Potential student research projects
Advanced project list filtering
ListBy: Research Fields - Supervisor
Research Field: All - Biophysics - Clean energy - Engineering in physics - Environmental physics - Materials science and engineering - Nanoscience and nanotechnology - Physics of fluids - Theoretical physics - Topological and structural science
For more info on studying Physics at RSPE visit the Physics Education Centre
Research projects of interest may also be found in the ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science
Research projects of interest may also be found in the ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science
Biophysics
The influence of gases such as nitrogen and xenon on the structure of surfactant phases will be investigated.
The cells of living things constitute a high salt environment, in which the type of salt is critical. Experiments will be conducted to reveal how different electrolytes control molecular interactions will be performed.
Clean energy
The student will use the ANU micro-CT 3D microscope to make direct 3D images of fluids displacing one another inside the micron-scale pores inside soils and rocks, to better understand groundwater flows, CO2 trapping and oil recovery mechanisms.
Engineering in physics
The student will explore several recently-published algorithms for 3D imaging, which claim to produce an "exact" image from perfect data. Real data is necessarily imperfect due to, for example, quantum noise at the detector.
3D X-ray imaging requires the collection of a data set, or "tomogram". This project investigates the possibility of combining multiple tomograms, collected using different imaging techniques, in order to improve image quality.
3D X-ray imaging involves 3 stages: (i) data collection, (ii) "reconstruction", i.e. synthesis of this data into a 3D image, and (iii) "segmentation", i.e. the interpretation of this 3D image by a computer. This project aims to fuse the second and third steps in this process; improving the quality of the data.
Current methods of 3D X-ray imaging assume a "monochromatic" (i.e. single-frequency) X-ray beam that attenuates solely via the photoelectric effect. In reality, X-rays are attenuated and scattered through several mechanisms. Consequently, image quality is degraded.
ANU is host to a 3D X-ray imaging facility. Recent work in our department has opened the door to 4D (3D + time) imaging, i.e. creating a "movie" in which each frame is 3 dimensional. 4D imaging could greatly enhance our understanding of dynamic complex processes, such as fluid-flow in microporous rock.
Environmental physics
Crude oil in salt water displays a striking ability to form emulsion droplets of very high stability by addition of nanoparticles which line the oil-water interface. Emulsion stability as a function of type of particle and salt concentrations will be studied, with applications to improving recovery of oil from reservoirs and spills.
Materials science and engineering
Liquid crystals self-assemble to form a variety of designs of varying topological complexity. We are interested in multiply interwoven domain patterns, such as the double-diamond and gyroid structures found in lipid-water, copolymer mixtures and lipid-protein-water assemblies in vivo. A new class of “polyphile” liquid-crystal forming molecules have been made by us. We are exploring the possible self-assemblies these polyphiles can make in the presence of different solvents, with a major interest in making new tricontinuous patterns that we have found. Theoretical study of the relative stabilith of htese patterns is also planned.
A key challenge for many industries is to create strong yet reversible bonding between particulates in water. Polymers will be used to impart a tunable adhesive interaction.
The cells of living things constitute a high salt environment, in which the type of salt is critical. Experiments will be conducted to reveal how different electrolytes control molecular interactions will be performed.
Individual polymer chains anchored between two surfaces will be stretched in solution as a function of solvent conditions
The influence of cation-pi interactions in interfacial science will be investigated.
Organic compounds adsorbed or deposited on the pore walls of rocks greatly influence the flow of liquids through them. The project will develop novel techniques to 3D image the distribution of these organics using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray micro-CT.
Explore techniques for rendering the 3D cellular structures that follow the boundaries of watershed
basins in the height functions of 3D images.
The aims of this project is understanding the mechanical stability of granular materials and the nature of interacting forces within them. Students will be involved in researching the experimental and numerical aspects of granular materials.
Implementation of improved temperature-independent Wang-Landau Monte Carlo. Application to polymers.
Methods for the production and dispersion of graphene in aqueous solution conditions will be investigated.
We have enumerated a number of 3D crystalline patterns via 2D hyperbolic geometry, including 3D weavings of filaments, tangled networks etc. We are keen to develop robust measures of entanglement, using ideas from knot theory. We also plan to explore the effect of entanglement on elasticity of ideal materials, using (mainly) numerical modelling.
Nanoscience and nanotechnology
Methods for the production and dispersion of graphene in aqueous solution conditions will be investigated.
Physics of fluids
Applying theory of electrolytes and surface forces to oil-brine-rock systems arising from the petroleum industry.
Do you want to measure the basic forces that operate between all molecules? These same forces are manifest at interfaces and control a wide variety of industrial and biological systems. Using the Atomic Force Microscope and a range of surface analytical techniques we are experimentally investigating these forces which can be as small as the strenght of a single hydrogen bond with distance resolution below a nanometre.
A key challenge for many industries is to create strong yet reversible bonding between particulates in water. Polymers will be used to impart a tunable adhesive interaction.
