RSPE Founders Day - 2014

The annual Research School of Physics and Engineering Founder's Day is on again!

Put the date in your diary and join the School to hear about our achievements.

8.30am - Technical displays

Cockcroft Building

9.00am - Director’s Presentation

Professor Stephen Buckman

Director Research School of Physics & Engineering

10.00am - Physics Education Centre

Learning by doing - undergraduate research projects
Patrick Kluth

Our staff-student ratio here at ANU Physics means we have a unique opportunity for one-on-one research supervision of undergraduate students. In this talk I will use the example of the 3rd Year project course to explore this and ask the question: 'Can we effectively integrate this into the curricu-lum to teach the students skills that last beyond exams?

10.15am - Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratories

A day in the life of a positron
Josh Machacek

The positron is the electrons ‘evil twin’ (or anti-particle) who always goes out with a bang. We’ll explore the life and times of a positron and find out why it is in such high demand for Science Fiction.

10.30am - Electronic Materials Engineering

Nanocavities to enhance light emission
Sudha Mokkapati

Compound semiconductor nanowires are promising for reducing the footprint of optoelectronic devices. In my presentation, I will discuss how nanocavities can be used to extract more light from nanowires.

10.45am - Morning Tea

Leonard Huxley Building courtyard

11.15am - Applied Mathematics

Salt Water: Simply Vital
Tim Duignan

Salt dissolved in water is possibly both the simplest and most important molecule in the body. Yet we are only just beginning to understand it. I will explain why this sub-stance is so vital and mysterious and then describe some recent advances in modelling it.

11.30am - Nonlinear Physics

Topological photonics: Living at the edge
Andrey Miroshnichenko

Topological properties play a fundamental role in many physical phenomena. The best known example is the quan-tum Hall effect resulting in the edge-state conductance insensitive to disorder. Recently, these ideas boosted remarkable breakthroughs in optics with the concepts of topological robustness developed from microwaves to visible, opening up new and intriguing ways to explore topological orders in photonics. This talk will overview our recent theoretical and experimental research in topological photonics.

11.45am - Laser Physics

The quantum age of diamond
Marcus Doherty

Optical defects in diamond have been used to realise a range of quantum technologies in diamond, including quantum sensing, computing and communications. Indeed, a single defect can be used to perform high precision mag-netic resonance imaging of a single molecule or control thermoablative therapy of individual cancer cells or locate a single electron with nanometre resolution in ambient conditions. Diamond defects can also be assembled into quantum registers for computing and integration into quantum optical networks.

12.00pm - Plasma Research Laboratory

Can one fetch an object by sending a wave?
Horst Punzmann

Two-dimensional, fluid surface waves can move floating objects in the direction of the wave. It is also well known that 2D waves rarely exist in nature. Naturally we ask, how do 3D waves drive flows?

12.15pm - Nuclear Physics

Picking pairs – making carbon
Tibor Kibedi

All of the carbon in the universe is made by the so-called triple-alpha nuclear reaction in red giant stars. This carbon is the basis for life and the seed for making heavier ele-ments. By detecting electron-positron pairs in the laborato-ry we are determining the carbon production rate in the universe.

12.30pm - Theoretical Physics

Modelling ooids: to be a rock and not to roll
Murray Batchelor

There is considerable debate about the formation of ooids, which, like their cousins the stromatolites, are key towards understanding the long-term evolution of the Earth's environment. Such simple spherical growth forms, also characteristic of a diverse range of objects like kidney stones and algal biscuits, are a theorists paradise.

12.45pm - Quantum Science

Physics and the Five Senses
Jong Chow

This talk will provide an overview of how physics research at the Department of Quantum Science improves aspects of the five senses of human experience. In particular, I will describe some ongoing experimental activities using lasers and optics for sensing at the cutting-edge of acuity.

1.00pm - Founder’s Day Luncheon barbeque

RSPE Tearoom, Oliphant Building

Date & time

Fri 17 Oct 2014

Location

Leonard Huxley Lecture Theatre

Audience

Staff, students and public welcome

Contact

(02)61257100