Research Activities
Research in the School of Physics is presented below in terms of Research Groups, some much larger than others. There are many interconnections between the Research Groups, and research links also extend beyond the School to many other Australian and international research organisations. See the Associated Research Groups for organisations with some of the closest links.
Applied and Plasma Physics
Research projects in these areas are a stimulating mix of fundamental physics and practical applications, in areas which include materials physics, plasma deposition and processing, thin film materials, vacuum glazing, renewable and sustainable energy and cross-disciplinary research in the areas of biointerfaces and interactions of biosystems for medicine.
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Astronomy & Astrophysics - Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA)
The staff and students of the Sydney Institute for Astronomy pursue theoretical and observational research across a wide range of astrophysics. From the centre of the Sun to the edge of the Universe, this program utilizes the latest technologies and techniques. These include the School's own radio telescope, the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST), and the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer (SUSI) which is a major element of a broad program of high resolution optical imaging.
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Biophysics
The Biophysics Group is involved in modeling of biomolecules using a variety of simulation methods on fast supercomputers. Our aim is to understand the function of proteins and especially those that have medical and pharmacological significance. The current areas of focus are ion channels and protein interactions.
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Brain DynamicsThe Brain Dynamics group is an interdisciplinary team with backgrounds in physics, engineering, mathematics, IT, psychology, physiology, medicine, and other areas. Its aim is to understand the connections between physiology and stimuli, on one hand, and resulting brain activity and experimental data, on the other. To achieve these aims, we develop and apply physiologically-based models of brain activity, and subsequent measurement processes.
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Condensed Matter Theory
Research in Condensed Matter Theory focuses on ab initio investigations of materials and surface science phenomena. First-principles electronic structure calculations are used in conjunction with high performance computing to probe chemical reactions at interfaces and explore the energetics, atomic, electronic, and magnetic properties of polyatomic systems. Our goal is to acquire a detailed understanding of the fundamental science to engineer and design complex materials.
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CUDOS@Physics
The Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS) has a vision to be an international leader in nonlinear photonics and microphotonics. Our mission is to demonstrate all-optical processing applications and devices for ultra-high bandwidth optical telecommunications systems. These derive from fundamental research in the most exciting and vibrant areas of photonics science-non-linear optical materials, photonic crystals, micro-structured optical fibres and micro-photonics. CUDOS@Sydney is a major centre of the national CUDOS Centre of Excellence which combines the expertise of researchers at the University of Sydney, ANU, Macquarie University, Swinburne University, the University of Technology Sydney and CSIRO.
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High Energy Physics
The High Energy research program involves participation in overseas collaborative experiments (at CERN in Europe and KEK in Japan) and Australian-based programs of simulations, development and testing, and the analysis of results.
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Institute of Medical Physics
The Institute of Medical Physics provides a focus for all research and teaching activities within the School that are related to Medical Physics. Research activities include: Radiation Physics and Dosimetry; applications of PET/CT and SPECT; Monte Carlo Radiation Transport; Radiotherapy verification; Radiobiology and Radiation Biophysics; and Bio-acoustics.
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Institute of Photonics and Optical Sciences
The Institute of Photonics and Optical Sciences draws together research and teaching expertise across the Schools of Physics, Electrical and Information Engineering, Mathematics, Chemistry and the Electron Microscope Unit. Research spans all areas of fundamental and applied optics and photonics.
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Plasma Theory
Research in Plasma Theory concentrates on various theoretical topics such as particle acceleration and heating, non-linear wave processes and complex dusty plasmas.
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Quantum Physics
The Quantum Physics group is focussed on three research areas: Mesoscopic Physics, Quantum Information Theory and the Foundations of Quantum Physics.
Mesoscopic Physics deals with matter on scales below a micron, where quantum effects become important. We are interested in low temperature experiments that probe quantum objects such as single electron charges or spins, often on nanosecond time scales.
Quantum Information Theory formulates the rules for how information is carried by quantum systems. We explore the implications of these rules for future quantum technologies such as quantum computing, as well as for our understanding of the Universe.
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Space and Solar Physics
Space Physics studied here ranges from Earth's ionosphere to the Sun's surface to the outer boundaries of the heliosphere and solar system. It includes the solar corona and solar wind (sometimes called the interplanetary medium), the ionospheres and magnetospheres of Earth and the other planets, and the "Space Weather" that results from interactions between the Sun and Earth.
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