The Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering (RSPhysSE) was established with the creation of the Australian National University (ANU) in 1947. Located at the ANU's main campus in Canberra, the school is one of the four founding research schools in the ANU's Institute of Advanced Studies. The Australian National University (ANU), is a university located in Canberra, the national capital of Australia. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ...

As part of the Institute of Advanced Studies it is primarily a research school with limited interaction with the ANU's undergraduate students. With a total of around 200 employees the school has approximately 60 PhD students and 70 academic staff. The school is divided into separate research departments although PhD students can often be based in more than one department.^[1]

Research

RSPhysSE is one of the leading physics research institutions in Australia. Major research facilities at the school include the 14UD NEC Pelletron accelerator and associated modular superconducting linac run by the Department of Nuclear Physics, the H-1NF flexible Stellarator Heliac run by the Plasma Research Laboratory plus an extensive range of smaller experimental and computational equipment. Research ranges from the fundamental to the applied, including both experimental and theoretical work. The school's primary research areas are: materials science and engineering; lasers, nonlinear optics and photonics; nanotechnology and mesoscopic physics; physics of atoms, molecules and the nucleus; plasma physics and surface science; physics and the environment.^[1] A 1960s single stage 2MeV linear Van de Graaff accelerator, here opened for maintenance A particle accelerator is a device that uses electric and/or magnetic fields to propel electrically charged particles to high speeds. ... Superconductivity is a phenomenon occurring in certain materials at low temperatures, characterised by the complete absence of electrical resistance and the damping of the interior magnetic field (the Meissner effect. ... A Linear particle accelerator is an electrical device for the acceleration of subatomic particles. ... The H-1 flexible Heliac is a three field-period helical axis stellarator located in the Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering at the Australian National University. ... Stellarator magnetic field and magnets A stellarator is a device used to confine a hot plasma with magnetic fields in order to sustain a controlled nuclear fusion reaction. ...

The nuclear physics 14UD is one of a handful of large Van-de Graaff accelerators in the world. It was the largest machine of its type when installed in 1974. After many upgrades the 14UD is capabable of running terminal voltage of up 16.7 MV. Charging is via three inductive charging chains. In 1996 a superconducting RF linac was installed that is used as an energy booster for the 14UD enabling higher energies to be reached.^[2] 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

History

The remains of the RSPhysSE 500MJ homopolar generator

2 MeV "High Voltage" Van de Graaff linear accelerator built in 1960

Sir Mark Oliphant was the founder of the School and its first Director from 1950 to 1963. The school was originally called the "Research School of Physical Sciences" with "Engineering" being added to its title in 1990 to highlight the large amount of engineering work that is undertaken in the school. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1231, 595 KB) Summary The remains of the RSPhysSE, ANU Homopolar generator. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1231, 595 KB) Summary The remains of the RSPhysSE, ANU Homopolar generator. ... Download high resolution version (1222x913, 118 KB)1960s vintage 2MeV High Voltage vandergraff linear accelerator. ... Download high resolution version (1222x913, 118 KB)1960s vintage 2MeV High Voltage vandergraff linear accelerator. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Mark Oliphant (left) Sir Marcus Mark Laurence Elwin Oliphant (October 8, 1901 - July 14, 2000) was an Australian physicist and humanitarian who played a fundamental role in the development of the Atom bomb. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... This article is about the year. ...

For much of the early years the focus of a large part of the school was designing, re-designing and building a cyclo-synchrotron that in its final intended form was to produce a beam of 10.6 GeV protons for nuclear physics research. Designed to be a world class research machine it was referred to within the school as "The Big Machine". Due to shifting goalposts and huge costs the cyclo-syncrotron was never completed. The small 7.7 MeV cyclotron designed to function as the proton injector was completed in 1955, and the large homopolar generator intended to power the system was first operated in 1962, but by this time work on "The Big Machine" itself had been abandoned. A GEV (or Ground Effect Vehicle) is vehicle that takes advantage of the aerodynamic principle of ground effect (or Wing-in-ground). ... An electronvolt (symbol: eV) is the amount of energy gained by a single unbound electron when it falls through an electrostatic potential difference of one volt. ... A pair of Dee electrodes with loops of coolant pipes on their surface at the Lawrence Hall of Science. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A homopolar generator, also known as a unipolar generator, acyclic generator, or disk dynamo, is an electrical generator in which the magnetic field has the same polarity at every point, so that the armature passes through the magnetic field lines of force continually in the same direction. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ...

