Author: Andrew See

Quantum engineers use ANFF-NSW to created a “Schrödinger’s cat”

UNSW engineers have demonstrated a well-known quantum thought experiment in the real world. Their findings deliver a new and more robust way to perform quantum computations – and they have important implications for error correction, one of the biggest obstacles standing between them and a working quantum computer.

“No one has ever seen an actual cat in a state of being both dead and alive at the same time, but people use the Schrödinger’s cat metaphor to describe a superposition of quantum states that differ by a large amount,” says UNSW Professor Andrea Morello, leader of the team that conducted the research, published recently in the journal Nature Physics

UNSW media release link:

ANFF-NSW users recognised as 2024 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes finalists

Congratulations to the following ANFF-NSW users recognised as this year’s Eureka Prize finalists

 

ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology

The UNSW Night-time solar team (Team lead: Professor Ned Ekins-Daukes) have demonstrated a way to generate electricity from the emission of thermal radiation into the cold night sky using a new type of semiconductor device called a thermoradiative diode.

 

Dr Ann Na Cho – Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher

Using stem cell biology and tissue engineering, Dr Ann Cho from USYD has invented a sophisticated lab-grown human brain model enabling more comprehensive neuroscientific research than traditional animal models. These innovative tissue-engineered models mimic human brain physiology and pathology, enabling studies of COVID-19 infection on the brain, and contribute to neurodegeneration studies.

 

Professor Anita Ho-Baillie – Eureka Prize for Scientific Research

Professor Anita Ho-Baillie from USYD is looking beyond silicon solar to create the next generation of solar cells, by harnessing metal halide perovskites, which have strong light absorption properties. They are easy to be produced and are printable.  Used in tandem with silicon, multi-layer perovskite solar cells are more energy efficient.

Source: UNSW, USYD, Australian Museum

ANFF Nodes in NSW Receive multi-million-dollar funding boost from The Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer

The NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer of NSW (OCSE) has announced a  $15 Million Funding Boost for NSW Research , via its NCRIS Support Program,  including a major funding share for the NSW Consortium of ANFF Nodes

The ANFF consortium submission, led by Dr Matt Boreland at ANFF-NSW@UNSW,  secured $3.2M from the program making it the single biggest project award in this round (2023 NCRIS NSW Recipients ).  Moreover, a large portion of the $3.2M award to ANFF will be used as co-funding for the Federal NCRIS2023 program which will release an additional $2.9M of Federal ANFFL funds and $1.42M institutional co-funding.  Overall, the total effective impact of this award will amount to approximately $7.5M of investment into the NSW Consortium of ANFF Nodes involving six partner universities (UNSW, USYD, UoW, UoN, UTS, MQU)

At our node, ANFF-NSW will receive $1.63M across the Node partners at UNSW ($765k), USYD ($703k) and UTS ($156k), which is similarly expected to release an additional $3M of Federal ANFFL funding and Institutional co-funding via the NCIRS2023 program.  This injection of essential new funding will enable ANFF-NSW to continue its mission to drive greater innovation and collaborative R&D in Australia via the provision of open-access world-class fabrication facilities, training, and expertise focused on micro and nano fabrication.

Additional information available on the National ANFF website: ANFF NSW Facility Hubs Receive $3.2M Funding Boost – Australian National Fabrication Facility Limited