The Research School of Physics performs research at the cutting edge of a wide range of disciplines.
By undertaking your own research project at ANU you could open up an exciting career in science.
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Astrophysics


Multi-messenger gravitational-wave astronomy
Distinguished Profes Susan Scott, Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Dr Karl Wette
Determining the orbital characteristics of a constellation of nano-sats orbiting the Moon


Optimising a Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory
Dr Bram Slagmolen, Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Dr Vaishali Adya, Distinguished Prof David McClelland


Paving the way to study the chronology of the Early Solar System
Dr Stefan Pavetich, Dr Michaela Froehlich , A/Prof Stephen Tims, Mr Dominik Koll


Gravitational waves from ultralight boson clouds around black holes
Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Distinguished Profes Susan Scott, Dr Karl Wette


Space radiation modelling


Continuous gravitational waves from neutron stars
Distinguished Profes Susan Scott, Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Dr Karl Wette
Active orbital control systems for nano-sats orbiting the Moon
Design a rail gun to operate in vacuum producing a force of 1mN


Gravitational waves from newborn neutron stars
Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Distinguished Profes Susan Scott, Dr Karl Wette
In space, no-one can hear you scream. Is this true?
Reducing Entropy in Lunar Supply Chains


Calibration of gravitational wave detectors
Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Profes Susan Scott


Radioimpurities in particle detectors for dark matter studies
Dr Michaela Froehlich , Dr Zuzana Slavkovska, A/Prof Stephen Tims, Professor Gregory Lane


Exotic nuclear structure towards the neutron dripline
Launching nano-satellites from the Earth's Moon
Atomic and Molecular Physics


Atomic magnetometer for exploring physics beyond the standard model


Positron applications in medical physics
A/Prof. James Sullivan, Professor Stephen Buckman, Dr Joshua Machacek


Optical quantum memory


Attosecond time-resolved atomic reactions


Measuring and modelling free-ion hyperfine fields
Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi, Mr Brendan McCormick


Benchmark positron scattering experiments
A/Prof. James Sullivan, Professor Stephen Buckman, Dr Joshua Machacek


Atomic ionization in super-strong laser fields
Electron scattering from surfaces at high energies


Coherent control of quantum-mechanical systems


Interactions between Antimatter and Ultracold Atoms
Dr Sean Hodgman, Professor Stephen Buckman, Dr Joshua Machacek


How does a quantum system reach equilibrium?
Biophysics


Positron applications in medical physics
A/Prof. James Sullivan, Professor Stephen Buckman, Dr Joshua Machacek


Understanding drought-resistance in Australian plants with 3D X-ray microscopy


Specific ion effects


Femtosecond laser for ultra-precise cavity drilling in modern dentistry
Clean Energy


Renewable Chemical Fuels using III-V Semiconductors
Dr Siva Karuturi, Professor Chennupati Jagadish, Professor Hoe Tan
Improving extraction of Critical MineralsÂ
Professor Mark Knackstedt, Dr Nicolas Francois, Prof Adrian Sheppard


Migration of carbon dioxide injected in aquifers: convection, diffusion and dissolution
Engineering in Physics
Engineering Inter-spacecraft laser links
Fibre Optic Sensor Arrays for Vibrometry and Acoustic Sensing
Dr Chathura Bandutunga , , Dr Paul Sibley, A/Prof Malcolm Gray
Determining the orbital characteristics of a constellation of nano-sats orbiting the Moon


Nuclear structure studies with particle transfer reactions
Dr AJ Mitchell, Professor Gregory Lane, Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi


Optimising a Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory
Dr Bram Slagmolen, Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Dr Vaishali Adya, Distinguished Prof David McClelland


System calculations for hunter killer satellites


Exploring physics with neural networks
Dr Aaron Tranter, Professor Ben Buchler, Professor Ping Koy Lam


Vibration control for optical interferometry
Optical Sensors for Inertial Navigation


Plasma surface interactions under extreme conditions


Plasma Thrusters for Spacecraft
Active orbital control systems for nano-sats orbiting the Moon
Improving extraction of Critical MineralsÂ
Professor Mark Knackstedt, Dr Nicolas Francois, Prof Adrian Sheppard


Wood-based Mechanical Metamaterials
Dr Nicolas Francois, Dr Mohammad Saadatfar, Mr William Leggate, Professor Mark Knackstedt
Design a rail gun to operate in vacuum producing a force of 1mN


Ultra-fast lifetime measurements of nuclear excited states
Professor Gregory Lane, Dr AJ Mitchell, Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi
In space, no-one can hear you scream. Is this true?


