Jacinda Ginges

PhD and Honours projects available.

Several PhD projects are available in our group. Some may be offered also as Honours projects. These projects are in the area of precision atomic theory and they lie at the interface of atomic, nuclear, and particle physics. They include:

• Tests of the standard model of particle physics and searches for new physics at the precision frontier. This includes calculations of atomic parity violation (APV) and time-reversal-violating electric dipole moments (EDMs) for interpretation of precision atomic experiments. Studies of violations of fundamental symmetries in atoms provide some of the most precise tests of the standard model, and they can help to answer some of the big questions of science, including: why is there a dominance of matter over antimatter in our Universe? What is the nature of dark matter? Atomic calculations are needed to interpret precision measurements in terms of fundamental particle physics parameters. It remains a challenge to increase the accuracy of calculations in order to maximise the discovery potential of atomic experiments, and this is a focus of our group.

• Development of precision atomic structure theory in heavy atoms. This includes development of all-orders atomic many-body methods and computer codes, and the combination of quantum electrodynamics and many-body theory. Improving the accuracy and capability of state-of-the-art atomic precision theory for heavy atoms is important for a number of different areas, including in studies of violations of fundamental symmetries (APV and EDMs), in probing the structure of the nucleus, in the study of the physical properties of heavy and superheavy elements, and in metrology including atomic clocks.

• Probing nuclear structure through precision atomic physics. Details of the structure of the nucleus may be revealed in precision studies of the hyperfine structure (HFS) in atoms. Studies of the HFS play an important role in nuclear and atomic physics, as well as in metrology. Indeed, the hyperfine splitting in the ground state of atomic Cs has been measured very precisely, and it defines the unit for time, the second. Comparison of theoretical and measured values of the HFS allows one to probe the structure of the nucleus and the quality of the atomic wave functions in the nuclear region. Our interest in this area is mulit-faceted, and we are devising new ways to better probe and model nuclear magnetic structure in heavy atoms.

• We have other projects available in our group, including studies of the properties of the superheavy elements — those with Z > 104, up to and beyond the heaviest elements of the Periodic Table — and in the area of metrology, in particular atomic clocks.

For further enquiries, please contact Dr. Ginges, j.ginges@uq.edu.au .