The University of Sydney School of Physics Annual Report 2006 Contents 1 HEAD OF SCHOOL REPORT 2 TEACHING HIGHLIGHTS 3 PRIZES & SCHOLARSHIPS 4 OUTREACH REPORT 5 HONOURS REPORT 5 STAFF AWARDS 6 SCIENCE FOUNDATION FOR PHYSICS The 3.9m Anglo-Australian Telescope observing the daylight sky for measuring the 5-minute oscillations in the scattered spectrum of the Sun. 8 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS 9 APPLIED AND PLASMA PHYSICS 10 BRAIN DYNAMICS GROUP 12 ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS (INSTITUTE OF ASTRONOMY) 14 THE CENTRE FOR ULTRAHIGH BANDWITH DEVICE OPTICAL SYSTEMS (CUDOS) 15 COMPLEX SYSTEMS 17 CONDENSED MATTER THEORY 19 ASTEROSEISMOLOGY GROUP 19 HIGH ENERGY 20 INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL PHYSICS 21 QUANTUM INFORMATION THEORY 21 SYDNEY UNIVERSITY PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH (SUPER) © The School of Physics, The University of Sydney 2006. All rights reserved. 22 OVERVIEW OF PUBLICATIONS Head of School's Report BRIAN JAMES ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, PHYSICS HEAD OF SCHOOL BY ANY MEASURE 2006 HAS BEEN an outstanding year for This is also a good time to be successful with competitive the School. The fact that, in addition to about 20 teaching and grants and fellowships as the Research Quality Framework research academic staff, there are nearly 80 research-only assessment due to take place in 2008. Projects and academic staff and more than 100 postgraduate students infrastructure grants of more than $10 million were awarded to undertaking research degrees, mostly PhDs. is testimony to staff members via ARC and NH&MRC competitive grants our strong research culture. There are about 20 students in under several different schemes. the Medical Physics postgraduate coursework program, and nearly 1000 undergraduate students studying physics, With many new staff there has been increasing pressure on including 25 honours students. It is very pleasing that our infrastructure. In preparation for the rationalisation of the numbers remains strong and that the student learning Science Libraries to form a new SciTech library in 2008, the experience is continuing to be tested and improved. A feature Physics library was amalgamated with the Chemistry, of our research success is that we are able to incorporate Biochemistry and Geosciences libraries in the Madsen research experiences at all levels of the undergraduate Building. The floor in the Annexe vacated by the library has program, via the talented student program, senior physics been approved for redevelopment as office space, to be special projects and, of course, honours projects. The pursuit completed in 2007. of excellence in teaching and research is the essence of the School’s strategic goal. This year saw another successful Science Teachers’ Workshop, in July, and a strong effort of outreach for high Awards to our staff and students are another measure of school students under the Kickstart program. Elsewhere in success. In 2006, Professor Ben Eggleton was awarded the this report is our list of Scholarship and Prizewinners for 2006. Pawsey Medal (for outstanding research in Physics in Australia Again, we have had an excellent cohort in the Talented by a scientist less than 40 years of age), and Alex Argyros was Student Program and a strong group of outstanding students awarded the Bragg Medal (for best physics PhD thesis). Both who have won awards from the Faculty of Science as well as are prestigious national awards by the Australian Institute of being recipients of Physics awards. Physics. The Charlene Heisler Prize for best PhD on an astronomical topic was won by Michael Ireland. A Carrick The newly appointed external advisory board met twice in Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Dr Manjula 2006 and provided excellent advice and suggestions on Sharma and Dr John O’Byrne received the Harry Messel Award strategic directions for the School. While the School is seen to for Excellence in recognition of his contributions to the School, be progressing well overall, it is clear that links with industry particularly in relating to teaching and outreach. Also, Emeritus and industry experience opportunities for students need Professor Bernard Mills was awarded the 2006 Reber Medal for further development. his outstanding contribution to radio astronomy. 