The Demon's in the Details

The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) conducts advanced studies exploring big questions of the 21stcentury and beyond. Its research gains insights into Celtic society and its legacy; progresses our understanding of our island, our planet and the universe; and deciphers the underpinning mathematical principles of nature.The Institute leads Ireland’s participation in a number of international and global initiatives that focus on big unanswered questions for mankind.When it was founded in 1940, DIAS was the world’s second-only institute for advanced studies – and the first such institute in Europe. For 80 years, it has pushed the boundaries of discovery and, today, it is a globally-embedded institution that attracts high-calibre researchers from all over the world in its core disciplines of Celtic Studies, Theoretical Physics, Astrophysics and Geophysics. DIAS Dunsink Observatory is a designated European site of historical significance for physics.

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies

Dr. Felix Flicker from the University of Bristol is tonight's speaker for the next installment of Samhain agus Science 2025

Samhain agus Science 2025

Samhain agus Science, is back for it’s 8th year in 2025. It’s our annual science festival which brings together researchers from DIAS, and around the world, for a series of free events that explore the ‘dark’ side of science and Celtic heritage.

Demons have a surprisingly rich history in physics. Various 19th century thought experiments invoked demons as imagined agents capable of superhuman powers, standing in for imagined future scientific devices capable of unimaginable precision. Many of these devices have nowadays been realised. In this talk I will give a history of demons in physics, before presenting ongoing work in which we seek to detail a lesser-known modern example: Pines' demon, a new type of particle observed in 2023.**********Felix Flicker is a theoretical physicist and senior lecturer at the University of Bristol. His work concerns the quantum underpinnings of matter. He is the author of a bestselling popular science book, The Magick of Matter (Profile, 2022).**********Now in its eighth year, Samhain agus Science brings together researchers from DIAS and around the world for a series of free events that take inspiration from the Celtic festival of Samhain and look at the dark side of science.The festival aims to make the big scientific questions of our time and Celtic history relevant, accessible, and fun to a general audience who might not normally be familiar with these topics.We hope you can join us for this in person event on 03 November

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