Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100399
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Are the laws of physics changing? New methods for detecting variations in the fundamental constants. This project will identify new methods whereby scientists are much more likely to discover whether the fundamental constants of nature, such as the speed of light, are changing with time. This will help answer deep questions about whether there are extra dimensions beyond our three, the nature of dark energy, and whether string theory is correct.
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.
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
Atomic theory and search for new elementary particles. This project aims to propose new enhanced effects of hypothetical dark matter particles in atomic and astrophysical phenomena, perform calculations, and motivate new experiments with a higher sensitivity to these particles. The mass of dark matter in the Universe is five times that of ordinary matter, yet its nature is still unknown. This project also aims to improve calculations of the effects of dark matter searched for in underground labo ....Atomic theory and search for new elementary particles. This project aims to propose new enhanced effects of hypothetical dark matter particles in atomic and astrophysical phenomena, perform calculations, and motivate new experiments with a higher sensitivity to these particles. The mass of dark matter in the Universe is five times that of ordinary matter, yet its nature is still unknown. This project also aims to improve calculations of the effects of dark matter searched for in underground laboratories including the Australian Stawell laboratory. Relativistic and many-body effects may change the results by orders of magnitude, and proper account of them is important. This may be achieved using our computer codes for high-precision relativistic atomic many-body calculations.Read moreRead less
Manifestations of unification theories in atomic phenomena. The project aims to contribute to both fundamental science and its applications. The project proposes new ideas, methods and calculations to test unification theories using effects of violation of the fundamental symmetries P, T, Lorentz symmetry and the equivalence principle in atomic and molecular phenomena, and to search for space-time variation of the fundamental constants across the Universe using both astrophysical observations an ....Manifestations of unification theories in atomic phenomena. The project aims to contribute to both fundamental science and its applications. The project proposes new ideas, methods and calculations to test unification theories using effects of violation of the fundamental symmetries P, T, Lorentz symmetry and the equivalence principle in atomic and molecular phenomena, and to search for space-time variation of the fundamental constants across the Universe using both astrophysical observations and laboratory experiments. The outcomes of this project may lead to the proposal of new atomic, nuclear and molecular clocks and the calculations needed to estimate and improve the accuracy of these clocks.Read moreRead less
Australia’s first direct-detection dark matter search, at Stawell Gold Mine. This project aims to develop an underground integrated laboratory at Stawell Gold Mine in Victoria to host the Southern Hemisphere's first-ever direct-detection dark matter experiment. Following the Higgs boson discovery, the direct detection of dark matter is seen as the next major challenge for particle physics. This project sees Australian physicists team up with local and international partners in research and indus ....Australia’s first direct-detection dark matter search, at Stawell Gold Mine. This project aims to develop an underground integrated laboratory at Stawell Gold Mine in Victoria to host the Southern Hemisphere's first-ever direct-detection dark matter experiment. Following the Higgs boson discovery, the direct detection of dark matter is seen as the next major challenge for particle physics. This project sees Australian physicists team up with local and international partners in research and industry to join the search for dark matter. This Australian experiment aims to help to confirm or deny current results from Northern Hemisphere experiments. As the mine nears the end of its working life as a gold mine, this project is expected to benefit the local economy and provide opportunities for education and outreach.Read moreRead less
Auger-electron yields of medical radioisotopes. Large numbers of Auger electrons are emitted during the decay of many medical isotopes. Auger electrons have a short range and a strong ability to break chemical bonds. However no measurements of the number of Auger electrons per nuclear decay exist in the critical low energy regime. Calculated Auger yields are incomplete and inconsistent. Building on unique Australian expertise and instrumentation, and performing both calculations and measurements ....Auger-electron yields of medical radioisotopes. Large numbers of Auger electrons are emitted during the decay of many medical isotopes. Auger electrons have a short range and a strong ability to break chemical bonds. However no measurements of the number of Auger electrons per nuclear decay exist in the critical low energy regime. Calculated Auger yields are incomplete and inconsistent. Building on unique Australian expertise and instrumentation, and performing both calculations and measurements, his project aims to determine the number of Auger electrons per nuclear decay accurately for medical isotopes. The outcome will be accurate dose data for radioisotopes, plus essential knowledge to develop new cancer treatments based on Auger electrons, which target a fraction of a cell.Read moreRead less
Nanostructure engineered low activation superconductors for fusion energy. This project aims to develop a novel, low activation and liquid helium-free superconducting solution with superior electromagnetic, mechanical and thermal properties for use in fusion reactors. Superconducting magnets and their associated cryogenic cooling systems represent a key determinant of thermal efficiency and the construction/operating costs of fusion reactors. The project expects to overcome these barriers so tha ....Nanostructure engineered low activation superconductors for fusion energy. This project aims to develop a novel, low activation and liquid helium-free superconducting solution with superior electromagnetic, mechanical and thermal properties for use in fusion reactors. Superconducting magnets and their associated cryogenic cooling systems represent a key determinant of thermal efficiency and the construction/operating costs of fusion reactors. The project expects to overcome these barriers so that widespread uptake of these reactors becomes viable. Outcomes from the project will include a fundamental understanding of pure and doping-induced isotopic magnesium diboride superconductors and their behaviour under high neutron flux and harsh plasma atmosphere, which are specifically designed for application in next-generation, low-cost fusion reactors.Read moreRead less