Volume 48, Number 6, Nov–Dec 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics in 2011 Fifty Years of Manned Spaceflight 23rdSaleSSa aleDecemberl ends d DDececemberece 22011 011 Vibration Control Sale Take advantage of our Optical Table Tops highly discounted pricing & Breadboards on TMCs catalogue High Performance passive isolation products Laboratory Tables Pneumatic Isolators Tabletop Platforms 116 Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Hilton SA 5033 Phone (08) 8150 5200 Fax (08) 8352 2020 Freecall 1800 202 030 www.coherent.com.au )*)& -+.," /-+)"/"-.*! +)&*"! )* +*#+ (30+-". "* ".1./"). /+)& +- "& -+. +,". **&*$0**"(&*$& -+. +,". )* .1./"). *+)& -+. ("*./-0)"*/"!*!"*//&+* *+)& -+) -+ -/ %.1./"). ((,&*+*&.'&$%"),"-/0-"*+ 00)-&+(+$1.1./"). * *!* **+,-/& ("!",+.&/&+* .1./"). ((" /+)& 1"-",+.&/&+* /%&*4() !",+.&/&+*.1./"). +* +*/ //%&*4())".0-")"*/+# +,/& ( +/&*$. *)/+ 2) CONTENTS 164 Editorial Nobel Prize for Physics Volume 48, Number 6, Nov–Dec 2011 165 President’s Column A Publication of the Australian Institute of Physics Marc Duldig reports on Promoting the role of physics in research, education, industry and the community. recent national and international activities of Nobel Prize for EDITOR Physics in 2011 the AIP Peter Robertson [email protected] 166 Letters to Editor ASSISTANT EDITOR Dr Akin Budi Fifty Years of Manned [email protected] 169 News & Comment Spaceflight BOOK REVIEWS EDITOR ANU astronomer wins Dr John Macfarlane Nobel Prize Cover [email protected] Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Professor Brian Schmidt (Australian National 2011 University) has been awarded the Nobel SAMPLINGS EDITOR Barry Inglis Medal and NMI Prize for Physics in 2011. He shares the Dr Don Price Prize prize with Professor Adam Riess (Johns [email protected] The Dish turns fifty Hopkins University) and Professor Saul EDITORIAL BOARD Perlmutter (University of California, Berkeley) A/Prof Brian James (Chair) 173 A Nobel Week for their discovery that the Universe is ex- [email protected] panding at an accelerating rate – see pages Dr M. A. Box Stephen Luntz interviews 169, 173 and 175. [credit: Belinda Pratten Dr J. Holdsworth Professor Brian Schmidt and the ANU] A/Prof R. J. Stening Prof H. A. Bachor Prof H. Rubinsztein-Dunlop 175 Nobel Prize for Physics in 2011 Prof S. Tingay The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences explains the ASSOCIATE EDITOR – EDUCATION significance of this year’s Nobel Prize for Physics, awarded to Dr Colin Taylor [email protected] three astronomers who discovered that the rate of expansion of the Universe is accelerating ASSOCIATE EDITORS Dr John Humble [email protected] 181 Fifty Years of Manned Spaceflight Dr Laurence Campbell [email protected] Dr Frederick Osman [email protected] Jonathan Nally provides an overview of the space program Dr Wen Xin Tang [email protected] since Yuri Gagarin made a single orbit of the globe in April 1961 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Articles for submission to Australian Physics should be sent in electronically. 188 Obituary Word or rich text format are preferred. Images should not be embedded in Trevor Tansley (1943–2011) by Deb Kane the document, but should be sent as high resolution attachments in JPG format. Authors should also send a short bio and a recent photo. The Editor reserves the right to edit articles based on space requirements and editorial 189 Product News content. Contributions should be sent to the Editor. A review of new products from Lastek, Warsash Scientific, Coherent Scientific and Agilent Technologies ADVERTISING Enquiries should be sent to the Editor. Inside Back Cover Published six times a year. Physics conferences for 2012 Copyright 2011 Pub. No. PP 224960 / 00008 ISSN 1837-5375 The statements made and the opinions expressed in Australian Physics do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Institute of Physics or its Council or Committees. PRODUCTION Control Publications Pty Ltd Box 2155 Wattletree Rd PO, VIC 3145. [email protected] NOV–DEC 2011 | 48(6) AUSTRALIAN PHYSICS 163 EDITORIAL Australian Institute of Physics Nobel Prize AIP website: www.aip.org.au for Physics AIP Executive President Dr Marc Duldig In the 1990s two teams, one led by [email protected] Brian Schmidt (ANU) and the other Vice President Dr Robert Robinson [email protected] by Saul Perlmutter (U. California), Secretary Dr Andrew Greentree [email protected] raced each other to find evidence Treasurer Dr Judith Pollard [email protected] that the expansion of the Universe Registrar A/Prof Bob Loss is slowing down because of the [email protected] effects of gravity. To the astonishment Immediate Past President A/Prof Brian James of both teams, they found exactly [email protected] the opposite – the expansion is accelerating, a profound discovery Special Projects Officers Dr John Humble that has been rewarded with this year’s Nobel Prize