The Australian National University
Research School of Physics and Engineering
document location: http://physics.anu.edu.au/Projects.php
All Available Student Projects

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The following research topics are available to students

Research Fields

  • Astrophysics
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics
  • Biophysics
  • Clean Energy
  • Engineering in Physics
  • Environmental Physics
  • Fusion and Plasma Confinement
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
  • Photonics, Lasers and Nonlinear Optics
  • Physics of Fluids
  • Physics of the Nucleus
  • Plasma Applications and Technology
  • Quantum Devices and Technology
  • Quantum Science and Applications
  • Theoretical Physics
  • Topological and Structural Science
  • Astrophysics

    Suitable for: Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Calculate the diurnal (day to night) variation of ozone in Venus' atmosphere using a one-dimensional version of the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory photochemical model. Compare results with relevant observations from the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr MJ Hole , Professor I Cairns
    To infer properties of pulsar plasmas from polarization-resolved pulsar data
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Design, implement, and test an automated scheme for coupling multiple instances of an existing one-dimensional model. For example, one instance of the model may simulate the average day side chemistry while another simulates the average night side chemistry. The coupling scheme would then simulate the transport of chemical species between the two hemispheres.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Review archived very high resolution spectra (R ~ 200,000+) of Venus for evidence of molecular oxygen absorption features and determine instrument performance for requesting future dedicated observing time.

    Atomic and Molecular Physics

    Suitable for: Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Calculate the diurnal (day to night) variation of ozone in Venus' atmosphere using a one-dimensional version of the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory photochemical model. Compare results with relevant observations from the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft.
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AG Truscott
    Make a dual condensate, comprising groundstate Rb atoms and excited state He* atoms
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project will characterize various sulphur oxide compounds, in particular SO3, and the number of clustered water molecules and their arrangement required for their reaction to sulfuric acid, H2SO4, under gas phase conditions.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr M Vos
    What information is contained in the spectra and angular distributions of electrons scattered at high energies from surfaces? Now such measurements are possible with sub-eV resolution, we are discovering a wide range of phenomena buried in these spectra. Can we understand them, and can we develop such experiments into a novel analytical technique? This is the challenge of this research.
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    The student will use a pulsed positron beam for materials characterisation through PALS (Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy) experiments.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    A systematic experimental and theoretical study of the photodetachment angular anisotropy parameters for a series of negative ions will be undertaken to elucidate the nature of nondipole and relativistic effects in photodetachment. This investigation will use our world-leading state-of-the-art velocity-map imaging photodetachment spectrometer to provide complete spectra, uniquely providing high-energy-resolution cross sections with full angular detail and the key dependence on photodetachment energy.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB
    The student will produce unique zeolite structures and perform characterization experiments on them using the materials beamline at the Australian Positron Beamline facility.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours
    Supervisor: Dr JP Sullivan
    This experimental project will use a new type of electron scattering experiment to measure cross sections of interest to plasma modelling.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    This experimental project will take advantage of a high energy resolution positron beam to measure positron interactions with targets of fundamental interest.
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr RE Robson
    In this project we develop the kinetic theory of positrons in soft, biological matter with a view to enhancing resolution in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    The student will investigate ways to control the rate and nature of molecular breakup
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Design, implement, and test an automated scheme for coupling multiple instances of an existing one-dimensional model. For example, one instance of the model may simulate the average day side chemistry while another simulates the average night side chemistry. The coupling scheme would then simulate the transport of chemical species between the two hemispheres.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Electron beams will be used to study excitation of atoms and molecules at low energies
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AG Truscott
    A He* condensate will be used to test some of the fundamental tenants of quantum mechanics
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Experiments will be carried out to verify the existence of positron binding to atoms.
    Suitable for: Honours
    Velocity-map imaging of charged particles has become a leading technique for the study of atoms and molecules, especially when using laser radiation. This project will allow the student to study highly reactive short-lived radials in the gas-phase with instrumentation that is considered to be the worlds best.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project will investigation the critical and rate controlling step in all chemical reactions, the formation of a transition state that links reactants and products of a chemical reaction.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Using methods of quantum many-body theory to describe elementary processes in atoms and molecules interacting with strong electromagnetic fields.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr M Vos
    Recent theory predicts intricate line shapes of the spectra of keV electrons scattered from molecules over large angles. Can we establish if these predictions are correct? Similar momentum transfer collisions are studied in neutron scattering experiments using neutrons with energies of several eV. The theory developed here appears different, but are they deep down the same? These are the basic questions we aim to answer.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Review archived very high resolution spectra (R ~ 200,000+) of Venus for evidence of molecular oxygen absorption features and determine instrument performance for requesting future dedicated observing time.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    This experimental project will investigate the interactions of positrons with a variety of molecules of biological relevance.
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AG Truscott
    We will use ultracold clouds of metastable helium to probe the surface of an atom chip

