Recognising the increasing importance of topological physics, FLEET helped run the 2018 Canberra International Physics Summer School on Topological Matter at ANU – a great opportunity for early-career Australian physicists to hear from leading experts from around the world.
Over 90 attendees discovered topological materials’ applications to photonics, ultra-cold systems and quantum computation.
Nobel laureate Prof Duncan Haldane (Princeton University) was the headline presenter, describing the study of topological materials that saw him named corecipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics.
FLEET’s Elena Ostrovskaya (ANU) and Jeff Davis (Swinburne University) helped organise the summer school and a number of senior FLEET members gave presentations. FLEET also provided communications and marketing assistance.
Co-sponsorship by the US Embassy in Canberra introduced an element of international cooperation, and public events included a talk by Prof Haldane, a topologically-themed Physics in the Pub event, and media coverage.