Precision absolute positional measurement of laser beams

We describe an instrument which, coupled with a suitable coordinate measuring machine, facilitates the absolute measurement within the machine frame of the propagation direction of a millimeter-scale laser beam to an accuracy of around ±4  μm in position and ±20  μrad in angle

The development and organisation of the Federal Parliamentary press gallery : 1901-1978

This thesis sets out to do four things. In Chapter 1 it tries to establish how the media got into the Australian Parliament, and what right they have to be there. The next three chapters trace the history of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery from the establishment of the Federal Parliament in 1901 to the end of 1978. Chapter 2 describes the Gallery and its work during the years from 1901 to 1927, when Melbourne was the federal capital, and the Federal Parliament met in the State Parliamentary Building. Chapter 3 recounts the history of the Gallery from its move to Canberra in 1927 until the end of World War II. Chapter 4 takes up its history in the years following the war. Chapter 5 analyses the formal structure of the Gallery, and describes its main characteristics as an institution. Chapter 6 gives an account of the contemporary Gallery (circa 1977-79) in the context of its history and organisation. There is a brief conclusion in Chapter 7

The formation and development of the United Australia party, 1929-37

Four closely-linked political parties have dominated the history of federal nonLabor politics in Australia: the Liberal Party (1909-17); the National Party (1917-31); the United Australia Party (1931-44); and the Liberal Party (1944 to date). The theme of this thesis is the transformation of the National Party into the United Australia Party in the early years of the Great Depression, and the subsequent development of the UAP until the end of 1937. These were generally years of achievement for the UAP; after 1937 it disintegrated with increasing rapidity both at federal and state levels. The essential aim of the thesis is to explain where a major political party came from, why it emerged in the form that it did, and how it functioned in the years of its achievement. It is also intended to indicate the flaws in the party structure which produced its decline and ultimate disappearance. The main focus is federal politics, although the organisation of the crucial state branches of the UAP is described in some detail, and there is some account of state politics. A subsidiary theme is political leadership, particularly the role of the Federal UAP Leader, Joseph Aloysius Lyons. The thesis begins with a brief account of the main political events of the 1920s and of the structure of the National Party, the principal progenitor of the UAP. The following chapters take up three themes: the gradual disintegration of the Scullin Labor Government and its internal conflicts over economic policy; the revival of the National Party after severe electoral defeat in 1929; and the emergence of a transitory but powerful Citizens' Movement espousing opposition to party politics and an adherence to imperialist sentiment and orthodox economics. These three themes are brought together in the early months of 1931 with the defection of Lyons from the ALP and his subsequent emergence over nine months as leader of a new political party and Prime Minister of Australia. The processes by which a number of disparate elements are welded into a new party based on the enduring core element of the National party are traced. at some length. The evolution of the party structure is described until the end of 1937 when the process culminates with the formation of a UAP branch in Queensland. After a brief account of the UAP's relationship with the other major non-Labor party, the Country Party, during these years, the structure and effectiveness of the three principal components of the UAP are examined: the Federal Parliamentary Party, the NSW Branch of the UAP, and the party's Victorian Branch. There is a brief conclusion

Universal quantum interfaces

To observe or control a quantum system, one must interact with it via an interface. This letter exhibits simple universal quantum interfaces--quantum input/output ports consisting of a single two-state system or quantum bit that interacts with the system to be observed or controlled. It is shown that under very general conditions the ability to observe and control the quantum bit on its own implies the ability to observe and control the system itself. The interface can also be used as a quantum communication channel, and multiple quantum systems can be connected by interfaces to become an efficient universal quantum computer. Experimental realizations are proposed, and implications for controllability, observability, and quantum information processing are explored.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, RevTe

An Automated System for Hydroxide Catalysis Bonding of Precision-Aligned Optical Systems

Precision-aligned, robust, ultra-stable optical assemblies are required in an increasing number of space-based applications such as fundamental science, metrology and geodesy. Hydroxide catalysis bonding is a proven, glue-free, technology for building such optical systems from materials such as ULE, Zerodur and fused silica. Hydroxide catalysis bonded optical systems have flown in missions such as GP-B and LISA Pathfinder achieving picometer path-length stability and microradian component stability over full mission lifetime. Component alignment and bonding was previously a largely manual process that required skilled operators and significant time. We have recently automated most of the alignment and bonding steps with the goals of improving overall precision, speed and reliability. Positioning and bonding of an optical component to within 4 microns and 10 microradians of a target position and alignment can now be reliably completed within half an hour, compared to the many hours typically taken previously. The key new features of this system are an interferometer that monitors the parallelism and separation of the surfaces to be bonded and a precision multi-axis manipulator that can optimise component alignment as it brings it down to the point of bonding. We present a description of the system and a summary of the alignment results obtained in a series of 9 test bonds. We also show how this system is being developed for integration into a precision optical manufacturing facility for assembly of large optical systems

Representation in Westminster in the 1990s : The ghost of Edmund Burke

Why are 'trustee' notions of representation still invoked in the UK House of Commons in the 1990s? In answering this question this article analyses the premises of Burkean theory and the arguments that these premises are of little relevance in the late twentieth century. Despite these dismissals of trusteeship, Burkean ideas are still articulated in the Commons some 200 years after they were first voiced. The idea of trusteeship can prove extremely useful to justify the actions of representatives when those actions conflict with constituency 'opinion', party policy or the wishes of interest groups. Examples of the occasions when Burkean notions have been invoked in the 1990s are provided

Renormalization group and isochronous oscillations

We show how the condition of isochronicity can be studied for two dimensional systems in the renormalization group (RG) context. We find a necessary condition for the isochronicity of the Cherkas and another class of cubic systems. Our conditions are satisfied by all the cases studied recently by Bardet et al \cite{bard} and Ghose Choudhury and Guh

The evolution of online teaching and learning in engineering at Deakin University

This paper presents a brief history of the use of online technologies in the support of teaching and learning in the School of Engineering and Technology at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. It addresses the following topics: flexible engineering programs at Deakin University; computer-based learning in the School of Engineering and Technology; progression from individual efforts to formal, centralized control of the World Wide Web (Web); the costs of information technology; experiences with grant funded development projects; managing the development of online material; student access and equity; and staff development and cultural change. A sustainable online content development model is proposed to carry the School&rsquo;s online initiatives in support of teaching and learning activities into the future.<br /