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03
Sep
2019
Powered by the Australian Synchrotron – 1001 things you can do with a 200 mA current
ANSTO’s suite of landmark infrastructure includes the Australian Synchrotron, one of the most significant investments in science in the nation’s history. With over 6,000 registered...
13
Aug
2019
ANU Physics Market Day
Over 60 ANU physics academics will present posters detailing their research with more than 100 student projects at all levels on offer including:
Undergraduate:
Summer scholarships
3rd...
05
Jul
2019
NASA’s Evolving Space Communication and Navigation
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and its historic landing on the Moon, NASA is preparing to once again send humans deep into space, beyond the confines of low-Earth orbit. NASA’s...
04
Jun
2019
Instructing molecules to do our bidding: three short stories
I will present three vignettes of recent research that will have appeal to a broad audience. They have as their common theme how to design and make molecules which have encoded “instructions”...
15
Apr
2019
Tools of the trade: Engineering the Cellular Microenvironment with 3D Culture and Protein Affinity Release
With the goal of screening cells in an environment that mimics that of native tissue, we designed a hydrogel for 3D cell culture. With 3D cell culture, we gain an understanding of both cell invasion...
11
Apr
2019
Branching processes in Population Genetics: Most recent common ancestors and genetic mutations
Consider the family tree of a population in which we ignore all males and consider only female lines of descent. In such a model each individual has only one parent. Now trace the ancestry...
09
Apr
2019
Using simple mathematics to explore the plant-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide, oxygen and water vapour.
Plants are brilliant organisms with exquisite sensing of their environment, and remarkable coordination in their responses. Simple mathematical treatments based on physical, chemical or economic...
28
Mar
2019
Fieldwork in Art and Astrophysics - Discerning Signal from Noise at the South Pole
Donald spent the austral summer of 2016/17 in Antarctica as a US National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists and Writers Fellow. At the South Pole, he worked in collaboration with the IceCube...
21
Feb
2019
Is existence just an illusion?
Have you ever thought that something is not quite right about the world? Does life seem illusionary at times? Have you ever wondered if your existence is only a dream? Thinkers have deliberated...
14
Jan
2019
25th International Physics Summer School
The 25th International Physics Summer School on “The Invisible Universe” will be hosted by the Research School of Physics at the Australian National University in Canberra over the two weeks...
12
Nov
2018
Fast Time Reversal Optical Focusing for Deep Brain Optogenetic Activation
We appear opaque because our tissues scatter light very strongly. Traditionally, focusing of light in biological tissues is confounded by the extreme scattering nature of tissues. Interestingly,...
18
Sep
2018
Quo Vadis Radiotherapy: Age of Hadrons
Cancer has a major impact on the Australian community. At current incidence rates, one in three men and one in four women in Australia will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 75. Cancer control...
21
Aug
2018
Dispelling climate change myths – how ocean physics can help explain surprises in the modern-day climate record
The climate system has the capacity to surprise us at times, with variations or trends that go against our expectations. For example, despite a rapid increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations...
14
Aug
2018
ANU Physics Market Day
Over 60 ANU physics academics will present posters detailing their research with more than 100 student projects at all levels on offer including:
Undergraduate:
Summer scholarships
3rd...
21
May
2018
Galaxy formation and evolution in 3D
Tracing matter and chemical elements in the Universe is critical for understanding the formation of the first galaxies, the formation and growth of supermassive black holes, and ultimately the evolution...
30
Apr
2018
Neutrino window on the universe
Neutrinos offer a unique view of the high-energy Universe. Unlike photons or charged particles, neutrinos can travel across the Universe without interference as they are not absorbed by matter,...
07
Mar
2018
Innovation and the Translation of Research to Industry
By creating a culture of innovation at our institutions, we not only leverage our strengths to face our national and global challenges, we create an environment that fosters collaboration between...
15
Feb
2018
Why Does the Cosmos Exist?
Why is there anything at all? This is the riddle of existence. Its answer has traditionally been sought through religion and myth. In this lecture, modern physics will be considered in order...
09
Feb
2018
Mike Gore Physics Education Precinct Launch - Friday 9 February 2018
The Research School of Physics and Engineering (RSPE) and the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) at ANU invite you to the opening of the Mike Gore Physics Education...
05
Feb
2018
New Horizons and Grand Challenges for Nanophotonics
Research in nanophotonics is yielding advances that are opening paths for conceptually new “grand challenge” photonic technologies that have not previously been achievable. ...
16
Jan
2018
Entanglement: Einstein's Gift to Quantum Mechanics
Duncan M. Haldane is Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics at Princeton University, and Distinguished Visiting Research Chair at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He received...
08
Jan
2018
24th Canberra International Physics Summer School
Topological Matter
What is the CPSS?
The Canberra International Physics Summer School invites Australian and international students to learn about cutting edge research in physical sciences....
19
Dec
2017
RSPE, Australian Optical Society, ECI & The Academy of Science present 2017 Frew Fellowship recipient Seminar-Light management in photovoltaic materials
I will review our recent work on the use of nanopatterend metasurfaces to improve the performance of solar cells. I will describe novel nanoscale light coupling and light trapping geometries...
21
Sep
2017
How old is the Sphinx? What the evidence reveals
A debate has been raging for several decades over what is the actual age of the Great Sphinx at the Giza Plateau in Egypt. Geophysical evidence in particular points to the Sphinx being much...
05
Sep
2017
MECHANOBIOLOGY OF LIFE - Elucidating, emulating and engineering nature’s emergent properties at the interface of mechanics and biology
Starting from a single fertilised egg, the emergent complexity of the biosystem comprising the over 30 trillion cells of the adult human body is nothing short of miraculous. In recent years,...
05
Sep
2017
Sexual Assault and Harassment on University campuses: Changing the course
In February 2016 all 39 Australian university Vice-Chancellors launched a new initiative ‘Respect. Now. Always.’ to address sexual assault and sexual harassment and build on work...
15
Aug
2017
RSPE Projects Market Day
As part of science week 2017 Physics ANU presents 'Physics Project Market Day'. Over 60 ANU physics academics will present posters detailing their research with more than 100 student projects...
09
Aug
2017
CURIE_MEITNER_LAMARR_INDIVISIBLE A play about women and research
The Research School of Physics & Engineering, The Australian National University together with the Austrian Embassy, Canberra, proudly presents Curie_Meitner_Lamarr_indivisible by the ‘portraittheater’...
27
Jul
2017
Everything you wanted to know about Dark Matter but were afraid to ask
Dark matter. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together. But what it is it really? Are we sure it exists at all? Can it really be explained by tiny invisible particles? I'll...
26
Jul
2017
The United States Energy Transition
The ANU Energy Change Institute will host a public lecture by the Director of the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Dr Martin Keller. NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s...
04
Jul
2017
Making Darkness Visible
Over the last forty years astronomical measurements have revealed a dark side to our visible Universe. It is a new, gravitating source five times more abundant than all the atoms that we can see,...
30
May
2017
Electrical power systems with high penetration of renewables: The physics behind the political bluster
"… renewable targets that are extremely aggressive, extremely unrealistic, and have paid little or no attention to energy security," Malcolm Turnbull, 29 Sept. 2016.
"Generators...
28
Apr
2017
Science, Innovation and Serendipity
Breakthroughs in science, technology & innovation due to serendipity or accidental breakthroughs are rather rare. Chance is an event but serendipity is a capability. Collecting the dots is easy...
20
Apr
2017
Time Travel: What's the Current Status?
We are all familiar with the general concept of time travel from science fiction stories but is this concept coherent? The laws of physics do not rule out time travel — indeed, several...
15
Feb
2017
Does Science Support the Claims of Religion?
Public statements are regularly being made that science shows religious claims are true. There are a number of complex issues that arise when considering the validity of these public statements,...
29
Nov
2016
Energy Update 2016
The ANU Energy Update brings together energy researchers, policymakers, industry and the public to provide an overview of the latest world energy trends.
The day will feature national and international...
28
Nov
2016
Energy Change Institute Open Day 2016
The Energy Change Institute Open Day showcases the latest energy research from ANU and provides a platform for exchanging ideas for ANU researchers, industry, government agencies and...
01
Nov
2016
The Future of Computing
Down-scaling has been the leading paradigm of the semiconductor industry since the invention of the first transistor in 1947. However, miniaturization will soon reach the ultimate limit, set by the discreteness...
15
Oct
2016
2016 Physics Reunion
It is our pleasure to host a get together for those who remember the School at any time between the 50's through to the 80's. This period of 40 years saw some of the enormous changes at the ANU and to commemorate...
14
Oct
2016
Founders Day 2016
Founders' Day is an annual celebration honouring Sir Mark Oliphant and his vision for the physical sciences.
Sir Mark was an eminent Australian physicist and the founding Director of the School....
18
Sep
2016
5th Heavy Ion Accelerator Symposium for Fundamental and Applied Research (HIAS2016)
Th Department of Nuclear Physics is once again hosting the annual Heavy Ion Accelerator Symposium in Canberra, Australia, from 18 - 20 September 2016.
The symposium will have two parallel...
06
Sep
2016
Topological Electronics
Energy consumption in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector already accounts for about 5% of global electrical energy consumption, and is doubling every decade. There is an identified...
22
Aug
2016
The Standard Model of elementary particle physics: how well do we understand the Universe?
The Standard Model (SM) of elementary particle physics will be introduced, starting from our bodies, going to atoms, quarks and all other particle of the Standard Model, commenting on their characteristics...
21
Jul
2016
Nanoscale crystal growth: controlled synthesis of semiconductors for device application
III-V nanostructures offer potential for current as well as for future nanotechnology-based devices in electronics, optoelectronics, and quantum physics. Nanowires for instance allow for integration...
11
Jul
2016
Quantum Gravity: Problems, Puzzles and Perspectives
The unification of quantum theory and Einstein's General Relativity into a consistent theory of quantum gravity, possibly unifying gravity with the other forces as well, remains the greatest...
20
Jun
2016
Playing Games with Positrons
The positron research group is based around two beamlines providing sources of pulsed positrons, with tuneable energy. Positrons come from a 22-Na source, and are then conditioned in two stages,...
17
Jun
2016
Neutron imaging capabilities at ANSTO
The new neutron radiography / tomography / imaging instrument DINGO is operational since October 2014 to support the area of neutron imaging research at ANSTO. The instrument is designed for an international...
16
Jun
2016
Nuclear structure towards the neutron drip line: Progress and possibilities with radioactive ion-beams
Recent advances in generating beams of radioactive ions (RIBs) have altered our perception of the atomic nucleus. Familiar interpretations of experimental observables, such as the shell structure...
14
Jun
2016
Climate adaptation in Australia: successes, failures and some lessons learnt
In Australia, climate changes are hard to ignore. They appear to increasingly be impacting on things we value: ecosystems including the Great Barrier Reef, fisheries, agriculture, water resources,...