2006 marks the last year of my four-year term as Head of The School has continued to be stunningly successful in its School. I inherited a School in excellent shape, and was research activities. We now have five ARC Federation Fellows fortunate to be Head at a time when the School (Professors Marcela Bilek, Ben Eggleton, Bryan Gaensler, unambiguously asserted its leading position in Australian Peter Robinson and Catherine Stampfl), five ARC Professorial Physics. For this opportunity I put on record my gratitude to Fellows (Professor Iver Cairns, Ross McPhedran, Don staff and students, for their support. Finally, with my best Melrose, Elaine Sadler, Sergey Vladimirov) and four QEII wishes for the future, I hand over to the next Head of School, Fellows (Drs Scott Croom, Andrew Hopkins, Kostya Ostrikov, Associate Professor Anne Green. Peter Tuthill), which is a wonderfully impressive record. Also, at the end 2006 we heard that Alex Samarian has been awarded a QE II fellowship, and Peter Tuthill a second fellowship, both to commence next year. The School welcomed Dr Boris Kuhlmey to a continuing lectureship in photonics, which he has deferred until his present fellowship finishes. This year also marked the retirement of Paul Ferguson, who looked after lecture demonstrations for the School for almost 14 years. ARC Federation Fellows (L to R), Professors Ben Eggleton, Marcela Bilek, Catherine Stampfl and Bryan Gaensler SCHOOL OF PHYSICS ANNUAL REPORT 2006 1 Teaching Report 2006 PROFESSOR RICHARD (DICK) HUNSTEAD CHAIR, ACADEMIC PROGRAMS COMMITTEE Undergraduate student numbers in 2006 showed a small but Honours Students: A record 25 students completed honours sustained overall growth, with particularly significant increases in 2006, with three receiving the University medal: Christine in the higher years. Numbers in each year, averaged over the Lindstrom, Jamie Vahn and Myles Cover. The Australian Institute two semesters and counting just the mainstream physics of Physics (NSW Branch) prize and the Shiroki Prize for the best courses, were as follows: honours project both went to Christine Lindstrom. Talented Student Program : As in previous years, research Junior 690 groups across the School offered mini projects in second semester to Junior and Intermediate students in the Talented Intermediate 135 Student Program. The response was phenomenal, with 44 students doing project work in place of part of their laboratory Senior 68 course. Staff were especially impressed with the high standard of the student talks and reports. Many of the TSP students Honours 25 continued with their research projects as summer vacation scholars leading, in several cases, to joint authorship on journal Junior physics: The web-based tutorial and assignment publications. scheme known as Mastering Physics has been well received by first year students. This scheme, developed by Pearson Education in conjunction with their Physics textbook, was trialled in 2004 and adopted more widely in 2005 and 2006. There are plans to extend it further in 2007 to include the first year astronomy course. Intermediate physics: 2006 was the second year of the new 6 credit point structure for Intermediate Physics, with one 6CP unit in first semester and two in second semester, one of which is optional. Student satisfaction with this new structure is very high, especially the strong links between the lecture courses and computational labs in optics and quantum physics. Senior Physics: Introduction of the 6CP system to Senior Physics in 2006 went smoothly, with students liking the flexibility of subject choices. A record number of 50 students did special projects with research groups in the School as part of their senior assessment. SCHOOL OF PHYSICS ANNUAL REPORT 2006 2 Prizes and Scholarships 2006 The following students were awarded SENIOR PHYSICS AWARDS TO prizes or scholarships in 2006 based on Deas-Thomson Scholarship their academic achievements in 2005. Christine Lindstrom POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS UNDERGRADUATE The Walter Burfitt Scholarship No 2 for Physics Australian Institute of Physics 2006 JUNIOR PHYSICS Jamie Vahn Bragg Medal for the best PhD thesis in Physics Levey Scholarship No 1 for Physics Alex Argyros (OFTC, for his thesis Aaron Hayward School of Physics–Julius Sumner Miller Scholarship No 3 entitled "Bragg Reflection and Bandgaps in Microstructured Optical School of Physics–Julius Sumner Jamie Vahn Fibres") Miller Scholarship No 1 Po Chia Chen Andrew Darmawan Student Presentation Prize at the Elie Matar Science Foundation for Physics Scholarship No 3 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Astronomical Society of Australia School of Physics Outstanding Daniel Yardley Julian North (Institute of Astronomy) Achievement Scholarship Michelle Rigozzi Cameron Cuthbert Kevin Aquino Therese Au NSW Australian Institute of Physics Postgraduate Prize for a PhD Science Foundation for Physics Dean Hillan & Myles Cover (shared) student in the last stage of their Scholarship No 1 degree, based on content and Joel Wallman The WIB Smith Prize scientific quality, clarity and Thomas Chung Christine Lindstrom presentation skills. Matthew Nichols Vahid Ta'eed (CUDOS) Harrison Swift The Malcolm Turki Memorial Karrnan Pathmanandavel Scholarship Dean Hillan & Myles Cover (shared) 2006 Australasia Dupont Innovation Award Category