for Physics. [email protected] While Adam Riess (Johns Hopkins) was a member of the Schmidt Dr Olivia Samardzic group, it is well worth noting that two prominent members of the [email protected] Perlmutter group were the Australian astronomers Brian Boyle (CSIRO) and Warwick Couch (Swinburne University of Technology), AIP ACT Branch Chair Dr Anna Wilson so Australia can rightly claim a significant share of the discovery. [email protected] Although Australia has won more than its fair share of Nobel Secretary Joe Hope Prizes in Medicine, it has been a long time between drinks for [email protected] Physics. The only other occasion Australia can lay claim to the prize was the award in 1915 to father and son William and Lawrence AIP NSW Branch Chair Dr Graeme Melville [email protected] Bragg for their development of X-ray crystallography. Secretary Dr Frederick Osman There are some interesting parallels between the two prizes. [email protected] William came from England to take up a chair at the University of Adelaide. He married, raised a family and eventually the family AIP QLD Branch returned to England. William and Lawrence carried out the research Chair Dr Joel Corney [email protected] that led to their Nobel Prize on English soil. In contrast, Brian Secretary Dr Till Weinhold [email protected] Schmidt was born in the US and moved to the ANU in 1995. The research that led to his Nobel Prize was carried out on Australian AIP SA Branch soil. Chair Dr Scott Foster Congratulations again to Brian! [email protected] Secretary Dr Laurence Campbell [email protected] Until the Nobel announcement our cover story was to have been the article on manned spaceflight by Jonathan Nally on page 181. If AIP TAS Branch you are a regular listener to Robyn Williams’ Science Show, you will Chair Dr Elizabeth Chelkowska be aware of the excellent segments that Jonathan presents on [email protected] astronomy and space science. Jon said he does not mind in the least Secretary Dr Stephen Newbury [email protected] being ‘bumped off’ the front cover by such good news! AIP VIC Branch At the beginning of this year we set ourselves the goal of getting Chair Dr Andrew Stevenson [email protected] the magazine back on schedule by the end of the year. I’m pleased to Secretary Dr Mark Boland [email protected] note that we have achieved that goal, but only because of the hard work of our production team. I would like especially to thank our AIP WA Branch Chair A/Prof Marjan Zadnik [email protected] Assistant Editor Akin Budi, Guy Nolch at Control Publications, Secretary Dr Andrea Biondo [email protected] Rod Johnson and Ray Leung at Pinnacle Print Group, Che Giblin at MailPro, and Kim O’Dea at Waldron Smith Management. Printing On behalf of the production team, we wish you all the best for the Pinnacle Print Group 288 Dundas Street, Thornbury VIC 3071 coming Season and look forward to a successful 2012. www.pinnacleprintgroup.com.au Peter Robertson 164 AUSTRALIAN PHYSICS 48(6) | NOV–DEC 2011 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN National and international activities of the AIP Instead of an opinion piece it is time Applied Physics (IUPAP) General to bring members up to date with Assembly. I attended with two other some of the national and international Australian voting delegates, the AIP activities that the Institute has been Vice President Rob Robinson and involved in. Before I do this I must another AIP member, Bruce McKellar. congratulate Michelle Simmons on The most exciting aspect of the meet- her award as the NSW Scientist of ing was the nomination of Bruce as the Year. President Elect. Bruce was elected The AIP is a founding member of unopposed and will serve on the ex- the Association of Asia Pacific Physical ecutive until he automatically takes Societies (AAPPS). AAPPS has not up the Presidency at the next General been a particularly high profile or- Assembly in three years time. This is and on completion they will become ganisation but it is starting to flower the first time a southern hemisphere Members or Fellows of the IOP and and develop its potential. In the member has been elected to the Pres- be able to use the MInstP or FInstP fastest growing region for science and idency and our congratulations go to post nominal. More importantly, with a huge population base AAPPS Bruce. independent of their membership is in the right place to become a sig- The IUPAP GA was hosted by the grade there is no more to pay and fu- nificant force in international physics. Institute of Physics (IOP), the or- ture year fees will continue to be dis- AAPPS has been actively pursuing ganisation from which the AIP grew. counted in the same way. increased linkage with Europe and I spent some time in discussions with Finally, closer to home, FASTS there have been a couple of joint the IOP looking at strengthening our has undergone a rebranding and is conferences aimed at enhancing col- bonds.