03
Jun
2016
Fascist Italy and the making of modern Europe
Mussolini (1922-1943) and Hitler (1933-1945) both came to power constitutionally but a decade apart. By 1924 Italy was a totalitarian state while Hitler was in prison writing Mein Kampf- My Struggle....
30
May
2016
Hybrid stars using the quark-meson coupling and proper-time Nambu-Jona-Lasinio models
At high density deconfinement of hadronic matter may occur leading to quark matter. The immense densities reached in the inner core of massive neutron stars may be sufficient to facilitate the transition.
In...
27
May
2016
Toplogical Polaritons and Chiral Bogoliubons
In electronic and photonic systems it is now well-established that non-trivial band-structures result in chiral edge states that are fully robust against scattering with disorder. In a recent...
19
May
2016
Unconventional computed tomography: material discrimination and time-evolving samples
X-ray micro-tomography (μCT) is a powerful technique for non-destructive, micron-resolution 3D imaging of internal structures. Thanks to applications in biology, materials science and geophysics,...
06
May
2016
Stochastic dynamics of random growth and exclusion processes: theory and experiment
Many complex systems of interacting particles behave on a phenomenological level in some random fashion. Examples come from areas as diverse as the growth of surfaces or the growth of biological...
05
May
2016
Gravitational Waves and Einstein: Explaining the binary black hole system discovery event by LIGO
On the 14th of September last year, the two giant detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in the United States intercepted the gravitational wave...
03
May
2016
The Big Bang
In 1916 Albert Einstein published his theory of General Relativity, which is used in modern cosmology. Our universe expands - 13.7 billion years ago this expansion started with the creation of the universe,...
03
May
2016
Clear Skies and New Horizons: what we know about Pluto and what’s left to find out
The flyby of Pluto by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015 has revolutionised our understanding of its topography. Earth-based measurements of Pluto’s atmosphere using the technique...
02
May
2016
Neutrino Oscillations and Neutrino Masses
In models with texture zeros in the fermion mass matrices the flavour mixing parameters are fixed by the ratios of the fermion masses. Using the experimental values for the neutrino mixing angles,...
28
Apr
2016
The modern fast electron and its application to understanding functional perovskite, semiconducting and plasmonic nanostructures
Recent advances in electron-optics have given us the ability to generate and manipulate highly stable, phase coherent electron wavefields that can be brought to a focal point much smaller than...
28
Apr
2016
Characterization of the heavy-ion fusion reactions mechanism in Cr + W reactions
Heavy ion fusion reactions serve as the primary mechanism for the production of superheavy elements. A crucial step in this reaction mechanism is the formation of a fully equilibrated compound...
26
Apr
2016
Silicene: A functional material for future electronics?
Silicene is the Si analogue of graphene with the same honeycomb structure and linear dispersions of the π and π* bands at the K point of the Brillouin zone. It is predicted to realize a buckled...
21
Apr
2016
Unravelling the physics of magnetically confined plasmas for fusion energy through advanced, detailed measurements
With the construction of the ITER device in France for the first demonstration of a fully “fusion burning” plasma, the development of a predictive capability is essential. However,...
21
Apr
2016
Dynamical Instability of internally excited localised BEC in an anti-trapping waveguide
We have experimental evidence of dynamical instability of a BEC with lowlying excitations in an antitrapping waveguide. Using a novel almostnondestructive imaging technique, we are able to image...
21
Apr
2016
Atomic structure calculations with applications to astrophysics and cancer therapy
The development in computational atomic physics is very rapid. Combined with the power of modern computer systems it is now possible to perform calculations of “spectroscopic accuracy”...
18
Apr
2016
Time-resolved Imaging with Electrons and X-rays
Two important recent breakthroughs have been demonstrations of lenseless aberration-free imaging and the ability to out-run radiation damage using femtosecond pulses of illumination. For electron-beams,...
14
Apr
2016
Mid-Term Seminar - GaN-based Nanostructures for Energy Applications
Research on renewable energy technologies has been intensified from the past decade due to the scarcity of fossil fuels and global warming caused by the by-products from the consumption of fossil...
12
Apr
2016
Metamaterials and spatial dispersion effects
In this talk an overview of various manifestations of spatial dispersion effects (nonlocality) in metamaterials will be provided. Effect of spatial dispersion on the topological transition in metamaterials...
11
Apr
2016
Attosecond Ionization Dynamics and Time Delays
The basic motivation is to understand and ultimately control how matter functions at the electronic, atomic and molecular level. Initially our focus is on the question how quanta of energy and charge...
11
Apr
2016
Pattern Formation in Thin Elastic Films
05
Apr
2016
Exploring the universe with the square kilometre array
What is Dark Matter? How did the solar system form? Was Einstein right about the nature of gravity? Are we alone in the universe?
To tackle these fundamental questions, an international consortium...
05
Apr
2016
Top-down and bottom-up approaches to form microvascular structure in vitro
Abstract: The vascular system adapts its structure across cellular, tissue, and full organism scales to support metabolic activity and cellular trafficking during healthy and pathological processes,...
04
Apr
2016
Clustering and the search for exotic nuclear molecules
In many light nuclei a number of energetics effects lead to the emergence of clustering phenomena, where the nucleus can be modelled as a collection of subgroups of nucleons. The interaction...
30
Mar
2016
Detecting and unveiling remnants from 2-3 Myr old supernovae on Earth
A two million year old signal of 60Fe was detected in several terrestrial deep-sea archives and in lunar samples. This long-lived isotope is not produced on Earth, however, it is generated in massive...
24
Mar
2016
Beta-Decay studies at TRIUMF-ISAC using the GRIFFIN spectrometer
The Gamma-Ray Infrastructure For Fundamental Investigations of Nuclei (GRIFFIN) spectrometer at the TRIUMF-ISAC facility is comprised of 16 large-volume high-purity germanium clover detectors...
23
Mar
2016
Nonlinear Physics - Laser Physics - Quantum Science Collaborative Workshop
Nonlinear Physics, Laser Physics and Quantum Science have much in common. The workshop aims to: help us get to know each other, increase awareness of each others' research, and...
22
Mar
2016
Nonlinear optical interactions in resonant photonic structures
Optical microresonators can provide miniature dimensions, flexibility, and the control needed to deliver breakthrough capabilities in optical computing, communications, and fundamental science....
21
Mar
2016
Simulating Fast Fission
We apply the time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) technique to explore some aspects of fission dynamics. While TDHF is not able to describe spontaneous fission, it can shed light on the fast...
18
Mar
2016
Epitaxial growth and optical properties of GaN nanowires and related heterostructures
Group III-nitride nanowires are considered as promising building blocks for highly efficient optoelectronic devices thanks to their ideal bandgaps, high aspect ratio, high crystal quality...
17
Mar
2016
Stochastic dynamics of interacting systems and asymmetric exclusion processes
Many complex systems of interacting particles behave on a phenomenological level in some random fashion. Examples come from areas as diverse as the growth of surfaces or the growth of biological...
11
Mar
2016
RSPE School Forum
11
Mar
2016
Interactions in strongly spin-orbit coupled systems
The interplay of electron-electron interactions and spin-orbit coupling has been the subject of much debate recently. On the one hand, spin-orbit coupling is at the heart of novel materials such...
10
Mar
2016
Promise and Challenges of Atomic Scale Tomography
Atomic Scale Tomography (AST) is a general term encompassing many different materials characterization techniques, all with the goal of identifying the elemental identity and 3-D location of all atoms...
10
Mar
2016
Light propagation in micro/nano-structures and its applications
The flow of light can be delicately molded with micro/nano-structures, especially with photonic lattices, due to the richness of the associated band structure and diffraction relation when compared...
10
Mar
2016
Searching for New Physics at the Intensity Frontier
In February of this year a new particle collider, SuperKEKB, located at the KEK laboratory in Tsukuba, achieved its “first turns”, a major milestone in preparing for collisions in 2017....
09
Mar
2016
Topological data analysis for materials science applications
Topological data analysis provides mathematically rigorous computational tools for quantifying connectivity in geometric data sets. The primary mathematical theory is called persistent homology,...
08
Mar
2016
Final PhD Presentation: Generation and storage of multimode, time-delayed entanglement in a spin-wave quantum memory
Quantum communication holds the promise of provably secure transmission of information. One of the key components required for quantum communication is a non-classical light source that is compatible...
08
Mar
2016
Boron: from energy storage to nanomaterials
Boron is an amazing element when it comes to energy storage and 2D materials. Recent research activities in the field of hydrogen storage have led to novel syntheses of known compounds, as well...
08
Mar
2016
Brief Introduction to CIOMP—the Cradle of China’s Optics
In this presentation, an overview of Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine mechanics and Physics (CIOMP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) will be given, which includes CIOMP’s history,...
04
Mar
2016
Head of Departments Meeting
04
Mar
2016
Along a GSI superheavy element experiment, including excursions to topics that link to ANU
In my second seminar, I will present GSI-aspects of the accelerators, targets, and gas-filled recoil separator in use for superheavy element research at GSI and link to corresponding activities...
04
Mar
2016
Laser development and integration at the European XFEL User Facility
The European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) Facility will start commissioning and operation in 2016 in Hamburg, Germany. The majority of the planned experiments during operation of the facility...
02
Mar
2016
The future of physical science
Physical science has produced some amazing discoveries over the last hundred years. Yet today, physics faces perhaps the greatest challenges in its history. Data gathered over the last few years...
29
Feb
2016
Double Beta Decay and the Nuclear Shell Model
The observations of neutrino oscillations have shown that the neutrinos have mass and have determined their mass splittings. The existence of zero-neutrino double beta decay will show that the neutrino...
26
Feb
2016
Topological photonic phase transitions and Thouless pumping of light
Photonic systems have become a promising platform for testing quantum principles and implementing quantum simulations. Recently, photonic lattices have been used to simulate conventional topological...
25
Feb
2016
We’ve done it: the first direct observation of gravitational radiation - waves in spacetime
In the first RSPE Directors Colloquium of 2016 we will hear how scientists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) including a team from the ANU Research School of Physics...
25
Feb
2016
Plasmonic and Dielectric Nanoantennas for Integrated Photonic Circuitry
The widespread use of antennas in almost all areas of modern technology plays indispensable roles in our daily life, ranging from satellite communications to cellphones. Nanoantennas, analogues...
23
Feb
2016
Electron and hole transport in radial GaSb-InAs nanowire junctions and quantum dots
In this presentation I will discuss recent findings on the electrical properties of GaSb-InAs core-shell nanowires with different core-shell configurations. The heterojunction is a Type II-broken...
23
Feb
2016
Real-time investigation of III-V nanowire growth using in-situ TEM
The potential of semiconductor nanowires to add new functionality in a wide array of application areas lies not simply in the downscaling of conventional materials, but in the possibility to access...
23
Feb
2016
Final PhD Seminar
III-V semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are gradually considered as building blocks for the future optoelectronic devices thanks to their unique properties, such as superior optical...
