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
Reducing Entropy in Lunar Supply Chains
Design a rail gun to operate in vacuum producing a force of 1mN
In space, no-one can hear you scream. Is this true?


Space radiation modelling


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


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


Continuous gravitational waves from neutron stars
Distinguished Profes Susan Scott, Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Dr Karl Wette


Gravitational waves from ultralight boson clouds around black holes
Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Distinguished Profes Susan Scott, Dr Karl Wette
Launching nano-satellites from the Earth's Moon


Exotic nuclear structure towards the neutron dripline


Gravitational waves from newborn neutron stars
Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Distinguished Profes Susan Scott, Dr Karl Wette
Active orbital control systems for nano-sats orbiting the Moon
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
Atomic and Molecular Physics


Atomic magnetometer for exploring physics beyond the standard model


Attosecond time-resolved atomic reactions


Coherent control of quantum-mechanical systems
Electron scattering from surfaces at high energies


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


Atomic ionization in super-strong laser fields


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


Optical quantum memory


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


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


Femtosecond laser for ultra-precise cavity drilling in modern dentistry


Specific ion effects


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
Clean Energy
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
Fibre Optic Sensor Arrays for Vibrometry and Acoustic Sensing
Dr Chathura Bandutunga , , Dr Paul Sibley, A/Prof Malcolm Gray


Vibration control for optical interferometry
Improving extraction of Critical MineralsÂ
Professor Mark Knackstedt, Dr Nicolas Francois, Prof Adrian Sheppard
Engineering Inter-spacecraft laser links
Design a rail gun to operate in vacuum producing a force of 1mN
In space, no-one can hear you scream. Is this true?


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


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


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


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


Calibration of gravitational wave detectors
Dr Lilli (Ling) Sun, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Profes Susan Scott
Optical Sensors for Inertial Navigation


Particle simulation of dual frequency processing plasmas


Plasma Thrusters for Spacecraft


Computer simulation of expanding plasmas
Launching nano-satellites from the Earth's Moon


Nuclear structure studies with particle transfer reactions
Dr AJ Mitchell, Professor Gregory Lane, Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Emeritus Professor Tibor Kibedi
Active orbital control systems for nano-sats orbiting the Moon


System calculations for hunter killer satellites


Plasma surface interactions under extreme conditions
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


Exploring physics with neural networks
Dr Aaron Tranter, Professor Ben Buchler, Professor Ping Koy Lam
Environmental Physics
Reducing Entropy in Lunar Supply Chains


Nanobubbles
Radioactivity in our environment


High pressure non-equilibrium plasma discharges in chemically reactive systems


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


Surface forces and the behaviour of colloidal systems


Understanding drought-resistance in Australian plants with 3D X-ray microscopy
Fusion and Plasma Confinement


Diagnosing plasma-surface interactions under fusion-relevant conditions
Studies on the effect of He irradiation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of W/ W alloys


Nano-bubble formation in fusion relevant materials
Materials Science and Engineering


Colloidal systems in highly concentrated salt solutions


High-bandwidth stabilisation of a 2µm-band laser
Dr Johannes Eichholz, Dr Bram Slagmolen, Distinguished Prof David McClelland
Deblur by defocus in a 3D X-ray microscope


Creating new materials using pressure and diamond anvil cells


Nanowire Photodetectors for Photonic and Quantum Systems


Optical nonlinearities in 2D crystals
Electron scattering from surfaces at high energies


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


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


Quantum emitters in 2D materials


Diagnosing plasma-surface interactions under fusion-relevant conditions


Semiconductor nano-foams for sensor and energy applications
X-ray scatter in 3D microscopes


Functional Nanopore Membranes


Shape engineering of semiconductor nanostructures for novel device applications


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


Developing wearable sensors for personalized health care technologies and solutions
Dr Buddini Karawdeniya, Prof Dragomir Neshev, Prof Patrick Kluth, Professor Lan Fu
Exploring novel X-ray scanning trajectories
Studies on the effect of He irradiation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of W/ W alloys


Nano-bubble formation in fusion relevant materials


Exciton polaritons in 2D atomically thin materials


Solid state synapses and neurons - memristive devices for neuromorphic computing


Nanofluidic diodes: from biosensors to water treatment


Making diamond from disordered forms of carbon


Efficient optical interconnect for quantum computers


Ultrashort laser processing for advanced applications


Fundamental investigation of fission tracks for geo- and thermochronology


Can we make a harder-than-diamond diamond?


