Wednesday 8 December 2010 Today’s stories from the physics conference in Melbourne include: Tomorrow’s technology pioneers recognised today From the laser to quantum optics Prof Kostya (Ken) …
A single electron reader for silicon quantum computing
Dr Andrea Morello reported on the progress of a team led by University of New South Wales engineers and physicists which has developed a “single electron reader”, one of the key building blocks needed …
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Enlightenment on a chip
CSIRO researchers reported that metallic nanoparticles can be used as components of computers powered by light rather than electric currents. The nanoparticles can control and manipulate the flow …
Silk microchips for instant blood tests
The major protein in silkworm silk is being used by Peter Domachuk and his colleagues at the University of Sydney as a platform for sophisticated new health tests. The protein, fibroin, is …
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From the chaos of stirring coffee to stirring rocks and cleaning up polluted ground water
Adding to chaos underground could help manage polluted water, according to CSIRO physicist Guy Metcalfe. His team has been working on “chaotic advection”, which describes the motion of particles …
A cubic kilometre of South Pole ice looking for dark matter
UK researcher Anthony Brown reported on the IceCube neutrino telescope under construction at the South Pole. The first stages are up and running, looking for high energy neutrinos from a variety of …
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Lies, damn lies and climate change sceptics: what has really caused recent global warming?
David Karoly will rebut the common arguments and misinformation that question the role of human activity, particularly increasing concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases, as the main cause of …
Pursuing space research from the comfort of home
By Vivien Lee Anyone can discover a neutron star in their own home, says the director of the Einstein@Home Project, Prof Bruce Allen. You don’t even have to be awake—your computer screensaver does …
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$25 million to help Australians use the Large Hadron Collider
CERN director general preview a new centre and reports on the LHC’s first year A $25-million Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre to explore the origins of the universe immediately after the Big …
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Dark matter: detecting the invisible
Melbourne physicists are trying to detect the undetectable - by searching for signs of its demise. Nicole Bell and her colleagues at the University of Melbourne are analysing data on neutrinos, …
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Superconductors reveal their secrets
By James Mitchell Crow US researchers are beginning to understand how copper oxides can transmit electricity with no power loss at temperatures not far below -100˚C. Research which gives clues as …
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The future of nuclear science
Discoveries in diagnosing diseases, finding new clues to detect climate change and the structural soundness of materials have all emerged from Australia’s nuclear research reactor. Adi Paterson, the …