15
Feb
2016
Quantum photonics with solid-state devices
Spontaneous parametric down conversion has served as an excellent workhorse for fundamental test of quantum mechanics, proof-of-principle demonstrations of multi-photon entanglement [1], quantum...
10
Feb
2016
Environmentally Clean and Economic Energy by Boron Fusion with Peta-Exawatt Laser Pulses
In cooperation with Prof. Parakevas Lalousis, Institute of Electronic Structure and Lasers FORTH, Heraklion, Greece, and Prof. Gordon Godfrey, Visiting Professor, University of NSW, Sydney
The...
09
Feb
2016
The Story of Single Molecules, from Early Spectroscopy in Solids, to Super-Resolution Nanoscopy in Cells and Beyond
More than 25 years ago, low temperature experiments aimed at establishing the ultimate limits to optical storage in solids led to the first optical detection and spectroscopy of a single molecule...
08
Feb
2016
Dimensional Optical Property of Self-assembled Metallic Nanoparticles and their application
05
Feb
2016
Head of Departments Meeting
05
Feb
2016
Smaller is Stronger: Exploring the Strange New World of Small-Scale Mechanical Behavior with Nanoindentation
Since its development on the mid-1980's, nanoindentation has proven an important tool for exploring and characterizing the small-scale mechanical behavior of a wide variety of materials. Some...
21
Jan
2016
Nonlinear Waves at the Ocean Interface
Nonlinear Physics Centre / Centre for Plasmas and Fluids Joint Seminar
Ocean surface waves are among the most ubiquitous and complex examples of nonlinear waves. Nearly always three-dimensional,...
19
Jan
2016
Lasing on Crescent Waves in Vertical Cavity Surface Emission Lasers
Crescent waves are localized modes pinged to a circular boundary with a shape similar to a crescent moon [1]. To form crescent waves, the original proposal is to extend the concept...
15
Jan
2016
Dielectric nanoantennas and metasurfaces
Research on nanoantennas and metasurfaces based on high-index dielectric and semiconductor materials form a new branch in nanophotonics. Thanks to their strong interaction with both electric...
14
Jan
2016
PhD final seminar Light-matter Interaction in Nanowire Systems
During my PhD I focused on optical properties of nanowires made of different materials with internal structuring. For this purpose, I have developed novel techniques to control the light matter...
11
Jan
2016
Readout and control techniques for GaAs spin qubits
From Quantum Devices to Quantum Machines
Quantum computing, the use of quantum phenomena to process information, has begun the long journey from hypothetical possibility to real-world applications....
18
Dec
2015
SAXS study on the morphology of etched and un-etched ion tracks in apatite
Ion tracks consist of narrow (~10 nm), long (~10-100 μm) cylindrical defect regions that are generated by high-velocity heavy ions when they pass through a solid. Such tracks are used for determining...
16
Dec
2015
IEEE EDS/Photonics Society Distinguished Lecture & EME Department Seminar
On-chip ESD protection design is grand challenge in multi-GHz RF IC designs. While RF ICs typically demand for robust ESD protection, RF circuits are also extremely sensitive to any parasitic...
15
Dec
2015
Australian Nanotechnology Network Distinguished Lecturer
Artificial photosynthesis is a promising method for producing renewable energy by use of sun light. Artificial photosynthesis employing the modified Z-sheme of natural photosynthesis can be exploited...
15
Dec
2015
Final PhD seminar-Characterizing the structural properties of the NPs formed by ion implantation in different dielectric matrices
In this study, we characterize the structural properties of the nanoparticles (NPs) formed in different dielectric matrices namely: Si3N4 and SiOxNy by ion implantation followed by thermal annealing....
11
Dec
2015
An Historical Approach to Cosmology
This seminar will provide an introduction to a new approach to cosmology whereby the current structures and laws of the universe are explained by its evolutionary history. Prof. Lee Smolin from...
09
Dec
2015
Quantum "limits" for interferometric detection of dark matter
The LIGO detectors have started search for astrophysical gravitational wave signals and have now collected one month of data. In order to bring the detectors to their quantum limits, a menagerie...
07
Dec
2015
Silicon vacancy centres in diamond: properties and applications
Color centers in diamond are point defects that fluoresce in the visible spectrum. The most prominent point defect is the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center, which gained interest in the quantum technology...
04
Dec
2015
Metamaterials and metasurfaces at microwave frequencies - Applications
I will talk about my activities in the microwave domain concerning the design and application of metamaterials and metasurfaces to antennas and microwave devices. My talk will also deal with...
03
Dec
2015
The French University of Paris Saclay : the new model of the french university
The University of Paris Saclay is the merging of 2 classical French universities (University of Paris Sud and University of Versailles Saint Quentin) and 7 high schools. This university is mainly...
03
Dec
2015
Dissipation and the Foundations of Classical Statistical Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is the theory that describes the interconversion of work into heat and vice versa. Thermodynamics is the most widely applicable subdiscipline in physics. It applies to astrophysics...
01
Dec
2015
Exact conformal blocks for the W-algebras, twist fields and isomonodromic deformations
Following Alexei Zamolodchikov, we consider the conformal blocks in the theories with extended conformal W-symmetry for the integer Virasoro central charges. We show that these blocks for the generalized...
30
Nov
2015
Seiberg-Witten theories and AGT relations
Exact results in N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories are based on geometric definition of the Seiberg-Witten prepotentials. Their deformed version - Nekrasov partition functions can be defined...
26
Nov
2015
Stationary Light in a Gradient Echo Memory
In the Quantum Atom Optics group, we use cold, dense, clouds of atoms to store, retrieve, and manipulate pulses of light encoding quantum information.
For my PhD, I extend the storage of light...
25
Nov
2015
PHD FINAL SEMINAR Non-Hermitian Quantum and Classical Integrated Nonlinear Photonics
Integrated optical quantum circuits are increasingly gaining attention as a possible solution for scalable quantum technologies with important applications to quantum simulations. Quantum communication...
19
Nov
2015
Bethe Ansatz and the spectral theory of affine Lie algebra-valued connections
The ODE/IM correspondence is a rich and surprising link between the spectral theory of classical Lax operators and integrable quantum field theories. It dates back to the work of Dorey and Tateo,...
19
Nov
2015
Wave-Particle interaction in surface waves
Nicolas Francois discusses the dynamics of waves at the surface of a liquid and the motion of the fluid particles of which these waves are comprised. What is perceived as fluid motion on a surface...
17
Nov
2015
EME & IEEE EDS/Photonics Society, ACT Chapter Seminar
High-speed optical imaging is an essential tool for studying fast transient dynamics in a broad range of fields such as plasma physics, fluidics, phononics, and photochemistry. Unfortunately,...
12
Nov
2015
SPIE Seminar Novel Fibres and their use in Optical Communications
In this talk we will review some of the key enabling technologies of optical communications and potential future bottlenecks. Single mode fibre (SMF) has long been the preferred waveguide for long...
12
Nov
2015
PhD Final Seminar Nonlinear nanophotonics in plasmonic and graphene structures
In this seminar I will give an overview of my theoretical PhD studies on nonlinear effects in plasmonic structures boosting the intrinsic material nonlinearity through the resonant plasmon...
12
Nov
2015
Inchoate ideas for optical interferometry in space
Interferometric imaging has a long history in astronomy, beginning with Fizeau, and Michelson operated the first optical interferometer. In 2017, the GRACE Follow-on mission will launch,...
11
Nov
2015
Revisiting Fermi Surfaces in Density Functional Theory
The Fermi surface is an abstract object in the reciprocal space for a material lattice, enclosing the set of all electronic band states that are filled according to the Pauli principle. Its topology...
09
Nov
2015
Overview of Activities in the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies
Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AIPT) has a wide range of research interests across several key areas including: Optical Communications, Nonlinear Signal Processing, Optical Sensing,...
06
Nov
2015
Exciton optics of transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers
Novel truly two-dimensional materials, such as monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) combine unusual optical and transport properties and attract a lot of interest nowadays [1,2]....
05
Nov
2015
Big data in nanoscience
Scientists have been generating big data for decades. In most cases, however, this has been as part of a targeted search for one specific piece of information; one particular data point....
03
Nov
2015
Nonlinear optical and transport effects in graphene
Graphene, a monolayer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice demonstrates fascinating transport and optical effects. Many phenomena in this material stem from the linear, Dirac-like,...
03
Nov
2015
Final PhD Seminar - Structural and electrical properties of In and C + In implanted Ge, Si and Si1-xGex
It is widely accepted that alternative channel materials replacing Si are required to maintain complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device performance improvement with scaling beyond...
02
Nov
2015
Design, Fabrication, Testing, and Integration of silicon microlens with infrared photo detector
The research I conducted previously mainly focused on an integrated project which involves in silicon microlens and its application on infrared-detector, which we hoped to enhance the sensitivity...
29
Oct
2015
Development of an Optical Coherence Tomography System and its Applications
Optical Coherence Tomography is a 3D imaging technique that uses low coherence length light to detect backscattered light from samples in a depth resolved manner. Since its inception in the 1980’s...
26
Oct
2015
Optical Investigations of Semiconductor Nanowires: New physics, New Heterostructures, and a New Experimental Probe
Semiconductor nanowires are prototypical quasi one dimensional materials that range from simple uniform alloys to complex heterostructures incorporating different materials. These...
23
Oct
2015
convISA: A simple, convoluted method for isotopomer spectral analysis of fatty acids and cholesterol
22
Oct
2015
A Vision for Theoretical Physics - Discussion seminar
In preparation to the School retreat, academic staff and graduate students are invited to discuss the role of Theoretical Physics in RSPE and a vision for its future. Anyone interested...
20
Oct
2015
Why are we constrained to exist only in the Present Moment?
Time holds us captive in the Present Moment. Although the Present seems to forever 'move forward', we always remain trapped in it. What is the Present? What factors affect the way we perceive...
20
Oct
2015
Ordering, packing and network at the mesoscale: EM characterization of meso-structured materials
19
Oct
2015
Integrated Quantum Photonics using Rare-‐Earth Ion doped Planar Waveguides
Final PhD Presentation
Integrated Quantum Photonics using Rare-Earth Ion doped Planar Waveguides
The unique spectral properties of rare earth ion doped crystals are a good motivation for studying...
16
Oct
2015
Founders' Day
8.30am Technical displays
Cockcroft Building
9.00am Director’s presentation
Prof Tim Senden
Departmental...
13
Oct
2015
Coupled nanoparticle physics, or: How I learned to stop worrying and embrace point dipoles
The pursuit for understanding fundamentals in nanoscale optics offers a combination of both unintuitive physics and a predicted avenue for direct technological impact. I will review...
08
Oct
2015
Do extra dimensions exist?
Our current understanding of fundamental interactions is quite limited if the interactions are strong. An unexpected insight into the physics of strongly-coupled systems has emerged from string...
