University of Queensland physicists will conduct groundbreaking experiments this year with U.S.-based 1997 Nobel Laureate in Physics William Phillips.
The two research groups will perform quantum tunnelling work, allowing particles to travel through impenetrable barriers as a precursor to the next great leap forward in computing, the quantum computer.
"The project will be like having a tennis ball penetrate a brick wall, and once it reaches the other side, travel back again," Dr Phillips said.
"We will look at that process in detail - no one has ever seen this occur in the way we are planning. We see the experiments as a warmup to quantum computing."
The Australian and U.S. researchers announced the joint collaboration this month following Dr Phillips' visit to UQ's Physics Department.
"The University of Queensland is conducting world-class research in the field of quantum physics and research groups here have a diverse range of interests which dovetail nicely with my own laboratory's diverse projects," Dr Phillips said.
"There's quality scholarship and really exciting ideas being generated at The University of Queensland. There's no doubt this is a mighty fine place to be."
The University of Queensland's Physics Department includes the Centre for Laser Science which studies laser cooling and trapping of atoms. The Department is a partner in the $3.48 million Special Research Centre for Quantum Computer Technology.
The new collaborative project will be conducted by The University of Queensland's Professor Gerard Milburn's and Professor Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop's theoretical and experimental quantum groups; and Dr Phillips' laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, at Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Dr Phillips and Professor Steven Chu of the US and Professor Claude Cohen-Tannoudji of France were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for developing methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.
Professor Milburn said the work by the Nobel Laureates and their collaborators had laid the groundwork for exciting developments in physics. The laser functions as a thick liquid, dubbed optical molasses, in which the atoms are slowed down. Individual atoms can be studied there with very great accuracy and their inner structure can be determined. As more and more atoms are captured in the same volume a thin gas forms, and its properties can be studied in detail.
Professor Milburn said the three Nobel Laureates had greatly increased knowledge of the interplay between radiation and matter. Their work could lead to the design of more precise atomic clocks for space navigation and accurate determination of position. A start had also been made on the design of atomic interferometers which can make very precise measurements of gravitational forces; and on atomic lasers, which may be used in the future to manufacture very small electronic components.
Further information: Professor Gerard Milburn, telephone 07 3365 3405, email: milburn@physics.uq.edu.au
