Scanning Probe Microscopy for Fabrication and Analysis of Polymer Photovoltaics. Australian economic growth will depend increasingly on the provision of devices using materials designed at the molecular level. Scanning probe microscopy, which uses tips placed very close to surfaces to analyse or modify the surfaces with molecular precision, is an indispensible tool in designing such materials. In this project, scanning probe microscopy will be used to analyse and build structures on polymer sola ....Scanning Probe Microscopy for Fabrication and Analysis of Polymer Photovoltaics. Australian economic growth will depend increasingly on the provision of devices using materials designed at the molecular level. Scanning probe microscopy, which uses tips placed very close to surfaces to analyse or modify the surfaces with molecular precision, is an indispensible tool in designing such materials. In this project, scanning probe microscopy will be used to analyse and build structures on polymer solar cells in order to maximise the efficiency of the cells and build prototype nanoscale polymer devices. This will lead to the improvement in devices delivering sustainable energy production - a technology which has the promise of producing energy cheaply from sunlight.Read moreRead less
Direct deep-ultraviolet tunable laser sources generating continuous and ultra-short-pulse radiation for photonics applications. This project will develop two versatile and efficient sources of tunable deep-ultraviolet laser radiation. These sources are an enabling photonics technology that will have impact in the applied fields of precision spectroscopy and flow cytometry for detection of biological agents. The proposed ultrafast laser source will enable new fundamental research probing high-ene ....Direct deep-ultraviolet tunable laser sources generating continuous and ultra-short-pulse radiation for photonics applications. This project will develop two versatile and efficient sources of tunable deep-ultraviolet laser radiation. These sources are an enabling photonics technology that will have impact in the applied fields of precision spectroscopy and flow cytometry for detection of biological agents. The proposed ultrafast laser source will enable new fundamental research probing high-energy processes, such as ultrafast chemical reactions, on the femtosecond timescale.
Training through an APD fellowship in the national priority area of Frontier technologies: photonics will enhance Australia's expertise in this important area. Read moreRead less
Producing optimally short pulses at long wavelengths. This project aims to make the fluoride glass fibre platform the preferred material for generating ultrashort pulses at 2.8 nm and beyond. High power and efficiency from simple device architectures are essential for industry, medicine and defence. Modern sources of short pulses of light emitting mid-infrared wavelengths are complicated and inefficient. This project will improve fibre sources emitting short pulses and create the essential build ....Producing optimally short pulses at long wavelengths. This project aims to make the fluoride glass fibre platform the preferred material for generating ultrashort pulses at 2.8 nm and beyond. High power and efficiency from simple device architectures are essential for industry, medicine and defence. Modern sources of short pulses of light emitting mid-infrared wavelengths are complicated and inefficient. This project will improve fibre sources emitting short pulses and create the essential building blocks for future all-fibre arrangements that will be more robust. The sources are expected to have applications in non-linear optics and materials modification.Read moreRead less
Plasmon nanobiosensor for whole blood analysis. The new method will be able to detect specific disease markers or to identify subtle differences in protein content in complex dense analytes such as blood and other body fluids, of practical utility in diagnostic and clinical situations. It will also be relevant in other areas such as medical diagnostics of viral diseases, and for unsolved environmental monitoring problems such as the presence of specific microorganisms in industrial waste. Owing ....Plasmon nanobiosensor for whole blood analysis. The new method will be able to detect specific disease markers or to identify subtle differences in protein content in complex dense analytes such as blood and other body fluids, of practical utility in diagnostic and clinical situations. It will also be relevant in other areas such as medical diagnostics of viral diseases, and for unsolved environmental monitoring problems such as the presence of specific microorganisms in industrial waste. Owing to their design simplicity and low cost of components, the devices developed in this program will lend themselves well to the development of new commercial technologies for Australia.Read moreRead less
Targeted light - optical mode control at the nanoscale. Nanophotonics provides a path for controlling the interaction of light and matter at the nanoscale. Using spatially tailored laser beams to address nano-particles, this project aims to create new approaches for specifically targeting light with nano-scale precision, which has valuable potential applications in biosensing and communications.
