As reported by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science.

Exciton Science researchers have used tin mono-sulfide (SnS) nanosheets to create the thinnest X-ray detector ever made, potentially enabling real-time imaging of cellular biology.

SnS has already shown great promise as a material for use in photovoltaics, field effect transistors and catalysis.

Now, members of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, based at Monash University and RMIT University, have shown that SnS nanosheets are also excellent candidates for use as soft X-ray detectors.

Their research, published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, indicates that SnS nanosheets possess high photon absorption coefficients, allowing them to be used in making ultrathin soft X-ray detectors with high sensitivity and a rapid response time.

Read the full media release here.

As reported by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav).

An international team of scientists, including Australian researchers from the ARC OzGrav have collaborated on a study released earlier this month, presenting the largest number of gravitational wave detections to date - 90 detections!

Gravitational waves are cosmic ripples in space and time that are caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the Universe, like supernovas, merging black holes and colliding neutron stars--city-size stellar objects with a mass about 1.4 times that of the Sun.

The newest gravitational wave detections come from the second part of the third observing run which lasted from November 2019 to March 2020. There were 35 new gravitational wave detections in this period: 32 detections were from pairs of merging black holes; 3 were likely to come from the collision of a neutron star and a black hole.

Read the full media release here.

Ever wondered how Santa manages to deliver so many presents in just one night? Or how the big guy makes it down the chimney? How about his magic reindeer?

Tune into a special zOOm into Physics where we try to tackle these questions and more through the lens of the laws of Physics.

zOOm into Physics is a monthly lightly-moderated zoom conversation with our resident panel and special guests.

Wednesday 24 November, 8pm-9.30pm AEDT

Further details and zoom link: https://aip.org.au/ZiP

Members are invited to submit content for the Jan-Mar 2022 edition of Australian Physics. The deadline for content is 1 December.

We welcome: 

• pitches for articles describing current research
• physics-themed cartoons
• reviews of physics-themed books (they might even get the book for you!)
• physics poetry
• obituaries of recently passed members.

Australian Physics magazine has been produced by the AIP since 1964 and is the oldest science magazine in Australia.

Previous magazines can be found here and here.

Proposals and finished items can be sent to editors Peter Kappen and David Hoxley on aip_editor@aip.org.au.

See how science can influence government policy by participating in Science meets Parliament (SmP) in early 2022.

Science & Technology Australia is Australia’s peak advocacy body for science and technology and as a member organisation, the AIP can sponsor two delegates (one early career researcher and regular attendee) to attend.

SmP will be a hybrid live and online gathering with events including:

·       28 February – 4 March: Online professional development for STA members (including AIP members)

·       2 March – National Press Club address by STA President Professor Mark Hutchinson.

·       7 March onward   – Meeting with parliamentarians.

·       2 June – All members of the nation’s science community are invited to dinner, which will use online technology to link up participants across eight capital cities.  Dinner in ACT is usually held at the Old Parliament House.

If you are interested in attending, please send an expression of interest to AIP Secretary Kirrily Rule at aip_secretary@aip.org.au by 30 November.

Please include: 

·       A CV, no longer than one page;

·       A statement, no longer than one page, indicating why you would like to attend and what you hope to gain from the experience.

The executive team will assess each application, taking into account gender balance, research area balance and geographic coverage. The AIP will cover registration of successful applications for the event.

More details: https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/science-meets-parliament/

We are saddened to hear of the recent passing of Australian physicist and AIP Fellow Professor Rodney (Rod) Jory AM.  Prof Jory was the inaugural winner of AIP’s Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia in 1996.  He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia the following year.

Prof Jory’s legacy in Australian physics includes establishing the National Science Summer School (renamed the National Youth Science Forum) in 1984 and being the director since its inception until 2005. He was also heavily involved in the teaching of Australian student teams that have competed at International Physics Olympiads.

AIP member Professor Tim Sneden (Director of ANU’s Research and Engineering) was among the 198 students who attended the first Summer School.

In his eulogy at Prof Jury’s funeral, Prof Sneden said: “Rod believed in empowering youth” and that “[Rod] worked tirelessly to evolve the program to reach as many young minds as he could”.

