Acoustics
Acoustic impulses applied to a variety of environmental problems including propagation through an atmosphere with wind and temperature gradients, the effect of atmospheric turbulence, shielding of sound by barriers, measurement of ground impedance and the effect of moisture on the acoustic properties of soil.
Astronomy
Optical photometry and spectroscopy of variable stars such as binary stars, pulsating stars and particularly, known and suspected active chromosphere stars. Observations may be made at the Monash Observatory or at the Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring observatories. Data are analysed using the photometric reduction programs, spot-wave synthesis program and spectral synthesis programs available at Monash. From time to time simultaneous observations are undertaken in collaboration with either the Parkes radio telescope or spectroscopic observations with the 3.9 m telescope at Siding Springs, or both. An astronomical CCD imaging system is also available.
Computed tomography
Low energy x-ray transmission microtomography studies for the non-destructive evaluation of low atomic number materials, development of low energy elastic scatter computed tomography (CT) using synchrotron quality x-rays, high energy x-ray and gamma-ray CT system development for industrial materials like ceramics and advanced materials, Compton profile CT for atomic species imaging and hybrid scatter CT, x-ray densitometry for moisture and density distribution studies in wood, strain measurements in materials using CT and image warping methods, automated feature extraction and classification in CT images, CT modelling and reconstruction algorithm development.
Computer image processing
Mathematical morphology, design of optimal filters, feature recognition. Subjective assessment of texture, co-occurrence matrices, fractal and covariance analysis of texture. Texture and edges in colour or multiband images. Microwave imaging of defects. Machine vision applied to industry and agriculture. Neural networks and cellular automata for image processing.
Diffraction studies
X-ray and neutron diffraction studies of crystal structure and residual stress.
Electron microscopy
Study of temperature-induced changes to composition and microstructure of human skeleton for applications to bushfire and forensic research. Study of healthy enamel and enamel associated with inherited diseases and symptoms, particularly in children. Study of the ultrastructure of shells and dinosaur eggs.
Electron paramagnetic resonance
Pulsed and continuous-wave EPR studies of transition metal ions in crystals, minerals, chemical complexes and biological materials. Theoretical studies of lineshapes, asymmetries and computer simulation of random and partially ordered systems. Line narrowing effects studied at low microwave frequencies. Electron spin echo envelope modulation, FT-EPR, 2-D EPR and other multiple pulse sequence techniques. Spin dynamics using time domain spectroscopy.
Laser studies
Raman spectroscopy. Development of high efficiency hollow cathode discharge pumped blue and ultraviolet lasers.
Materials science
Flux pinning and related properties of superconducting materials; thermal expansion studies, particularly in relation to martensitic phase transformations; mechanical properties of engineering ceramics; studies of materials for hollow cathodes.
Magnetic studies
Magnetic properties of transition metals and alloys. Electrical and elastic properties of transition metals and alloys. Neutron diffraction studies. Studies of singlet ground states.
Mössbauer spectroscopy
Studies of the magnetic and crystallographic properties of solids containing iron, tin, rare earths or gold and their relation to materials development and use. Areas of interest include coal and coal products, geological materials, metal adsorption onto activated carbon and polyurethane foams, fine iron oxide and hydroxide particles and materials of technological importance, magnetism in ultra-fine particles, magnetic ground states and phase transitions.
Polymer physics
Studies of charge transport and storage in polymeric dielectrics using thermally stimulated conductivity and depolarisation current measurements. Mapping of the spatial distribution of excess charge in dielectrics using the pulsed electroacoustic and laser-induced pressure pulse techniques. Electrochemical synthesis and characterisation of novel conducting polymers, especially those based on pyrrole. Studies of the conformational properties of model polymer chains using computer simulation and Monte Carlo technique.
Theoretical physics
Magnetism in alloys. Properties of transition metals and alloys. Kondo effect. Electron band theory. Electron states in disordered potentials. Quantum electrodynamics. Foundations of quantum mechanics. Mechanism for high temperature superconductivity.