Issue 11, February 2011 school of physics alumni & friends newsletter

HEAD’S MESSAGE 2010 VICTORIAN HONOUR ROLL Professor David N. Jamieson OF WOMEN

The School of administration of the MSc degree. This will 2010 marked the 10th anniversary of the Physics was create an exciting new space where we can Victorian Honour Roll of Women which delighted to learn also stage conferences. recognises and celebrates the achievements in October of 2010 Our staff and students have been recognised of remarkable Victorian women. that our bids to be for their accomplishments: The Australian All of the 20 inductees for 2010 have used part of three new Institute of Physics’ Alan Walsh Medal for their skills, knowledge, and commitment to Australian Research Services to Industry for 2010 was awarded better their communities. They have excelled Council Centres of to Rob Scholten for his thriving spin-out in their chosen fields and are testament to Excellence were company “MOGlabs” providing advanced the depth of talented women we have in this successful. From products for optics research; The Australian State. 2011 onwards Optical Society (AOS) Postgraduate Student Professor Rachel Webster joined this Professor Geoff Award for 2010 was awarded to Sebastian remarkable group of 458 women who have Taylor will make us the headquarters of the Saliba; at the 2010 AIP Congress PhD been honoured over the last 10 years and Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at student Elaine Miles was awarded the 2010 she has been recognised as being a leading the Tera-Scale, Professor Lloyd Hollenberg Warsash Award for Science Communication; Australian astrophysicist and role model for will bring us into the Centre of Excellence for PhD student Babs Fairchild received the women in this traditionally male-dominated Quantum Computation and Communication Young Investigator Oral Presentation award field. Technology and Professor Stuart Wyithe will at the recent Diamond 2010 Conference bring us into the Centre of Excellence for in Budapest; The Chancellor’s Prize for As Victoria’s first and Australia’s second All-sky Astrophysics. These new Centres Excellence in the PhD Thesis was awarded full-time female professor Rachel has made will join Professor Keith Nugent’s continuing to Andrew Martin. We also congratulated signficant research accomplishments which Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Jeff McCallum and Andrew Melatos on are complemented by her work outside Science. Collectively these Centres will bring their promotions to Associate Professor and astrophysics, particularly on climate change a substantial number of new staff, facilities Andrew Greentree and Harry Quiney on their and alternative power. and exciting research projects of international promotions to Principal Research Fellow It was an outstanding year for Rachel significance into the School along with effective January 1 2011. the successful ARC DP applications that who was also awarded the Australian were awarded to Les Allen (Professorial We have also been busy explaining our Learning & Teaching Council 2010 Citation Fellowship), Chris Chantler, Andrew Melatos, work to the wider public: we had a packed for Outstanding Contributions to Student Ann Roberts, Jeremy Mould and Daniel program of July lectures celebrating the 50th Learning. Gomez. anniversary of the laser. People from the School of Physics had numerous mentions “I hope that I have enabled young We also learned that the Excellence in in the mass media in association with women to understand that they are Research for Australia (ERA) evaluation their research at CERN, on the Bionic Eye capable, and that they have something exercise conducted by the Australian projects, programming single electron spins substanial and different to contribute Research Council in 2010 awarded all our in quantum devices and the quest to develop to science” RACHEL WEBSTER research areas the highest allocated ratings geothermal power. in Australia. Using a combination of metrics and peer review, ERA found our research To top off a very successful year, both work to be “.... characterised by evidence of Professor Ray Volkas and Steven Prawer outstanding performance well above world were elected as fellows of the Australian standard presented by the suite of indicators Academy of Science. We look forward to an used for evaluation”. even busier 2011! The physical infrastructure of our building will Professor David N. Jamieson undergo a major upgrade in 2011 to house the new Centres along with the major works on the second level of the south wing to house a new graduate student centre for teaching and Prof. Rachel Webster being inducted to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women by Maxine Morand MP, Minisiter for Women’s Affairs http://physics.unimelb.edu.au ARC CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE The School will be playing a key role in three new Centres starting in 2011, which will join the ongoing centre for CXS, AUSTRALIAN leading to an unprecedented concentration of Centres of ACADEMY OF Excellence in the School SCIENCE FELLOWS March 2010 saw the announcement of the CoEPP latest 17 people elected as Fellows to the The ARC Centre of Excellence in Australian Academy of Science with two of Particle Physics at the Tera-Scale our own, Professors Ray Volkas and Steven CXS will be lead by the University of Prawer included in the line-up. School of Physics and will explore particle The ARC Centre of Excellence in physics at terascale energies (a million Election to the AAS recognises research coherent x-ray science began in 2005 million electron volts) through the ATLAS that has significantly advanced the world’s and recently received further funding to experiment, a giant particle detector attached scientific knowledge. Ray was elected for continue to bring together leading Australian to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. his research into theoretical particle physics, researchers in the fields of X-ray physics, early universe cosmology and high energy the design and use of synchrotron radiation The Centre will see scientists from the astrophysics. Steven for the physics of sources, and the preparation, manipulation , the University of diamond and related materials. Adelaide, , the University and characterisation of biological samples. This is an enormous distinction for our new of Sydney and a host of international fellows and for the School. The CXS head office and administrating collaborators investigating fundamental institution is based at the University particle interactions at higher energies. This of Melbourne School of Physics with will lead to more discoveries about the early participating notes at La Trobe University, stages of the evolution of the universe after Monash University, Swinburne University of the big bang. Technology and the CSIRO.