Ben Kremer, Chair of Australian Science Innovation (ASI), has also said on the ASI Twitter page: “I was fortunate enough to be taught by Rod in the Summer School in December 1989 and it was a formative event in my life. Rod’s passion, drive, hard work and selflessness will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”

Prof Jory completed his PhD studies on the drift velocities and diffusion coefficients of electrons in nitrogen, hydrogen and helium at the University of Adelaide and Australian National University (ANU). 

He was supervised by Professor Leonard Huxley, who was the first president of the AIP when it was established in 1963.

He taught at ANU and the University of Canberra as well as several international universities including the University of British Columbia.

An obituary will be included in the upcoming Australian Physics magazine.

Australia has secured representation in six commissions of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) after delegates attended the 30^th IUPAP General Assembly on 20-22 October.

Commissions promote the objectives of the IUPAP within their areas of expertise as well as providing advice to the Union on the activities and needs of the subfields of physics they represent.

The AIP, in coordination with the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Physics, sent out a delegation to the virtual General Assembly that included Sven Rogge (UNSW, AIP President). Nicole Bell (UniMelb, AIP Vice President), Judith Dawes (Macquarie), and Jacinda Ginges (UQ).

That Australia is represented in six commissions is a good result since it is above the nominal representation of four positions.

The Australian commission members are:

• C11 – Particles and Fields - Nicole Bell (UniMelb)
• C14 – Physics Education - Manjula Sharma (USyd)
• C15 - Commission on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics - Igor Bray (Curtin)
• C17 - Commission on Laser Physics and Photonics - Judith Dawes (Macquarie)
• C18 - Commission on Mathematical Physics - Jan de Gier (Uni Melbourne)
• C20 - Commission on Computational Physics - Derek Leinweber (Uni Adelaide)

More details on IUPAP commissions here.

Our membership renewal season starts 1 November. 

CURRENT MEMBERS

Renew now and you will receive $10 off your annual membership for 2022: https://aip.org.au/Renew.

Benefits include conference support, quarterly copies of Australian Physics magazine and reciprocal benefits with other physics societies.  

See our membership page for more membership benefits and fee descriptions: https://aip.org.au/Membership.

The $10 discount is an admin fee that will be automatically taken off each membership fee from 1 November till 31 January. 

NEW MEMBERS

New members joining from 1 November will have membership to 31 December of the current year, and all of the following calendar year, including a reduced membership rate for joining in the renewal season. 

For more membership benefits and fee descriptions, see our membership page. https://aip.org.au/Membership.

Join Australia's leading physicists today: https://aip.org.au/JOIN.

If you have any questions, or would like to pay over the phone, please call our Operations Manager on 0478 260 533 or email aip@aip.org.au. 

Registration is still open for the upcoming AIP Summer Meeting which will run from 6–9 December.

Advances in carbon materials, dark matter particle physics and quantum biotechnology are among the topics to be discussed in the Focused Sessions.

The conference features 20 keynote and invited speakers. Plenary talks will be given by Lidia Morawska (one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021), Michael Fuhrer and Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop. 

Participants can attend in-person in Brisbane or online.

The full program and registration details are here.

AIP members are welcome to join and watch the Annual Postgraduate Awards event held by the NSW AIP Branch on Tuesday 9 Nov via Zoom from 2pm AEDT (Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney).

New fibre lasers, a deep-learning based analysis of the excess gamma-ray radiation at the Milky Way galaxy’s centre and detecting neutrinos in the sky are just some of the research topics being presented by seven top NSW physics students as they compete for the AIP NSW Postgraduate medal and Royal Society of NSW (RSNSW) Jak Kelly Prize.

The awards were created to foster excellence in physics postgraduate work and the presenting students were nominated by their respective universities based on their high standing. 

The students will be judged on scientific content and quality as well as clarity and presentation skills. The judging panel includes Prismatic Sciences’ Dr Jesse Shore, USYD’s Tibor Molnar, AIP NSW’s Dr Timothy Van de Laan and RSNSW’s Dr Erik Aslaksen.

The event is proudly supported by the AIP, RSNSW and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

More details: https://www.aip.org.au/NSW-BRANCH/11572812

Zoom meeting link: https://aarnet.zoom.us/j/87483503215?pwd=MCt3WUIrdTBUWEhuVVhnUjJOSjJhUT09  

Password: 809165

Meeting ID: 874 8350 3215