Compact Low-Cost Tunable UV Lasers for Biosensing Applications. Detection and characterisation of micro-organisms such as airborne biological agents, parasites in domestic water supplies and micro-organisms used in the food and beverage industry, is of national importance. All biological systems have rich absorption signatures in the UV enabling detection of biological specimens with high sensitivity and selectivity using optical methods. For these applications compact and inexpensive tunable U ....Compact Low-Cost Tunable UV Lasers for Biosensing Applications. Detection and characterisation of micro-organisms such as airborne biological agents, parasites in domestic water supplies and micro-organisms used in the food and beverage industry, is of national importance. All biological systems have rich absorption signatures in the UV enabling detection of biological specimens with high sensitivity and selectivity using optical methods. For these applications compact and inexpensive tunable UV lasers are required; however to date tunable UV lasers have been limited to bulky and expensive systems. We propose to engineer novel, low cost, compact, tunable UV cerium lasers and demonstrate their applicability to selective optical detection of micro-organisms.Read moreRead less
Improving optical data storage and micromachining technology through better modelling and characterisation of their laser beams. The laser sources generally do not have simple (Gaussian) distributions. The applicant has recently developed a model, describing free propagation of complex (non-Gaussian) laser beams. This project seeks to develop a comprehending model for laser beams propagation through complex optical systems. The effects of various optical elements will be defined employing a no ....Improving optical data storage and micromachining technology through better modelling and characterisation of their laser beams. The laser sources generally do not have simple (Gaussian) distributions. The applicant has recently developed a model, describing free propagation of complex (non-Gaussian) laser beams. This project seeks to develop a comprehending model for laser beams propagation through complex optical systems. The effects of various optical elements will be defined employing a novel method known as SAFE (Stable Aggregate of Flexible Elements) which is a compromise between geometrical and physical optics. Applying this model to micromachining and optical data storage (ODS), which need high beam quality (low divergence and good focussibility), enable accurate predictive capability critical to the optimisation of micromachining and ODS designs.Read moreRead less
Scaling-up microstructured fibres for terahertz radiation. Terahertz radiation is the last region of the electromagnetic spectrum to be fully utilised. Many applications have been identified but their practicality has been limited by a lack of low-loss flexible waveguides. The waveguides to be developed in this project will build on Australia's existing international lead and investments in photonics as well as extend the dynamic field of microstructured optical fibres, indentified as the 'futur ....Scaling-up microstructured fibres for terahertz radiation. Terahertz radiation is the last region of the electromagnetic spectrum to be fully utilised. Many applications have been identified but their practicality has been limited by a lack of low-loss flexible waveguides. The waveguides to be developed in this project will build on Australia's existing international lead and investments in photonics as well as extend the dynamic field of microstructured optical fibres, indentified as the 'future' of optical fibres. Low-loss flexible waveguides will enable imaging and spectroscopy applications that can reveal and object's internal structure and composition. This will have immediate applications in security, quality control, medical imaging and other safety or industrial applications.Read moreRead less
Brillouin processing for carrier recovery in optical communications. This project aims to apply Brillouin processing to the development of an innovative, self-tracking optical filter for isolating optical carriers in the coherent receiver of future ultrahigh bit-rate optical communication systems. By recovering a needle-like optical carrier with great precision from a drifting sea of wide-band noise and data channels, the project expects to minimise the effect of optical carrier distortions on t ....Brillouin processing for carrier recovery in optical communications. This project aims to apply Brillouin processing to the development of an innovative, self-tracking optical filter for isolating optical carriers in the coherent receiver of future ultrahigh bit-rate optical communication systems. By recovering a needle-like optical carrier with great precision from a drifting sea of wide-band noise and data channels, the project expects to minimise the effect of optical carrier distortions on the data-carrying signals. The project should advance knowledge in optical signal processing and communications technologies, with outcomes that increase the data-carrying capacity of optical networks. Future telecommunication networks should benefit through improved transmission rates and extended fibre links.Read moreRead less
New quantitative methods in X-ray imaging using crystal optics. This project will enhance Australian science's international leadership in the area of x-ray imaging. This powerful type of X-ray imaging, which makes use of optical elements made of perfect crystals, is specially tailored to image samples which are invisible to conventional x-ray techniques. Such "extended x-ray vision" is extremely important for imaging in medicine, biology and materials science. Furthermore, we will train x-ray s ....New quantitative methods in X-ray imaging using crystal optics. This project will enhance Australian science's international leadership in the area of x-ray imaging. This powerful type of X-ray imaging, which makes use of optical elements made of perfect crystals, is specially tailored to image samples which are invisible to conventional x-ray techniques. Such "extended x-ray vision" is extremely important for imaging in medicine, biology and materials science. Furthermore, we will train x-ray scientists of tomorrow, whose expertise will allow Australia to capitalize on its investment in the Australian Synchrotron.Read moreRead less