Subatomic physics group

Painting the universe red

Raghda Abdel Khaleq spends a lot of time contemplating the unknown sector of our universe. And not just for her PhD research in nuclear physics. “This painting is part of a dark energy-inspired series,” she says, as she makes another deliberate...

Exploring heavy element creation with data from the rubbish

New theoretical results about how nuclei break apart could help us to understand how elements on earth were created - for example when neutron stars collide - and could boost efforts to add new elements to the periodic table. Professor Cedric Simenel...

Zeptosecond collisions - the remarkable speed of nuclear reactions

Scientists have for the first time calculated the speed of the most complex nuclear reactions and found they’re really fast: mere zeptoseconds. Being this fast – a zeptosecond is a billionth of a trillionth of a second (10-21 seconds) –...

Discovery may help find new ways to innovate with light

The Australian National University (ANU) has contributed to a ground-breaking discovery that promises to help revolutionise the science behind the next generation of light-harvesting technologies, including potential new ways to generate solar power. Scientists...

Scientists detect electrons outside of their regular orbits

A research team including The Australian National University (ANU) has detected electrons outside of their regular orbits, a phenomenon that could be harnessed to develop next-generation electronics based on thin materials and superconductors.A common...