    Biophysics

    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr RE Robson
    In this project we develop the kinetic theory of positrons in soft, biological matter with a view to enhancing resolution in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    Apply 3D shape characterisation tools developed at ANU to help describe plants grown at the High Resolution Plant Phenomics Facility in CSIRO Plant Industry.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    This experimental project will investigate the interactions of positrons with a variety of molecules of biological relevance.

    Clean Energy

    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    The project will investigate the photovoltaic properties of III-V semiconductor materials with the incorporation of quantum wells and dots for enhanced efficiencies
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr BD Blackwell
    Apply machine learning techniques to assessment of the data quality in plasma fusion experiments, such as the H-1 Heliac.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr SSR Mokkapati , Dr KR Catchpole
    This project will investigate the optimal photonic crystal structures (1D, 2D and 3D) for trapping light inside the thin active regions of a solar cell.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr BD Blackwell
    Using a small electron beam, trace the magnetic field lines in H-1, to investigate changes in magnetic geometry, transition to chaos.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    Implement GPU-based code for simulating fluid flow in porous media, and evaluate its effectiveness
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    The project will investigate the photovoltaic properties of semiconductor nanowires and the fabrication of nanowire solar cells
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr MJ Hole
    The goal of the project is to determine and understand how energetic particles, produced by injection, fusion reactions, or wave-particle resonance heating methods affect plasma stability.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr SSR Mokkapati , Dr KR Catchpole
    This project will investigate the optimal periodic structures for trapping light inside the thin active regions of a solar cell.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr BD Blackwell
    Datamining techniques extract information from H-1 essential to understanding instabilities that threaten the viability of fusion as the ultimate clean energy source.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr MJ Hole , Dr J Larson
    The student will develop numerical algorithms to automate and perform MHD stability analysis of ITER and conceptual fusion power plant configurations.

    Engineering in Physics

    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr N Lobanov
    Using the computer codes SIMION and MULE, the student is to undertake a numerical simulation of accelerator components in order to improve transmission of beam through the machine.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr N Lobanov
    Using a reliability-centred maintenance approach, the student is to develop a cost-effective maintenance strategy to address the dominant causes of accelerator equipment failure.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    The project is aiming to develop a highly sensitive magnetic pair spectrometer to measure the weak decay branches from the Hoyle state. This state is formed in the triple-alpha reaction in stars and is responsible for the carbon production in the Universe.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Using a Labview interface card and software, the student is to develop and commission a PC-based control system for superconducting resonator loop controller.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Using microwave design tools, the student is to develop dual layer tunable micro-strip phase detector incorporating electromagnetic coupling aperture and micro-strip feed for electromagnetically coupling out.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    By using fast digitising electronics and developing a mathematical model, the student is to design a BPM-based system to reconstruct the charge density distribution, diameter and position of an accelerated ion beam.

    Environmental Physics

    Suitable for: Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Calculate the diurnal (day to night) variation of ozone in Venus' atmosphere using a one-dimensional version of the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory photochemical model. Compare results with relevant observations from the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft.
    Suitable for: PhB
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    In conjunction with CSIRO plant industry, image the structure of the root systems of plants using X-ray micro-CT.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project will characterize various sulphur oxide compounds, in particular SO3, and the number of clustered water molecules and their arrangement required for their reaction to sulfuric acid, H2SO4, under gas phase conditions.
    Suitable for: Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Analyse and interpret remote sensing measurements of aerosol optical properties made by ground-based instruments at selected sites around Australia. Devise statistical descriptions of the impact of aerosols on surface ultraviolet radiation at these sites with the assistance of radiative transfer model calculations.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Design, implement, and test an automated scheme for coupling multiple instances of an existing one-dimensional model. For example, one instance of the model may simulate the average day side chemistry while another simulates the average night side chemistry. The coupling scheme would then simulate the transport of chemical species between the two hemispheres.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    Apply 3D shape characterisation tools developed at ANU to help describe plants grown at the High Resolution Plant Phenomics Facility in CSIRO Plant Industry.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Develop an energy balance model based on research publications that can be used in undergraduate laboratory exercises to simulate the Earth's climate and allow students to interactively explore the sensitivity of Earth's climate to key parameters that affect the absorption and redistribution of energy in the Earth system.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Professor M Shats
    Experiments with rotating fluids aim at better understanding of fundamental processes which determine the dynamics of planetary atmospheres and oceans. The presence of the Coriolis force leads to quasi-two-dimensional behaviour of the 3D flows making such a flow similar to magnetized plasma.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr FP Mills
    Review archived very high resolution spectra (R ~ 200,000+) of Venus for evidence of molecular oxygen absorption features and determine instrument performance for requesting future dedicated observing time.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr JE Bradby
    This work examines the mechanical properties of the shells of a range of marine creatures in an effort to understand how increasing ocean acidification influences their mechanical properties.

