York  «  Physics
Phil Lightfoot
 
 •  Office Physics A015
 •  Phone + 44 (0) 1904 324868
 •  Fax + 44 (0) 1904 432214
 •  Email phil.lightfoot@york.ac.uk
 •  Post : Dr Phil Lightfoot
Department of Physics
University of York
Heslington
York, YO10 5DD
United Kingdom

Courses Taught

 • 
Year 1
:
Vibrations and Waves
 • 
Year 1
:
Introduction to Astrophysics
 • 
Year 1
:
1st Year Lab Astrophysics Project
 • 
Year 2
:
Maths V
 • 
Year 2
:
High Energy Observational Astro
Year 2
:
Professional Skills II
Year 2
:
Pre-sessional maths
Year 2
:
2nd Year Laboratory
Easyplot movie 1 and 2 Easyplot pdf
Year 1+2
:
Tutorial questions and solutions Webpage
Year 2
:
Quantum mechanics notes (checked by Prof Babiker) Click here
 • 
Graduates
:
Graduate Professional Development
 • 
Careers
:
Introduction to the Employability TUTORIAL for students and staff
 • 
Careers
:
Introduction to the Employability PLAN for students and staff
 

 

Year 2 Tutor

 • 
Getting in touch
:
See me anytime or ask your 2nd Year reps to act on your behalf
 •  Welcome
:
Start of year talk (powerpoint)
 •  Links
:
| PhysSoc | AstroSoc
 •  Helpful links
:
Departmental calendar

Departmental teaching

York University Library Search

Travel Information in York

Travel Insurance abroad

 

Research Expertise

 •  Particle Astrophysics
 •  Dark Matter
 •  Liquid argon cryogenic detectors (ArDM)
 •  Proton decay and grand unification (LAGUNA)
 •  Silicon photomultipliers
 

 

Employment

 •  2009- : Department of Physics, University of York: Teaching fellow
 •  2008-09 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield: Temporary Lecturer
 •  2007-08 Department of Physics, ETHZ (CERN): Senior Research Associate
 •  1998-07 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield: Research Associate
 

Education

 •  Ph.D. Polymer Physics, University of Bristol, 1998
 •  P.G.C.E. University of Cambridge, 1995
 •  M.Sc. Advanced Solid State, University of Bristol, 1994
 •  B.Sc. Physics, University of Bristol, UK, 1993

 

 