01
Oct
2015
Matter wave bright solitons: existence, propagation and interferometry
In this seminar I’ll discuss the production of matter wave solitons in an optical waveguide and what we can do with them once they’re there. In studying these systems, we have recently...
24
Sep
2015
Ultra-Precision Machining: The science and technology of diamond-cut optics
Diamond turning is the process of producing optical quality surfaces by precision machining with a diamond cutting-bit. The technique is a cornerstone process for the fabrication of precision...
24
Sep
2015
Toward direct bandgap Ge1-xSnx compound by ion implantation and pulsed laser annealing
During the last five years, Ge1-xSnx has gained widespread attention as being the only group IV semiconductor material that has a direct band gap. The realization of this material will have an enormous...
16
Sep
2015
Cosmology: Where we are and what happens next?
In the space of a generation, cosmology has been transformed from an almost entirely theoretical activity into a rigorous, empirical science; I will describe the resulting “concordance...
09
Sep
2015
On-chip generation and characterization of entangled photons
Integrated quantum photonic circuits provide a potential platform for scalable quantum technologies with important applications to quantum information processing, communication and imaging. We develop...
07
Sep
2015
Search for symmetry violation at the South Pole
Searches for fundamental symmetry violation play an important role in testing current theories of space-time. In our a search we have performed a precision test of spatial isotropy at the Amundsen-Scott...
03
Sep
2015
From curiosity to mega industries - the laser as a tool with no limits
Where did lasers come from? How have lasers gone from being “losers” to being a multi-billion dollar industry? Today, lasers are everywhere: in factories and hospitals, at home, up in space...
02
Sep
2015
Contrasting Logics: the role of counter-evidence in science and religion
Some philosophers argue that the discourse of science and that of religion form a seamless whole and that the role of empirical evidence manifests the superiority of the former. According to them,...
25
Aug
2015
Plasmon-enhanced Brillouin light scattering from nonlinear acoustic waves
The spectrum of light scattered from acoustic waves has a form of a triplet, consisting of the central Rayleigh peak and two Brillouin peaks shifted from the frequency of the incident light by the frequency...
20
Aug
2015
Engineering Nonlinear Response at Nanoscale
At the beginning of the 20th century, researchers struggled to understand how electricity worked and how they might harness it. Today we are standing in a similar position as we contemplate the emergence...
20
Aug
2015
Collective locomotion and decision making in micro-organisms
The ability to move certainly is one of the most striking features of living matter. This ability has been declined during the evolution in different forms depending on the size and the shape...
19
Aug
2015
Generation of quantum entangled states in nonlinear plasmonic structures and metamaterials
Entangled states underpin many quantum applications including cryptography, logic devices, imaging and sensing. Recent demonstrations of interference between single plasmons reveal the potential...
19
Aug
2015
Theoretical Nanooptics at KIT
The interaction of light with nanostructured materials give rise to interesting optical effects. Exploration of these effects is fascinating both from an intellectual and from an application...
14
Aug
2015
Winter BBQ
Cost only $10
Meal includes: kransky sausage, coleslaw, onion, bread roll and soft drinks
Vegetarian available – please advise when paying
All profits will be donated to Beyond Blue
beyondblue...
12
Aug
2015
Counting particles in microscopic systems
Simple observables such as the number of particles might be difficult to describe when a quantum composite system encounters a violent perturbation, for instance in collisions of atomic nuclei....
07
Aug
2015
Generation of a macroscopic spin singlet in a cold atomic ensemble
I describe our recent work in generating exotic entangled states a sample of laser-cooled atomic spins, recently highlighted in Scientific American [1]. We use quantum non-demolition (QND) measurement...
06
Aug
2015
The Beauty of Physics: Patterns, Principles, and Perspectives
In a recent book with this title, I consider some overarching ideas and patterns that occur throughout physics, from classical to quantum and over various sub-fields of the subject. These ideas...
04
Aug
2015
‘Solving’ a Quantum Many Body Problem by Experiment
The knowledge of all correlation functions of a system is equivalent to solving the corresponding quantum many-body problem. If one can identify the relevant degrees of freedom, the knowledge...
04
Aug
2015
Metamaterials: Invisibility cloaks and bending light
Magic 'mantles of invisibility' have appeared in folk stories through the ages, including a 900-year-old Welsh tale of King Arthur, and in Norse and German fairy tales. Now, new 'metamaterials'...
31
Jul
2015
Locomotion and decision making in microorganisms
27
Jul
2015
Directly written waveguides in chalcogenides
The seminar summarizes the work of our group in photonic devices involving chalcogenide glasses. Photo-induced index and structural changes in these glasses are used in the direct writing of waveguide...
17
Jul
2015
Towards all-optical photonic circuitry on-chip: An Introductory Talk
This talk will discuss the recent research progress in the study of nonlinear response of nanostructures, which holds a great potential to control light by light. Simultaneous enhancement of fundamental...
16
Jul
2015
Diamond Quantum Technologies: From Fundamentals to Applications
Optical defects in diamond are forging new frontiers in various quantum technologies, including nanoscale quantum sensing, quantum computing and quantum communications. Indeed, a single defect...
08
Jul
2015
Nonlinear Physics Center and OSA Student Chapter seminar Perfect anti-reflection - how to make things completely black
Anti-reflection working for all colors of light, has long been an important challenge in optics. Beyond trial and error optimization, however, a systematic way to realize multi-color anti-reflection...
06
Jul
2015
A Stellarator Hybrid Fusion-Fission Reactor
A viable fusion-fission hybrid reactor is achievable with present-day plasma fusion technology. The fusion-fission hybrid consists of a fusion neutron source and a powerful sub-critical fast...
29
Jun
2015
Alfven wave heating in stellarators
In the presentation, the physical base of the Alfvén resonance heating is explained. Two different approaches to heating implementation are compared. Usage of compact antennas is beneficial...
23
Jun
2015
Topologically nontrivial states of light and sound
The past three decades have witnessed the discovery of Quantum Hall Effect (QHE), Quantum Spin Hall Effect (QSHE) and Topological Insulators (TIs), which transformed our views on the quantum...
18
Jun
2015
Engineering the surface and waveguide properties of nanowires
Optoelectronic devices like LEDs, lasers and solar cells have become ubiquitous in our lives. They are a class of devices that rely on light-matter interactions and electronic properties of matter...
12
Jun
2015
School Forum
12
Jun
2015
Seeking Quantum Speedup Through Spin Glasses: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Abstract
Can quantum computers indeed meet the promise of doing complex calculations faster than classical computers based on transistor technologies? While the holy grail of a programmable universal...
04
Jun
2015
Active Impurity Doping of Silicon Nanovolumes: Failure and Alternatives
We report on phosphorous (P) doping of Silicon nanocrystal (SiNC) /SiO2 systems [1]. Rele-vant P configurations within SiNCs, at SiNC surfaces, within the sub-oxide interface shell and in the SiO2...
02
Jun
2015
Radiation Damage and Gas Bubble Formation in Perovskites
Ceramics with the perovskite structure are candidates for nuclear applications, including inert matrix fuels for the next generation of nuclear fission reactors and superconducting magnets for fusion....
29
May
2015
Strategies for obtaining molecular structures using X-ray Free Electron Lasers
One of the motivating ideas behind X-ray free-electron lasers is to obtain atomic structures of biological macromolecules without having to crystallise them. We’re approaching this “single...
27
May
2015
What is Reality: Physics or Metaphysics?
The nature of reality has confounded thinkers for millennia. Notions about reality have tended to reside with speculative philosophy and in science fiction. Today there are more questions about...
22
May
2015
Average quantum energy from measurements of intensity and its noise
AbstractA method is shown to extract the average quantum energy of radiation from measurements of intensity and its statistical variance. The simple result is general for radiations and detectors...
21
May
2015
The potential of uranium-236 as an environmental tracer
Uranium is naturally omnipresent in our environment as the isotopes 238U, 235U and 234U. Another isotope uranium-236 (236U), with a half-life of 23 million years, has, however, become of major...
20
May
2015
Dark Energy, Dark Matter and Gravity
According to the prevailing standard cosmological model, the universe is composed of 5% ordinary matter, 27% dark matter and 68% dark energy. Unfortunately, little understanding exists...
18
May
2015
Reaction dynamics of 7Li interacting with light nuclei
Understanding the breakup modes of weakly-bound nuclei such as 6,7Li, 9Be and timescales at which they occur is crucial for understanding how their weakly bound nature affects nuclear reaction...
14
May
2015
Search for Dark matter in the southern hemisphere
The quest to identify dark matter requires new and innovative approaches, combining techniques and data from a range of instruments. In the Southern Hemisphere, we have a unique perspective on astrophysical...
13
May
2015
Multiband Superconductivity: Multiband BCS and Ginzburg-Landau theories, and the connection between them
The theory of multiband superconductivity was proposed soon after the original theory of BCS, but the first material to display properties predicted by the theory, magnesium diboride, was first...
07
May
2015
The Physics of the Voice
Most human culture and civilisation derives from speech, and huge industries are based on processing, compressing, transmitting, analysing, recognising and synthesising it, often using physical...
07
May
2015
PhD final seminar - Wave and spectral singularities in photonic lattices
In this seminar I will give a brief overview of my PhD studies on the linear and nonlinear singular optics of photonic lattices, exploring deep connections between singularities in their energy-momentum...
05
May
2015
Near-field imaging of the magnetic field of light
Last years, the quickly developing field of artificial optical meta- and plasmonic materials is demanding a technique capable of imaging the magnetic field of light, in addition to the traditionally...
28
Apr
2015
Laser dicing of silicon: Understanding the morphology of subsurface laser-induced modifications using Raman and electron microscopy
Using lasers to induce locally confined subsurface modifications in materials is a well-established technique. Indeed, subsurface modification of dielectric materials is of great importance for optical...
22
Apr
2015
Low conjecture, Linking and causality in globally hyperbolic Lorentz spacetimes
This talk is based on joint work with Stefan Nemirovski. Globally hyperbolic spacetimes form probably the most important class of spacetimes. Low conjecture and the Legendrian Low conjecture...
17
Apr
2015
Micro-CT Pore-scale Study of Low Salinity Water flooding in Sandstones
Coreflooding of clay-containing sandstones can yield substantial additional recovery by reducing the flood brine salinity, associated with a shift towards water-wetting. X-ray micro-CT and image...
16
Apr
2015
Graphene and 2D materials in bio applications
2D materials have been gaining ever increasing attention over the past decade with graphene the most prominent example although more than 200 similarly structured materials have been described....
02
Apr
2015
Electrical control of all-fibre graphene devices
Active manipulation of light in optical fibres has been extensively studied with great interest because of its compatibility with diverse fibre-optic systems. While graphene exhibits a strong...
01
Apr
2015
High Electron Mobility and 4ns Photoconductivity Lifetimes in Modulation Doped GaAs Nanowires
III-V semiconductor nanowires have already shown great promise for use in a variety of applications, from solar cells1 to light-emitting diodes2, with some prototype optoelectronic devices having...