    Fusion and Plasma Confinement

    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Professor J Howard
    You will devlop and apply novel interferometric techniques to image the evolution of the ratio of hydrogen and deuterium isotopes in radio frequency heated plasmas in the H-1 heliac
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    The student will extend a recently developed variational principle for finding relaxed equilibrium states of a plasma to the calculation of tearing modes
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr BD Blackwell
    Apply machine learning techniques to assessment of the data quality in plasma fusion experiments, such as the H-1 Heliac.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Professor RL Dewar
    Using computational and analytical methods the student will investigate the wake of a supersonic charged particle moving through a plasma
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Professor J Howard
    You will apply new coherence imaging cameras and develop suitable inverse procedures for spectro-polarimertic imaging of plasmas in the H-1 heliac and on fusion devices in the US and Europe.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr BD Blackwell
    Using a small electron beam, trace the magnetic field lines in H-1, to investigate changes in magnetic geometry, transition to chaos.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    To explore the equilibrium and stability of multiple region partially-relaxed MRXMHD plasmas in helical geometry.
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr MJ Hole
    The goal of the project is to determine and understand how energetic particles, produced by injection, fusion reactions, or wave-particle resonance heating methods affect plasma stability.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Fast imaging systems synchronously locked to the frequency of fluctuations in the H-1 plasma will be used to identify the nature of the instabilities and their driving mechanisms.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Using variational methods on a known magnetic field exhibiting chaos the student will develop optimal curvilinear coordinates for plasma equilibrium studies
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Professor RL Dewar
    Using asymptotic expansion theory the student will develop a formula for the nonlinear frequency shift of a plasma wave up to terms in the square of the amplitude
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr BD Blackwell
    Datamining techniques extract information from H-1 essential to understanding instabilities that threaten the viability of fusion as the ultimate clean energy source.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr MJ Hole , Dr J Larson
    The student will develop numerical algorithms to automate and perform MHD stability analysis of ITER and conceptual fusion power plant configurations.