Controlling the properties of 2D materials by defect engineering


Ultrafast Laser Cleaning - The Light Touch
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology


Colloidal systems in highly concentrated salt solutions


Quantum microscopes for revolutionary interdisciplinary science


Nanowire infrared avalanche photodetectors towards single photon detection


Nanobubbles


Micro-ring lasers for integrated silicon photonics


Semiconductor nano-foams for sensor and energy applications


Optical metamaterials: from science fiction to transformative optical technologies


Nanowire lasers for applications in nanophotonics


Specific ion effects


Functional Nanopore Membranes


Shape engineering of semiconductor nanostructures for novel device applications


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


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


Metaphotonics and Mie-tronics with resonant dielectric structures


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


Solid state synapses and neurons - memristive devices for neuromorphic computing


Simulation of x-ray scattering from nano-objects


Nanofluidic diodes: from biosensors to water treatment


Nonreciprocal nanophotonics: disruptive nanotechnology to control light


Surface forces and the behaviour of colloidal systems


Fundamental investigation of fission tracks for geo- and thermochronology


Controlling the properties of 2D materials by defect engineering
Photonics, Lasers and Nonlinear Optics


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


Satellite based geodesy


Coherently combined laser systems for space technologies


Synthetic multi-dimensional photonics


Nanowire infrared avalanche photodetectors towards single photon detection
Fibre Optic Sensor Arrays for Vibrometry and Acoustic Sensing
Dr Chathura Bandutunga , , Dr Paul Sibley, A/Prof Malcolm Gray


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


Micro-ring lasers for integrated silicon photonics


Synthesising non-Hermitian gauge fields for microcavity exciton polaritons


Nanowire Photodetectors for Photonic and Quantum Systems


Optical nonlinearities in 2D crystals


Non-equilibrium quantum condensation of microcavity exciton polaritons


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


Femtosecond laser for ultra-precise cavity drilling in modern dentistry


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


Optical metamaterials: from science fiction to transformative optical technologies


Nanowire lasers for applications in nanophotonics
Field Deployable Laser Stabilisation using Digitally Enhanced Fibre Interferometers
Optical Sensors for Inertial Navigation


Metaphotonics and Mie-tronics with resonant dielectric structures


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


Optical nanoantennas


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


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


Exciton polaritons in 2D atomically thin materials


Quantum photonics with nanostructured metasurfaces


Nonreciprocal nanophotonics: disruptive nanotechnology to control light


Machine learning for optics and controls


Ultrashort laser processing for advanced applications


Laser levitation of a macroscopic mirror


Metasurface polarization optics and quantum photonics


Ultrafast Laser Cleaning - The Light Touch


Topological photonics
Physics Education
Virtual Reality for Physics Education
Physics of the Nucleus


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


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


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


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


Space radiation modelling


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


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


Nuclear batteries: Energy-storage applications of nuclear isomers


Exotic nuclear structure towards the neutron dripline


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


Creating new superheavy elements
Dr Taiki Tanaka, 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
Plasma Applications and Technology


Plasma-liquid interactions


High pressure non-equilibrium plasma discharges in chemically reactive systems


Magnetic nozzles and plasma generated by a remote source


Particle simulation of dual frequency processing plasmas


Plasma Thrusters for Spacecraft


Computer simulation of expanding plasmas


System calculations for hunter killer satellites


Plasma surface interactions under extreme conditions
Quantum Science and Technology


Discovering quantum defects in diamond and related materials


Quantum multi-parameter estimation


Satellite based geodesy


Quantum microscopes for revolutionary interdisciplinary science


Quantum super resolution


Synthetic multi-dimensional photonics


Atomic magnetometer for exploring physics beyond the standard model


Vibration control for optical interferometry


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


Synthesising non-Hermitian gauge fields for microcavity exciton polaritons


Non-equilibrium quantum condensation of microcavity exciton polaritons


Quantum emitters in 2D materials


Diamond quantum computing and communications


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


Optical quantum memory


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


Dual torsion pendulum for quantum noise limited sensing


Beam matching using machine learning


Quantum photonics with nanostructured metasurfaces


Efficient optical interconnect for quantum computers


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


Laser levitation of a macroscopic mirror


Metasurface polarization optics and quantum photonics


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


Quantum multi-parameter estimation


Attosecond time-resolved atomic reactions


Stochastic dynamics of interacting systems and integrability


Coherent control of quantum-mechanical systems


Variational approach to many-body problems


Topological Crystallography: Graphs and surfaces with symmetry


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


Motions of crystalline bar-joint frameworks


Atomic ionization in super-strong laser fields


Introduction to quantum integrable systems


Optical nanoantennas


Topological data analysis
Combinatorics and integrable systems
Topological and Structural Science


Topological Crystallography: Graphs and surfaces with symmetry


Motions of crystalline bar-joint frameworks


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


Simulation of x-ray scattering from nano-objects


Topological data analysis


Topological photonics
Updated: 1 July 2022/ Responsible Officer: Director, RSPhys/ Page Contact: Physics Webmaster