Helen Smith

Curriculum Vitae









Contact Information

Postal Address:
Plasma Research Lab, RSPhysSE
The Australian National University
ACT 0200, AUSTRALIA

Fax: +61-2-6249-2757

E-mail Address: helen.b.smith@anu.edu.au 

Academic Record

1989 Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Thesis title: Pulsed Gas Flow in a Room Temperature Copper Vapour Laser
Supervisor: Dr. R. Tobin

1996 Doctor of Philosophy
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Thesis title: Computational Studies of an Asymmetric RF Plasma using Particle-in-Cell Techniques
Supervisor: Dr. R. Boswell

Teaching Experience

Monash University
1988: Laboratory supervisor in 1st Year Physics Labs.

Canberra University
1996: Laboratory supervisor in 1st Year Physics Labs.

Australian National University
1997: Tutor and Laboratory Supervisor 3rd Year Engineers Designed and ran computer-based lab classes for semicondutor course, using Matlab.

Employment History

Australian National University
Dec 1988 - Feb 1989
Vacation work with Laser Physics Group and Plasma Research Laboratory at the Research School of Physical Sciences. Projects involved studying reflection of monochromatic light from crystal surfaces, and simulating wave formation in a quiescent plasma, when a potential perturbation is applied.

University of California, Berkley Campus
Jan 1990 - March 1990
Collaborative project with researchers from the Electronics Research Lab, involving simulations of rf discharges in symmetric and assymmetric geometry.

University of Sydney
Dec 1993 - Feb 1995
Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Theoretical Physics Department. Project involved computational modelling a variety of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. Studies included:

  1. modelling Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation, using a 1D Particle-in-Cell code, comparing simulation results with analytic modelling.
  2. examining transport of a trace neutral species through a background gas, using a 2D hybrid particle/fluid code. Results were compared with a Helicon Assisted Reactive Etching experiment in the Applied Physics Group.
  3. modelling electron cycltron maser emission occuring in solar flares, due to the formation of an unstable electron velocity distribution. Used a 1D electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell code.

Australian National University
March 1995 - August 1995
Employed in a joint project between the ANU Supercomputing Facility and the fusion group in the Plasma Research Lab. Project involved working on a 3D ray-tracing code used to model flux surfaces in the H-1 heliac. This code could also follow particle trajectories and guiding centre motion. Substantial updating of the coding syntax and format was carried out, and new routines were written to improve performance, with an increase in speed of x20 being obtained. An instruction manual was written to describe the operation of the code.

November 1995 - November 1997
Employed as a Research Scientist in the Space Plasma and Plasma Processing Group in the Plasma Research Lab. The project involved a comprehensive study of non-equilibrium conditions in low pressure, low temperature radio-frequency plasmas, in particular an extensive examination of the fundamental physics governing plasma formation and decay. Some of the research included:

  1. Study of physical processes and time-scales in plasma breakdown and approach to steady-state using computational and analytic modelling, in conjunction with experimental measurements made by another researcher in the lab.
  2. Studying the role of secondary electron emission, and electron multiplication (multipactor effect) in plasma breakdown
  3. Examing time-modulation or pulsing of the power source on plasma development
  4. Looking at the role of metastable atoms in very low pressure breakdown of pulsed systems

Other projects included developing a detailed model of an rf matching network which was incorporated in a 1D Particle-in-Cell simulation, to study the interaction between the external circuit impedance and the developing plasma impedance.

December 1997 - September 1997
Employed (part-time) by the fusion group to develop a ray-tracing code for the H-1 Heliac. The code will trace the path of a microwave beam through the reactor system, and look at power deposition from the beam into the plasma electrons (Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating) . This code will be used to determine physical parameters for the gyrotron to be installed on H-1 later this year.

Continuing projects on pulsing rf discharges and simulating realistic matching networks.

Scientific publications

H.B. Smith, C. Charles and R.W. Boswell, "Pulsing a low pressure, radiofrequency discharge", JSME, Special Issue of Fluids Engineering, to be published, May 1998.

H.B. Smith, C. Charles and R.W. Boswell, "Charging of the blocking capacitor in an asymmetric radiofreqency plasma" J. Appl. Phys. 82, 561-565 (1997).

D.Vender, H.B. Smith and R.W. Boswell "Simulations of multipactor-assisted breakdown in radio frequency plasmas" J. Appl. Phys. 80, 4292-4298 (1996)

P.A. Robinson, H.B. Smith and R.M. Winglee "Bursty wave instabilites in open driven plasmas" Phys. Rev. Lett. 76 , 3558-3561 (1996).

D.R. McKenzie, W.D. McFall, H. Smith, B. Higgins, R.W. Boswell, A. Durandet, B.W. James, I.S. Falconer "High pressure phases produced by low energy ion implantation with reference to cubic boron nitride" Nucl. Instr. and Meth. in Phys. Res. B 106, 90-95 (1995)

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