Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Monash”
Topological insulators raise the exciting the hope of realising lossless energy transport, which is true at ultralow temperatures. However, topological insulators fail to maintain this lossless ‘magic’ at room temperature. Researchers from Monash University, part of the FLEET Centre, have uncovered new insights into the efficiency of topological insulators, illuminating the significant disparity between their magic lossless energy transport at …
Researchers from Monash University, part of the FLEET Centre, have revealed a generic approach towards intrinsic magnetic second-order topological insulators. These materials are crucial for advancements in spintronics, an emerging field aiming at using spin degree of freedom to deliver information. Background Two-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductors, such as CrI3, Cr2Ge2Te6, and VI3, have been extensively studied in recent years. These materials …
Overcoming magnetic disorder is key to exploiting the unique properties of QAH insulators. The Monash-led team demonstrated that the breakdown in topological protection is caused by magnetic disorder, explaining previous observations that topological protection could be restored by application of stabilising magnetic fields. “The study paves a clear research pathway towards use of MTIs in low-energy topological electronics,” says …
Automating time-consuming tasks to fast-track materials research A new open-source software package developed by Monash University researcher Julian Ceddia aims to significantly streamline the study of materials using Scanning Tunnelling Microscopes (STMs). The software, named Scanbot, automates the time-consuming probe optimisation and data acquisition processes essential for STM experiments, helping to accelerate 2D materials research by enabling detailed investigation after …
A team of Monash researchers have uncovered for the first time the full effects of interactions between exciton-polaritons and their associated dark excitonic reservoir. Exciton-polaritons (‘polaritons’, for short) are hybrid mixtures of light and matter that inherit the best properties of both. They form in semiconductors sandwiched between two mirrors, through which a laser is shone. “Polaritons capture useful properties …
Sangeet Kumar was the inaugural intern for the FLEET internship program, working at ANSTO, performing neutron reflectrometry experiment to study ion-beam modified 2D materials. Sangeet reports back on whart he learned: “I recently finished my two-month FLEET ANSTO internship at Lucas Heights, NSW. I’m grateful for the financial support provided by FLEET as an additional stipend, and for ANSTO’s support …
A switchable material based on electron-electron interactions. An Australian-led study has found unusual insulating behaviour in a new atomically-thin material – and the ability to switch it on and off. Materials that feature strong interactions between electrons can display unusual properties such as the ability to act as insulators even when they are expected to conduct electricity. These insulators, known …
Bernard Field was one of the earliest of FLEET PhD students, joining the Centre in 2018 originally as an Honours student, then a PhD student in 2019 under Agustin Schiffrin and Nikhil Medhekar. His PhD research focused on correlated electrons in a frustrated 2D lattice, within FLEET’s theme 1. We interviewed Bernard about his career path after leaving FLEET (he …
This month’s ARC infrastructure funding round saw FLEET researchers across five universities on teams awarded additional funding towards research facilities, including significant new imaging resources in South Australia and NSW. Pankaj Sharma, initially a FLEET Research Fellow at UNSW and now a Centre AI at Flinders University (South Australia), will help develop new, state-of-the-art atomic force microscopy (AFM) facilities for the …
An audience of around 90 gathered for the Meet FLEET event at UNSW earlier this month, comprising researchers, industry representatives and others. A major aim of the event was to serve as a bridge, fostering connections while providing industry professionals and researchers the opportunity to delve into collaborative research and development programs. Meet FLEET also showcased the Centre’s research capabilities …
This month’s ARC Discovery Project announcement saw FLEET research and researchers awarded additional research funding for ten projects building fundamental knowledge and strengthening Australia’s quantum, photonics and nanotechnology ecosystems. See the Australian Research Council media release. Dimitrie Culcer (UNSW); Allan MacDonald. Filling a substantial knowledge gap in novel semiconductors that can function as sensors in a frequency range where conventional …
