Atomic observations

A dynamic team of physicists is beavering away at Murdoch University to shed light on the complex issue of how particles collide on the atomic scale. Such collisions are omnipresent, with most light that we see being either due to or influenced by such collisions.

This age-old problem forms the foundations for our understanding of astronomical observations, has implications for fusion, lighting and laser technologies, atmospheric and even medical sciences.

Professors Igor Bray and Andris Stelbovics teamed up to develop a new method to study atomic collisions, know as Convergent Close Coupling (CCC). Nearly a decade later, CCC has been demonstrated to be one of the most advanced and broadly applicable techniques in the world for this purpose.

“Originally we set out to solve a very simple problem – calculating electron scattering from a hydrogen atom,” Professor Bray said.

“Once we had achieved this, we moved onto the much more complicated problem of calculating electron ionisation of hydrogen. Somewhat unexpectedly we found that the CCC technique was just as effective for such problems, which demonstrated its broad applicability to a range of atomic problems.

Professor Bray moved to Murdoch University in 2001 to work more closely with Professor Stelbovics, and the team has now grown to include ARC Australian Research Fellow Dmitry Fursa, ARC Senior Research Associates Alisher Kadyrov and Andrey Lugovskoy. Three PhD students, Gurdeep Kaur, Tony Blackett and Tony shackleton have completed in 2003 and 2004. Two more PhD students, Huayou Wu and Chris Plottke have submitted their theses, and a further student Philip Bartlett is not far behind. While at Murdoch the group has already produced more than 50 peer reviewed research papers on a range of more complicated atomic collisions, involving larger atoms and more complex interactions. They have been awarded several ARC grants including a Professorial Fellowship to Professor Bray.

Their current research is leading them in the directions of studying the interaction between matter and anti-matter, molecular collisions, ultrafast laser interactions and atom-surface collisions.