Fundamental physics in distant galaxies. The fundamental constants of Nature are assumed to characterise physics in our entire Universe, but are they really the same everywhere and throughout its entire 14 billion year history? This project will answer this question with the first large-scale, purpose-built observational programme on one of the world's biggest and best telescopes.
Electroweak phase transition: A cosmological window to new particle physics. The observed asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the visible universe arguably represents the major challenge to contemporary particle physics and cosmology. This project explores new theoretical, phenomenological and computational aspects of the electroweak phase transition and the generation of the cosmic matter-antimatter asymmetry in the early universe together with their links to new physics that may manifes ....Electroweak phase transition: A cosmological window to new particle physics. The observed asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the visible universe arguably represents the major challenge to contemporary particle physics and cosmology. This project explores new theoretical, phenomenological and computational aspects of the electroweak phase transition and the generation of the cosmic matter-antimatter asymmetry in the early universe together with their links to new physics that may manifest at present and future high-energy colliders and gravitational wave observatories. Read moreRead less
Violation of fundamental symmetries in atomic phenomena. Violation of the fundamental symmetries is predicted by unification theories of elementary particles. The aim of this project is to propose new enhanced effects of parity, time reversal and Lorentz invariance violations and perform their calculations needed to test unification theories in atomic and nuclear phenomena. By-products of this project include development of high precision computer codes for atomic calculations and theory of pro ....Violation of fundamental symmetries in atomic phenomena. Violation of the fundamental symmetries is predicted by unification theories of elementary particles. The aim of this project is to propose new enhanced effects of parity, time reversal and Lorentz invariance violations and perform their calculations needed to test unification theories in atomic and nuclear phenomena. By-products of this project include development of high precision computer codes for atomic calculations and theory of processes involving atoms and nuclei in chaotic excited states. These codes and theory are expected to have numerous applications (e.g. search for Dark Matter and atomic spectra of superheavy elements, atomic clocks and electron and photon processes).
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From dark matter to atomic physics. Very little is known about dark matter except that it is present in our Universe in abundance. The project aims to guide the search for dark matter particles (and study related phenomena, for example, baryogenesis). The guiding idea is that these particles interact, albeit weakly, with atoms and hence are able to ionise them, which is a detectable process.
New Physics and the quark/lepton family replication puzzle. This project aims to investigate how new physics impacts on the puzzling threefold replication of the elementary particles known as quarks and leptons; these particles provide the foundations for the structure of atoms. This theory project seeks to do so in the context of a concentrated worldwide experimental program whose objective is to produce hugely more information about the mysterious replication. Expected outcomes include the con ....New Physics and the quark/lepton family replication puzzle. This project aims to investigate how new physics impacts on the puzzling threefold replication of the elementary particles known as quarks and leptons; these particles provide the foundations for the structure of atoms. This theory project seeks to do so in the context of a concentrated worldwide experimental program whose objective is to produce hugely more information about the mysterious replication. Expected outcomes include the construction of new theories that deepen our understanding of elementary particles and their interactions. This should provide significant benefits to intellectual culture and the training of early-career researchers as flexible problem solvers able to innovate in any context in industry or government service.Read moreRead less
Rare decays of B mesons: Probing new physics with Belle II. This project aims to observe the decay of a B meson to a muon and a neutrino, a rare subatomic process. This will test understanding of the basic building blocks and forces of nature. If the measured and expected decay rates are different, this would be significant. The project also seeks to enhance Australia's role in a major physics experiment based in Japan. This project will contribute to a deeper understanding of our place in the U ....Rare decays of B mesons: Probing new physics with Belle II. This project aims to observe the decay of a B meson to a muon and a neutrino, a rare subatomic process. This will test understanding of the basic building blocks and forces of nature. If the measured and expected decay rates are different, this would be significant. The project also seeks to enhance Australia's role in a major physics experiment based in Japan. This project will contribute to a deeper understanding of our place in the Universe.Read moreRead less
Strong electron correlations in quantum materials. The project will fundamentally advance the knowledge base towards the development of novel quantum materials. The project will reveal mechanisms of strong electron correlations and develop methods to use these correlations to enhance desirable properties of materials.
Antimatter and exotic mesons at the intensity frontier. This project aims to measure anti-proton and anti-neutron interactions in the calorimeter, a piece of equipment central to the Belle experiment in Japan. Antimatter is used every day in particle physics, but is not fully understood. The Belle dataset is large and directly applicable to the renewed Belle II experiment, due to commence in late 2018. The anticipated outcome is an improved ability to recognise different particles and measure th ....Antimatter and exotic mesons at the intensity frontier. This project aims to measure anti-proton and anti-neutron interactions in the calorimeter, a piece of equipment central to the Belle experiment in Japan. Antimatter is used every day in particle physics, but is not fully understood. The Belle dataset is large and directly applicable to the renewed Belle II experiment, due to commence in late 2018. The anticipated outcome is an improved ability to recognise different particles and measure their energies. This project is intended to contribute to Belle II, enhancing the experiment’s research outcomes, including understanding the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe and the nature of exotic mesons.Read moreRead less
Many-body phenomena in atomic and subatomic physics. The project proposes research in the following areas: search for Dark Matter and Dark Energy using atomic experiments; an enhancement mechanism of baryogenesis based on the new class of gauge theory solutions; new quantum effects in strong gravitational fields and phenomena in non-black hole metric, which reproduce some properties of black holes; new phenomena in strong laser fields, which can help constructing high-frequency lasers; exchange- ....Many-body phenomena in atomic and subatomic physics. The project proposes research in the following areas: search for Dark Matter and Dark Energy using atomic experiments; an enhancement mechanism of baryogenesis based on the new class of gauge theory solutions; new quantum effects in strong gravitational fields and phenomena in non-black hole metric, which reproduce some properties of black holes; new phenomena in strong laser fields, which can help constructing high-frequency lasers; exchange-assisted tunneling; and, chaos-induced boost of electron recombination, charge transfer and weak interactions. The results based on proposed ideas will guide laboratory and astrophysical studies, help verify cosmological models and Unification theories.Read moreRead less
Scale invariance: A new paradigm for particle physics and cosmology. The origin of mass and mass hierarchies remains arguably the major unresolved problem in particle physics. This project aims to introduce and explore a conceptually new paradigm to address this problem by promoting scaling invariance as a fundamental symmetry of Nature. Namely, we will establish an entirely new realisation of quantum scale invariance within a theoretically consistent picture of the relativistic theory of gravit ....Scale invariance: A new paradigm for particle physics and cosmology. The origin of mass and mass hierarchies remains arguably the major unresolved problem in particle physics. This project aims to introduce and explore a conceptually new paradigm to address this problem by promoting scaling invariance as a fundamental symmetry of Nature. Namely, we will establish an entirely new realisation of quantum scale invariance within a theoretically consistent picture of the relativistic theory of gravitation and explore its phenomenological, cosmological and astrophysical implications. The anticipated results will likely lead to transformational advancements in particle physics and cosmology and serve as an important theoretical guide for new physics searches in ongoing and future experimental programs worldwide. Read moreRead less