Researchers from Monash University have unlocked fresh insights into the behaviour of quantum impurities within materials. The new, international theoretical study introduces a novel approach known as the ‘quantum virial expansion,’ offering a powerful tool to uncover the complex quantum interactions in two-dimensional semiconductors. This breakthrough holds potential to reshape our understanding of complex quantum systems and unlock exciting future …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge Navigation and communication in challenging environments (e.g. underground/underwater) requires new technology to offer capability comparable to above-ground options. Such capability would allow for underground mine automation, submarine communication and drone navigation. Investigation into new magnetometer technology requires application of precision bias fields, often with other requirements such as optics, microwaves, etc. Making …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge Most of the power used in society is lost to the environment in the form of waste heat. Thermoelectric (TE) modules can convert waste heat gradients into useful electricity via the Seebeck effect. When run in reverse, such modules can also provide active cooling via the Peltier effect. Bi2Te3 is currently the …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge Scanning Tunnelling Microscopes (STMs) are capable of acquiring images of surfaces with atomic-scale resolution. They accomplish this by scanning an atomically sharp probe across the surface of a sample while monitoring an electric current. Conditioning (e.g. sharpening) of the probe, along with finding regions of interest on a sample are two time-consuming …
A collaboration of FLEET researchers from the University of Wollongong and Monash University have reviewed the superconducting diode effect, one of the most fascinating phenomena recently discovered in quantum condensed-matter physics. A superconducting diode enables dissipationless supercurrent to flow in only one direction, and provides new functionalities for superconducting circuits. This non-dissipative circuit element is key to future ultra-low energy …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge Capability for fast, automated, stand-off detection of toxic gases at the parts per million (ppm) level is required for environmental monitoring, early detection of bush fires, toxic emissions from metal processing or mining. This capability can be used for monitoring the spread of toxic gases and aid in the decision-making capabilities in …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge Using current technologies, screening of lethal diseases such as cancer is painful (uses body tissue), time consuming and requires infrastructure only accessible to specialist trained personnel at big hospitals or testing facilities. Easy-to-operate, low-cost and fast-sensing of disease markers, directly in human blood, will enable extension of medical screening and monitoring facilities …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge As urban centres around the world grapple with the dual challenge of rising energy demands and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, the integration of smart infrastructure becomes pivotal. A significant amount of a city’s energy is consumed by building heating, cooling, and lighting. Innovations like tint-adjusting windows, heat mirrors, and …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge There is a high demand for flexible thermoelectric films that can be incorporated into low-energy electronics to recapture waste heat and enable wearable battery-free devices. High performance thermoelectric materials require high electrical conductivity generally being accompanied by low thermal conductivity. However, these two quantities are typically linked with high electrical conductivity resulting …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge The International Energy Agency (IEA) has identified computing, and in particular data centres, as a rising source of energy usage. Energy generation continues to be dominated by the burning of fossil fuels such as gas, coal and oil – all of which produce carbon dioxide (CO2 ), which contributes to the Greenhouse …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge Scientists are continually searching for ways to increase computing power while reducing power consumption. A big step forward would be finding materials that conduct electrons with near-zero resistance at high-temperature and with all their spins aligned in one direction. The Solution Our solution is a layered “sandwich” structure comprising of a thin …
Here’s the problem: the more we use computers, the more energy that’s required. Driven by a deep intellectual curiosity, Prof Fuhrer (Monash University) was drawn to science at an early age and now has a passion for mentoring the next generation of scientists, teaching them how it pays to be patient. New video out from the Australian Academy of Science, …
‘Trimming’ the edge-states of a topological insulator yields a new class of material featuring unconventional ‘two way’ edge transport in a new theoretical study from Monash University, Australia. The new material, a topological crystalline insulator (TCI) forms a promising addition to the family of topological materials and significantly broadens the scope of materials with topologically nontrivial properties. Its distinctive reliance …
A Meet FLEET innovation-and-industry event poster The Challenge Energy usage for computing has been recognized by the Breakthrough Energy Fund as one of the world’s major problems needing future solutions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are linked to climate change. While energy production and chemical industries are the major CO2 producers, large data centres and computing technology, in general, are also …
