Honours in Physics

Exploring the core of supernovae using gravitational wave observations

Honours project: this project involves producing simulated populations, injecting them in read data, reconstruct the events with cWB and investigating which distributional test performs better in detecting the population. 

Intensity noise suppression of mid-infrared lasers for gravitational wave lasers

Honours project: this project will investigate the intensity fluctuations of these lasers for the first time and design stabilization systems to ensure that these lasers meet the exacting requirements of the latest upgrades to gravitational wave detectors.

Sub quantum noise limited position sensors for gravitational wave detectors

Honours project: in this project you will investigate a new laser-based position detector that will hopefully surpass these limits and allow the low frequency performance of gravitational wave detectors to improved.

Optical fibres in space for high bandwidth and black hole detection

Honours project: Explore the creation of high-purity glass aboard the International Space Station to unlock internet bandwidth limits and improve gravitational wave detectors.

Machine Learning Techniques for Advanced Gravitational Wave Detectors

Honours project: This project will use advanced interferometer simulation software, developed by researchers at Adelaide, coupled with machine learning and Bayesian analysis methods to develop new techniques for extracting experimental parameters within gravitational wave interferometers.

High Resolution 3D Scene Mapping Using Advanced GW Technology

Honours project: In this project you will explore phase camera technology to understand its potential and limitations.

High-Precision Characterisation of Optics Using Hartmann Wavefront Sensors

Honours projects: Accurate knowledge of optical parameters is becoming increasingly important for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications.

Advanced LIGO Detector Characterisation & CW Astrophysics

Honours project: This project provides the opportunity to work on continuous-wave (CW) searches and advanced LIGO detector characterisation as part of the OzGrav Centre of Excellence.

Computational Models of Lasers for Future Gravitational Wave Detectors

Honours project: This project provides the opportunity to adapt an advanced set of modelling tools to predict the performance of 2µm lasers and help optimise their performance.

Improving Fibre Laser Sources for Future Gravitational Wave Detectors

Honours project: In this project you will join the team developing 2 µm fibre laser sources and investigate the isolation of the laser cavities from the environment.

Exploring the core of supernovae using gravitational wave observations

Honours project: this project involves producing simulated populations, injecting them in read data, reconstruct the events with cWB and investigating which distributional test performs better in detecting the population. 

Intensity noise suppression of mid-infrared lasers for gravitational wave lasers

Honours project: this project will investigate the intensity fluctuations of these lasers for the first time and design stabilization systems to ensure that these lasers meet the exacting requirements of the latest upgrades to gravitational wave detectors.

Sub quantum noise limited position sensors for gravitational wave detectors

Honours project: in this project you will investigate a new laser-based position detector that will hopefully surpass these limits and allow the low frequency performance of gravitational wave detectors to improved.

Studying the Highest Energy Particles in Nature with the Pierre Auger Observatory

Honours project: Projects with the Pierre Auger Observatory in western Argentina which has been built to detect giant cascades of particles created in our atmosphere by the highest energy particles known in the Universe.

Study of Nature's Extreme Particle Accelerators at Tera-eV (10^12eV) Gamma-Ray Energies with Hess and other Telescopes

Honours projects: Opportunities to study extended sources which may include supernova remnants, pulsar nebulae, star formation regions and also mysterious unidentified sources, as well as searching for transient/bursting sources in High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) data.

Designing the next generation CTA gamma-ray observatory with machine learning and other computational techniques

Honours projects: Gamma-ray astronomy projects which study the most energetic part of the electromagnetic spectrum and correspondingly require large telescope systems and state-of-the-art analysis techniques.

Advanced LIGO Detector Characterisation & CW Astrophysics

Honours project: This project provides the opportunity to work on continuous-wave (CW) searches and advanced LIGO detector characterisation as part of the OzGrav Centre of Excellence.

High-Precision Characterisation of Optics Using Hartmann Wavefront Sensors

Honours projects: Accurate knowledge of optical parameters is becoming increasingly important for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications.

High-Energy Neutrino Astronomy with the IceCube Detector at the South Pole

Honours projects: Honours projects which contribute to the IceCube detector science goals.

Noble gases in ancient fluid droplets in minerals

Honours projects: Extract rare noble gas isotopes from specific mineral phases such as quartz.

Fossils under a new light

Honours projects: Use new fluorescence imaging techniques to analyse fossils that range in age from half-a-billion to some tens of thousands of years old.