The homopolar generator, the largest ever built, was capable of supplying currents of over 2 megaamperes. Even though it was never used for its intended purpose it ended up being used for numerous research projects requiring an extremely high current source until its disassembly in 1986. One of these projects was the invention and development of the railgun by John Barber and Richard Marshall.^[3] The school also benifited in an indirect way from the construction of the massive generator, the accumulated engineering experience and techniques where later used to build other research equipment around the school including the Plasma Physics H1NF Heliac. some parts of the homopolar generator are now on permanent display on the lawn outside the research school. In electricity, current refers to electric current, which is the flow of electric charge. ... The ampere (symbol: A) is the SI base unit of electric current equal to one coulomb per second. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A railgun is a form of gun that converts electrical energy—rather than the more conventional chemical energy from an explosive propellant—into projectile kinetic energy. ...

The school has been home to many different particle accelerators over the years. The first accelerator installed was a 1.25 MV Cockcroft-Walton known as HT1, this was in use from 1952 until 1967 when it was sold to the University of New South Wales. A second smaller 600 kV Cockcroft-Walton machine (HT2) was assembled in house using many spare parts acquired for HT1. In 1955 the UK government supplied a 33 MeV electron synchrotron as a gift. It was moved to the University of Western Australia in 1961. During 1960-1980 a HVEC EN tandem accelerator was used by nuclear phsyics for light ion research. 1975 saw the school's 14UD accelerator come online, which has since been augmented with a superconducting linear accelerator. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The University of New South Wales is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Western Australia (UWA) is Western Australias oldest university, established in February 1911, and is the only West Australian university to be a member of the Group of Eight lobby group for tertiary institutions. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Superconductivity is a phenomenon occurring in certain materials at low temperatures, characterised by the complete absence of electrical resistance and the damping of the interior magnetic field (the Meissner effect. ... A Linear particle accelerator is an electrical device for the acceleration of subatomic particles. ...

On July 5, 1960 a fire during the night destroyed much of the eastern end of the Cockroft Building. The damage included the drawing office, many student's and staff's results and files and the control room for the 600 kV Cockcroft-Walton accelerator. The 600 kV accelerator though only water damaged had to be scrapped. Refurbishment of the burnt out area was completed in September 1961. July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ...

Early departments that have now been spun off into research schools of their own include the departments of Astronomy and Geophysics and Geochemistry. Geophysics and Geochemistry separated into the Research School of Earth Sciences in 1973. Mount Stromlo Observatory became part of the Department of Astronomy in 1957. While part of the school the Department of Astronomy developed Siding Spring Observatory and installed many new telescopes at Mount Stromlo Observatory. It separated into the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics in 1986.^[4] 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The old administration building with the dome of the Farnham telescope The dome of the 50-inch Great Melbourne telescope Mount Stromlo Observatory (MSO) located just outside of Canberra, Australia, is part of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University (ANU). ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, Australia. ... 50 cm refracting telescope at Nice Observatory. ... The old administration building with the dome of the Farnham telescope The dome of the 50-inch Great Melbourne telescope Mount Stromlo Observatory (MSO) located just outside of Canberra, Australia, is part of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University (ANU). ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Structure

Departments

• Applied Mathematics
• Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Electronic Materials Engineering
• Laser Physics
• Nuclear Physics
• Plasma Physics
• Nonlinear Physics Centre
• Optical Sciences Group
• Theoretical Physics

Centres and Networks

• The Australian Photonics Cooperative Research Centre
• The Centre for Complex Systems
• CRC for Functional Communications Surfaces
• The Centre for the Mind
• ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics
• Australian Research Network for Advanced Materials
• ARC Complex Open Systems Research Network
• Australian Research Council Nanotechnology Network

Deans and Directors

• Sir Mark Oliphant 1950-1963
• John Jeager 1964-1965
• Sir Ernest Titterton 1966-1973
• Robert Street 1974-1978
• John Carver 1978-1992
• Erich Weigold 1992-2002
• James S. "Jim" Williams 2002-present

Mark Oliphant (left) Sir Marcus Mark Laurence Elwin Oliphant (October 8, 1901 - July 14, 2000) was an Australian physicist and humanitarian who played a fundamental role in the development of the Atom bomb. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

References

1. ↑ ^a RSPyhsSE webpage.
2. ↑ Nuclear Physics Facilities.
3. ↑ Marshall, Richard (2001). "Railgunnery: Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?". IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 37 (1), 440-444.
4. ↑ Ophel, Trevor and Jenkin, John (1996) Fire in the belly : the first 50 years of the pioneer school at the ANU Canberra : Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University. ISBN 0-85-800048-2. [5]