Optical Control of Field-Emission Sites by Femtosecond Laser Pulses

We have investigated field emission patterns from a clean tungsten tip apex induced by femtosecond laser pulses. Strongly asymmetric modulations of the field emission intensity distributions are observed depending on the polarization of the light and the laser incidence direction relative to the azimuthal orientation of tip apex. In effect, we have realized an ultrafast pulsed field-emission source with site selectivity on the 10 nm scale. Simulations of local fields on the tip apex and of electron emission patterns based on photo-excited nonequilibrium electron distributions explain our observations quantitatively.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Measurements of the reaction pˉp→ϕη\bar{p}p \to \phi \eta of antiproton annihilation at rest at three hydrogen target densities

The proton-antiproton annihilation at rest into the $\phi\eta$ final state was measured for three different target densities: liquid hydrogen, gaseous hydrogen at NTP and at a low pressure of 5 mbar. The yield of this reaction in the liquid hydrogen target is smaller than in the low-pressure gas target. The branching ratios of the $\phi\eta$ channel were calculated on the basis of simultaneous analysis of the three data samples. The branching ratio for annihilation into $\phi\eta$ from the $^3S_1$ protonium state turns out to be about ten times smaller as compared to the one from the $^1P_1$ state.Comment: 10 pages, 3 Postscript figures. Accepted by Physics Letters

Asymptotic safety guaranteed

We study the ultraviolet behaviour of four-dimensional quantum field theories involving non-abelian gauge fields, fermions and scalars in the Veneziano limit. In a regime where asymptotic freedom is lost, we explain how the three types of fields cooperate to develop fully interacting ultraviolet fixed points, strictly controlled by perturbation theory. Extensions towards strong coupling and beyond the large-N limit are discussed

“Life Is Not Just Normal as Before” COVID-19 and Digital Service Provision in the Charity Sector: A Case Study of the Refugee Council’s Children’s Section

Executive Summary Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many charities have had to rapidly adapt their conventional model of providing face-to-face services and transition to using digital platforms. A mixed methods approach was applied including data mining, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with ten practitioners and service users. Findings show that the Refugee Council (RC) adapted quickly to providing services online and service users greatly benefited from accessing them. Digital service provision also enabled the RC to increase its access to young people living in remote areas. Opportunities for informal discussions, building strong relationships and the digital divide among young people in care remain obstacles when working digitally. The recommendations of the study are to: develop a hybrid form of digital and in-person services; provide ongoing training on improving digital skills for practitioners and young people; improve online communication for staff and clients; support the provision of digital resources for young people

A Guide to Providing Emotional Support Online to Refugee Youth

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many charities became eager to digitise their services and help beneficiaries access support onlinei. As face-to-face services rapidly transitioned to digital platforms, obstacles began to arise. A recent study highlighted the challenges that charity practitioners face when offering advice and support to refugee youth online. These included building trust, providing emotional support and setting boundaries. It became evident that a training was essential for practitioners to improve their skills in this field if they were to continue working remotely. The Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging at the University of East London (UEL), in partnership with the Refugee Council (RC) and psychotherapist Tiago Brandão, designed and implemented a training programme on how to provide emotional support online to staff working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children. An initial needs assessment was conducted with staff and its findings were used to develop the content of the training sessions. The training was provided by Tiago Brandão who has worked closely with RC practitioners over the last few years. A post-training feedback survey was also completed. Based on the findings of the training-research project, the purpose of this booklet is to offer the RC staff and volunteers, as well as practitioners in the charity sector, examples of good practice on providing emotional support while working remotely. The guidelines presented are general and should be adapted and considered in the context of different roles. The phrases ‘working online’ and ‘working remotely’ are used interchangeably merely to distinguish from working in the physical presence of another person