Navier-Stokes flow calculations modelling diffusion and deposition of material in a stagnant region.
Quantum chemical calculations of the structure of hydrated ions.
Crude oil in salt water displays a striking ability to form emulsion droplets of very high stability by addition of nanoparticles which line the oil-water interface. Emulsion stability as a function of type of particle and salt concentrations will be studied, with applications to improving recovery of oil from reservoirs and spills.
The influence of gases such as nitrogen and xenon on the structure of surfactant phases will be investigated.
The cells of living things constitute a high salt environment, in which the type of salt is critical. Experiments will be conducted to reveal how different electrolytes control molecular interactions will be performed.
Individual polymer chains anchored between two surfaces will be stretched in solution as a function of solvent conditions
The influence of cation-pi interactions in interfacial science will be investigated.
The student will use the ANU micro-CT 3D microscope to make direct 3D images of fluids displacing one another inside the micron-scale pores inside soils and rocks, to better understand groundwater flows, CO2 trapping and oil recovery mechanisms.
Organic compounds adsorbed or deposited on the pore walls of rocks greatly influence the flow of liquids through them. The project will develop novel techniques to 3D image the distribution of these organics using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray micro-CT.
Studying the effect of ionic dispersion interactions of H+ on surface properties.
Next time you have a BBQ observe the behavior of water (or beer) droplets on the hot BBQ plate. The droplet skates around on a cushion of evaporating liquid. This is known as the Leidenfrost effect. How the shape of a droplet changes as it approaches the Leidenfrost temperature will be investigated.
Methods for the production and dispersion of graphene in aqueous solution conditions will be investigated.
Exploring theoretical models of dissolved gas in solution and studying its affect on the behaviour of solutions at an interface.
Theoretical physics
Applying theory of electrolytes and surface forces to oil-brine-rock systems arising from the petroleum industry.
Navier-Stokes flow calculations modelling diffusion and deposition of material in a stagnant region.
Quantum chemical calculations of the structure of hydrated ions.
Studying the effect of ionic dispersion interactions of H+ on surface properties.
Implementation of improved temperature-independent Wang-Landau Monte Carlo. Application to polymers.
We have enumerated a number of 3D crystalline patterns via 2D hyperbolic geometry, including 3D weavings of filaments, tangled networks etc. We are keen to develop robust measures of entanglement, using ideas from knot theory. We also plan to explore the effect of entanglement on elasticity of ideal materials, using (mainly) numerical modelling.
Exploring theoretical models of dissolved gas in solution and studying its affect on the behaviour of solutions at an interface.
Topological and structural science
Liquid crystals self-assemble to form a variety of designs of varying topological complexity. We are interested in multiply interwoven domain patterns, such as the double-diamond and gyroid structures found in lipid-water, copolymer mixtures and lipid-protein-water assemblies in vivo. A new class of “polyphile” liquid-crystal forming molecules have been made by us. We are exploring the possible self-assemblies these polyphiles can make in the presence of different solvents, with a major interest in making new tricontinuous patterns that we have found. Theoretical study of the relative stabilith of htese patterns is also planned.
The student will explore several recently-published algorithms for 3D imaging, which claim to produce an "exact" image from perfect data. Real data is necessarily imperfect due to, for example, quantum noise at the detector.
3D X-ray imaging requires the collection of a data set, or "tomogram". This project investigates the possibility of combining multiple tomograms, collected using different imaging techniques, in order to improve image quality.
3D X-ray imaging involves 3 stages: (i) data collection, (ii) "reconstruction", i.e. synthesis of this data into a 3D image, and (iii) "segmentation", i.e. the interpretation of this 3D image by a computer. This project aims to fuse the second and third steps in this process; improving the quality of the data.
Current methods of 3D X-ray imaging assume a "monochromatic" (i.e. single-frequency) X-ray beam that attenuates solely via the photoelectric effect. In reality, X-rays are attenuated and scattered through several mechanisms. Consequently, image quality is degraded.
The student will use the ANU micro-CT 3D microscope to make direct 3D images of fluids displacing one another inside the micron-scale pores inside soils and rocks, to better understand groundwater flows, CO2 trapping and oil recovery mechanisms.
Organic compounds adsorbed or deposited on the pore walls of rocks greatly influence the flow of liquids through them. The project will develop novel techniques to 3D image the distribution of these organics using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray micro-CT.
Explore techniques for rendering the 3D cellular structures that follow the boundaries of watershed
basins in the height functions of 3D images.
ANU is host to a 3D X-ray imaging facility. Recent work in our department has opened the door to 4D (3D + time) imaging, i.e. creating a "movie" in which each frame is 3 dimensional. 4D imaging could greatly enhance our understanding of dynamic complex processes, such as fluid-flow in microporous rock.
The aims of this project is understanding the mechanical stability of granular materials and the nature of interacting forces within them. Students will be involved in researching the experimental and numerical aspects of granular materials.
The the interaction between solid objects when placed in contact and loaded
