Quantum control in mesoscopic condensed matter systems. Semiconductor devices are at the foundation of modern technology. Industrial nanofabrication techniques can now produce devices near the atomic scale, and state-of-the-art experiments have demonstrated the previously unimaginable ability to manipulate individual electrons. This project will develop new techniques to control such quantum circuits and couple them together to form useful devices. New experiments to test these schemes will be p ....Quantum control in mesoscopic condensed matter systems. Semiconductor devices are at the foundation of modern technology. Industrial nanofabrication techniques can now produce devices near the atomic scale, and state-of-the-art experiments have demonstrated the previously unimaginable ability to manipulate individual electrons. This project will develop new techniques to control such quantum circuits and couple them together to form useful devices. New experiments to test these schemes will be proposed. This project will provide a foundation for future information processing technologies such as quantum computers.Read moreRead less
Self-Assembled Semiconductor Nanowires: A New Platform for Spintronic Devices. The multi-billion dollar semiconductor industry drives the extraordinary growth in information technology that we have witnessed in recent decades. This Fellowship will establish a new program to build electronic devices using tiny semiconductor 'nanowires'. It draws on UNSW's international reputation in nanoelectronics research, strongly enhances Australia's existing investment in the growth of nanowires at ANU, an ....Self-Assembled Semiconductor Nanowires: A New Platform for Spintronic Devices. The multi-billion dollar semiconductor industry drives the extraordinary growth in information technology that we have witnessed in recent decades. This Fellowship will establish a new program to build electronic devices using tiny semiconductor 'nanowires'. It draws on UNSW's international reputation in nanoelectronics research, strongly enhances Australia's existing investment in the growth of nanowires at ANU, and will place Australia at the forefront of nanowire research on the international stage. This project will contribute strongly to Australia's ongoing efforts in semiconductor nanotechnology and quantum information science, and allow us to play a leading role in the development of next-generation computer technologies.Read moreRead less
Simulating chemical reactions on quantum computers. This project aims to enable a new capability for simulating practically relevant chemical dynamics and reactivity in regimes where conventional computational chemistry fails. It expects to do so by generating an extensive toolbox of quantum algorithms that would allow quantum computers to carry out otherwise intractable simulations of a wide range of chemical processes using existing quantum devices. As quantum technology matures, these algorit ....Simulating chemical reactions on quantum computers. This project aims to enable a new capability for simulating practically relevant chemical dynamics and reactivity in regimes where conventional computational chemistry fails. It expects to do so by generating an extensive toolbox of quantum algorithms that would allow quantum computers to carry out otherwise intractable simulations of a wide range of chemical processes using existing quantum devices. As quantum technology matures, these algorithms should enable quantum computers to accelerate computational screening of new chemical processes in a wide range of fields, enabling faster discovery of, for example, improved catalysts, batteries, medicines, fuels, and solar cells.Read moreRead less
Quantum chemical methods: From wavefunction to density functional theory. This project aims to address a major challenge in quantum chemistry - how to extend the applicability of high-level quantum chemical methods to larger molecules. High-level quantum chemical methods can consistently obtain reliable thermochemical and kinetic data, but due to their steep computational cost, they are only applicable to relatively small molecules. The project expects to introduce new concepts and methodologies ....Quantum chemical methods: From wavefunction to density functional theory. This project aims to address a major challenge in quantum chemistry - how to extend the applicability of high-level quantum chemical methods to larger molecules. High-level quantum chemical methods can consistently obtain reliable thermochemical and kinetic data, but due to their steep computational cost, they are only applicable to relatively small molecules. The project expects to introduce new concepts and methodologies that build on recent breakthrough research in the field of ab initio computational chemistry. The new methods should be capable of energetic predictions of unprecedented accuracy for relatively large systems across the Periodic Table and will be used for the development of better density functional theory procedures.Read moreRead less
Understanding mineral reactivity using computer simulations at realistic pH. The results of fundamental environmental and technological processes such as the production of alumina and the management of mine wastes largely depend on careful controlling the conditions at which the chemical reactions occur. Throughout this project, atomistic simulations will be used to unravel the effects of pH on the stability of minerals and to improve our knowledge of the dissolution and re-precipitation mechani ....Understanding mineral reactivity using computer simulations at realistic pH. The results of fundamental environmental and technological processes such as the production of alumina and the management of mine wastes largely depend on careful controlling the conditions at which the chemical reactions occur. Throughout this project, atomistic simulations will be used to unravel the effects of pH on the stability of minerals and to improve our knowledge of the dissolution and re-precipitation mechanisms of these materials. A better understanding of the basic science underpinning minerals’ reactivity will eventually translate into the development of new technologies and contribute to helping Australia’s advancement in developing a sustainable future as well as environment preservation and remediation.Read moreRead less
Interplay of the forces of nature: electroweak and strong interactions. The Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland will search for new physics by smashing protons together at the highest energies ever created in the laboratory. This project will focus on complementary searches for new physics by investigating novel phenomena associated with the mutual interactions of the strong and weak forces of nature.
The New Oxidation Chemistry of Amines. Organic compounds containing nitrogen, including amines, are distributed throughout the atmosphere, where they are removed through oxidation reactions. Surprisingly little attention, however, has been directed towards the oxidation chemistry of amines. This problem is of growing importance as the leading technology for carbon capture from power stations involves amine solvents, which would potentially lead to large new sources of amines to the atmosphere. T ....The New Oxidation Chemistry of Amines. Organic compounds containing nitrogen, including amines, are distributed throughout the atmosphere, where they are removed through oxidation reactions. Surprisingly little attention, however, has been directed towards the oxidation chemistry of amines. This problem is of growing importance as the leading technology for carbon capture from power stations involves amine solvents, which would potentially lead to large new sources of amines to the atmosphere. This project will develop the new chemistry required to describe the oxidation of amines in the atmosphere, in order to better predict the impact of these under-studied molecules on air quality.Read moreRead less
Producing clean energy through geomimetic chemistry. This project aims to provide new chemical pathways able to produce clean energy by following a computational geomimetic approach. It will generate new knowledge in the field of materials science, by characterising the rich mineral chemistry observed on ocean floors and in extra-terrestrial environments that is naturally able to produce fuel through harvesting carbon dioxide. Expected outcomes include a full understanding of chemical reactions ....Producing clean energy through geomimetic chemistry. This project aims to provide new chemical pathways able to produce clean energy by following a computational geomimetic approach. It will generate new knowledge in the field of materials science, by characterising the rich mineral chemistry observed on ocean floors and in extra-terrestrial environments that is naturally able to produce fuel through harvesting carbon dioxide. Expected outcomes include a full understanding of chemical reactions that are at present unexplored at a fundamental level. This will open new perspectives in their potential employment to address the contemporary challenge of producing clean energy and will generate environmental and economic benefit to the Australian and international communities.Read moreRead less
Microscopic many-body quantum dynamics: new approaches for fundamental science and applications. A new approach to create and validate a fundamental microscopic quantum theory of interactions of composite systems, like molecules and nuclei, by exploiting ideal features of nuclear reactions such as fusion will be developed. This will have broad impact in interdisciplinary areas from astrophysics and molecular reactions to future nanotechnologies.
Two-dimensional quantum turbulence in superfluid atomic gases. This project will controllably generate and study turbulence in two-dimensional superfluids. With quantum fluids as models to understand two-dimensional fluid dynamics, this project aims to provide a better generic understanding of physical mechanisms behind phenomena as diverse as cyclone dynamics and the stability of the planet Jupiter's Great Red Spot.