01
Apr
2015
From exactly solvable lattice models to symmetric functions: two examples
We'll discuss an approach to studying certain families of symmetric polynomials which is based on exactly solvable two-dimensional lattice models. After explaining the general strategy on the classical...
31
Mar
2015
Energy transfer in bio-mimetic molecular nanorings
Abstract: Natural evolution very early on solved the problem of how to capture light efficiently and use it to initiate the primary electron transfer reactions of photosynthesis in a surprisingly...
31
Mar
2015
RSPE Autumn BBQ
All RSPE staff & students welcome
Cost only $10
Meal includes: gourmet sausages and onions, salad, bread roll and soft drinksVegetarian available – please advise when paying
WafflesWaffles...
31
Mar
2015
Hydrodynamics of Exact Nonlinear Schrodinger Equation Solutions - Theory and Experiments
The dynamics of water waves in finite as well as in infinite water depth conditions can be approximated by the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE). The particularity of the NLSE is it integrability....
30
Mar
2015
Nonlinear dynamics of exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensates
Exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) are newly emerged systems capable of showing macroscopic quantum phenomena with intrinsic open-dissipative nature. Being quasiparticles resulting...
26
Mar
2015
Integrated plasmonic metadevices on dielectric waveguides
Integrated photonics has been a very hot topic in the last two decades, and it plays a very important role in telecommunications, integrated sensing devices, optical interconnectors just to name...
24
Mar
2015
Measuring and calculating quantum states of light: Two suggestions
The effective measurement and accurate calculation of quantum states of light that can be generated by proposed nonlinear optical devices is central to research in quantum optics, and crucial...
23
Mar
2015
“Little Wires – Big Challenges. Can Si nanowires help solve our energy problems”
Why would one turn to nanoscale materials to address the massively large scale needs of renewable energy harvesting and storage? In this talk, I will discuss the inherent advantages of novel...
20
Mar
2015
Structured light and structured surface plasmon polaritons from metasurfaces
Abstract: Patterning surfaces with subwavelength spaced metallo-dielectric features (metasurfaces) allows one to locally control the amplitude, phase and polarization of the scattered light,...
19
Mar
2015
Positrons and DNA
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a technique used to image metabolic activity. These images are used for a wide array of diagnostics in medicine, in particular, the search for cancers. Whilst...
19
Mar
2015
Intrinsic bistability and the formation of dual-core vortices in polariton systems
I consider a new kind of dark solitons and vortices that can exist in polariton condensates and other systems with internal resonances. The reported solutions are characterized by two very distinct...
11
Mar
2015
Yang-Baxter Maps, Discrete Integrable Equations and Quantum Groups
For every quantized Lie algebra there exists a map from the tensor square of the algebra to itself, which by construction satisfies the set-theoretic Yang-Baxter equation. This map allows one to define...
05
Mar
2015
Dispatches from a Dark Universe
We are in the era of precision cosmology: our accounting of the basic components of the Universe is approaching the percent level, and the data-supported narrative of the Universe’s early...
03
Mar
2015
Targeted Radioisotope Therapy with Auger electrons: What Can We Contribute as a Physicist?
There is growing recognition that Auger electron-emitting radioisotopes can provide lethal radiation doses to targeted cancer cells while sparing the neighbouring healthy cells. Progress in radiopharmaceuticals...
02
Mar
2015
High-resolution Inelastic Neutron Scattering
Neutron scattering is used as a complementary technique to X-ray scattering to probe the structure and behaviour of matter on the atomic scale. Whilst elastic scattering is used primarily...
23
Feb
2015
Metrology support for targeted radiotherapy using alpha-particle emitting radiopharmaceuticals
Since radium exhibits similar chemical properties to calcium, the short-lived α-emitting radioisotope 223Ra exhibits elevated uptake in regions of the body undergoing new bone formation....
28
Jan
2015
Nanomembranes and Soft Fabrication Methods for High Performance, Low Cost Energy Technologies
co-hosted with the Research School of Chemistry
The fabrication of high performance integrated circuits provides examples of the most sophisticated manufacturing methods, as well as the most...
23
Jan
2015
Higher order nonlinear evolutions differential equations and their solutions
Nonlinear evolution equations are key instruments for wave modelling in nature and in laboratory. Nonlinearity sometimes triggers so called 'extreme events' in various physical systems. Rogue...
20
Nov
2014
Nanophotonics with ‘magnetic light’
The magnetic response of natural materials at optical frequencies is very weak, which is due to electronic spin states which diminish at high frequencies. That is why only the electric component...
10
Nov
2014
Nucleon structure and implications for dark matter searches and nuclear structure
We review some of the advances in our understanding of the quark structure of the nucleon, much of it based on lattice QCD and effective field theory. We show that some of this work has important...
06
Nov
2014
Mud, microbes and magnetism
Paleomagnetism has made fundamental contributions to Earth science through helping to establish the global plate tectonic paradigm and by providing the geomagnetic polarity timescale for calibrating...
23
Oct
2014
The search for gravitational waves - Ripples from the dark side of the Universe
Gravitational Waves are amongst the most elusive signals from our Universe reaching the earth – ‘ripples in the curvature of space-time’. The information carried by these signals...
23
Oct
2014
Some recent progress on the quantum Rabi model
The quantum Rabi model, which describes the simplest interaction between light and matter, is a fundamental model with widespread applications in quantum physics. These include the interaction...
21
Oct
2014
Day of Photonics
Day of Photonics marks the anniversary when the value 299,792.458 km/s was officially adopted for the speed of light. This day is celebrated across more than 20 countries, with hundreds of activities...
17
Oct
2014
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...
13
Oct
2014
Multi-nucleon transfer reactions and their coupling effect on sub-barrier fusion reactions
Sub barrier fusion cross sections cannot be explained by 1-dimensional barrier penetration models. The fusion cross sections in this energy range are enhanced by orders of magnitude due to channel...
02
Oct
2014
Right and Wrong in the Conduct of Science
Science, in particular physics, is a collective enterprise and is so because it is, itself, a fruit of the exquisitely social nature of human living. So it is inevitable to encounter ethical...
01
Oct
2014
Constructive fun with doodles: from diagram algebras to exact solutions
An informal introduction to loop models is presented. These models have become fundamental tools in the description of physical systems with nonlocal degrees of freedom such as polymers and percolation....
30
Sep
2014
Radioactive Isotopes in nuclear solid state physics
The method of the perturbed angular correlation is a well known method to measure electric field gradients (EFG) in solids. The first results were obtained in the 1970s where neutron activated...
19
Sep
2014
Physics of high density matter in astrophysical and terrestrial objects
There are many fascinating processes in the Universe, which we observe in more and more in detail thanks to increasing sophistication in technology. One of the most interesting phenomena is the life...
18
Sep
2014
How mean is the field? Theoretical description of nuclear dynamics
The quantum many-body problem is common to all fields aiming at describing complex quantum systems of interacting particles. Examples range from quarks and gluons in a nucleon to macromolecules...
15
Sep
2014
Shell structure beyond the neutron-rich doubly magic nucleus 132Sn
Only recently has it become possible to study neutron-rich nuclei by the use of radioactive-beam accelerators. Nuclear shell structure and the magic numbers, once thought immutable, are now known...
04
Sep
2014
Inside An Inferno: The anatomy of a bushfire
A bushfire is one of the most terrifying natural phenomena that anyone is likely to experience in Australia. To be caught in a bushfire is to witness a true inferno on Earth — conditions...
21
Aug
2014
Life on the edge: The challenges of plasma – surface interactions for future fusion reactors
Fusion energy promises millions of years of clean energy. It has been identified that a deeper understanding of the science and technology of materials under extreme conditions is critical to the success...
20
Aug
2014
Neutron-rich rhenium isotopes and the progression into triaxiality
The region with Z=76 and N=116 has been predicted to exhibit changes in nuclear deformation and our recent results on neutron-rich isotopes, such as 188,190W and 192Os, show corresponding signatures...
14
Aug
2014
Restoration of the Florentine Frescoes using nanoparticles and microgels
Working on irreplaceable, priceless artworks brings special challenges and rewards. In this presentation I will describe the development of modern technologies for art restoration and cleaning...
01
Aug
2014
Tokamak Edge Plasma Physics: from micro-instabilities to plasma eruptions
As the heating is increased through a "power threshold" a tokamak plasma undergoes a bifurcation to a state of high confinement, called the H-mode. This high confinement is due to a thin, insulating...
31
Jul
2014
FUSION À LA PROVENÇALE: Progress towards fusion energy at ITER
Established by the signature of the ITER Agreement in November 2006 and sited at St Paul Lez Durance in the highlands of Provence in southern France, the ITER project involves the European Union...
24
Jul
2014
Demystifying the editorial process at Nature and its sister journals
Richard is Editorial Manager of the journal Scientific Reports, and was previously a Senior Editor at Nature Communications. He will discuss the relationships of the different journals in Nature...
17
Jul
2014
Akhmediev Breathers and Fermi-Pasta-Ulam Paradox
When Fermi, Pasta and Ulam used the earliest programmable computer built on vacuum tubes for the first ever numerical modelling of a physical problem they were very much surprised with the result....
08
Jul
2014
Careers in Focus – Google Goggles
Ever wondered what it was like to work for Google?
Extending on the workshops in Technology Development is a series of short lunchtime presentations from science and engineering graduates who have...
26
Jun
2014
Biophotonics with a twist: the chiral Gyroid photonic crystal in butterfly wing-scales
The generation of color in living systems is often, but not always, due to pigments. Especially in beetles and butterflies, color or color effects such as iridescence can also be caused by complex...
25
Jun
2014
A primer on Temperley-Lieb
The Temperley-Lieb algebra is the simplest of the "diagram algebras", appearing as a basic ingredient of the mathematical structure of spin chains and loop models. It is a finite-dimensional...
12
Jun
2014
A rotating streaming plasma model for MagPIE
Plasma bites are informal 10–20 minute talks about recent (possibly incomplete) work, or other topics of interest to others. Presentation & discussion of confusing/unexpected results...
05
Jun
2014
Intriguing chemists and upsetting computer scientists using light and mirrors
Abstract: Lift Quantum information is the lovechild of quantum physics and computer science. In this talk we look at the science of quantum information: what it is and isn't; why biologists,...
04
Jun
2014
Discrete Holomorphicity in Solvable Lattice Models
The existence of discretely holomorphic observables played a pivotal role in the recent rigorous proof of conformal invariance in the Ising model. In this presentation, we show the close relationship...
28
May
2014
Real solutions of Bethe ansatz equations
Consider Bethe ansatz equations for Gaudin model associated to gl(n).
Question. How many solutions are real, in the sense that polynomials with roots given by the solution have real coefficients?
This...
21
May
2014
The Big Bang Was it the origin of everything?
