Voices of Regional Australia: The linguistic patterning of local attachment. This project aims to investigate language and social dynamics among regional Australians, who, despite representing one third of the population, have been often neglected in the research to date. The project expects to generate new knowledge around regional attachment and the impact that has on speech patterns, adapting for the first time recently developed international metrics to the Australian context. Expected outco ....Voices of Regional Australia: The linguistic patterning of local attachment. This project aims to investigate language and social dynamics among regional Australians, who, despite representing one third of the population, have been often neglected in the research to date. The project expects to generate new knowledge around regional attachment and the impact that has on speech patterns, adapting for the first time recently developed international metrics to the Australian context. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of models of language change across urban and rural areas, and a novel dataset recording the stories of regional Australians, and in particular, their experiences facing bushfire. This should provide significant benefits as a record of life, language and community in regional Australia.Read moreRead less
Cosmological vacuum stability as a window on fundamental physics. Vacuum is not just the absence of matter: it is the lowest-energy state of our Universe. This project aims to investigate the existence of new particles via their impacts upon the vacuum of the Universe. It expects to develop methods required to extract information on the existence of new particles from the vacuum, using transitions between different vacua, resulting gravitational waves, and results from a broad range of other co ....Cosmological vacuum stability as a window on fundamental physics. Vacuum is not just the absence of matter: it is the lowest-energy state of our Universe. This project aims to investigate the existence of new particles via their impacts upon the vacuum of the Universe. It expects to develop methods required to extract information on the existence of new particles from the vacuum, using transitions between different vacua, resulting gravitational waves, and results from a broad range of other complementary experiments. Expected outcomes include comprehensive tests of four of the most compelling theoretical frameworks for new particles. Significant expected benefits include advanced training for Australian students in numerical methods, software development, statistical analysis and research computing.Read moreRead less
Low-energy electron transport in soft-condensed biological matter. To obtain optimal accuracy and selectivity of ionising radiation based technologies requires an understanding and quantification of the underpinning fundamental physical processes. This project will focus on developing accurate theoretical models of low-energy electron transport in biological matter which account for new physical mechanisms.
Novel collision experiments with metastable neon atoms in an atom trap. The aim of this project is to investigate collisions involving atoms in long lived excited states (metastable states). The project will utilise a magneto-optical trap to investigate electron-atom collisions as well as interatomic collisions for ultra-cold atoms. The outcomes of such investigations extend scientific knowledge of these important processes as a well as provide data for testing fundamental scattering theories. T ....Novel collision experiments with metastable neon atoms in an atom trap. The aim of this project is to investigate collisions involving atoms in long lived excited states (metastable states). The project will utilise a magneto-optical trap to investigate electron-atom collisions as well as interatomic collisions for ultra-cold atoms. The outcomes of such investigations extend scientific knowledge of these important processes as a well as provide data for testing fundamental scattering theories. This scientific knowledge may lead to further technological advances such as more efficient light sources or a metastable-atom laser that could be used for the production of nano-scale electric circuits.Read moreRead less
Electron scattering and transport for plasma-liquid interactions. The project aims to address the emerging technologies associated with the interaction of plasmas with liquids and biological matter, including plasma medicine. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the role of electron-induced processes through the development of complete and accurate sets of microscopic cross-sections for electrons with biomolecules within tissue. This microscopic data will inform new microscopic model ....Electron scattering and transport for plasma-liquid interactions. The project aims to address the emerging technologies associated with the interaction of plasmas with liquids and biological matter, including plasma medicine. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the role of electron-induced processes through the development of complete and accurate sets of microscopic cross-sections for electrons with biomolecules within tissue. This microscopic data will inform new microscopic models for non-equilibrium electron transport in liquids and biological matter, and its coupling to plasmas. The expected outcomes of this project include progress towards the optimisation of safety/efficacy of future generation plasma medicine devices through detailed understanding of plasma-biological tissue interactions.Read moreRead less