Saving megafauna from bacteria

Honours projects: Identify and image biofilms that threaten the Naracoorte Caves National Park fossils.

It’s space water, but not as we know it

Honours projects: Explore laser-induced fluorescence of water and aqueous minerals for space applications.

Environmental Luminescence

Honours projects: The Environmental Luminescence group studies a range of real-world problems requiring the detection of ultra-low levels of light, of relevance to Environmental Monitoring, Quaternary Geology, Archaeology, Palaeontology, Earth Sciences, and Defence and National Security.

Validating a 2D scanning system for radiation shielding verification in medical imaging departments

Honours project: The aim of this project is to assist in the validation of a radionuclide NaI probe-based method that determines lead thickness and integrity using transmission data from a gamma-ray source (99mTc).

Modelling and analysis of cell survival data from hadron therapy

Honours projects: Study honours in physics and help improve the accuracy of cancer treatment planning.

Investigation of the use of Optical Photogrammetry in High Dose Rate Surface Brachytherapy

Honours project: This project utilises optical photogrammetry to address limitations of surface mould applicators for brachytherapy.

Characterisation of the Dosimetric Properties of Radiochromic Films

Honours project:This project will involve Monte-Carlo simulations of the dose deposition within the different radiochromic film designs.

3D Printing of Optical Calibration Objects for High Resolution Medical Imaging

Honours projects: Accurate knowledge of optical parameters is becoming increasingly important for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications.

Optical coherence tomography for intra-operative assessment of osteoarthritis

Honours projects: Develop a synthetic model of a soft cartilage over bone, most likely using some type of polymer resin over a rigid surface.

Small Field Dosimetry with Beryllium Oxide Ceramic Fibre Optic Dosimeters

Honours project: This project will involve Monte-Carlo simulations of the beryllium oxide (BeO) ceramic dosimeter to determine the expected dose deposition when exposed to small fields. Experimental measurements will then be performed at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and compared to other dosimetry systems.

Exploring the core of supernovae using gravitational wave observations

Honours project: this project involves producing simulated populations, injecting them in read data, reconstruct the events with cWB and investigating which distributional test performs better in detecting the population. 

Intensity noise suppression of mid-infrared lasers for gravitational wave lasers

Honours project: this project will investigate the intensity fluctuations of these lasers for the first time and design stabilization systems to ensure that these lasers meet the exacting requirements of the latest upgrades to gravitational wave detectors.

Sub quantum noise limited position sensors for gravitational wave detectors

Honours project: in this project you will investigate a new laser-based position detector that will hopefully surpass these limits and allow the low frequency performance of gravitational wave detectors to improved.

Quantum Mechanical Theory and Experiment

Honours projects: Accurate knowledge of optical parameters is becoming increasingly important for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications.

Sensing and Spectroscopy

Honours projects: Accurate knowledge of optical parameters is becoming increasingly important for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications.

Testing for irradiated foods

Honours project: Optimise methodologies to detect irradiated food by optically-stimulated luminescence.

Fossils under a new light

Honours projects: Use new fluorescence imaging techniques to analyse fossils that range in age from half-a-billion to some tens of thousands of years old.

Saving megafauna from bacteria

Honours projects: Identify and image biofilms that threaten the Naracoorte Caves National Park fossils.

It’s space water, but not as we know it

Honours projects: Explore laser-induced fluorescence of water and aqueous minerals for space applications.

Optical fibres in space for high bandwidth and black hole detection

Honours project: Explore the creation of high-purity glass aboard the International Space Station to unlock internet bandwidth limits and improve gravitational wave detectors.

Experimental High-Energy Physics

Honours projects: Projects in high energy physics with:

Theoretical High Energy Physics

Honours projects: Available projects include supersymmetry (SUSY), GUTs, dark matter, extra-dimensional models, composite Higgs models, and scale invariant theories.

High-energy Physics Phenomenology

Honours projects: Projects which combine experimental, computational and theoretical physics.

Investigation of doppler perturbations in ground based satellite observations

Honours projects: Investigate unknown ionospheric phenomena which affect the accuracy of ground-based satellite observations.

Using Radar Satellite Detections to Monitor the Ionosphere

Honours project: Refining satellite detection techniques using a large radar north of Adelaide to develop new ways to measure the amount of plasma in the upper atmosphere and compare the results with other methods.

Optical fibres in space for high bandwidth and black hole detection

Honours project: Explore the creation of high-purity glass aboard the International Space Station to unlock internet bandwidth limits and improve gravitational wave detectors.

