Atomic and Molecular Physics

The idea of equilibration is ubiquitous throughout nature. Out-of-equilibrium dynamics – be it caused by a disturbance and subsequent “rethermalisation”, or by passing through a phase transition – is a difficult question to characterise. This project looks at both equilibration and phase transitions in a Bose-Einstein condensate of metastable helium atoms.
Professor Andrew Truscott, Professor Kenneth Baldwin

The traditional approach transport simulation is to measure cross sections and feed them into a code package. However, some cross sections are very difficult to both measure and calculate. The "inverse swarm problem" seeks to extract these cross sections from transport measruements such as current profiles or annihilation rates.
Dr Daniel Cocks, A/Prof. James Sullivan, Dr Joshua Machacek

This is a multi-faceted project which can be adapted to students at the honours level and above. A number of possibilities exist to perform experiments directed towards improving the use of positrons in medice, mostly focussed on Positron Emission Tomography (PET).
A/Prof. James Sullivan, Professor Stephen Buckman, Dr Joshua Machacek

We create the coldest stuff in the Universe – a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) – by laser-cooling helium atoms to within a millionth of a degree Kelvin. At these extremely low temperatures particles behave more like waves. You will use the BEC to study fundamental quantum mechanics and for applications like atom interferometry.
Professor Andrew Truscott, Professor Kenneth Baldwin

Antiparticles and antimatter have progressed from theory and science fiction to become an important and exciting area of pure and applied science. This fundamental atomic physics project will investigate how antimatter and matter interact by experimentally studying the interaction of positrons (the electron anti-particle) with trapped ultracold rubidium atoms.
Dr Sean Hodgman, Professor Stephen Buckman, Dr Joshua Machacek

Low temperature plasmas are being exploited for new medical therapy techniques and in engineering applications in agriculture. This project explores the fundamental behaviour of how electrons penetrate a liquid surface, such as the skin of the body.
Dr Daniel Cocks, A/Prof Cormac Corr
Engineering in Physics
For quantum technologies to transition to real-world applications, there are a multitude of engineering challenges to be solved. Using diamond NV centres, our group is developing small-scale quantum computers, and quantum microscopes sensing electric and magnetic fields down to the nanoscale. Available project themes include instrumentation, experiment control, machine learning, and optimal control.
Dr Andrew Horsley, Dr Marcus Doherty, Dr Michael Barson
Using lasers to clean and preserve structures is not new, but the use of ultrashort pulses shows some significant advantages and has been shown to be much less damaging. Help preserve an Australian icon for future generations and have fun blowing things up with lasers in the process!
Associate Professor Stephen Madden, Professor Andrei Rode
Photonics, Lasers and Nonlinear Optics
Planetary formation process remain a unresolved issue in our understanding of the universe. Direct observation is needed and can only be accomplished in the MIR with cancelation of glare from the host star. The quest for earth like planets faces the same challenge. MIR integrated devices can accomplish this and ANU leads the world in this field.
Associate Professor Stephen Madden
Using lasers to clean and preserve structures is not new, but the use of ultrashort pulses shows some significant advantages and has been shown to be much less damaging. Help preserve an Australian icon for future generations and have fun blowing things up with lasers in the process!
Associate Professor Stephen Madden, Professor Andrei Rode
Quantum Science and Technology

The idea of equilibration is ubiquitous throughout nature. Out-of-equilibrium dynamics – be it caused by a disturbance and subsequent “rethermalisation”, or by passing through a phase transition – is a difficult question to characterise. This project looks at both equilibration and phase transitions in a Bose-Einstein condensate of metastable helium atoms.
Professor Andrew Truscott, Professor Kenneth Baldwin

We create the coldest stuff in the Universe – a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) – by laser-cooling helium atoms to within a millionth of a degree Kelvin. At these extremely low temperatures particles behave more like waves. You will use the BEC to study fundamental quantum mechanics and for applications like atom interferometry.
Professor Andrew Truscott, Professor Kenneth Baldwin
For quantum technologies to transition to real-world applications, there are a multitude of engineering challenges to be solved. Using diamond NV centres, our group is developing small-scale quantum computers, and quantum microscopes sensing electric and magnetic fields down to the nanoscale. Available project themes include instrumentation, experiment control, machine learning, and optimal control.
Dr Andrew Horsley, Dr Marcus Doherty, Dr Michael Barson

Antiparticles and antimatter have progressed from theory and science fiction to become an important and exciting area of pure and applied science. This fundamental atomic physics project will investigate how antimatter and matter interact by experimentally studying the interaction of positrons (the electron anti-particle) with trapped ultracold rubidium atoms.
Dr Sean Hodgman, Professor Stephen Buckman, Dr Joshua Machacek

This project will construct a 3D optical lattice apparatus for ultracold metastable Helium atoms, which will form an experimental quantum-simulator to investigate quantum many-body physics. A range of experiments will be performed such as studying higher order quantum correlations across the superfluid to Mott insulator phase transition.
Dr Sean Hodgman, Professor Andrew Truscott