Developing New Clocks for Australia: Testing the Assumptions of Modern Physics. Clocks lie at the heart of all precise measurement devices; for example, they are the crucial elements in modern navigation and telecommunications systems. This project will develop three new clocks for Australia: a laser clock at the leading edge of technology, a novel and compact clock with commercial potential, and a microwave clock for use in the next generation of satellites. The performance advantage conferre ....Developing New Clocks for Australia: Testing the Assumptions of Modern Physics. Clocks lie at the heart of all precise measurement devices; for example, they are the crucial elements in modern navigation and telecommunications systems. This project will develop three new clocks for Australia: a laser clock at the leading edge of technology, a novel and compact clock with commercial potential, and a microwave clock for use in the next generation of satellites. The performance advantage conferred by our new devices can deliver economic benefits while also giving the possibility for scrutinizing the laws of physics for evidence that there is something beyond our present formulation.Read moreRead less
Semi-contention based multi-user diversity: a new way to increase throughput of wireless communications. Wireless communications, due to its low initial deployment cost, high scalability and flexibility, will play a key role in providing broadband communications to sparsely populated areas of Australia. To this end, the Australian government announced "Connect Australia" aiming for nationwide broadband communication services, in which wireless communications is an important component. This proje ....Semi-contention based multi-user diversity: a new way to increase throughput of wireless communications. Wireless communications, due to its low initial deployment cost, high scalability and flexibility, will play a key role in providing broadband communications to sparsely populated areas of Australia. To this end, the Australian government announced "Connect Australia" aiming for nationwide broadband communication services, in which wireless communications is an important component. This project focuses on improving the throughput of wireless communications, especially for rural areas, through the use of a new technology: semi-contention based multi-user diversity. The outcome of this project will help to connect Australian people and to lift the international profile of Australian engineering science in wireless communications.Read moreRead less
Imaging of properties of coherent elastic light scattering from turbid biological media. Imaging with coherent, elastically-scattered light for visualisation of thick-tissue morphology in vivo, or of cells buried deep in a turbid medium, remains a major challenge. We adopt an alternative approach of imaging of properties of light scattering based on regarding cellular tissue as a spatially-varying refractive-index continuum which encodes scattered light. We propose new methodologies to infer t ....Imaging of properties of coherent elastic light scattering from turbid biological media. Imaging with coherent, elastically-scattered light for visualisation of thick-tissue morphology in vivo, or of cells buried deep in a turbid medium, remains a major challenge. We adopt an alternative approach of imaging of properties of light scattering based on regarding cellular tissue as a spatially-varying refractive-index continuum which encodes scattered light. We propose new methodologies to infer tissue state and morphology indirectly based on phase delay, speckle, and angle-resolved scattering. We will break new ground in correlating the structure and function of in situ epithelial tissue and cells to light scattering enabling, e.g., the detection of mitosis and apoptosis in cells buried in thick, turbid media, and of cancers and precancers in vivo.Read moreRead less
Optical wireless frontier: Design challenges of multi gigabit wireless. This project aims to improve the coverage, mobile access, miniaturisation, bandwidth and networking of optical wireless. As connected machines become the primary consumers of the Internet, technologies for wirelessly connecting devices, processors, storage and display devices at very high speeds become necessary for mission critical services and applications. Gigabit wireless access needs to overcome shortages in the radio-f ....Optical wireless frontier: Design challenges of multi gigabit wireless. This project aims to improve the coverage, mobile access, miniaturisation, bandwidth and networking of optical wireless. As connected machines become the primary consumers of the Internet, technologies for wirelessly connecting devices, processors, storage and display devices at very high speeds become necessary for mission critical services and applications. Gigabit wireless access needs to overcome shortages in the radio-frequency spectrum and provide scalable bandwidth and wider coverage. Optical wireless transmission is a real alternative to current wireless systems because its connection speed of tens of gigabits/second means it can work efficiently with wired optical networking technologies. This project is expected to lead to optical wireless technology.Read moreRead less
Investigation of vertical magneto-transport in infrared detector structures based on InAs/GaSb type-II superlattices. Infrared sensors and systems are finding increasing use in Australia's core industries: particularly defence, mineral exploration, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, homeland security, and medical diagnostics. Due to the reduced cooling requirements, the Infrared detector structures to be investigated in this project have the potential to deliver high performance in ....Investigation of vertical magneto-transport in infrared detector structures based on InAs/GaSb type-II superlattices. Infrared sensors and systems are finding increasing use in Australia's core industries: particularly defence, mineral exploration, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, homeland security, and medical diagnostics. Due to the reduced cooling requirements, the Infrared detector structures to be investigated in this project have the potential to deliver high performance infrared technology at a significantly lower cost and, hence, widening its applications. The new science proposed in this project, and new technological knowledge expected from its application, will allow Australian researchers to participate and significantly contribute to the international effort in this field and to exploit any developed intellectual property. Read moreRead less