    Materials Science and Engineering

    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project will study the synthesis, structure and properties of silica and hybrid metal-silica nanostructures fabricated by a simple vapour-liquid-solid technique.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr DJ Goossens
    Short-range order, on the scale of nanometres, is important inunderstanding a material's properties. We study that order using diffusescattering of synchrotron X-rays, electrons and neutrons.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    The project will investigate the photovoltaic properties of III-V semiconductor materials with the incorporation of quantum wells and dots for enhanced efficiencies
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    Explore techniques for rendering the 3D cellular structures that follow the boundaries of watershed basins in the height functions of 3D images.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr SM Notley
    Individual polymer chains anchored between two surfaces will be stretched in solution as a function of solvent conditions
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Silica nanowires coated with Titania and investigated for catalytic and photovoltaic applications
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr P Kluth
    Investigate fundamental properties and applications of material modifications induced by high energetic heavy ions in insulating and semiconducting materials
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    The structures of amorphous semiconductors will be characterized using an array of sophisticated techniques including nanoindentation, electron microscopy and synchrotron scattering during pressurization in diamond-anvil cells.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr SSR Mokkapati , Dr KR Catchpole
    This project will investigate the optimal photonic crystal structures (1D, 2D and 3D) for trapping light inside the thin active regions of a solar cell.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Experimental and theoretical study of novel composite metallo-dielectric structures, or metamaterials.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr S Ruffell
    Until recently germanium has been sidelined as a semiconductor for use in metal-oxide-field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) despite it having a higher carrier mobility than silicon. The reason for this was the lack of an effective material for use as the gate dielectric. Recently, however, high quality dielectric/Ge interfaces have been produced opening up a rich area of research in high performance Ge-based devices. In order to fabricate these devices much work is required in the area of ion-implantation and thermal processing for fabrication of doped layers for which there has been 4 decades worth for Si. The focus of this project will contribute to the understainding of the interaction of defects and dopants during thermal processing and assess the electronic properties of doped regions.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr M Vos
    What information is contained in the spectra and angular distributions of electrons scattered at high energies from surfaces? Now such measurements are possible with sub-eV resolution, we are discovering a wide range of phenomena buried in these spectra. Can we understand them, and can we develop such experiments into a novel analytical technique? This is the challenge of this research.
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    The student will use a pulsed positron beam for materials characterisation through PALS (Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy) experiments.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours
    Supervisor: Dr SM Notley
    Using the atomic force microscope, the surface forces between mineral oxides (such as silica and titania) and wood fibre model surfaces (cellulose and lignin) will be measured in aqueous solution.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB
    The student will produce unique zeolite structures and perform characterization experiments on them using the materials beamline at the Australian Positron Beamline facility.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr S Ruffell
    Crystallization of amorphous silicon (a-Si) is an area of huge interest for the flat panel and silicon solar cell industries. Formation of high quality polycrystalline silicon from a-Si is desirable for high performance of such devices. We have shown that formation of such films by nanoindentation and low-temperature annealing may be a novel means to form high quality material. This project will study the post-indentation crystallization of such films and measure the electrical and optical properties of the final material.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project investigates the fundamental growth mechanism of semiconductor nanowires and how the effect on the nanowire material properties
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project will use temperature-controlled nanoindentation as a tool for engineering a range of novel semiconductor structures.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    An aligned gold nanoparticle array will be developed using nanoindentaion techniques
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project will investigate the epitaxial growth and properties of ZnO and related materials. It will also study the synthesis and properties of ZnO nanostructures and other heterostructures.
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr A Rode
    Formation of nanostructures in transparent dielectrics with ultrashort laser pulses, characterisation of laser induces nanostructures
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Ion implantation has been shown to increase the resistivity of semiconductors. This project explores the use of ion implantation in SiC for electrical isolation in devices.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    The project will investigate the photovoltaic properties of semiconductor nanowires and the fabrication of nanowire solar cells
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours
    Supervisor: Dr SM Notley
    Using a range of surface analytical techniques, the adsorption of surfactant to cellulose will be studied.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project investigates device fabrication technologies for making nanowire electronic and optoelectronic devices
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Silica nanowires with gold pea-pod structures will be grown and their growth mechanism investigated.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr DJ Goossens
    Using a range of techniques including diffraction and magnetometry, we explore the magnetic and structural ordering in magnetic materials such as two-dimensional magnetic systems and functional oxides
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Successful p-type doping seems to be elusive in ZnO, an emerging semiconductor for optoelectronic devices. This project studies ion implantation for doping studies.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr SSR Mokkapati , Dr KR Catchpole
    This project will investigate the optimal periodic structures for trapping light inside the thin active regions of a solar cell.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr S Ruffell
    Nanoindentation of semiconductors is an area of interest at the ANU. In particular, pressure-induced phases of silicon that can formed at the nanoscale have exciting prospects for future devices. So far, electrical characterization of high pressure crystalline phases have yielded some very exciting results but a detailed understanding of these properties is required. It is intended that these phases will be used to fabricate a series of test devices that can be fabricated at room temperature without complicated processing steps; a very attractive proposition.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Silica nanowires coated with different metal catalysts will be investigated for catalytic or plasmonic applications.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr JE Bradby
    This work examines the mechanical properties of the shells of a range of marine creatures in an effort to understand how increasing ocean acidification influences their mechanical properties.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours
    Supervisor: Dr JE Bradby
    The deformation mechanisms of a number of different crystal-structures of SiC will be investigated using nanoindentation and electron microscopy.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr YJ Wong Leung
    Silicon carbide has some very stable deep levels present in its as-grown material. This project studies ion implantation induced deep levels with an aim to reveal its origin.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project will investigate the epitaxial growth and properties of InAsSb nanostructures. It will also extend to the design and fabrication of mid-IR devices such as laser diodes and photodetectors
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project will study resistive switching in transition-metal oxides which forms the basis of a novel new circuit element called the memister and forms the basis of devices used as nonvolatile memory elements.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project aims towards the formation of a stable Schottky diode on ZnO using various deposition method including e-beam evaporation, sputter deposition.

    Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project will study the synthesis, structure and properties of silica and hybrid metal-silica nanostructures fabricated by a simple vapour-liquid-solid technique.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    The project will investigate the photovoltaic properties of III-V semiconductor materials with the incorporation of quantum wells and dots for enhanced efficiencies
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Silica nanowires coated with Titania and investigated for catalytic and photovoltaic applications
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    The structures of amorphous semiconductors will be characterized using an array of sophisticated techniques including nanoindentation, electron microscopy and synchrotron scattering during pressurization in diamond-anvil cells.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Experimental and theoretical study of novel composite metallo-dielectric structures, or metamaterials.
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    The student will use a pulsed positron beam for materials characterisation through PALS (Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy) experiments.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr S Ruffell
    Crystallization of amorphous silicon (a-Si) is an area of huge interest for the flat panel and silicon solar cell industries. Formation of high quality polycrystalline silicon from a-Si is desirable for high performance of such devices. We have shown that formation of such films by nanoindentation and low-temperature annealing may be a novel means to form high quality material. This project will study the post-indentation crystallization of such films and measure the electrical and optical properties of the final material.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project investigates the fundamental growth mechanism of semiconductor nanowires and how the effect on the nanowire material properties
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project will use temperature-controlled nanoindentation as a tool for engineering a range of novel semiconductor structures.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    An aligned gold nanoparticle array will be developed using nanoindentaion techniques
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    The student will study the control of light propagation in nano-strutured materials
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    The project will investigate the photovoltaic properties of semiconductor nanowires and the fabrication of nanowire solar cells
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project investigates device fabrication technologies for making nanowire electronic and optoelectronic devices
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Silica nanowires with gold pea-pod structures will be grown and their growth mechanism investigated.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr A Desyatnykov
    Student will be engaged in the theoretical and computational analysis of the dynamics of trapping and manipulation of absorbing particles in open air using vortex laser beams
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr S Ruffell
    Nanoindentation of semiconductors is an area of interest at the ANU. In particular, pressure-induced phases of silicon that can formed at the nanoscale have exciting prospects for future devices. So far, electrical characterization of high pressure crystalline phases have yielded some very exciting results but a detailed understanding of these properties is required. It is intended that these phases will be used to fabricate a series of test devices that can be fabricated at room temperature without complicated processing steps; a very attractive proposition.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Silica nanowires coated with different metal catalysts will be investigated for catalytic or plasmonic applications.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours
    Supervisor: Dr JE Bradby
    The deformation mechanisms of a number of different crystal-structures of SiC will be investigated using nanoindentation and electron microscopy.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project will investigate the epitaxial growth and properties of InAsSb nanostructures. It will also extend to the design and fabrication of mid-IR devices such as laser diodes and photodetectors

    Photonics, Lasers and Nonlinear Optics

    Suitable for: 3rd Year, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Professor JD Love
    This is a theory project investigating the possibility of using a two- or few-mode fibre to enhance optical fibre bandwidth for long-distance data transmission
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr SSR Mokkapati , Dr KR Catchpole
    This project will investigate the optimal photonic crystal structures (1D, 2D and 3D) for trapping light inside the thin active regions of a solar cell.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Experimental and theoretical study of novel composite metallo-dielectric structures, or metamaterials.
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr A Rode
    Formation of nanostructures in transparent dielectrics with ultrashort laser pulses, characterisation of laser induces nanostructures
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    The student will study the control of light propagation in nano-strutured materials
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project investigates device fabrication technologies for making nanowire electronic and optoelectronic devices
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr A Desyatnykov
    Student will be engaged in the theoretical and computational analysis of the dynamics of spatial optical solitons in nonlocal nonlinear media, such as nematic liquid crystals and lead glasses
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr A Desyatnykov
    Student will be engaged in the theoretical and computational analysis of the dynamics of trapping and manipulation of absorbing particles in open air using vortex laser beams
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr SSR Mokkapati , Dr KR Catchpole
    This project will investigate the optimal periodic structures for trapping light inside the thin active regions of a solar cell.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project will investigate the epitaxial growth and properties of InAsSb nanostructures. It will also extend to the design and fabrication of mid-IR devices such as laser diodes and photodetectors

    Physics of Fluids

    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Professor M Shats
    Experimental studies of the electromagnetically forced turbulent flows in shallow fluid layers
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Professor M Shats
    Experiments with rotating fluids aim at better understanding of fundamental processes which determine the dynamics of planetary atmospheres and oceans. The presence of the Coriolis force leads to quasi-two-dimensional behaviour of the 3D flows making such a flow similar to magnetized plasma.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Surface waves are studied in laboratory experiment. Waves are excited parametrically in vertically shaken containers. Laser and microwave scattering techniques are used to characterize chaotic wave fields.