The Big Bang happened nearly 14 billion years ago but what was it? Was the Big Bang the beginning of everything or only of one patch of existence? Cosmologists are unsure. This talk will consider...
21
May
2014
Are there fundamental theories in low energy physics?
Lev Landau once said that “Science consists of more than measurements”. Landau’s intention can be summarised very well as follows. One ought to understand the physics...
19
May
2014
Two-nucleon removal reactions
Intermediate energy (>80 MeV/nucleon) knockout reactions are a key probe of structure in highly exotic nuclei. The longitudinal momentum distribution of the heavy reaction residue are characteristic...
15
May
2014
Extreme velocity-map imaging of photoelectrons
Negative ions do more than just make you feel good(a), they also play a role in a number of key physical processes, including electrical discharges (plasmas), and in facilitating chemical reactions,...
14
May
2014
A Geometric Construction of 5d Black Holes
5-dimensional black hole solutions of Einstein's equations with 3 commuting Killing vectors admit a simple geometric classification in terms of rod diagrams which characterize the degenerations...
07
May
2014
Anomalies in gauge theory
Gauge anomalies arise in the presence of massless chiral fermions and signal the absence of classical chiral symmetry in the quantum system. Historically chiral anomalies were first observed...
01
May
2014
Length and time scales in atmospheric physics: How Windlab optimises wind energy economics
Naturally occurring motions in the atmosphere contain length and time scales that span several orders of magnitude. Nearly all of these motions are significant in the context of extracting...
30
Apr
2014
Singular vectors and their connection to symmetric polynomials
Singular vectors in Verma modules over algebras such as the Virasoro algebra or affine Lie algebras are of vital importance to conformal field theory as they are important tools for understanding...
29
Apr
2014
Canberra-Japan Materials Meeting Pattern Formation: Mathematics and Materials
Schedule:
For a schedule, please contact the organisor, Stephen Hyde or Martina Landsmann at am.rspe@anu.edu.au
23
Apr
2014
Semiclassical equivalence of Green-Schwarz and Pure-Spinor superstrings in AdS5 x S5
We will overview different formulations of superstring theory and demonstrate the equivalence between the worldsheet one-loop partition functions computed near classical string solutions in the Green-Schwarz...
17
Apr
2014
Matterwave Interference and Inertial Sensing with Ultra-Cold Atoms
Change of time to 11am Thursday 17 April directly after Hot Cross Buns in the Tearoom.
Ultra-cold, dilute atomic gases are a universal, and highly controllable test mass, making them ideal for measuring...
10
Apr
2014
The Importance of Science to Australia's Future
Professor Ian Chubb commenced in the role of Chief Scientist on 23 May 2011.
Prior to that, Professor Chubb was Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University from January...
26
Mar
2014
Higher Spins and Sp(2n) Symmetry
We consider the Sp(2n) invariant formulation of higher spin fields on flat and curved backgrounds of constant curvature. In this formulation an infinite number of higher spin fields are packed...
20
Mar
2014
An Electron Microscopist’s Journey through the Nanoworld of Semiconductors
Electron microscopy is a powerful tool for materials research. Significant progress has been achieved in electron optics, electron gun design within the last two decades opening up new opportunities...
20
Mar
2014
Geometry and Crystalline Structure
9:00am Periodic nets and tilings and the design of porous materialsMichael O’Keeffe (Chemistry, Arizona State University)
9.45am Geometrical Frustration in Amorphous and Partially...
20
Mar
2014
Breakup systematics of 9Be on light to medium mass targets
Breakup of weakly bound and radioactive nuclei is a major current research interest, specifically in gaining insight into the role this process plays in fusion. Understanding reactions involving...
19
Mar
2014
Opportunities with CARIBU radioactive beams at Argonne National Laboratory
The Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) user facility at Argonne National Laboratory, USA has been at the forefront of nuclear physics research since its first accelerated beams were...
05
Mar
2014
Rubbish - the beauty within
As a materials engineer I find waste very attractive. Whether it’s used tyres, plastics, food or agricultural residue -- or even what’s left after your old car has been stripped of its useful...
05
Mar
2014
Experimental evidence for NLS soliton dynamics in water waves
The nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLS) is a weakly nonlinear evolution equation, which describes the dynamics of wave packets in nonlinear dispersive media. In finite depth, the NLS admits...
20
Feb
2014
The nuclear pairing gap: How low can it go?
The pairing contribution to the odd-even oscillations in the nuclear binding energies is considered in the framework on the nuclear shell model. Schematic and realistic Hamiltonians are used...
17
Feb
2014
Past, Present and Future of Nuclear Strategy
Nuclear weapons were one of most important technological inventions of the 20st Century, and central to the super power conflict of the Cold War. Cold War nuclear strategy and arsenals...
13
Feb
2014
Constraints on the Skyrme Equations of State from Properties of Doubly-Magic Nuclei and from Ab-Initio Calculations of Low-Density Neutron Matter
When the Skyrme equations of state (EOS) are constrained by the binding energies and rms charge radii of doubly-magic nuclei, the value of the neutron EOS is fixed at a density of 0.10 neutrons/fm^3....
10
Feb
2014
ANU Plastic Neutron Shield Material
The installation of the LINAC began in 1994 and by late 1995 the question of radiation doors was raised. The department had some old Boronated Paraffin Wax stored on site. At first it was thought...
30
Jan
2014
Final MPhil seminar - Quantum Criticality in One-dimensional Fermi Gases
We present a study of the one-dimensional attractively interacting two-component Fermi gas with an external magnetic field. We analytically study the quantum phase diagram, equation of state,...
05
Dec
2013
Floating on Air
A drop impacting on a solid surface deforms before the liquid makes contact with the surface. We directly measure the time evolution of the air layer profile under the droplet using high-speed...
05
Dec
2013
Experiments with a He* Bose Einstein Condensate
Andrew TruscottAtomic & Molecular Physics Laboratory, RSPE, ANU
A metastable helium (He*) Bose Einstein condensate (BEC) is somewhat unique in the field of degenerate gases in that its constituent...
04
Dec
2013
Multi-time Lagrangian 1-forms for families of Bäcklund transformations. Relativistic Toda-type systems
Dr Raphael BollTechnische Universität Berlin, Germany
We establish the pluri-Lagrangian structure for families of Bäcklund transformations of relativistic Toda-type systems. This is a generalization...
25
Nov
2013
The cosmological lithium problems: cosmology, astrophysics, nuclear physics or particle physics at fault?
Prof Martin Asplund
During the first ~15min after the Big Bang, the temperatures and densities were high enough to sustain nuclear reactions. During this Big Bang nucleosynthesis the isotopes...
21
Nov
2013
Exactly Solvable Models in Ultracold Physics
Professor Angela FoersterDepartment of Theoretical Physics
The study of exact solutions of quantum mechanical models has its origins in the work of Bethe in 1931 on the Heisenberg model. The field...
20
Nov
2013
The master T-operator and Baxter Q-operators for quantum
Dr Zengo Tsuboi
The Baxter Q-operators were originally introduced by Baxter when he solved the 8-vertex model. His method of the Q-operators is recognized as one of the most powerful tools...
18
Nov
2013
In search of double beta decay
Professor Kai Zuber
Neutrino physics entered a new era in the last decade. With the discovery of a non-vanishing neutrino rest mass in oscillation experiments a variety of new questions showed...
14
Nov
2013
Measuring oxygen isotopes beyond the neutron dripline: Two-neutron emission and radioactivity
Dr Zach Kohley
The availability of rare isotope beams has made it possible to extend nuclear structure measurements to nuclei far away from stability. Drastic changes in the structure,...
07
Nov
2013
Molecular Imaging: Unravelling the genetic, molecular and environmental factors in brain disease
The brain is a complex system of cellular networks and communication pathways, whose structure and function are regulated by a vast number of genes and gene products (i.e. proteins)....
23
Oct
2013
Integrable structure of Quantum Field Theory: Classical flat connections versus quantum stationary states
Prof Vladimir Bazhanov
We establish a correspondence between an infinite set of special solutions of the (classical) modified sinh-Gordon equation and a set of stationary states in the finite-volume...
18
Oct
2013
Founder's Day - 2013
Program of presentations
8:30amTechnical displays, Cockcroft Building
9:00amProfessor Stephen Buckman, Director
Director’s Presentation The year in review, awards and prizes
9:45amCormac...
17
Oct
2013
The Many Uses of Positrons
Dr James SullivanAtomic and Molecular Physics Laboratories
Positrons, predicted by Dirac in 1928 and discovered by Anderson in 1932, were our first glimpse into the world of antimatter. Since...
11
Oct
2013
Adventures in Scientific Publication
Lee CollinsAssociate Editor Physical Review A
The journey of a paper through the review process of a scientific journal can at times seem tortuous, arcane, and arbitrary. However, the underlying...
19
Sep
2013
Trapping energy traps: mass spectrometry of nuclear isomers
Dr Matthew ReedNuclear Physics
The structure of a nucleus can lead to excited states that have lifetimes much longer than the average nuclear state. These interesting metastable excited states...
16
Sep
2013
Study of reactions with the weakly bound projectile 9Be
Dr C. PalshetkarNuclear Physics Department
Abstract:Study of reaction mechanisms with weakly bound nuclei is of interest to understand the dynamics of nuclei near the drip lines and also to understand...
12
Sep
2013
Off-diagonal Bethe ansatz and solutions of integrable models without U(1) symmetry
Prof Yupeng WangDirector, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
A systematic Bethe ansatz method will be introduced for the integrable models without U(1) symmetry,...
05
Sep
2013
The Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider
The Standard Model of particle physics is an extremely successful theory describing the elementary particles and their interactions. The existence of the Higgs boson is predicted by the Standard...
04
Sep
2013
Generalizations of Geometry and String Duality
In recent years there has been a flurry of interest in so-called 'generalized geometry' (as formalized by Hitchin and his students) motivated by its applications in String Theory. At an algebraic...
28
Aug
2013
Time travel: Its implications for physics and philosophy
Dr Peter RiggsDepartment of Quantum Science
The idea of time travel has become quite familiar from many science fiction stories, movies, and television shows. However, there is also a serious...
26
Aug
2013
Neutron scattering as a tool for investigating the dynamics and excitations in magnetic materials
Dr Richard Mole and Dr Kirrily Rule
Instrument Scientists, Bragg Institute,Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Abstract:
We will give a brief introduction to the field...
21
Aug
2013
Wilson ratio of Fermi gases in one dimension
Dr Xiwen Guan
In this talk, I will discuss the Wilson ratio of a one-dimensional (1D) Fermi gas (the Yang-Gaudin model) with spin imbalance. For attractive interaction, we find that the Wilson...
15
Aug
2013
Harnessing collective behaviour of half-light half-matter
Dr. Elena OstrovskayaNonlinear Physics Centre
Strong light-matter interactions in semiconductor microcavities give birth to exciton-polaritons – half-light half-matter quasiparticles....