Probing the ionosphere using radio signals

Honours project:  Evaluate the utility of software defined radio (SDR) for providing low-cost ionospheric sounder receivers.

Radar Rainfall Studies

Honours projects: Scanning weather radars use empirical relationships to calculate rainfall rates from the measured returned power. Depending on student’s interest various projects using a combinations of systems is possible. These could include sensor fusion, radar deployment, comparison techniques, validation with Bureau of Meteorology’s computational models, etc.

Transient Weather Events

Honours project: Integration of data from multiple instruments to determine the origins of recurring and transient weather events in the Adelaide area.

Radio Astronomy at 55 MHZ

Honours projects: Students will gain experience in radio interferometry techniques which underpin major astronomy programs in Australia such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

Cloud Microphysics

Honours project: Development of balloon-borne optical instruments to investigate super-cooled liquid water in the atmosphere, and its effect on weather and climate models.

Active & Passive Measurement of Atmospheric Trace Gases

Honours projects: This project could develop along a couple of paths. either developing a lidar (active) that measures Raman-scattered light from water, and which will ultimately be deployed at Davis Station in Antarctica as part of a larger campaign to understand the influence of the Southern Ocean in the Earth’s climate system; or quantifying methane leaks, based on a knowledge of the local atmospheric conditions and measured methane concentrations.

Quantum Field Theory

Honours projects: Projects can be phenomenological or mathematical in character, or the focus may be on technique.

Complex Systems

Honours projects: Projects focused on complex systems which are are typically comprised of a large number of interconnected components which interact collectively, leading to emergent behaviour, such as self-organisation, which is not apparent from the properties of the underlying components.

Models of Hadrons & Hadronic Interactions

Honours projects: Projects using models such as NJL, or the MIT bag, to calculate hadron properties, to calculate reactions involving hadrons and to build quark models of atomic nuclei.

Modelling and analysis of cell survival data from hadron therapy

Honours projects: Study honours in physics and help improve the accuracy of cancer treatment planning.

Lattice Gauge Theory

Honours projects: Projects in this area study lattice gauge theory by developing numerical simulations on high performance computers.

Effective Field Theory

Honours projects: Developing innovative techniques which serve to guide and interpret research at international experimental facilities.

High-energy Physics Phenomenology

Honours projects: Projects which combine experimental, computational and theoretical physics.

Theoretical High Energy Physics

Honours projects: Available projects include supersymmetry (SUSY), GUTs, dark matter, extra-dimensional models, composite Higgs models, and scale invariant theories.

Quantum technologies theory

Honours projects: Study with the Quantum Technologies Theory Group which specialise in applying quantum mechanics to emerging and future technologies.

Nuclear Theory

Honours projects: Projects exploring the change of the properties of protons and neutrons and the impact of this on the dense matter and properties of neutron stars.

Compositional controls on physical properties: new constraints from laboratory measurements

Honours projects: Improve predictive models of density and thermal conductivity to improve geophysical models by making new lab measurements.

The Impact of Fluid Flow on Crustal Radioactivity: Pushing heat around during tectonic reworking

Honours project: Head into the field to analyse natural radioactivity of fluid-altered crust.

Nanosatellites and drone geophysics: new technologies for Earth, Moon and Mars

Honours project: Be part of the exciting space exploration program, connecting remote networks of geophysical sensors to satellites.

Predicting concentration-gradient-driven fluid flow in 2D membranes

Honours project: Chemistry honours opportunities that aim to predict concentration-gradient-driven fluid flow in two-dimensional (2D) membranes.

The Curnamona Cube

Honours projects: Fly across remote Australia in a helicopter, for one of the world's biggest geophysical science projects.

Reduced dimensionality representations of soft matter

Honours project: Use methods from statistical mechanics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to develop algorithms to automate the dimensionality reduction process.

Designing organic semiconductor interfaces for advanced flexible electronics

Honours project: Develop a more predictive approach to controlling organic electronic device performance, in particular by exploiting molecular anisotropy to manipulate the structure of organic semiconductor interfaces.

Predicting concentration-gradient-driven fluid flow in 2D membranes

Honours project: Chemistry honours opportunities that aim to predict concentration-gradient-driven fluid flow in two-dimensional (2D) membranes.

Modelling the Aussie Rules Football Kick

Honours project: This project will look at the function of a human leg when kicking an Australian Rules Football. Motion capture data is available, and will be used in conjunction with OpenSim, an open source musculoskeletal model and dynamical simulator.