ABSTRACT:
Superconductivity has been around for nearly 100 years. It was mostly thought of as a laboratory curiosity and yet this research area has won six Nobel Prizes in physics and has a very large number of scientists and engineers working in the research field.
Dr Foley will discuss the history of superconductivity, which operates only at either "high" temperatures of minus 200 degrees Celsius (discovered 20 years ago this year) and "low" temperatures of about minus 270 degrees Celsius (discovered 96 years ago).
She will explain what superconductivity is and what is and is not understood about this exciting but baffling property of many materials when they are cooled down past a critical temperature. She will look at applications such as MRI, mineral exploration, magneto-encephalography, transport and power distribution and use in the development of fusion as a future energy source. She will then look into the future, to see where superconductivity will play a role in the modern world, including quantum computers and quantum teleportation, and will ask whether superconductors that operate at room temperature and do not need cooling are possible. She will also look at some interesting results on whether superconductivity can explain about how cells communicate together.
SPEAKER
PROFILE:
Dr. Cathy Foley completed
her undergraduate degree and PhD within the School of Physics at Macquarie
University. In 1985 she joined CSIRO to work on amorphous metals and magnetics.
Highlights of her career include moving to CSIRO's high temperature
superconductivity group in 1988 and becoming its leader in 1995. At present Dr
Foley is a Senior Principal Research Scientist and Research Program Leader in
Materials Physics with CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering. She is
developing High and Low Temperature Superconducting systems for Mineral
Exploration, detection of metal for quality assurance in manufacturing;
electrode-less heart monitors and remote detection of contraband at airports.
This multiple million-dollar project assisted with the discovery and delineation
of the BHP Cannington Silver mine and her team is currently commercialising
their systems. Her group were the first team to successfully fly superconducting
systems. Cathy has a world-class reputation in her field, is a Fellow of the
Institute of Physics in the UK and the President of the Australian Institute of
Physics.
Dr. Foley is well known for her interests in physics,
science education, women in science, science in the media (she was a regular
weekly guest on ABC radio 2BL radio for 5 years). She has been recently involved
in developing the passion for science within CSIRO and renewing what it is to be
a scientist. She was awarded the Public Service Medal and Eureka Prize in 2005,
and is the IEEE 2007-2008 Distinguished Lecturer.
Further information is available from Dr. John
Humble, ph. (03)62262396 e-mail: John.Humble@utas.edu.au or
Dr Elizabeth
Chelkowska, ph. (03)62262725, e-mail: Elizabeth.Chelkowska@utas.edu.au.
The School of Mathematics and Physics is co-organising the
lecture.
ALL WELCOME