Publications

   [1] 'Optical readout tracking detector concept using secondary scintillation from liquid argon generated by a thick gas electron multiplier', P.K. Lightfoot, G.J. Barker, K. Mavrokoridis, Y.A. Ramachers, and N.J.C. Spooner, JINST 4, (2009), P04002.
[2] 'Development of wavelength shifter coated reflectors for the ArDM argon dark matter detector', V. Boccone, et al., JINST_014P_0409, (2009), accepted for publication by JINST.
[3] 'Characterisation of a silicon photomultiplier device for applications in liquid argon based neutrino physics and dark matter searches', P.K. Lightfoot, G.J. Barker, K. Mavrokoridis, Y.A. Ramachers, and N. J. C. Spooner, JINST 3, (2008), P10001.
[4] 'Measurements of neutrons produced by high-energy muons at the Boulby Underground', H.M. Araújo, et al., Astropart. Phys., 29, (2008), 471-481.
[5] 'The ZEPLIN II dark matter detector: Data acquisition system and data reduction', G.J. Alner, et al, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A587, (2008), 101-109.
[6] 'Optical readout of secondary scintillation from liquid argon generated by a thick gas electron multiplier', P.K. Lightfoot, et al., Proceedings of the fourth international symposium on large TPCs for low energy rare event detection, Paris, (2008), to appear in Journal of Physics.
[7] 'First limits on WIMP nuclear recoil signals in ZEPLIN-II: A two-phase xenon detector for dark matter detection', G.J. Alner, et al., Astropart. Phys., 28, (2007), 287-302.
[8] 'The ZEPLIN III Detector; Results from Surface Calibrations', D.Yu. Akimov, et al., Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.), 173, (2007), 108-112.
[9] 'R & D for Future ZEPLIN', R. Bisset, et al., Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.), 173, (2007), 164-167.
[10] 'Limits on spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross-sections from the first ZEPLIN-II data', G.J. Alner, et al., Phys. Lett. B, 653, (2007), 161-166.
[11] 'First operation of bulk micromegas in low pressure negative ion drift gas mixtures for dark matter searches', P.K. Lightfoot, N.J.C. Spooner, T.B. Lawson, S. Aune and I. Giomataris. Astropart. Phys., 27, (2007), 490-499.
[12] 'First measurement of low intensity fast neutron background from rock at the Boulby Underground Laboratory', E. Tziaferi et al., Astropart. Phys., 27, (2007), 326-338.
[13] 'A two-phase argon avalanche detector operated in a single electron counting mode', A. Bondar, A. Buzulutskov, A. Grebenuk, D. Pavlyuchenko, R. Snopkov, Y. Tikhonov, V.A. Kudryavtsev, P.K. Lightfoot and N.J.C. Spooner, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A574, (2007), 493-499.
[14] 'The ZEPLIN-III dark matter detector: Instrument design, manufacture and commissioning', D. Yu. Akimov, et al., Astropart. Phys., 27, (2007), 46-60.
[15] 'Large underground, liquid based detectors for astro-particle physics in Europe: scientific case and prospects', D. Autiero, et al., J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. JCAP11, (2007), 011.
[16] 'The ZEPLIN-III dark matter detector: Performance study using an end-to-end simulation tool', H.M. Araújo, et al., Astropart. Phys., 26, (2006), 140-153.
[17] 'The DRIFT-II dark matter detector: Design and commissioning', G.J. Alner, et al.,
Nucl. Instr. and Meth., A555, (2005), 173-183.
[18] 'Development of a double-phase Xenon cell using micromegas charge readout for applications in dark matter physics', P.K. Lightfoot, R. Hollingworth, N.J.C.Spooner, D. Tovey. Nucl. Instr. Meth. A554, (2005), 266-285.
[19] 'Simulations of neutron background in a time projection chamber relevant to dark matter searches', M.J. Carson, et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A546, (2005), 509-522.
[20] 'Reduction of coincident photomultiplier noise relevant to astroparticle physics experiments', M. Robinson, P.K. Lightfoot, M.J. Carson, V.A. Kudryavtsev, N.J.C. Spooner, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A545, (2005), 225-233.
[21] 'Limits on WIMP cross-sections from the NAIAD experiment at the Boulby Underground Laboratory', G.J. Alner, et al., Phys. Lett. B, 616, (2005), 17-24.
[22] 'First limits on nuclear recoil events from the ZEPLIN I galactic dark matter detector', G.J. Alner, et al., Astropart. Phys., 23, (2005), 444-462.
[23] 'Nuclear recoil limits from the ZEPLIN I liquid xenon WIMP dark matter detector', G.J. Alner, et al., New Astronomy Reviews, 49, (2005), 245-249.
[24] 'Status of the ZEPLIN II experiment', G.J. Alner, et al., New Astronomy Reviews, 49, (2005), 259-263.
[25] 'The DRIFT-I dark matter detector at Boulby: design, installation and operation', G.J. Alner, et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A535, (2004), 644-655.
[26] 'Neutron background in large-scale xenon detectors for dark matter searches', M. J. Carson, et al., Astropart. Phys., 21, (2004), 667-687.
[27] 'Development of a gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillator for solar neutrino detection and neutron measurements', P.K. Lightfoot, V. Kudryavtsev, N.J.C. Spooner. Nucl. Instr. Meth. A522, (2004), 439-446.
[28] 'Recent results of the dark matter search with NaI(Tl) detectors at Boulby mine', B. Ahmed, et al., Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.), 124, (2003), 193-196.
[29] 'Measurements of muon flux at 1070 m vertical depth in the Boulby underground laboratory', M. Robinson et al., Nucl. Instr. Meth. A511, (2003), 347-353.
[30] 'The NAIAD experiment for WIMP searches at Boulby mine and recent results', B. Ahmed, et al. Astropart. Phys., 19, (2003), 691-702.
[31] 'Study and suppression of anomalous fast events in inorganic scintillators for dark matter searches', V.A. Kudryavtsev, P.K. Lightfoot, M. Robinson, N.J.C. Spooner. Astropart. Phys. 17, (2002), 401-408.
[32] 'Neutrino astroparticle physics at Boulby mine', R. Luscher et al., Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.), 110, (2002), 423-425.
[33] 'Measurements of scintillation efficiency and pulse shape for low energy recoils in liquid xenon', D. Akimov, Phys. Lett. B, 524, (2002), 245-251.
[34] 'The potential of liquid xenon for WIMP search: the ZEPLIN diagnostic array', B. Ahmed, et al., Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.), 95, (2001), 233-236.
[35] 'Caesium Iodide (Tl) for WIMP dark matter searches', V.A. Kudryavtsev et al., Nucl. Instr. Meth. A456, (2001), 272-279.
[36] 'Effect of Water Desorption and Organosilane Coupling Agents on the Adhesion of Poly(p-xylylene) Films to a Silicone Wafer Surface', P.K. Lightfoot, J. Stejny, Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics Vol. 12, No. 10, (2001), 581-594.
[37] 'Progress report from the UK Dark Matter search at Boulby Mine', G.J. Alner, et al.,
Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.), 87, (2000), 64-66.
[38] 'NaI dark matter limits and the NAIAD array - a detector with improved sensitivity to WIMPs using unencapsulated NaI', N. J. C. Spooner, et al., Phys. Lett. B, 473, (2000), 330-336.
[39] 'Characteristics of alpha, gamma and nuclear recoil pulses from NaI(Tl) at 10-100 keV relevant to dark matter searches', V. A. Kudryavtsev, et al., Phys. Lett. B, 452, (1999), 167-172.

 

 

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