The SA Branch of the AIP warmly invite you to join us for the Claire Corani Memorial free Public Lecture. This year, the presenter is Professor Susan Coppersmith from the University of New South Wales, presenting her talk “What Do Theoretical Physicists Do?” as part of the AIP Women in Physics tour.

The Claire Corani Memorial Prizes in Physics recognising the highest achieving woman in second year physics at each of the universities of South Australia will also be presented during the event.

Presenter: Professor Susan Coppersmith
Title: What do theoretical physicists do?
Date and Time: Wednesday 14 August at 6:30pm
Location: Horace Lamb Lecture Theatre, The University of Adelaide
Registration: RSVPs encouraged via Humanitix

The mid-year dinner and awards night is coming up! Come along for an informal evening with your fellow physicists including students, academics, and researchers. Arrive at 6:00 pm with the dinner commencing at 6:30 pm.

Date and Time: Tuesday 30th July 2024 at 6:00 pm
Location: The British Hotel
Registration: AIP-SA Mid-Year Dinner | Humanitix

We will be presenting the Excellence in Physics Teaching award – presented to a Physics teacher who has had a positive impact on teaching Physics to students at the high-school level. We will also present the Silver Bragg Awards – presented to the top final-year students who have completed a Bachelor of Science degree in 2023 with a major in Physics.

Meals to be purchased individually on the night. The first 10 student members to sign up will receive $20 off their meals. Please book via Humanitix at: AIP-SA Mid-Year Dinner | Humanitix

The Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) and the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) invite you to the 2024 AIP/IPAS Physics Careers Fair!

Are you currently studying physics at university and wondering what comes next? Are you keen to launch an exciting career in physics in Adelaide?

Listen to employers from over 7 national & local companies who are looking to hire people just like you!

The event details are:
Title: 2024 AIP/IPAS Physics Careers Fair
Date: Wednesday 29^th May 2024
Lecture: Horace Lamb Lecture Theatre, University of Adelaide,
                6:00-6:30 PM  Live stream from national employers,
                6:30-7:15 PM  Presentations by local employers,
Networking and Pizza: 7:15PM - 8:30PM, Mezzanine (The Hub), University of Adelaide

Registration: Required. If you would like to attend, please register at the Humanitix below to ensure there is enough Pizza for everyone.
AIP/IPAS Physics Careers Fair (South Australia) | Humanitix

Enquires: Email to secretary@sa.aip.org.au

Top scoring year 12 physics students from 2023 Allegra Kleinig and Rianna Herring were awarded Bronze Bragg medals at the AIP SA Branch’s annual Bronze Bragg Presentation and Lecture.

Congratulations to both of the students, for their hard work and well-deserved achievements.

The Bronze Bragg medals go to the top scoring year 12 physics students from 2023.

(From left to right: Allegra Kleinig, Prof Robert Sang, Rianna Herring, Dr Stephen Warren-Smith.)

Prof Robert Sang gave a lecture on attosecond science: the dynamics of lasers and atoms at one billion-billionth of a second.

Prof Sang investigates the dynamics of electrons in atoms and molecules and ultra-short laser pulses at this timescale to test fundamental quantum theories and develop new x-ray sources.

How to use a time machine to study atomic physics

Presented by: Prof. Robert Sang, Griffith University

Date & Time: Monday 19^th of February 2024 at 6.30 to 7.45 pm

Location: The Braggs lecture theatre, The University of Adelaide

Abstract: In this talk I will give a background into the world of ultrafast laser science with an emphasis on the application to study attosecond science. I will talk about the 2023 Nobel Prize in physics and use some examples of attosecond science research from my own laboratory in the study of atomic physics.

Bio: Professor Robert Sang is the Dean Academic of the Griffith Sciences Group. Professor Sang is an experimental quantum physicist and he co-founded the Attosecond Science Group at Griffith University. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles in the discipline of atomic physics and his current research involves the applications of ultra-short laser pulses of light to the experimental observation of the dynamics of electrons in atoms and molecules which occurs at the time scale of attoseconds (one attosecond is a billion-billionth of a second). The outcomes of this research are diverse and ranges from the development of new coherent x-ray sources, the testing of fundamental quantum theories, to applications in structure determination of complex molecules. Prof Sang has held posts as a Max-Planck Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Munich, ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship and visiting scientist to the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo.

The Bronze Bragg medals, and merit certificates, will be presented at the lecture. The medals are awarded for highest achievement in Physics in 2023 in the SACE Stage 2 assessments and IB Higher Level Physics, with merit certificates being for students who achieved a merit or a grade of 7.

The presentation and lecture will be held in the Braggs Lecture Theatre, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, at 6.30pm. Members of the public are warmly invited to attend.