Leading materials physicist and FLEET Director Prof Michael Fuhrer has been recognised for his contributions to science, elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. Professor Fuhrer is one of 20 researchers elected as Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, announced today. Prof Michael Fuhrer is an international leader in study of the electronic properties of 2D and …
Teaching energy, releasing creativity, and inspiring future scientists FLEET and Monash volunteers used catapults, graphite circuits and diffraction goggles to create challenges for 250 Mater Christi College students competing to win their annual STEM Cup. For the STEM Cup challenge, which is judged on teamwork, innovation and communication, FLEET designed two hands-on workshops that got middle and senior secondary students …
Electrically controlled superconductor-to-“failed insulator” transition, and giant anomalous Hall effect in the kagome metal CsV3Sb5 A new RMIT-led international collaboration published in February has uncovered, for the first time, a distinct disorder-driven bosonic superconductor-insulator transition. The discovery outlines a global picture of the giant anomalous Hall effect and reveals its correlation with the unconventional charge density wave in the AV3Sb5 …
Written by Matt Gebert, FLEET PhD candidate, Monash University A large contingent of 14 FLEET members and alumni enjoyed the Quantum Australia conference last week, engaging in discussions about the future of quantum technologies with a lot of interest focused in quantum computing, in addition to sensing. I attended as a PhD student approaching the end of my candidacy, and …
Four FLEET researchers have received partial Centre funding to attend Women & Leadership Australia Impact program: PhD student Bianca Rae Fabricante (ANU) PhD student Patjaree Aukarasereenont (RMIT) Diversity in FLEET fellow Dr Mengting Zhao (Monash) Research Fellow Dr Amelia Dominguez (Monash) “FLEET’s strategic priorities include developing the next generation of science leaders, and fostering equity and diversity in STEM,” says …
FLEET funding is supporting the next step in possible translation of thermoelectrics research towards commercialisation in future generators, electronics, vehicles, human-wearable and environmental sensors, and smart electronics Thermoelectric materials offer potential solutions to heat-management challenges common to many electronics technologies. Thermoelectrics are solid-state semiconductors that can convert heat gradients into useful electricity (known as the Seebeck effect). They can also …
A FLEET Primary School pilot workshop showed primary students can learn and conceptualize quantum physics and are adept at the Mexican wave. Meanwhile, 155 Hughesdale Primary School students got their first introduction to quantum physics. The year 5 and 6 students explored the quantum atomic model via role-playing activities, applying this to understand how electricity and resistance work at the …
Ultra-thin, liquid-metal-printed oxide can improve performance of your transistor by suppressing vibrational resistance Counterintuitively, this occurs by adding extra phonons (vibrations) into the system This oxide can protect your transistor against further processing Monash University researchers have demonstrated a new, counterintuitive way to protect atomically-thin electronics – adding vibrations, to reduce vibrations. By ‘squeezing’ a thin droplet of liquid gallium, …
Congratulations to FLEET’s Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh and Stefan Maier, named in the top 1% by citations in their fields. The Clarivate Analytics list identifies researchers ranking in the top 1% by citations for their field. The citation identifies influential researchers as determined by their peers around the globe – those who have consistently won recognition in the form of high citation …
How substrates influence magnetism in 2D materials Interaction-induced magnetism in metal-organic frameworks on substrates A new study at Monash University illustrates how substrates affect strong electronic interactions in two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks. Materials with strong electronic interactions can have applications in energy-efficient electronics. When these materials are placed on a substrate, their electronic properties are changed by charge transfer, strain, and …
Gold may hold the key to unlocking an elusive but highly desirable reaction pathway. A new Australian-led stud finds gold atoms could be key to unlocking organic reactions. Organic molecules are the building blocks for materials we use every day – from our clothes and coffee cups to the screen displays of our phones. Controlling reactions of these organic molecules …
Multidimensional coherent spectroscopy (MDCS) on monolayer WS2 reveals Fermi polaron interactions Phase-space filling drives new optical selection rules, where excitons compete for the same electron Identification of a novel, cooperatively-bound exciton-exciton-electron state Recent Australian-led research has provided a world’s first measurement of interactions between Fermi polarons in an atomically-thin 2D semiconductor, using ultrafast spectroscopy capable of probing complex quantum materials. …
