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Dr Jacinda Ginges

Senior Lecturer

Physics
Faculty of Science
j.ginges@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 53413

Overview

Dr Ginges is an ARC Future Fellow in the School of Mathematics and Physics at UQ. Her research is directed towards atomic tests of fundamental physics. Dr Ginges' research involves development of high-precision many-body methods for heavy atoms. Her areas of expertise include high-precision studies of fundamental symmetries violations (parity, time). Atomic parity violation studies provide some of the tightest constraints on possible new physics beyond the standard model of particle physics, complementing searches for new physics at the LHC and dark matter searches. Studies of parity- and time-reversal-violating atomic electric dipole moments tightly constrain possible new sources of CP-violation appearing in theories beyond the standard model such as supersymmetry.

Positions:

  • 2018- Senior Lecturer, The University of Queensland, Australia
  • 2018-2021 ARC Future Fellow, The University of Queensland, Australia
  • 2017 Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, The University of Sydney, Australia
  • 2014-2016 Senior Research Associate, UNSW Sydney, Australia
  • 2004-2008 ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer, UNSW Sydney, Australia
  • 2004 Avadh Bhatia Postdoctoral Fellowship for Women, University of Alberta, Canada

Research Interests

  • High-precision atomic many-body theory
  • Quantum electrodynamics corrections to heavy-atom phenomena
  • Violations of fundamental symmetries
  • Precision tests of the standard model of particle physics and searches for new physics
  • Superheavy elements

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of New South Wales

Publications

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

  • Simplified Supersymmetric Models in GAMBIT

    Doctor Philosophy

  • High-precision atomic theory and searches for new physics

    Doctor Philosophy

  • Exploring possibilities for dark matter detection via atomic interactions

    Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • 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 .

View all Available Projects

Publications

Featured Publications

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Theoretical issues in parity and time-reversal violation in atoms

    Ginges, Jacinda (2006). Theoretical issues in parity and time-reversal violation in atoms. Annual Meeting of the Division of Particles and Fields of the American Physical Society, DPF 2006, and the Annual Fall Meeting of the Japan Particle Physics Community, , , October 30, 2006-November 3, 2006. American Physical Society.

  • Status of parity violation in cesium

    Ginges, Jacinda (2005). Status of parity violation in cesium. Nineteenth Lake Louise Winter Institute: Fundamental Interactions, Lake Louise, Canada, 15-21 February 2004. Hackensack, USA: World Scientific.

  • Electric field distribution in nuclei produced by the P,T-odd nuclear Schiff moment

    Flambaum, VV and Ginges, JSM (2001). Electric field distribution in nuclei produced by the P,T-odd nuclear Schiff moment. ComminsFest Symposium on Art and Symmetry in Experimental Physics, Berkeley Ca, May 20-21, 2001. AMER INST PHYSICS. doi: 10.1063/1.1426805

  • Enhancement of parity and time invariance violation in heavy atoms

    Dzuba, VA, Flambaum, VV and Ginges, JSM (2000). Enhancement of parity and time invariance violation in heavy atoms. 3rd International Symposium on Symmetries in Subatomic Physics (SYMM 2000), Adelaide Australia, Mar 13-17, 2000. AMER INST PHYSICS. doi: 10.1063/1.1330912

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Simplified Supersymmetric Models in GAMBIT

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • High-precision atomic theory and searches for new physics

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Exploring possibilities for dark matter detection via atomic interactions

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • 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 .

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Links

ResearcherID: O-7169-2016

ORCID: 0000-0003-0390-0891

Scopus ID: 6602942718

Google Scholar ID: pxC5hAoAAAAJ

Personal Profile: Link

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