Dear Members,

You are invited to the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) SA Branch 2023 Annual General Meeting and end of year dinner held in the Ivy Room at the Maylands Hotel.

The agenda for the evening is as follows:

6:00 pm Pre-meeting drinks

6:30 pm Annual General Meeting

7:30 pm Annual Dinner

The AIP (SA Branch) Annual General Meeting will start at 6:30 pm (pre-meeting drinks from 6:00 pm). Nomination of the 2024 committee will be included as part of the proceedings. Please see the attached letter for details of the current committee’s nominations for the 2024 committee.

Dinner will be from 7.30 pm, following the main course we will have an after-dinner speaker (TBC).

Meals to be ordered and paid on arrival from the hotel's menu.

Please register for the event via Humanitix.

The Astronomical Society of South Australia (ASSA) and Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) SA Branch are holding a joint public lecture as part of an ASSA monthly meeting. This meeting is being held in-person and is open to the general public.

Speaker: Professor David Ottaway

Date & Time: Wednesday 4^th of October 2023 at 8:00pm to 9:30pm

Location: The Braggs Lecture Theater, The University of Adelaide (map here)

Meeting Agenda:

• Gravitational Wave Astronomy Now and Looking to the Future
• Announcements & Upcoming Events
• Close at 9:30pm

Abstract: It has been 8 years since the first direct detection of gravitational waves (GW) occurred almost 100 years after Einstein predicted their existence a century beforehand. Since that time the first three GW observing runs have detected 90 detections. After a period of downtime to install the instruments upgrades the twin LIGO detectors have commenced its 4th observing runs and significant GW events are now being observed weekly. In this talk I will describe the instrument science that makes these amazing detectors operate and the exciting new astrophysics results that they enable. I will also describe the plans for the next generation of detectors that are being planned for operation starting towards the end of the next decade.

Bio: Professor David Ottaway is a Professor and current Head of Physics at The University of Adelaide. He has spent the vast majority of his career developing optical systems for gravitational wave detectors and other forms of extreme remote sensing. He is principally an instrument scientist who has a keen interest in the amazing Astrophysics that GW Astronomy enables. He is also a Chief Investigator and Node Leader in new funded Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Gravitational Wave Astronomy.

Attend In-Person: This is a free public event. A theatre ticket is NOT required for this meeting. Just roll up.

Finding the Venue: The Braggs LT entrance faces the Barr Smith Lawns and is located at E10 on the map.

Watch Live Online: (no ticket required): YouTube or Facebook. Please Subscribe to the ASSA YouTube channel and turn ON Notifications to be instantly notified of our live broadcasts.

Pizza & Networking with local employers of Physicists and STEM professionals.

Curious about Science and Physics? Wondering what careers can come from studying Physics? Not sure if you should choose to study Physics in Year 11, Year 12, or University? The AIP/IPAS Physics Industry Night will satisfy your curiosity and queries.

Listen to the experts in their fields who have used their physics education to leap into exciting and rewarding careers.

Hear from local organisations and companies who hire Physics graduates:

• DST Group
• CSIRO
• Ziltek
• The University of Adelaide
• Fleet Space Technologies
• QuantX

Afterwards, enjoy FREE PIZZA over networking with these local employers.

Date: Tuesday 26th September 2023
Time: Lecture: 6:00 - 7:00 PM - The Braggs Lecture Theatre
Networking: 7:00 - 8.30 PM - Hub Mezzanine
Location: The University of Adelaide
Registration: EVENTBRITE registration required!
Enquires: Email to aip_branchsecretary_sa@aip.org.au

Proudly hosted by Australian Institute of Physics SA Branch and the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing

Congratulations to Tony Thomas for getting a paper published in the Journal of High Energy Physics

The existence of dark matter has been firmly established from its gravitational interactions, yet its precise nature continues to elude us despite the best efforts of physicists around the world. The key to understanding this mystery could lie with the dark photon, a theoretical massive particle that may serve as a portal between the dark sector of particles and regular matter. In our recent work, a collaboration between CSSM, the Adelaide node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics and Jefferson Laboratory, we study the potential effects a dark photon could have on the interpretation of existing experimental results from the deep inelastic scattering process. Specifically, we make use of the state-of-the-art Jefferson Angular Momentum collaboration (JAM) global analysis framework for parton distribution functions, modifying the underlying theory to allow for the effect of a dark photon. We show that the dark photon hypothesis is preferred over the Standard Model hypothesis at a significance of 6.5 sigma, which constitutes strong evidence, albeit indirect, for a particle discovery.

Profile likelihood showing preferred regions for the dark photon mass and mixing parameter. This suggests that the Standard Model is disfavoured at 6.5σ.