14
Aug
2013
Rogue waves in various models
Waves of extreme amplitude, or ‘‘rogue waves,’’ have been the subject of intense research activity during the past decade. Initiated first in the context of oceanic waves,...
12
Aug
2013
Quantum mechanics and reality
Associate Professor Margaret Reid
Centre for Cold Atoms and Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne
Abstract:
Einstein was not happy with quantum mechanics. He believed...
08
Aug
2013
Superintegrable chiral Potts model: Parafermionic generalization of Ising model
Prof Jacques H.H. Perk, Oklahoma State University
The superintegrable chiral Potts chain is a parafermionic generalization of the spin-1/2 Ising chain in transverse field resulting from a search...
07
Aug
2013
Proximity Effects in Layered Ising Models
Prof Helen Au-Yang, Oklahoma State University
The specific heats of alternating layered planar Ising models with strips of width $m_1$ lattice spacing and ``strong'' couplings $J_1$ sandwiched...
02
Aug
2013
Isomers in storage rings: the case of 212Bi
Professor Phil Walker
Director of Research, Head of the Center for Nuclear and Radiation Physics (CNRP),University of Surrey
Abstract:
The ability to store highly charged ions for long periods...
01
Aug
2013
Finding Space in a Nonspatial World
We experience a world of three-dimensional space in one-dimensional time. How can we locate this experienced world in the different picture of space and time given by physics? Relativity...
29
Jul
2013
sensitive isotope tracing
Rajeev Lal Final PhD seminar
Nuclear Physics Department
The northern Australian river basins are largely unexploited for intensive agriculture. Climate change, however, is predicted to make...
18
Jul
2013
Nonlinear Photonic Crystals for Optical Frequency Conversion
Yan ShengLaser Physics
Nonlinear Photonic crystals are nonlinear optical materials that maintain a constant refractive index but exhibit spatially periodic reversal of the sign of their second-order...
04
Jul
2013
The Higgs anniversary: Unification, The Standard Model and the Greatest Story Ever Told.. so far
Professor Lawrence KraussRSAA and Origins Project, Arizona State University
I will describe the remarkable scientific story that has led to the greatest intellectual edifice ever created by humans,...
01
Jul
2013
Spectroscopy of actinide nuclei
Dr Sankha S Hota Postdoctoral Fellow Nuclear Physics Department
Experimental studies of the excitations of the heaviest elements around Z ~ 100, A ~ 250, whose unexpected stability is attributed...
20
Jun
2013
precision measurement of spacetime: Detecting gravitational radiation
Dr Robert WardDepartment of Quantum Science
The direct detection of gravitational waves (GWs), a prediction of Einstein’s theory of general relativity, is one of the great challenges of modern...
06
Jun
2013
The quest to restore vision for the blind with medical bionics: The Bionic Vision Australia research program
Professor Anthony BurkittDirector, Bionic Vision Australia
The story of the bionic eye has captured the imagination of people all over the world. Following the announcement of Australia's first...
05
Jun
2013
Dilute loop models: some recent results
Yvan Saint-Aubin Département de mathématiques et de statistique, Université de Montréal
The dilute loop models were first introduced by Bernard Nienhuis as an attempt...
29
May
2013
Kohn Anomaly in Phonon Driven Superconductors: Is it simply mathematical or a physical fact?
Speaker:
Mukunda Das, Department of Theoretical Physics, RSPE, ANU Anomalies often occur in the physical world. Sometimes quite unexpectedly anomalies may give rise to new insight to an unrecognisedphenomenon....
27
May
2013
Physics Beyond the Standard Model
Professor Anthony WilliamsUniversity of Adelaide
The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics has successfully predicted the bottom quark, the top quark, the W and Z massive vector bosons, the tau neutrino...
16
May
2013
Topology for Physicists
Dr Vanessa RobinsApplied Mathematics
Topology is the study of those aspects of shape and structure that do not depend on precise knowledge of an object's geometry. Accurate measurements...
15
May
2013
Modular invariant partition function of critical dense polymers
Alexi Morin-Duchesne ,Centre for Mathematical Physics, Dept of Mathematics , University of Queensland
The model of critical dense polymers is an integrable model where plane filling...
10
May
2013
W-algebras and Vinberg's problem for centralizers
Tomoyuki Arakawa, RIMS Kyoto
Applying some results on W-algebras we prove the existence of a quantization of Mishchenko-Fomenko algebras for centralizers in gl(n,C) generalizing earlier results...
07
May
2013
Spin-Orbit-Coupled Ultracold Atomic Gases
Xia-Ji Liu, Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
Ultracold atoms have been proven to be an ideal table-top...
06
May
2013
Mechanism and time-scale in breakup of of 6,7Li
Dr D. H. Luong Department Nuclear Physics
The current and near future of nuclear physics is being directed by the availability of radioactive ion beams and exotic nuclei near the neutron drip...
02
May
2013
Bioactivation of surfaces by ion implantation
Professor Marcela BilekApplied and Plasma Physics, University of Sydney
The ability to strongly attach biomolecules to surfaces whilst retaining their biological activity underpins a host of biotechnologies,...
22
Apr
2013
Spectroscopy of Heaviest Nuclei: Challenges and Perspectives*”
Dr. F. G. Kondev Argonne National Laboratory
Observation and characterization of the limits in mass and charge of the nuclear landscape is one of the fundamental goals of nuclear physics. With...
18
Apr
2013
The physics of cold to burning plasmas
Dr Matthew HolePlasma Research Laboratory
Despite the growth in computer power, full particle simulation of plasmas remains computationally prohibitive. In its absence, magnetohydrodynamics...
28
Mar
2013
Physics under Pressure: New Phases of Silicon and Germanium
Dr Bianca HaberlElectronic Materials Engineering, RSPE, ANU
Pressure is the only thermodynamic variable that allows modification of materials on an atomic level through direct changes of the atomic...
25
Mar
2013
Convergent close-coupling calculations of multiple atomic ionization
Professor Anatoli Kheifets Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratories
The process of non-sequential single-photon double ionization, and a closely related process of double ionization by a fast...
07
Mar
2013
The Laser Revolution in X-ray Physics: Coherent X-rays, Free-Electron Lasers and Biomolecules
Professor Keith A NugentARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray ScienceLa Trobe University
The development of the laser revolutionised optical physics. The extension of the laser into the X-ray...
06
Mar
2013
Scholarly Publishing Made Easy
Dr Maria BellantoneSenior Publishing Editor in Physics, Springer
How can you increase your chances of success in scholarly publishing? The spectrum of scientific literature extends from journals...
04
Mar
2013
Dynamics of nuclear Fission using fission time scale measurement and fragment mass distribution
Dr K. Ramachandran Nuclear Physics Department
Nuclear fission is a unique process in which the shape of a nearly equilibrated system evolves continuously until it splits into two fragments....
25
Feb
2013
Multi-particle transfer in nuclear collisions
Dr Maurits Evers Nuclear Physics Department
Nuclear collisions at energies near the fusion barrier show a range of different phenomena which can affect each other. At energies near the fusion...
11
Feb
2013
K-Isomers in Neutron-Rich Tungsten Nuclei
Dr Gregory Lane ARC Future Fellow Nuclear Physics Department
Deformed nuclei are well known to exhibit isomers whose long lifetimes are caused by the fact that the only available isomeric decay...
07
Dec
2012
Hydrogen and fuel cells for transport: energy storage problem
Professor Kevin Kendall, FRSChemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, UK
Using hydrogen and fuel cells (HFCs) for transport should double the efficiency and reduce emissions to zero, except...
06
Dec
2012
Type Ia Supernovae, The Accelerating Cosmos, and Dark Energy
Professor Brain SchmidtNobel laureateResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Type Ia supernovae remain one of Astronomy's most precise tools formeasuring distances in the Universe. I will...
22
Nov
2012
Rogue waves and their applications to oceans & fibres
Dr Adrian AnkiewiczOptical Sciences Group, Theoretical Physics
For centuries, there were legends about enormous rogue waves damaging or sinking ships in the ocean, but it was only in the mid-1990s...
08
Nov
2012
Science, Technology and the Cochlear Implant
Jim PatrickSenior Vice President, Chief ScientistCochlear
This presentation will review the evolution of the cochlear implant over the past 40 years, from a preliminary program of multidisciplinary...
18
Oct
2012
Life after Physics at ANU - Where Physics & Engineering can take you
Four RSPE Alumni and members of the Development Board share the extraordinary story of their careers
Dr Greg Clark
Greg obtained a First Class Honours degree in Physics from the University...
12
Oct
2012
Founder's Day - 2012
The Research School of Physics and Engineering
Founder's DayFriday 12 October 2012
8:30am : Technical displays - RSPE foyer
9:00am : Founders day talks - Leonard Huxley lecture theatre
1:00pm...
11
Oct
2012
The nature of time
Dr Peter RiggsThe Australian National University
We exist in a temporal universe. On a day-to-day basis, time is a concept familiar to us for it affects all aspects of everybody's life. Despite...
20
Sep
2012
To infinity and beyond: Progress of the Australian Plasma Thruster
Professor Rod BoswellSpace Plasma Power and Propulsion
Thanks to a recent funding success with the Australian Space Research Program, SP3 has joined with ASTRIUM-EADS, the largest aerospace...
06
Sep
2012
Chronology in the first few hundred million years of the Solar System revisited
Professor Michael PaulRacah Institute of PhysicsHebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
The stable elements known to us in nature were made in stars over the whole history of the Galaxy. Radioactive...
23
Aug
2012
Surface Coating Nanoparticles for Medical Use
Dr Ross StephensApplied Mathematics
Novel nanoparticle composites offer great promise in medical applications, where they can perform carrier, labeling and targeting functions for both diagnostic...
02
Aug
2012
How a single grain boundary found billions of dollars of mineral deposits: An overview of the use of SQUIDs for mineral exploration
Dr Cathy FoleyCSIRO
This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of the publication of Brian Josephson’s famous paper which led to his Nobel prize for his theoretical prediction of the properties...
19
Jul
2012
Toward Integrated Mid-infrared Photonic Devices: Material Sciences and Technical Challenges
Dr Khu VuLaser Physics Centre
Chalcogenide and tellurite glasses have some remarkable optical properties which are well recognised for mid-infrared planar waveguide devices. They include wide...
12
Jul
2012
Engineered Quantum Systems
Professor Gerard MilburnUniversity of Queensland
The last decade has seen a revolution in the variety and size of physical systems which can be subjected to coherent quantum control. Given sufficiently...
29
Jun
2012
Maximal Unitarity at Two Loops
Theoretical Physics Seminar:
Topic: Maximal Unitarity at Two Loops
Abstract: The unitarity method is a key part of the set of on-shell methods for calculating ...
28
Jun
2012
The interplay between discrete holomorphicity and integrability in the Z_N model
Speaker: Mr Imam Alam (PhD Student, Theoretical Physics)Abstract
In recent years, fascinating connections have been observed between
two-dimensional solvable statistical models at criticality...