Mudstones as methane sources: gas production from coal seam interburden. Carbonaceous mudstones associated with coal measures already exploited for gas present an attractive reservoir of methane. This project seeks to provide methods for accessing this gas. Mudstone associated with coal seam gas developments are very extensive and gas quantities may exceed even that in the coal itself. Further infrastructure and access permits are already in place for coal seam gas recovery. Unlike shale, which ....Mudstones as methane sources: gas production from coal seam interburden. Carbonaceous mudstones associated with coal measures already exploited for gas present an attractive reservoir of methane. This project seeks to provide methods for accessing this gas. Mudstone associated with coal seam gas developments are very extensive and gas quantities may exceed even that in the coal itself. Further infrastructure and access permits are already in place for coal seam gas recovery. Unlike shale, which is fissile, mudstone is much softer, more malleable and plastic, and consequently will respond abnormally to hydraulic fracturing and propping, so new methods proposed to be developed in this project are needed for stimulation.Read moreRead less
A defect mechanism for oxygen reduction reaction. This project aims to use defective carbon to replace expensive platinum as a catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. Defective carbons incorporating non-precious metals are better than platinum in terms of over-potential, current density and number of electron transfer. They reduce the overall fuel cell cost but their better stability and higher open voltage and power density promise huge commercial benefit. This project is ex ....A defect mechanism for oxygen reduction reaction. This project aims to use defective carbon to replace expensive platinum as a catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. Defective carbons incorporating non-precious metals are better than platinum in terms of over-potential, current density and number of electron transfer. They reduce the overall fuel cell cost but their better stability and higher open voltage and power density promise huge commercial benefit. This project is expected to be important for large-scale implementation of fuel cells.Read moreRead less
A Photonic Interconnect for Trapped Ion Quantum Computing. Computer networks are the foundation of our digital economy. Quantum computing offer revolutionary solutions to current limitations by taking advantage of quantum physics. Methods for factoring large numbers or searching unordered databases run with significantly fewer operations on quantum computers. Quantum encryption offers completely secure communication. There have been small-scale demonstrations of these technologies, and clear roa ....A Photonic Interconnect for Trapped Ion Quantum Computing. Computer networks are the foundation of our digital economy. Quantum computing offer revolutionary solutions to current limitations by taking advantage of quantum physics. Methods for factoring large numbers or searching unordered databases run with significantly fewer operations on quantum computers. Quantum encryption offers completely secure communication. There have been small-scale demonstrations of these technologies, and clear roadmaps exist for large-scale implementations. We will advance the state of the art by interconnecting light based quantum communication and trapped ion quantum computing together with phase Fresnel lenses, a micro-fabricated optic similar to a computer generated holographic plate.Read moreRead less
Attosecond physics with ultra cold metastable neon. This research will generate new knowledge about how atoms behave when they are placed in strong optical fields. One of the phenomena which can be observed in these systems is the production of extreme ultraviolet radiation. This radiation has potential applications in areas as diverse as precision spectroscopy and structural biology. The research will use the recently ARC funded, state-of-the-art short pulse laser facility, ultra-cold atom trap ....Attosecond physics with ultra cold metastable neon. This research will generate new knowledge about how atoms behave when they are placed in strong optical fields. One of the phenomena which can be observed in these systems is the production of extreme ultraviolet radiation. This radiation has potential applications in areas as diverse as precision spectroscopy and structural biology. The research will use the recently ARC funded, state-of-the-art short pulse laser facility, ultra-cold atom trap technology and will provide excellent research training opportunities for higher degree students. The outcomes of the research project will enable Australian researchers to make significant contributions to the exciting field of attosecond science which is still in its infancy.
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Net shape manufacturing of titanium alloys by powder metallurgy. This project is aiming at developing a novel net shape manufacturing for advanced materials (titanium alloys) and addresses Priority Goal of Advanced Materials of Research Priority 3: Frontier Technologies for Advanced Materials. It represents new science and innovative engineering and has the potential to produce valuable new intellectual property.