This annual public lecture series honours Professor George
Rochester, who came to the institution in the 1950s from the
University of Manchester, and whose arrival ushered in a period
of sustained growth for the Department of Physics. At Manchester
in 1947, Rochester and Butler had discovered so called strange
particles – which many regard as one of the biggest discoveries
in physics not to be rewarded with a Nobel Prize. The 2012
Rochester Lecture was given by Professor Alain Aspect (Institut
d'Optique, Palaiseau, France) on "From Einstein to Wheeler: wave
particle duality for a single photon". The lecture was very well
attended and everyone left inspired by an enthusiastic
presentation on the nature of light. The Rochester family
attended and greatly appreciated the lecture and the audience it
attracted. Professor Aspect was impressed with the size and
quality of the department and the interest in the lecture. The
2011 Rochester Lecture took place on Wednesday the 7th December
2011 at 4.30pm in the Appleby