21
Jun
2012
Towards low-loss optical metamaterials
Dr. Andrey MiroshnichenkoNonlinear Physics Centre
Generic natural materials exhibit various dielectric permittivity at optical frequencies. In contrast, the magnetic permeability is always close...
07
Jun
2012
Research into Practice: Potential and Pitfalls in Visualising the Invisible
Professor Roy TaskerPrime Minister's Award for University Teaching 2011University of Western Sydney
A deep understanding of science requires the ability to imagine invisible models such as molecules,...
24
May
2012
Stars, supernovae and meteorites: laboratory studies of nucleosynthesis using accelerator mass spectrometry
Dr. Anton WallnerDepartment of Nuclear Physics
The complex isotopic signature of our solar system and that observed in stars can be understood as interplay between fundamental nuclear physics...
03
May
2012
The Physics of High Efficiency Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion
Martin GreenUniversity of New South Wales
Photovoltaics is starting to make an impact in large-scale electricity production. Last year, it was the largest source of new electricity production...
19
Apr
2012
From Femto-Chemistry to Atto-Physics: Time Resolved Atomic Reactions
Professor Anatoli KheifetsAtomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory
The idea of using femto-second (1fs = 10-15 s) laser pulses as a strobe for studying nuclear dynamics in molecules brought a Nobel...
11
Apr
2012
Heavy Ion Accelerator Symposium on Fundamental and Applied Science - 2012
HIAS 2012 will be held from 11-13 April 2012 by the Department of Nuclear Physics at The Australian National University, Canberra.
The aim of the Heavy Ion Accelerator Symposium on Fundamental...
05
Apr
2012
Climate Change Science: Physics meets Complexity
Prof Will SteffenDirector, Climate Change Institute, ANU
The basic physics of the greenhouse effect has been known since the mid-1800s, and provides the fundamental scientific basis for understanding...
22
Mar
2012
Memories taking resistive turn: Resistive switching as a non-volatile memory
Dr Dinesh VenkatachalamElectronic Materials Engineering
Growth in the use of portable electronic devices and embedded electronic systems has resulted in an increased demand for low-power, high-density...
01
Mar
2012
LHC/ATLAS experiment: Goals & Capabilities
Prof Geoffrey TaylorUniversity of Melbourne
After decades of design, development and construction, 2011 saw the multi-billion dollar Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Geneva operating magnificently,...
02
Feb
2012
The Quantum Way of Doing Computations
Prof Rainer Blatt
Institute for Experimental Physics,University of Innsbruck andInstitute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information,Austrian Academy of Sciences
Since the mid nineties of the 20th...
12
Dec
2011
CFT, AdS/CFT and Integrability - Summer School
2nd Asia-Pacific Summer School in Mathematical Physics
22nd Canberra International Physics Summer School
CFT, AdS/CFT and Integrability
In recent years there has been remarkable progress in understanding...
08
Dec
2011
Emerging platforms for light matter interactions
Professor Tanya Monro
University of Adelaide
New optical glasses and optical fibre structures are opening up the potential for a broad range of new devices. Recent examples from IPAS at The University...
03
Dec
2011
Old Bones – New Insights
Physics has joined palaeontology at the ANU using 3D X-ray scanning to reveal new evidence of early vertibrae evolution. Over the past 40 years the Wee Jasper area has yielded fossil treasures...
01
Dec
2011
What's New in Critical Lattice Phenomena?
Leonard Huxley Lecture Theatre
Dr David RidoutDepartment of Theoretical Physics
Phase transitions and critical phenomena have historically provided a number of challenges for theoretical...
10
Nov
2011
Antimatter in the Universe
Dr Mike Charlton University of Wales, Swansea
The topic of antimatter will be introduced by recalling its prediction and discovery in the 1930’s, and a brief history of the subject will...
03
Nov
2011
Heavy Glass Planar Photonics: 40 years of research puffery or a revolution brewing?
Leonard Huxley Lecture Theatre
Dr Steve Madden Laser Physics Centre
Films and waveguides of glasses laden with heavy elements have commanded intense research scrutiny in the last four decades...
20
Oct
2011
Einstein, Nanoscience, and Superconductivity
Professor Marvin CohenUniversity of California
I would like to describe a few observations about Einstein and his research in condensed matter physics. He had difficulty getting his thesis subject...
14
Oct
2011
Founders Day 2011 - Research School of Physics and Engineering
Sir Mark Oliphant was an eminent Australian physicist and one of the founders of the ANU. He was also the founding Director of this school and held...
06
Oct
2011
Optical vortices and optical knots
Leonard Huxley Lecture Theatre
Dr Anton DesyatnikovNonlinear Physics Centre
Optical vortex is a name for the twisted flow of light around dislocation in a phase front of a laser beam. Optical...
22
Sep
2011
Advanced Nuclear Power Systems for Long-term Energy and Climate Security
Leonard Huxley Lecture Theatre
Professor Barry BrookUniversity of Adelaide
Fossil fuels currently supply about 80% of modern society’s primary energy. Given the imperatives of climate...
13
Sep
2011
Quantum memory for light: fun times with hot gas
Dr Ben BuchlerDepartment of Quantum Science
It is possible to store pulses of light in atomic ensembles. Provided this is done carefully, it is also possible to subsequently recall the light...
08
Sep
2011
Atomic Clocks in Space
Prof Michael Tobar
University of Western Australia
The Atomic Clocks Ensemble in Space mission is a cornerstone European Space Agency mission in fundamental physics and technology based upon...
25
Aug
2011
Molecules are quantum – chemistry near absolute zero
Professor Jun YeUniversity of Colorado
Molecules at ultralow temperatures represent an exciting new frontier for science, with a strong interdisciplinary character linking diverse scientific...
04
Aug
2011
Simple structures in complex nuclei versus complex structures in simple nuclei
Professor Andrew StuchberyDepartment of Nuclear Physics
Nuclear models tend to focus on incompatible extremes: individual particle motion versus collective vibrations and/or rotations of a liquid...
21
Jul
2011
Exploiting Earthquakes
Leonard Huxley Lecture Theatre
Professor Brian Kennett Research School of Earth Sciences
Exploiting EarthquakesProbing Subduction zones:Seismic wave propagation and tomography
Most of the world’s...
07
Jul
2011
Terahertz spectroscopy of nanoscale materials
Leonard Huxley Lecture Theatre
Dr Patrick ParkinsonDepartment of Electronic Materials Engineering
Nanoscale electronic devices promise to revolutionise the micro-electronics field. In particular,...
05
Jul
2011
Probing the Warped Side of the Universe with Gravitational Waves: From the Big Bang to Black Holes
Manning Clark Centre Theatre 1, Union Court, ANU
Professor Kip ThorneCaltech
There is a Warped Side to our Universe: objects and phenomena made largely or entirely from warped space and warped...
16
Jun
2011
Cosmology as Science? From Inflation to Eternity
Professor Lawrence KraussArizona State University
The last decade or two have represented the golden age of observational cosmology, producing a revolution in our picture of the Universe on its largest...
02
Jun
2011
Correlations: What they tell us about quantum gases
Dr Andrew TruscotAtomic and Molecular Physics Laboratories
The idea of single particle interference is ubiquitous throughout quantum theory. However, in 1956, when Robert Hanbury Brown and Richard...
02
Jun
2011
Quantum Man: Richard Feynman’s life in science
Professor Lawrence KraussArizona State University
It took a man who was willing to break all the rules to tame a theory that breaks all the rules. This talk, based on Lawrence Krauss’s...
19
May
2011
Chernobyl 25 years on: Is there a future for nuclear power after Fukushima?
Professor Aidan ByrneDean of Science
The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor 25 years ago was a turning point in the history of nuclear power that saw the near abandonment of nuclear as an energy...
05
May
2011
Turbulence in fluid layers
Turbulence is often said to be one of the last unsolved problems in classical physics. In the 20th century in turbulence studies, theory was the main driver, while the 21st century is marked...
07
Apr
2011
Wettability of porous media and applications to oil recovery
Modelling of the flow of immiscible fluids through the pore network of a porous medium, for example during displacement of oil from a rock by water flooding, has been greatly aided by the advances...
17
Mar
2011
The Magnetic Universe
Professor Bryan GaenslerUniversity of Sydney
A remarkable discovery made by 20th century astronomers was that the Universe is threaded with well-organised, large-scale magnetic fields....
08
Mar
2011
Making science work for you: Getting the balance right, getting your career on track, letting women stay.
Presented by: Dr Cathy Foley, Acting Chief of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering
Dr Foley will look at how to have a successful science career while maintaining balance such as managing...
03
Mar
2011
From Mars to Earth by way of Venus
Dr Frank MillsAtomic & Molecular Physics Laboratories
From Mars to Earth by way of Venus
If we want to determine whether and where liquid water might be on Mars, we need to know what the surface...
09
Feb
2011
New measurement capabilities from research at NMI and ANU
Bruce Warrington, CSIRO National Measurement Laboratory
New measurement capabilities from research at NMI and ANU: Atomic clocks, sports drug testing, nanometrology and more
The National Measurement...
13
Dec
2010
The Laser 50 Years Later
A public lecture by Professor Jim Coleman, University of Illinois, Urbana - All welcome
The year 2010 marks the golden anniversary of the first demonstration of the laser. In this talk,...
12
Dec
2010
COMMAD 2010 - 2010 Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices
The 2010 Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices (COMMAD 2010) will be held in Canberra, Australia, at The Australian National University from 12-15 December...
02
Dec
2010
Quantum Many-Body Dynamics: counting the particles
The description of the quantum dynamics of many interacting particles is a great challenge in many fields of physics. Even simple observables such as the number of particles might be difficult...
24
Nov
2010
The Shape Of Inner Space
ANU PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES 2010
THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE:
String Theory & the geometry of the universes’ hidden dimensions.
Professor Yau Shing-Tung,Harvard University
Theatre 1, Manning...
19
Nov
2010
Fifty years of Lasers and a brilliant future
All of us use lasers, all of us rely on lasers when we communicate, watch a video, drive a car or need medical help. One hundred years ago these possibilities were unheard of - just ideas...
11
Nov
2010
Anderson localization in disordered media: from electrons to classical waves to cold atoms
Localization of quantum particles or classical waves by interference effects in disordered media has been predicted by Anderson more than 50 years ago. The signatures of this phenomenon in electronic...
15
Oct
2010
Tunes in Time
How physics can contribute to the study of fossils and music
Fossilised Physics
Associate Professor Tim Senden
Hydrocarbons are not the only precious fossil resource in Australia as our land...
29
Jul
2010
How Mathematics and Physics Got Together Again
2010 Development Event
A seminar by Nobel Laureate Professor Chen Ning Yang for staff, students, donors and friends of the School
In the first half of the twentieth century, Mathematics became...
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