Welcome to Theoretical Physics at Swinburne University of Technology
We are an eclectic group of theoretical researchers, working on modern problems in theoretical physics. Topics range from ultra-cold atoms to genetics, computational science, quantum information, condensed matter and the foundations of quantum mechanics.
Our current theoretical research interests are:
Ultracold Fermi gases
Our research program of ultracold Fermi gases is motivated by the rapid experimental developments in degenerate Fermi gases and the experimental possibilities available at Swinburne University. These systems are under well control at unprecedented level and are well described by various quantum many-body models. The program involves three themes that are designed to develop fundamental knowledge of the quantum many-body physics, as well as to provide a theoretical guidance to the on-going experimental activities in Swinburne University.
- Quantitative strong-coupling theory of ultracold Fermi gases
- Exotic phases in an imbalanced or multi-species Fermi gases
- Entanglement, correlations, and coherent manipulations of ultra-cold Fermi gases.
Foundations of Quantum Mechanics
EPR, in their famous 1935 paper, put forward a gedanken experiment that brings into question the validity of local realism, the philosophical base for most working physicists. This motivated Bell to prove his famous theorem showing that quantum mechanics predicts results which can rule out the whole class of local hidden variable (LHV) theories. It is hard to overemphasize the importance of this result, which has even been called “the most profound discovery of science†. Even more important questions arise with the issue, raised by Schrodinger in his famous cat paradox, of how to reconcile quantum with classical realities at the macroscopic level. Specific research topics include:
- The macroscopic EPR paradox
- Signatures of macro-scopic superpositions and entanglement
- Macroscopic Bell inequalities
Computational physics
We have developed both new algorithms for simulating quantum many-body systems, and a novel code generator called XMDS, with a recent extension: the XMS simulation code, which is under development.
This work has many applications both inside and outside ACQAO. This work is a public domain open source project. Code libraries are being added for new physics applications. Other libraries will be added in new areas of computational science. A user-friendly graphical interface wil be introduced.
Atom Lasers
Atom lasers, or Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) reach temperatures below one nano-Kelvin - a billion times colder than interstellar space. Our main theoretical interests are in the quantum noise properties of atom lasers, where atoms behave as waves but have particle-like nature when detected. An important fundamental project in this area is the theory of quantum Brownian motion of impurities and vortices inside a BEC.
Genetics
Mathematical genetics is one of the most rapidly growing fields of science. New gene sequencing technology is unleashing floods of new genetic data in many areas, requiring sophisticated models to understand and analyse genetic drift and genetic correlations. Our research focuses on viral evolution and genetics, as a cross-disciplinary study bridging the gap between theoretical physics and biology.
Quantum Information
Quantum information is the study of how to apply quantum mechanics in the development of new technologies. We are interested in quantum memories, as an enabling technology for many areas of quantum information. A quantum memory is able to store a quantum state indefinitely, to be read out on demand. Possible quantum memory devices range from cold atoms to superconducting circuits and nano-oscillators.