    Physics of the Nucleus

    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Nuclear hyperdeformation, although predicted by state-of-the-art nuclear model calculations, has yet to be observed. We will investigate the predicted best candidate using discrete and quasicontinuum gamma ray spectroscopy.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    The magnetic dipole moments of excited nuclear states will be measured to probe nuclear structure, especially the emergence of collectivity near closed shells. Experiments may be performed at large scale international radioactive beam facilities as well as in the ANU heavy ion accelerator laboratory.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours
    The project aims to develop numerical procedures to evaluate the energy spectra of X-rays and Auger electrons emitted in nuclear decay.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project will look for evidence of magnetic rotation, predicted in the polonium isotopes but not yet observed, in the isotope 200Po.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Nuclear fusion at energies below the barrier will be measured to understand the transition from coherent superpositions to irreversible outcomes
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Professor DJ Hinde
    Modern alchemists form new elements by nuclear fusion. What are the nuclei to be used? Experiments aim to answer this question
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Experiments to investigate the interactions of weakly bound nuclei. Answers will impact on new developments of radioactive beam facilities worldwide.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project combines a variety of experiments on beams from the ANU 14UD accelerator with theory to build a better understanding of the hyperfine fields present in free ions. These hyperfine fields have important applications to measuring the magnetic properties of exotic nuclei.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    The project is aiming to develop a highly sensitive magnetic pair spectrometer to measure the weak decay branches from the Hoyle state. This state is formed in the triple-alpha reaction in stars and is responsible for the carbon production in the Universe.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project has a theoretical/computational emphasis. The goal is to model the hyperfine interactions of highly charged free ions, examine the conditions under which these ions behave as open versus closed quantum systems, and explore their utility as a laboratory for studies of quantum decoherence.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    A variety of projects are available studying aspects of nuclear superdeformation in Hg/Pb nuclei

    Plasma Applications and Technology

    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr BD Blackwell
    Apply machine learning techniques to assessment of the data quality in plasma fusion experiments, such as the H-1 Heliac.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Professor RL Dewar
    Using computational and analytical methods the student will investigate the wake of a supersonic charged particle moving through a plasma
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr BD Blackwell
    Using a small electron beam, trace the magnetic field lines in H-1, to investigate changes in magnetic geometry, transition to chaos.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr BD Blackwell
    Datamining techniques extract information from H-1 essential to understanding instabilities that threaten the viability of fusion as the ultimate clean energy source.

    Quantum Devices and Technology

    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    The project will investigate the photovoltaic properties of III-V semiconductor materials with the incorporation of quantum wells and dots for enhanced efficiencies
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr S Ruffell
    Until recently germanium has been sidelined as a semiconductor for use in metal-oxide-field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) despite it having a higher carrier mobility than silicon. The reason for this was the lack of an effective material for use as the gate dielectric. Recently, however, high quality dielectric/Ge interfaces have been produced opening up a rich area of research in high performance Ge-based devices. In order to fabricate these devices much work is required in the area of ion-implantation and thermal processing for fabrication of doped layers for which there has been 4 decades worth for Si. The focus of this project will contribute to the understainding of the interaction of defects and dopants during thermal processing and assess the electronic properties of doped regions.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project will investigate the epitaxial growth and properties of ZnO and related materials. It will also study the synthesis and properties of ZnO nanostructures and other heterostructures.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project will investigate the epitaxial growth and properties of InAsSb nanostructures. It will also extend to the design and fabrication of mid-IR devices such as laser diodes and photodetectors

    Quantum Science and Applications

    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr VV Mangazeev
    The student will study links between integrable systems in statistical mechanics, combinatorial problems and special functions in mathematics.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Nuclear fusion at energies below the barrier will be measured to understand the transition from coherent superpositions to irreversible outcomes
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    This project has a theoretical/computational emphasis. The goal is to model the hyperfine interactions of highly charged free ions, examine the conditions under which these ions behave as open versus closed quantum systems, and explore their utility as a laboratory for studies of quantum decoherence.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr VV Mangazeev
    Using advanced analytic and numerical methods, the student will study critical properties of 2D and 3D systems in statistical mechanics and quantum physics.