Resonant Nanostructures for Adaptive Optoelectronics. The science and technology outcomes of this project will create new, innovative solutions to current and future challenges facing industry, the community, and Australian national and strategic interests. Adaptive, resonant optoelectronics technologies will create new industries and enable, for the first time, advanced, low-cost, hand-held, spectroscopic systems for chemical/biological/process sensing for industries as diverse as food processi ....Resonant Nanostructures for Adaptive Optoelectronics. The science and technology outcomes of this project will create new, innovative solutions to current and future challenges facing industry, the community, and Australian national and strategic interests. Adaptive, resonant optoelectronics technologies will create new industries and enable, for the first time, advanced, low-cost, hand-held, spectroscopic systems for chemical/biological/process sensing for industries as diverse as food processing to pharmaceuticals manufacturing, portable biomedical diagnostics, and precision agriculture. The technologies will enhance Australia's ability to address defence and security needs related to surveillance, chemical/biological threat monitoring, border protection, and target identification.
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Composite magnetic conducting nanomaterials for microwave applications. Australian science and technology will be a leading participant in the creation of a new, useful technology for microwave and magnetologic applications whose properties arise from integration of metallic magnetic nanoelements with miniature nonmagnetic current conductors. Recent proof-of-concept demonstrations have inspired an explosion of activity on a global scale. In this project, young Australian scientists and research ....Composite magnetic conducting nanomaterials for microwave applications. Australian science and technology will be a leading participant in the creation of a new, useful technology for microwave and magnetologic applications whose properties arise from integration of metallic magnetic nanoelements with miniature nonmagnetic current conductors. Recent proof-of-concept demonstrations have inspired an explosion of activity on a global scale. In this project, young Australian scientists and research students will have opportunities to receive training and become involved in a National Priority Frontier Technology rich in possibilities for generation of intellectual property.Read moreRead less
Complex magnetic structures for microwave, logic and memory applications. The proposed work addresses high profile fields of nanotechnology and frequency agile materials. Device prototypes of novel energy efficient components for microwave signal processing, for wave logic and for memory applications based on magnetic materials will be designed, fabricated and studied.
Precision time and frequency in the lab and in space to test fundamental physics. This project gives Australia the opportunity to be involved in the world's best time comparison experiment ever conceived using the European Space Agency's ultra-accurate atomic clocks in space and the best international network of ground clocks. It strengthens collaboration between the University of Western Australia and world elite metrology institutes, including Paris Observatory, Ecole Normale Superior, the Nat ....Precision time and frequency in the lab and in space to test fundamental physics. This project gives Australia the opportunity to be involved in the world's best time comparison experiment ever conceived using the European Space Agency's ultra-accurate atomic clocks in space and the best international network of ground clocks. It strengthens collaboration between the University of Western Australia and world elite metrology institutes, including Paris Observatory, Ecole Normale Superior, the National Measurement Institute, the French Space Agency, and Humboldt, Stanford and Durham Universities. It involves cutting edge research that will test relativity, particle physics and fundamental constants that may well lead to fundamental changes to our laws of Nature and the Universe.Read moreRead less
New High Precision Tests on the Standard Model of Physics and Relativity. Precision microwave oscillators developed at UWA are among the most precise devices for testing the current theories in modern physics, such as relativity and the standard model. With new timely experiments in the laboratory at UWA and with our collaborators in France, we are searching for violations which may lead to a breakdown in the current understanding of physics. This project will strengthen Australian ?know how? an ....New High Precision Tests on the Standard Model of Physics and Relativity. Precision microwave oscillators developed at UWA are among the most precise devices for testing the current theories in modern physics, such as relativity and the standard model. With new timely experiments in the laboratory at UWA and with our collaborators in France, we are searching for violations which may lead to a breakdown in the current understanding of physics. This project will strengthen Australian ?know how? and expertise, which will place us in a position to participate in current and future space missions. Moreover, this represents an opportunity to be involved as the only southern hemisphere users of the most accurate space clock ever developed.Read moreRead less