FLEET welcomes four new research fellows, working in disparate roles across the Centre and all contributing to the improved diversity that makes the Centre greater than the sum of its parts: Dr Emma Laird (UQ) Dr Yonatan Ashlea Alava (UNSW) Dr Mengting Zhao (Monash) Dr Grace Causer (Monash) The four new fellows were successful candidates among 35 applicants for the …
Congratulations to FLEET’s Jesper Levinsen, whose work has been recognised by the Monash University Faculty of Science, as he is promoted to Associate Professor. FLEET Associate Investigator Jesper Levinsen is a theoretical physicist researching strongly-interacting quantum systems at the interface between condensed matter physics and the physics of ultracold atomic gases in the Monash School of Physics and Astronomy. “I …
Congratulations to FLEET’s Dr Julie Karel (Monash), receiving a Victorian 2022 Young Tall Poppy Science Award, recognising her research in functional amorphous materials for future ultra-low energy electronics, and in science outreach. The Young Tall Poppy awards, an initiative of the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, recognise excellence in research as well as enthusiasm for communicating science beyond the …
Kagome metals: From Japanese basket to next generation electronic devices FLEET AI Dr Mark Edmonds received an ARC Future Fellowship in this week’s announcement by the Minister. The new ARC Fellowship will support Mark’s work investigating a new type of 2D material that is very promising for faster, more energy-efficient future electronic devices. ‘Kagome’ metals have a topological non-trivial nature …
FLEET Translation Program funding to automate the ‘boring parts’ of STM experiments, freeing up operators’ time Monash PhD candidate Julian Ceddia has been awarded funding from the first round of the FLEET Translation Program to further develop the automation of Scanning Tunnelling Microscopes (STMs), based on previous work from the group of his supervisor, Agustin Schiffrin. STMs are capable of …
Congratulations to FLEET CI Nikhil Medhekar at Monash University, who has been promoted to full Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. Nikhil’s Computational Materials Lab at Monash University Faculty of Engineering Department of Materials Science and Engineering investigates the physics and mechanics of nanoscale materials for optoelectronic, energy and structural applications using a broad range of computational tools, including: First principles …
Designing hetero-interfaces towards new optoelectronic functionalities using large-scale computations Assembling ‘Lego-like’ 2D ‘heterostructures’ can give rise to emergent properties and functionalities very different from the intrinsic characteristics of the constituents. Density functional theory (DFT)-based band-structure calculations can shed light on interfacial properties of different heterostructures. Interface properties of 2D perovskite/TMD heterostructures Heterostructures based on different 2D materials have resulted in …
Nobel-winning material science in the classroom Gol Akhgar and Julie Karel (Monash) this month demonstrated graphene exfoliation with scotch-tape in the class, explaining the role of 2D materials in future beyond-CMOS electronics. The lesson is part of FLEET’s ongoing year-10 future electronics unit at John Monash Science School, which builds up from atomic/quantum fundamentals to transistor functions, logic circuits and …
Over the course of Melbourne Knowledge Week last week FLEET volunteers engaged with around 300 visiting members of the public, talking about FLEET’s mission to ensure a sustainable future for computing, with some fun props to demonstrate electromagnetic forces and the role of quantum materials such as superconductors. The bright yellow sustainable computers stall at the new MKW festival hub …
Designer heterostructure is a potential high-temperature QAHE, where a topological material is sandwiched between two ferromagnets A Monash University-led research team has discovered that a structure comprising an ultra-thin topological insulator sandwiched between two 2D ferromagnetic insulators becomes a large-bandgap quantum anomalous Hall insulator. Such a heterostructure provides an avenue towards viable ultra-low energy future electronics, or even topological photovoltaics. …
Congratulations to FLEET’s Jesper Levinsen, whose exceptional work as referee of peer-reviewed papers has been recognised by the Outstanding Referee Awards, one of only three in Australia in 2022, by the American Physical Society (APS). The APS recognises around 150 outstanding referees each year who have demonstrated exceptional work in the assessment of manuscripts submitted to the Physical Review journals. …
Australian researchers have discovered that negative capacitance could lower the energy used in electronics and computing, which represents 8% of global electricity demand. The researchers at four universities within the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET) applied negative capacitance to make topological transistors switch at lower voltage, potentially reducing energy losses by a factor of ten …
