4zr7aetmk2qJohn Bell released Bell's theorem on 4 November 1964. https://home.cern/news/news/physics/fifty-years-bells-theorem In 1972, Bernard d'Espagnat was the first to nominate him for the Nobel Prize. As the Nobel archives progressively come on line, we will surely see that he was nominated very many times afterwards as well ... https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=1634507 Nov 2025 09:27 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4zr7aetmk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3m3b4natwv22zGreat news for Michael Berry who has received the Isaac Newton medal of the IOP. What I absolutely love about his work is that it cuts across so many different areas of physics - from the foundations of quantum physics to understanding the rainbow. https://physicsworld.com/a/theoretical-physicist-michael-berry-wins-2025-isaac-newton-medal-and-prize/15 Oct 2025 20:50 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3b4natwv22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3m2od2slz222yThose outside the field really don't pay enough attention to what goes on in condensed matter. Indeed, even the excellent DPG Quantum History Wall didn't include yesterday's Nobel Prize winning work on tunnelling in its list of quantum milestones of the 1980s! www.quantum-history.de08 Oct 2025 09:24 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2od2slz222yhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lyfql53klc2uIf you love supercontinuum (and who doesn't!) check out our forward-looking Perspective in EPL which is free to read. Thanks @jctravs.bsky.social Thibaut Sylvestre, Alex Heidt, Roy Taylor, Goery Genty https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1209/0295-5075/adfe8c09 Sep 2025 12:42 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyfql53klc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lvy3dr7xrc25Reposting to @tsizer.bsky.social via JL Beylat. What about a tribute at the 100 year session at ECOC ? [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 Aug 2025 15:27 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvy3dr7xrc25https://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lvw3litk722mVery sad to hear that the great soliton pioneer Akira Hasegawa has died on June 22. His work truly was revolutionary in so many ways and impacted so many different fields. An obituary from Columbia is below. https://www.apam.columbia.edu/memoriam-prof-akira-hasegawa-1934-202508 Aug 2025 20:26 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvw3litk722mhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lvnzqy57ks2rAnyone with a library endowment fund who doesn't know what to do with it? First edition of Opticks for sale!05 Aug 2025 15:32 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvnzqy57ks2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lv233sik422fI just had some fun verifing the 1/r potential drop from a plasma ball. The idea is from @simonpoliakoff.bsky.social and his video is here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=crW7pMdZxUc&ab_channel=PhysicswithSimonPoliakoff To get close to the ball (5 mm) I used a 10kOhm feedthrough terminator which yields around 25 V peak-peak !28 Jul 2025 17:02 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lv233sik422fhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3luxpqnhmas2gRIP the great Tom Lehrer ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcS3NOQnsQM&ab_channel=TheTomLehrerWisdomChannel27 Jul 2025 18:34 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3luxpqnhmas2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lsw66v56ec27No comment needed really ...01 Jul 2025 16:57 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsw66v56ec27https://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lsk3qzsis22bThis is incredible from Les Wright ! It has everything: lasers, home grown nonlinear optics crystals, and a home made Arduino-driven diamond saw. If you're planning to colonize Mars to avoid an apocalypse, include Les in your passenger list! https://youtu.be/RxjqMh3gkx8?si=Kf9Y3UMJEx36iTEx26 Jun 2025 21:41 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsk3qzsis22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3ls4e77vx7227Impact factors certainly do not tell the whole story, but in what is more or less an annual tradition, I have compiled a list for some physics/optics journals. Note that there are truly excellent articles in all of these journals and different journals play very different roles in the community.21 Jun 2025 10:35 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3ls4e77vx7227https://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lrprhqvbk22bJust learned that the Wii remote triangulates position via IR sources in the bar you place on the TV. Most phone cameras allow you to see the emitters (top) but in fact you don't need them. You can replace the bar by two candles and it works just fine! Am sure most people knew this already ...16 Jun 2025 10:28 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrprhqvbk22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lrio3gswdk2dOur library holds a rare copy of the proceedings of the 1911 Solvay Conference on physics, and I enjoyed looking through it (very carefully) today. As well as the amazing discussions and pictures (these are from Perrin) it seems a previous reader had been practicing their French at the same time!13 Jun 2025 14:39 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrio3gswdk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lrhtaveb2c2nGood morning everyone! Just the seasons doing their thing!13 Jun 2025 06:39 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrhtaveb2c2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lpqeewbw5c2mTenure-track Junior Professor Chair at Université Marie et Louis Pasteur & FEMTO-ST in micro/nanotech for healthcare. Top-tier research environment & amazing quality of life in Besançon. Details (FR/EN): https://www.femto-st.fr/sites/default/files/offres/cpj_femto-st_isifc_cnu63_mn2s_.pdf Deadline June 16 but make informal contact first!22 May 2025 05:16 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpqeewbw5c2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnmdudley.bsky.social/post/3lpmyb6jz222cLighting up a handheld He-Ne tube in the field of a plasma globe #pintofscience Thanks to Andrei Ermolaev for the photo! [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 May 2025 21:01 +0000at://did:plc:j6nble5tzd32immgzjdgcbf5/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpmyb6jz222c