Calibration of gravitational wave detectors
Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Profes Susan Scott


Computer simulation of expanding plasmas


Nuclear lifetimes - developing new apparatus and methods
Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi, Professor Gregory Lane, Mr Ben Coombes


Understanding energy dissipation in colliding quantum many-body systems
Dr Kaitlin Cook, Dr Ian Carter, Professor Mahananda Dasgupta, Professor David Hinde


Particle simulation of dual frequency processing plasmas
Launching nano-satellites from the Earth's Moon


Magnetic nozzles and plasma generated by a remote source
Field Deployable Laser Stabilisation using Digitally Enhanced Fibre Interferometers
Environmental Physics


Understanding drought-resistance in Australian plants with 3D X-ray microscopy
Radioactivity in our environment
Reducing Entropy in Lunar Supply Chains


Surface forces and the behaviour of colloidal systems


Nanobubbles


Migration of carbon dioxide injected in aquifers: convection, diffusion and dissolution


High pressure non-equilibrium plasma discharges in chemically reactive systems
Fusion and Plasma Confinement


Nano-bubble formation in fusion relevant materials
Studies on the effect of He irradiation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of W/ W alloys


Diagnosing plasma-surface interactions under fusion-relevant conditions
Materials Science and Engineering


Fundamental investigation of fission tracks for geo- and thermochronology


Ultrafast Laser Cleaning - The Light Touch


Optical nonlinearities in 2D crystals


Using materials physics to achieve ultra-low contact resistance for next generation semiconductor devices


Nano-bubble formation in fusion relevant materials
Studies on the effect of He irradiation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of W/ W alloys


Renewable Chemical Fuels using III-V Semiconductors
Dr Siva Karuturi, Professor Chennupati Jagadish, Professor Hoe Tan


Tomography of dynamic processes (3D movies)
X-ray scatter in 3D microscopes
Exploring novel X-ray scanning trajectories


Higher-order spatial mode optical cavity analysis for thermal noise measurements
Dr Johannes Eichholz, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Prof David McClelland
Deblur by defocus in a 3D X-ray microscope


Can we make a harder-than-diamond diamond?


Neutron and X-ray imaging/tomography techniques at ANSTO and AS (Australian Synchrotron)


Nanofluidic diodes: from biosensors to water treatment
X-ray speckle tracking


Creating new materials using pressure and diamond anvil cells


Measurement of optical and mechanical losses of mirror coatings
Dr Johannes Eichholz, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Prof David McClelland


Functional Nanopore Membranes


Quantum emitters in 2D materials
Electron scattering from surfaces at high energies
Machine learning for tomographic reconstruction


Developing wearable sensors for personalized health care technologies and solutions
Dr Buddini Karawdeniya, Prof Dragomir Neshev, Prof Patrick Kluth, Professor Lan Fu


Exciton polaritons in 2D atomically thin materials


Semiconductor nano-foams for sensor and energy applications


Diagnosing plasma-surface interactions under fusion-relevant conditions


Mathematical making


Making diamond from disordered forms of carbon


Controlling the properties of 2D materials by defect engineering


Shape engineering of semiconductor nanostructures for novel device applications


High-bandwidth stabilisation of a 2µm-band laser
Dr Johannes Eichholz, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Prof David McClelland


Efficient optical interconnect for quantum computers


Solid state synapses and neurons - memristive devices for neuromorphic computing


Ultrashort laser processing for advanced applications


Nanowire Photodetectors for Photonic and Quantum Systems


Colloidal systems in highly concentrated salt solutions
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology


Fundamental investigation of fission tracks for geo- and thermochronology


Using materials physics to achieve ultra-low contact resistance for next generation semiconductor devices


Metaphotonics and Mie-tronics with resonant dielectric structures


Nanowire lasers for applications in nanophotonics


Quantum-well nanowire light emitting devices
Professor Lan Fu, Dr Ziyuan Li, Professor Hoe Tan, Professor Chennupati Jagadish


Quantum microscopes for revolutionary interdisciplinary science


Nanofluidic diodes: from biosensors to water treatment


Simulation of x-ray scattering from nano-objects


Functional Nanopore Membranes


Specific ion effects


Surface forces and the behaviour of colloidal systems


Developing wearable sensors for personalized health care technologies and solutions
Dr Buddini Karawdeniya, Prof Dragomir Neshev, Prof Patrick Kluth, Professor Lan Fu