Harnessing massive Dirac fermions in dual-magnetic-ion-doped Bi2Se3 topological insulator showing extremely strong quantum oscillations in the bulk. Double doping induces a gap for the topological surface state. A University of Wollongong-led team across three FLEET nodes has combined two traditional semiconductor doping methods to achieve new efficiencies in the topological insulator bismuth-selenide (Bi2Se3), Two doping elements were used: samarium (Sm) …
Welcome to FLEET’s long-time collaborator Dr Simon Granville, who this month joins the Centre as a Partner Investigator. Simon is a Principal Investigator at FLEET’s partner organisation the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, where he leads the Institute’s Future Computing project to control electron transport and spin through superconductivity and topology. As a Senior Scientist at the Robinson …
Highly sensitive and with a rapid response time, the new X-ray detector is less than 10 nanometres thick and could potentially lead to real-time imaging of cellular biology. Exciton Science and FLEET 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. X-ray detectors are tools that allow …
A new Monash award honours the memory of FLEET’s Shaun Johnstone, who passed away in December 2019. The Shaun Johnstone Prize will be awarded for the best paper written by a PhD student in experimental physics or astronomy published in the past year. Shaun passed away from cancer not too long after receiving his PhD in experimental physics from Monash …
An intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4 has been discovered with a large band gap, making it a promising material platform for fabricating ultra-low-energy electronics and observing exotic topological phenomena. Hosting both magnetism and topology, ultra-thin (only several nanometers in thickness) MnBi2Te4 was found to have a large band-gap in a Quantum Anomalous Hall (QAH) insulating state, where the material is …
2D kagome materials are a platform for tuneable electron-electron interactions ‘Star-like’ atomic-scale kagome geometry ‘switches on’ magnetism in a 2D organic material A 2D nanomaterial consisting of organic molecules linked to metal atoms in a specific atomic-scale geometry shows non-trivial electronic and magnetic properties due to strong interactions between its electrons. A new study, published today, shows the emergence of …
Congratulations to FLEET Research Fellow Dr Iolanda Di Bernardo (Monash), who has received the highly prized Juan de la Cierva fellowship to fund research in Spain, starting in Spring 2022. The Juan de la Cierva fellowship is highly competitive, with a success rate between 10 and 15%, and is similar to the Australian DECRA fellowship. The grants encourage the recruitment …
Three FLEET Research Fellows are amongst those receiving DECRA Fellowships in ARC announcements this week. Congratulations to: Dr Matt Reeves (UQ) Calming the Superfluid Storm: Taming Turbulence in Superfluid Devices Dr Eli Estrecho (ANU) Mixing light and matter with complex gauge fields Dr Qingdong Ou (Monash) Engineering twisted 2D materials for mid-infrared detectors. Dr Matt Reeves (UQ) Calming the Superfluid …
Monash review: joining topological insulators with magnetic materials for energy-efficient electronics A new Monash review throws the spotlight on recent research in heterostructures of topological insulators and magnetic materials. In such heterostructures, the interesting interplay of magnetism and topology can give rise to new phenomena such as quantum anomalous Hall insulators, axion insulators and skyrmions. All of these are promising …
A new ARC Research Hub highlighting the role of novel and 2D materials in emerging technologies in fields such as energy storage, purification and printed electronics features FLEET talent amongst its team. The ARC Research Hub for Advanced Manufacturing with 2D Materials (AM2D) will be led by Prof Mainak Majumder (Monash Department of Mechanical Engineering). Two FLEET Chief Investigators are amongst …
Tackling the next climate crisis with polariton superfluids, chocolate bars, ultra-fast laser pulses and chaotic gardening… FLEET’s Rishabh Mishra (Swinburne), Mitko Oldfield and Alex Nguyen (both at Monash University) have recently recorded explanations of their PhD research, submitted for the 2021 national Three Minute Thesis competition. Mitko Oldfield (School of Physics and Astronomy) explains his studies of polariton superfluids, with …
Congratulations to two of FLEET’s Chief Investigators, whose contributions have recently been recognised by the School of Physics and Astronomy at Monash University: Meera Parish promoted to full Professor Agustin Schiffrin promoted to Associate Professor Prof Meera Parish (right) is a theoretical physicist developing many-body theories that span electron-hole systems and ultracold atomic gases. She is an ARC Future Fellow …
How does global research collaboration work, while Covid-19 still prevents international in-lab visits? A recent FLEET collaboration found a creative solution, running in-lab demonstrations of new quantum technologies across multiple universities on two continents. FLEET’s Matthias Wurdack (ANU) and Semonti Bhattacharyya (Monash) were able to consult with researchers in the New York lab of FLEET PI Jim Hone (Columbia University), …
Great results for STEM in Australian universities in the Shanghai/ARWU 2021 rankings, with Australian universities represented in the world top-100 for all the natural sciences and engineering disciplines except maths. Highlights amongst FLEET’s participating nodes include: Monash and ANU (#28) ranked in the global top 100 for physics UNSW top 40 for electronic engineering Monash, UOW, UNSW and UQ top 100 for material …