CAASTRO

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Prof. Ray Volkas Prof. Steven Prawer All-sky Astrophysics team will pursue CQC2T three interlinked scientific programmes, The ARC Centre for Quantum each of which can be addressed only with CLASS OF ‘70-79 Computation and Communication the all-sky perspective provided by wide- school of PHYSICS field telescopes: The Evolving Universe; The Technology is an Australian multi- REUNION university collaboration undertaking research Dynamic Universe; The Dark Universe. On Friday 2 July, 2010 the School of Physics on the fundamental physics and technology CAASTRO will assemble the world-class hosted a reunion for Physics honours and of building, at the atomic level, a solid state team needed to exploit the scientific potential postgraduate students from the 1970s. quantum computer in silicon together with of these exciting new wide-field facilities and other high potential implementations. The will deliver transformational new science by The reunion was planned to coincide with objective is underpinned by a vigorous bringing together unique expertise in radio the evening of the first 2010 July Lectures in semiconductor research program that astronomy, optical astronomy, theoretical Physics which was presented by Professor includes a sophisticated quantum astrophysics and computation, and by David Jamieson and was deemed a success measurement capability at ultra-low coupling all these capabilities to the powerful providing a wonderful opportunity for those temperatures. technology in which Australia has recently who attended to take a walk down memory CQCT was established in 2000 through funds invested. lane. from the Australian Research Council, the CAASTRO will be led by The University of “One of those memories was asking participating institutions are: , in conjunction with the Australian another research student (Liz Reen) New South Wales, University of Melbourne, National University, the University of out to a concert in that tea room. University of Queensland, UNSW@ADFA, Melbourne, the University of Western Griffith University, Australian National Australia, Curtin University and Swinburne She said yes and we’re still University and University of Sydney. The University, complemented by a group of together!” Andrew Smith new Centre encompasses major research world-class Australian and international infrastructure, including an extensive partners. If you have any advice or semiconductor nanofabrication facility, crystal suggestions, please contact: growth, ion implantation, surface analysis, Executive Manager, School of Physics laser physics, high magnetic fields/low Email: [email protected] temperatures, and has substantial theoretical Telephone: (03) 8344 5459 support.

If you would like to drop us a line, please email us at [email protected]. The information in this publication was correct at the time of printing. Authorised by Professor David Jamieson, designed by Hayley Campbell, published by the School of Physics, University of Melbourne 2011 © http://physics.unimelb.edu.au