Australian Institute of Physics Congress

Shape shifting particles; underground labs; QLD’s forgotten Nobel Prize winner; and more

Sunday 4 December 2016

  • Highlights from Day 1 of the Physics Congress
  • Australian and international researchers available for interview throughout the week
  • For more highlights, and daily updates visit www.scienceinpublic.com.au/physicscongress

Our neutrino world – explained by 2015 Nobel Prize winner Professor Takaaki Kajita

We live in a world of neutrinos. Thousands of billions of neutrinos—mostly created by the Sun—are flowing through your body every second. You cannot see them and you do not feel them. So how did we discover they have mass, and why does that challenge our standard model of the Universe?

Professor Kajita will give a public lecture, telling the story of shape-shifting particles and underground super-labs on Monday night hosted by Australian physicist Hans Bachor (ANU), with early career astrophysicist Tamara Davis (UQ) and neutrino physicist Yvonne Wong (UNSW).  [continue reading…]

A week of physics stories – starting Monday: our neutrino world; hunting dark matter; Australia’s role in big international science; and more

 

More on these and other stories from this week’s Physics Congress below. [continue reading…]

A week of physics stories – starting Monday

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The biennial Physics Congress in Brisbane
4 to 8 December

Researchers from every State plus international and Asian leaders
All stories embargoed until released during the Congress.

 

The biggest discovery of 2016 – gravitational waves. Hear from one of the leaders on what’s next.

Einstein said we’d never find them. But we did. Have more been found? What’s Australia’s role, and why should we care? Researchers from Canberra, Melbourne, and Perth will talk about their work on gravitational waves.

Our neutrino world – explained by 2015 Nobel Prize winner Takaaki Kajita

We live in a world of neutrinos. Thousands of billions of neutrinos—mostly created by the Sun—are flowing through your body every second. You cannot see them and you do not feel them. So how did we discover they have mass, and why does that challenge our standard model of the Universe? Kajita will also be meeting with school students.

$20 billion, with a result is expected in 2035. The world’s largest science experiment hopes to crack fusion power.

Speakers from around the world, including senior advisor to the ITER project Jean Jacquinot, will speak about the global race to harness the process that powers our Sun. Researchers from ANU will be available to speak about Australia’s involvement. [continue reading…]

Shape-shifting particles and underground super labs: 2015 Nobel Prize winner tells his story

aip2016-web-banner-thinPublic Lecture 7pm Monday 5 December

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Great Halls 1 & 2

Register for the event here: www.trybooking.com/OBQF

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We live in a world of neutrinos. Thousands of billions of neutrinos—mostly created by the Sun—are flowing through your body every second. You cannot see them and you do not feel them; and they are very hard for scientists to measure.

Then, when scientists were finally able to catch them, there were fewer than they expected. But why? Was our Sun losing its power?

Join us on Monday 5 December for a free public lecture by the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2015, Professor Takaaki Kajita: the man credited with the discovery of neutrino oscillations, and the solution to this riddle. [continue reading…]

Welcome to the 2016 Australian/Asia-Pacific Physics Conference

One of the highlights on the Australian Institute of Physics’ (AIP’s) calendar is its biennial Congress, where physicists from all over Australia and overseas come together for a week-long program of plenary, keynote and contributed talks, social events, and the opportunity to network.

We are delighted to announce that the next (22nd) such Congress will take place in the vibrant and progressive city of Brisbane from 4-8 December, 2016. Brisbane is a significant physics ‘hub’, with major research facilities and groups at the University of Queensland, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, and the nearby University of Southern Queensland.

Furthermore, and most importantly, the Congress will be held in conjunction with the 13th Asian-Pacific Physics Conference, the triennial meeting of the Association of Asia-Pacific Physics Societies that brings together physicists from across the entire Asia-Pacific region. This will be the first time that both meetings have been held jointly, and is certain to enrich the scientific program, as well as facilitate new links to be made between the Australian physics community and those throughout the Asia-Pacific region – something that is a high priority for the Australian Institute of Physics. We are also very pleased that these two joint meetings will incorporate the Annual Meeting of the Australian Optical Society.

We very much look forward to your attendance at this joint 13th Asia Pacific Physics Conference and 22ndAustralian Institute of Physics Congress and making it an outstanding success, both scientifically and collegially.

Warrick Couch
AIP President and Meeting Co-Chair

Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop
Meeting Co-chair

More at: appc-aip2016.org.au

Stawell to join the search for the missing 85 per cent of our galaxy

Victorian government supports plans to build a dark matter laboratory deep in Stawell Gold Mine.

The Victorian government has committed $1.75 million to help Australian scientists hunt for dark matter a kilometre underground in the Stawell gold mine in regional Victoria. The project will commence once the Federal government provides matching support from their regional development program.

[continue reading…]