What is the future of computing? As Moore’s law is approaching an end, new technologies are required to enable further advances in computational speed and energy-efficient data processing. As transistors took their first baby-steps over half a century ago, the next generation of electronic switches are being born today. Engaging with the Melbourne computing and electronics community in a ‘fireside …
X- ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used for material characterization, providing quantitative information on the chemical composition of materials by identifying the type of elements that are present (nowadays, with a detection limit in the range of one part per thousand). XPS also allows the identification of the chemical state of the elements – such as the types of bonds …
Melbourne Knowledge Week (26 April-2 May 2021) was an opportunity for FLEET to engage with over 350 members of the public about the exciting future of computing, and the vital role of energy-efficient electronics in that future. FLEET’s sustainable computing booth ran for the full week at the festival hub, with hands-on science demonstrations linked to materials used in FLEET …
FLEET had four researchers at STA’s annual Science Meets Parliament, which was fully online in 2021, other than regional gala dinners. Participants heard from a diverse mix of Australia’s top scientists, including Chief Scientist Cathy Foley and Chief Defence Scientist Tanya Monro. FLEET’s four ECR delegates—Eli Estrecho (ANU), Peggy (Qi) Zhang (UNSW), Gary Beane (Monash) and Harley Scammell (UNSW)—were introduced …
US–Australian transpacific condensed-matter talks The temporary halt in international visits that traditionally spark and fuel research collaborations in 2020 pushed FLEET to find new ways to connect. Some positives have surfaced amid the negative impacts of Covid-19 travel bans on science collaboration, including the expansion in videoconferencing allowing researchers from geographically isolated regions to connect. Together with Centre partners at …
FLEET is building links with partners interested in novel electronic devices and systems working towards the overarching goal of creating pathways to translations of research outcomes. Progress towards this important goal in 2020 included: Adding topological transistors to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Roadmap for Devices and Systems Lodging two provisional patents: topological switching (Fuhrer Monash and …
Two patent applications, one filed in 2020, reinforce FLEET’s position as a world leader in topological transistors. The patents cover work in the ‘switching’ of topological material, to facilitate creation of a functioning topological transistor – a proposed new generation of ultra-low energy electronic devices. Their world-first success was the switching of a material via application of an electric-field between …
Topological insulators can reduce transistor switching energy by a factor of four Defeating Boltzman’s tyranny, which puts a lower limit on operating voltage New FLEET research confirms the potential for topological materials to substantially reduce the energy consumed by computing. The collaboration of FLEET researchers from University of Wollongong, Monash University and UNSW have shown in a theoretical study that …
Three FLEET PhD students this month featured on popular radio science show Einstein a go-go, on the show’s regular “20 PhDs in 20 minutes” segment. In this format, student and host each get a minute, covering the student’s entire project in just two minutes combined. (Perfect practice for the famous ‘elevator pitch’.) The three FLEET presenters were Alex Nguyen (Monash), Matt …
In 2020, FLEET continued the Year 10 ‘Future electronics’ course launched the year before in partnership with John Monash Science School (JMSS), Victoria. As well as covering the history of semiconductors, Moore’s Law and computing, the course introduces quantum physics at an intuitive level (with minimal maths) and expands on this fundamental understanding to explain complex, useful quantum states such …
Applying machine learning to automated characterisation of atomically-thin materials Just as James Cameron’s Terminator-800 was able to discriminate between “clothes, boots, and a motorcycle”, machine-learning could identify different areas of interest on 2D materials. The simple, automated optical identification of fundamentally different physical areas on these materials (eg, areas displaying doping, strain, and electronic disorder) could significantly accelerate the science …
Could long-distance interactions between individual molecules forge a new way to compute? Interactions between individual molecules on a metal surface extend for surprisingly large distances – up to several nanometers. A new study, just published, of the changing shape of electronic states induced by these interactions, has potential future application in the use of molecules as individually addressable units. For …