    Theoretical Physics

    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr MJ Hole , Professor I Cairns
    To infer properties of pulsar plasmas from polarization-resolved pulsar data
    Suitable for: Honours, Vacation Scholars
    A first introduction to generalized geometry and its applications
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    The student will extend a recently developed variational principle for finding relaxed equilibrium states of a plasma to the calculation of tearing modes
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr VV Mangazeev
    The student will study links between integrable systems in statistical mechanics, combinatorial problems and special functions in mathematics.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Professor RL Dewar
    Using computational and analytical methods the student will investigate the wake of a supersonic charged particle moving through a plasma
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Experimental and theoretical study of novel composite metallo-dielectric structures, or metamaterials.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Study of exclusion statistics using algebraic geometry techniques
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Study of target space duality (T-Duality) in the context of Hitchin's generalized geometry.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    A bootstrap program to compute beta functions for two dimensional sigma models
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr V Robins
    Contribute to the enumeration and characterisation of 3-periodic network structures via the tiling of periodic minimal surfaces.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    To explore the equilibrium and stability of multiple region partially-relaxed MRXMHD plasmas in helical geometry.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Vacation Scholars
    A first introduction to String Theory from the undergraduate textbook by Zwiebach
    Suitable for: PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr MJ Hole
    The goal of the project is to determine and understand how energetic particles, produced by injection, fusion reactions, or wave-particle resonance heating methods affect plasma stability.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Using variational methods on a known magnetic field exhibiting chaos the student will develop optimal curvilinear coordinates for plasma equilibrium studies
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    This project aims to develop and employ the full power of the theory of integrable quantum systems to new models of quantum many-body spin systems in string theory.
    Suitable for: Honours
    This project aims to give an introduction into the geometric Langlands program
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    The purpose of this project is to study one or more of the recent developments in String Theory
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Bethe Ansatz equations are the key transcendental equations in the theory of integrable low-dimensional quantum systems such as quantum impurities and quantum dots.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Professor RL Dewar
    Using asymptotic expansion theory the student will develop a formula for the nonlinear frequency shift of a plasma wave up to terms in the square of the amplitude
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Study of the representation theory of quantum affine algebras in relation to integrable models of statistical mechanics
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr VV Mangazeev
    Using advanced analytic and numerical methods, the student will study critical properties of 2D and 3D systems in statistical mechanics and quantum physics.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr MJ Hole , Dr J Larson
    The student will develop numerical algorithms to automate and perform MHD stability analysis of ITER and conceptual fusion power plant configurations.
    Suitable for: Honours
    A critical study of the AdS/CFT correspondence and its applications

    Topological and Structural Science

    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    Use the ANU's X-ray micro-CT to image evolving samples, and apply tools being developed to generate 3D movies.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    Explore techniques for rendering the 3D cellular structures that follow the boundaries of watershed basins in the height functions of 3D images.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr SM Notley
    Individual polymer chains anchored between two surfaces will be stretched in solution as a function of solvent conditions
    Suitable for: PhB
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    In conjunction with CSIRO plant industry, image the structure of the root systems of plants using X-ray micro-CT.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr V Robins
    Explore applications of computational topology in 3D image segmentation or complex shape characterisation.
    Suitable for: 3rd Year, PhB, Honours
    Supervisor: Dr SM Notley
    Using the atomic force microscope, the surface forces between mineral oxides (such as silica and titania) and wood fibre model surfaces (cellulose and lignin) will be measured in aqueous solution.
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    Implement GPU-based code for simulating fluid flow in porous media, and evaluate its effectiveness
    Suitable for: PhB, Honours, PhD/Masters, Vacation Scholars
    Supervisor: Dr V Robins
    Contribute to the enumeration and characterisation of 3-periodic network structures via the tiling of periodic minimal surfaces.
    Suitable for: Honours, PhD/Masters
    Supervisor: Dr AP Sheppard
    Apply 3D shape characterisation tools developed at ANU to help describe plants grown at the High Resolution Plant Phenomics Facility in CSIRO Plant Industry.

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