Nanobubbles


Semiconductor nano-foams for sensor and energy applications


Nanowire infrared avalanche photodetectors towards single photon detection


Controlling the properties of 2D materials by defect engineering


Nonreciprocal nanophotonics: disruptive nanotechnology to control light


Shape engineering of semiconductor nanostructures for novel device applications


Solid state synapses and neurons - memristive devices for neuromorphic computing


Colloidal systems in highly concentrated salt solutions


Micro-ring lasers for integrated silicon photonics


Optical metamaterials: from science fiction to transformative optical technologies
Photonics, Lasers and Nonlinear Optics


Satellite based geodesy


Laser levitation of a macroscopic mirror


Ultrafast Laser Cleaning - The Light Touch
Fibre Optic Sensor Arrays for Vibrometry and Acoustic Sensing
Dr Chathura Bandutunga , , Dr Paul Sibley, A/Prof Malcolm Gray


Optical nonlinearities in 2D crystals


Synthesising non-Hermitian gauge fields for microcavity exciton polaritons


Metasurface polarization optics and quantum photonics


Metaphotonics and Mie-tronics with resonant dielectric structures


Nanowire lasers for applications in nanophotonics


Integrated quantum photonics
Prof Andrey Sukhorukov, Dr Jinyong Ma, Dr Jihua Zhang, Prof Dragomir Neshev


Quantum squeezed states for interferometric gravitational-wave detectors
Distinguished Prof David McClelland, Professor Daniel Shaddock, Dr Bram Slagmolen


Quantum-well nanowire light emitting devices
Professor Lan Fu, Dr Ziyuan Li, Professor Hoe Tan, Professor Chennupati Jagadish


Higher-order spatial mode optical cavity analysis for thermal noise measurements
Dr Johannes Eichholz, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Prof David McClelland


Optical nanoantennas
Optical Sensors for Inertial Navigation


Measurement of optical and mechanical losses of mirror coatings
Dr Johannes Eichholz, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Prof David McClelland


Non-equilibrium quantum condensation of microcavity exciton polaritons


Machine learning for optics and controls


Topological photonics


Quantum photonics with nanostructured metasurfaces


Coherently combined laser systems for space technologies


Exciton polaritons in 2D atomically thin materials


Low-noise offset-phase locking and heterodyne interferometry with 2µm-band lasers
Dr Johannes Eichholz, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Prof David McClelland


Nanowire infrared avalanche photodetectors towards single photon detection


Nonreciprocal nanophotonics: disruptive nanotechnology to control light


Synthetic multi-dimensional photonics


Femtosecond laser for ultra-precise cavity drilling in modern dentistry


High-bandwidth stabilisation of a 2µm-band laser
Dr Johannes Eichholz, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Prof David McClelland


Ultrashort laser processing for advanced applications


Nanowire Photodetectors for Photonic and Quantum Systems


Micro-ring lasers for integrated silicon photonics
Field Deployable Laser Stabilisation using Digitally Enhanced Fibre Interferometers


Optical metamaterials: from science fiction to transformative optical technologies
Physics Education
Virtual Reality for Physics Education


Science education with meriSTEM
Physics of the Nucleus


Nuclear magnetism - magnetic moment measurements
Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi, Professor Gregory Lane, Mr Brendan McCormick


Creating new superheavy elements
Dr Taiki Tanaka, Professor David Hinde, Professor Mahananda Dasgupta


Nuclear structure studies with particle transfer reactions
Dr AJ Mitchell, Professor Gregory Lane, Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi


Towards a global understanding of nuclear fission
Dr Kaitlin Cook, Professor David Hinde, Professor Mahananda Dasgupta


Paving the way to study the chronology of the Early Solar System
Dr Stefan Pavetich, Dr Michaela Froehlich , A/Prof Stephen Tims, Mr Dominik Koll


Measuring and modelling free-ion hyperfine fields
Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi, Mr Brendan McCormick


Space radiation modelling


Nuclear vibrations in near-spherical and deformed nuclei
Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Professor Gregory Lane, Dr AJ Mitchell, Mr Ben Coombes


Ultra-fast lifetime measurements of nuclear excited states
Professor Gregory Lane, Dr AJ Mitchell, Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi


Nuclear batteries: Energy-storage applications of nuclear isomers


Radioimpurities in particle detectors for dark matter studies
Dr Michaela Froehlich , Dr Zuzana Slavkovska, A/Prof Stephen Tims, Professor Gregory Lane


Nuclear lifetimes - developing new apparatus and methods
Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi, Professor Gregory Lane, Mr Ben Coombes


Exotic nuclear structure towards the neutron dripline


Understanding energy dissipation in colliding quantum many-body systems
Dr Kaitlin Cook, Dr Ian Carter, Professor Mahananda Dasgupta, Professor David Hinde


Effect Of Nuclear Structure On Dark Matter-Nucleus Interactions


Nuclei that fall apart: understanding the role of sub-zeptosecond processes in reactions of weakly-bound nuclei
Dr Kaitlin Cook, Professor Mahananda Dasgupta, Professor David Hinde


Characterisation and optimisation of an ionization detector system for probing dissipation effects
Dr Ian Carter, Professor Mahananda Dasgupta, Professor David Hinde, Mr Ben Swinton-Bland
Plasma Applications and Technology


System calculations for hunter killer satellites


Plasma surface interactions under extreme conditions


Plasma Thrusters for Spacecraft


Plasma-liquid interactions


Computer simulation of expanding plasmas


High pressure non-equilibrium plasma discharges in chemically reactive systems


Particle simulation of dual frequency processing plasmas


Magnetic nozzles and plasma generated by a remote source
Quantum Science and Technology


Satellite based geodesy


Laser levitation of a macroscopic mirror


Experimental quantum simulation with ultracold metastable Helium atoms in an optical lattice


Synthesising non-Hermitian gauge fields for microcavity exciton polaritons


Metasurface polarization optics and quantum photonics


Atomic magnetometer for exploring physics beyond the standard model


Integrated quantum photonics
Prof Andrey Sukhorukov, Dr Jinyong Ma, Dr Jihua Zhang, Prof Dragomir Neshev


Exploring physics with neural networks
Dr Aaron Tranter, Professor Ben Buchler, Professor Ping Koy Lam


Quantum squeezed states for interferometric gravitational-wave detectors
Distinguished Prof David McClelland, Professor Daniel Shaddock, Dr Bram Slagmolen


Optical quantum memory


Quantum microscopes for revolutionary interdisciplinary science


Vibration control for optical interferometry


Diamond quantum computing and communications


Non-equilibrium quantum condensation of microcavity exciton polaritons


Quantum emitters in 2D materials


Dual torsion pendulum for quantum noise limited sensing


Quantum photonics with nanostructured metasurfaces


Quantum super resolution


Quantum multi-parameter estimation


Synthetic multi-dimensional photonics


Discovering quantum defects in diamond and related materials


Interactions between Antimatter and Ultracold Atoms
Dr Sean Hodgman, Professor Stephen Buckman, Dr Joshua Machacek


Efficient optical interconnect for quantum computers


Beam matching using machine learning


How does a quantum system reach equilibrium?
Theoretical Physics


Nuclear magnetism - magnetic moment measurements
Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi, Professor Gregory Lane, Mr Brendan McCormick


Introduction to quantum integrable systems


Optical nanoantennas


Attosecond time-resolved atomic reactions


Neutron and X-ray imaging/tomography techniques at ANSTO and AS (Australian Synchrotron)


Stochastic dynamics of interacting systems and integrability


Variational approach to many-body problems


Atomic ionization in super-strong laser fields


Motions of crystalline bar-joint frameworks


Topological Crystallography: Graphs and surfaces with symmetry


Quantum multi-parameter estimation
Combinatorics and integrable systems


Mathematical making


Coherent control of quantum-mechanical systems


Effect Of Nuclear Structure On Dark Matter-Nucleus Interactions


Topological data analysis
Topological and Structural Science
Ghost imaging in the third dimension


Tomography of dynamic processes (3D movies)


Simulation of x-ray scattering from nano-objects


Wood-based Mechanical Metamaterials
Dr Nicolas Francois, Dr Mohammad Saadatfar, Mr William Leggate, Professor Mark Knackstedt


Topological photonics


Motions of crystalline bar-joint frameworks


Topological Crystallography: Graphs and surfaces with symmetry


Topological data analysis
Updated: 7 July 2022/ Responsible Officer: Director, RSPhys/ Page Contact: Physics Webmaster