In the absence of in-house lab tours to introduce school students to working labs and researchers, in 2020 FLEET developed and distributed a series of ‘virtual lab tours’, of varying levels of interactivity: Show-and-tell lab tour via webcam for John Monash Science School (JMSS) students at Clayton of FLEET laboratories at UNSW in Sydney (materials science), and Swinburne University in …
Enhanced interactions through strong light-matter coupling Why do two-dimensional exciton-polaritons interact? The intriguing quasiparticle the exciton-polariton is part light (photon), and part matter (exciton). Their excitonic (matter) part confers them the ability to interact with other particles —a property lacking to bare photons. In theory, when confined to only two dimensions, very slow (ie, very cold) excitons should cease any …
FLEET is committed to developing Australia’s next generation of science leaders, and to improving on the current imbalance of women in higher positions in STEM. Career support for women in FLEET works towards each of these two goals, providing an environment in which early-career women can thrive and progress, growing into capable and confident leaders. Four FLEET women were successful …
Australia’s Minister for Education Dan Tehan announced $280 million in funding for new research collaborations to start next year. This month’s ARC Discovery Project and Linkage Project funding announcement includes eight grants for projects and facilities led by or involving FLEET researchers. While these projects are distinct from FLEET’s mission to build low-energy electronics, they testify to the capacity FLEET …
Distance and Covid will not stop science-outreach. Thank you Zoom!** **not a paid partnership : ) Students at Elsternwick Primary School in Victoria had the opportunity to learn about electrical power, in a hands-on exercise guided by on-screen FLEET members, and following two of the experiments from FLEET’s comprehensive Home Science library. “A unanimous ‘WOW!’ came from all four classrooms …
What role does heat play in quantum impurity studies? A new, Monash-led theoretical study advances our understanding of its role in thermodynamics in the quantum impurity problem. Quantum impurity theory studies the behaviour of deliberately introduced atoms (ie, ‘impurities’) that behave as particularly ‘clean’ quasiparticles within a background atomic gas, allowing a controllable ‘perfect test bed’ study of quantum correlations. …
–by Iolanda Di Bernardo and Hareem Khan WLA’s Leading Edge program is designed to help women in their first leading position to develop their leadership skills, enabling the transition of aspiring and early-career female managers into confident, capable and motivated leaders. Throughout the six-month course participants are presented with topics including elements of a successful team / personal styles interpersonal …
FLEET physicists from Monash University and the University of Queensland are finalists, named today, in the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes – the nation’s top science awards. The Australian Quantum Vortex team provided the first proof of a 70-year-old theory of turbulence. Turbulence is everywhere, but remains one of physics’ great unsolved problems. Turbulence in two-dimensional flow, and the giant vortices …
What causes quasiparticle death? In large systems of interacting particles in quantum mechanics, an intriguing phenomenon often emerges: groups of particles begin to behave like single particles. Physicists refer to such groups of particles as quasiparticles. Understanding the properties of quasiparticles may be key to comprehending, and eventually controlling, technologically important quantum effects like superconductivity and superfluidity. Unfortunately, quasiparticles are …
Adding calcium to graphene creates an extremely-promising superconductor, but where does the calcium go? Adding calcium to a composite graphene-substrate structure creates a high transition-temperature (Tc) superconductor. In a new study, an Australian-led team has for the first time confirmed what actually happens to those calcium atoms: surprising everyone, the calcium goes underneath both the upper graphene sheet and a …
An online audience of almost 90 tuned in this week to hear FLEET CI Dr Julie Karel describing her search for non-volatile memory technologies and associated materials challenges. The talk was co-hosted by FLEET and Materials Australia. Catch up on the talk here Julie described her own work at Monash Department of Material Science and Engineering developing materials that can …
—Written by Dr Iolanda di Bernardo, FLEET/Monash An Australian-led study uses a scanning-tunnelling microscope ‘trick’ to map electronic structure in Na3Bi, seeking an answer to that material’s extremely high electron mobility. In studying the topological Dirac semimetal, the team found that exchange and correlation effects are crucial to electron speed, and therefore mobility, and thus to the use of this …
Coronavirus lockdowns have led to a massive reduction in global emissions, but there’s one area where energy usage is up – way up – during the pandemic: internet traffic. Data-intensive video streaming, gaming and livestreaming for business, university and school classes, is chewing up energy. Read more: Netflix has capitalized on social isolation, but will its success continue in a post-coronavirus world? Estimates can be notoriously difficult and depend on the electricity …
