School of Physics and ISS Alumni Association July 2008 0 BE A PART OF YOUR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Contact us at: School of Physics A28 The University of Sydney Alumni Update NSW 2006 Australia T: +61 2 9036 5194 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] Visit: www.usyd.edu.au/alumni shape, the team looked at radio surveys and discovered that G350.1-0.3 had exploded next to a OPTICAL WINNER IN A VIRTUAL WORLD dense cloud of gas about 15,000 light years from Earth. The cloud prevented the blast from expanding evenly in all directions, resulting in an example of a rare kind of misshapen supernova The Optical Society of America (OSA) recently announced its five most remnant. downloaded research papers for 2007 with Professor Ross McPhedran G350.1-0.3 is incredibly small and young in astronomical terms, only eight light years across and (left) and his colleagues from the University of Sydney taking top about 1000 years old. "Only a handful of such young supernova remnants are known. So even honours. The papers were downloaded from OpticsInfoBase.org OSAʼs online having one more is important," says Tanna. That is because young supernova remnants are repository for its 12 journals. The No 1 paper entitled Quasistatic Cloaking of highly luminous and the newly formed chemical elements are glowing brightly, making them Two-Dimensional Polarisable Discrete Systems by Anomalous Resonance easier to study. "We are seeing these heavy elements fresh out of the oven," says Gaensler. As wasnʼt just cited for its catchy title alone. According to Tony Campillo, OSAʼs well as exhibiting the newly created elements, young supernova remnants contain clues about senior director of science policy, its popularity can be related to a recent advance in optics called the way the original star exploded. Such information is lost in the majority of supernova remnants cloaking or making an object invisible - currently a very hot topic. To view the paper visit: because, as they expand and age, they lose their initial characteristics. "After 20,000 years, all www.OpticsInfoBase.org for more info on Prof. McPhedranʼs work visit: sorts of explosions look more or less the same," says Gaensler. Astronomers are now www.physics.usyd.edu.au/theory/ross_new.html recognising that stars explode in many different ways and Gaensler and Tanna hope that further investigations of G350.1-0.3 will yield clues as to exactly what kind of star exploded. "It may turn KICKSTART’S ON THE ROAD AGAIN out that many of the youngest supernova remnants have these strange shapes," says Tanna. "The hunt is now on to find more." For info on Prof. Gaenslerʼs research visit: The School of Physicsʼ Science Communicator Dr Phil Dooley and his Kickstart crew will www.physics.usyd.edu.au/ioa/Main/People hit the road again taking their show on the road to regional New South Wales. They will be in Armidale at the University of New England on 28 & 29 July, Dubbo at the Dubbo College Senior Campus on 25 July and Wagga Wagga Christian College on 22 & 23 July. Thereʼs also PHYSICS MUSEUM plenty of fun for all the family as the Kickstart demonstrators will bring with them the Great Thanks to everyone who contacted Physics Air Show where you can watch with awe as brains expand and explosions abound all us regarding the Physics Museum due to air. For more information visit: Collection featured on ABC TVʼs www.physics.usyd.edu.au/schools_community/kickstart_regional.shtml Collectors program (right: Dr Karl & The Science Teachers Regional Workshops will also be run along with Kickstart - same venues, Andy Muirhead from the show). same dates. To make a booking please visit: www.physics.usyd.edu.au/foundation/ Many were curious about viewing these wonderful physics objects. YOUNG STARS DISCOVERED Plans are now in place to display this rare and valuable collection Federation Fellow and astronomer Professor Bryan Gaensler, PhD Student Mr Anant prominently within the School. The old Tanna, and their colleagues from the School of Physics, have used the X-ray capabilities and delicate objects require four of XMM-Newton – the European Space Agency's (ESA's) orbiting X-ray observatory to special display cases each costing around $4,000 dollars. All donations towards the prove that appearances can be deceptive. Classified in the 1980s, as a probable background creation of the Physics Museum are tax-deductible and are most welcome. All donors will galaxy despite its misshapen configuration G350.1-0.3 is actually the debris of an exploded star, receive an invitation to the opening of the Physics Museum later in 2008. Contact Alison in fact it is one of the youngest and brightest supernova remnants in the Milky Way. To explain its Muir for more details email: [email protected] or +61 2 9036 5194. .