Advanced Signal Processing for Radiation Spectroscopy. Southern Innovation develops and markets world-leading pulse processing technologies for the rapid, accurate detection and measurement of radiation. The underlying real-time signal processing challenge relates to isolating often overlapping pulses, determining when each pulse arrived and the energy of each pulse. Recent advances in the computational power of digital signal processing boards makes it timely to develop innovative pulse process ....Advanced Signal Processing for Radiation Spectroscopy. Southern Innovation develops and markets world-leading pulse processing technologies for the rapid, accurate detection and measurement of radiation. The underlying real-time signal processing challenge relates to isolating often overlapping pulses, determining when each pulse arrived and the energy of each pulse. Recent advances in the computational power of digital signal processing boards makes it timely to develop innovative pulse processing algorithms based on optimal filtering of stochastic processes. It is expected that these algorithms will have widespread impact, both commercially for minerals exploration, materials analysis, medical imaging and security screening, and scientifically for improving the performance of synchrotrons and other equipment.Read moreRead less
Diamond lasers for precision applications. Diamond lasers for precision applications. The project aims to create single mode lasers of ultrahigh spectral brightness. Single-mode lasers could improve many areas of science and technology, but existing technologies do not meet all performance requirements. This project will harness the intrinsic properties of diamond Raman lasers to increase the wavelength reach, power and stability of single mode lasers. The expected outcome is laser technology th ....Diamond lasers for precision applications. Diamond lasers for precision applications. The project aims to create single mode lasers of ultrahigh spectral brightness. Single-mode lasers could improve many areas of science and technology, but existing technologies do not meet all performance requirements. This project will harness the intrinsic properties of diamond Raman lasers to increase the wavelength reach, power and stability of single mode lasers. The expected outcome is laser technology that satisfies the needs of emerging markets, for example in gas sensing and atom cooling.Read moreRead less
Advanced Electromagnetic Sensors and Magnetic Gradiometers for Natural Resources Exploration and Future Space Missions. Australia will benefit from the long-standing world-class mining exploration industry. The new magnetic gradiometer system would greatly enhance their arsenal of geophysical exploration tools, especially for the detection of both magnetically and/or conductive minerals like nickel sulphide. Due to the inherent skin depth issues of conductive cover, a unique condition in Austral ....Advanced Electromagnetic Sensors and Magnetic Gradiometers for Natural Resources Exploration and Future Space Missions. Australia will benefit from the long-standing world-class mining exploration industry. The new magnetic gradiometer system would greatly enhance their arsenal of geophysical exploration tools, especially for the detection of both magnetically and/or conductive minerals like nickel sulphide. Due to the inherent skin depth issues of conductive cover, a unique condition in Australia, a low frequency electromagnetic survey system is one of the best methods to penetrate the cover and investigate deeper geological structures. The low frequency isolation system developed in this project will improve the survey instrument performance down to 4Hz, providing capability to explore resources about 50-100% deeper than existing instrumentation allows.Read moreRead less
Microwave Detection of Structural Degradation in Maritime Industry. Novel applications of microwave technology to inspection systems in marine infrastructure will transform industry practice. By utilizing multi-mode antennas, the project aims to develop a gold-standard in microwave inspection, delivering more accurate and early detection of defects. The project aims will be achieved by combining innovative microwave technology, featuring multi-mode antennas and novel processing and imaging algor ....Microwave Detection of Structural Degradation in Maritime Industry. Novel applications of microwave technology to inspection systems in marine infrastructure will transform industry practice. By utilizing multi-mode antennas, the project aims to develop a gold-standard in microwave inspection, delivering more accurate and early detection of defects. The project aims will be achieved by combining innovative microwave technology, featuring multi-mode antennas and novel processing and imaging algorithms, with ground-breaking smart scanning and unmanned marine vehicle implementations. This innovative outcome obviates the need for current industry approaches based on inaccurate and tedious manual inspections, yielding massive cost savings and reductions in hazard associated with unanticipated structural failure.Read moreRead less
Scaling microfluidics for cell manufacture. Scaling microfluidics for cell manufacture. This project aims to scale microfluidic devices for cell manufacture. Large-scale cell manufacturing processes (cell selection, gene transfer and culture expansion) are expensive, multistep and labour-intensive processes. Lab-on-a-chip devices can automate and integrate these complex processes at microscale. This project will evaluate a prototype bioreactor. This research is expected to make cell therapies ch ....Scaling microfluidics for cell manufacture. Scaling microfluidics for cell manufacture. This project aims to scale microfluidic devices for cell manufacture. Large-scale cell manufacturing processes (cell selection, gene transfer and culture expansion) are expensive, multistep and labour-intensive processes. Lab-on-a-chip devices can automate and integrate these complex processes at microscale. This project will evaluate a prototype bioreactor. This research is expected to make cell therapies cheap enough to become standard treatment, which would benefit patients with diseases that are incurable by conventional therapies (surgery and drug treatments). It should also benefit the Australian advanced manufacturing sector, particularly biopharmaceutical and cell therapy industries.Read moreRead less
Characterisation, development and application of novel Ion Beam technology (IBT) to enhance the optical thin film manufacturing process. Manufacture of optical thin film coatings is a difficult and generally inefficient process undertaken within a vacuum chamber. There are many variables which are not easily controlled nor understood in these complex thermodynamic environments. This project aims to advance core knowledge in three critical areas namely an improved understanding of ion beam phy ....Characterisation, development and application of novel Ion Beam technology (IBT) to enhance the optical thin film manufacturing process. Manufacture of optical thin film coatings is a difficult and generally inefficient process undertaken within a vacuum chamber. There are many variables which are not easily controlled nor understood in these complex thermodynamic environments. This project aims to advance core knowledge in three critical areas namely an improved understanding of ion beam physics, new knowledge of the thermodynamic environment used in physical vapour deposition of thin films and new knowedge in the application of Ion beam Technology to optical thin film growth and characteristics.
This project is significant, developing core knowledge and understanding with potential to lead to process efficiency gains, improved optical film characteristics and accessing new areas of research (rf/photoic devices). This project will advance the current state of art in the field of Ion Beam Technology and Ion Beam assisted physical vapour deposition.
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Improving Signal Detection Range of Active Seismic Monitoring in Mines. This project will develop a new generation of sensors that will process incoming seismic waves from an active source to accurately estimate the properties of underground rock mass in real time. This will lead to safer mining operations that will decrease the number of injuries and deaths. A probability graph model will be used to fuse measurements from different sensors to produce more accurate estimates of the rock mass. A ....Improving Signal Detection Range of Active Seismic Monitoring in Mines. This project will develop a new generation of sensors that will process incoming seismic waves from an active source to accurately estimate the properties of underground rock mass in real time. This will lead to safer mining operations that will decrease the number of injuries and deaths. A probability graph model will be used to fuse measurements from different sensors to produce more accurate estimates of the rock mass. A new low-cost seismic source will excite large areas of rock mass for continuous monitoring of the changes in stress and fracture density caused by mining. This will lead to methodologies that will significantly improve mining operations and increase Australia’s productivity in the mining sector.Read moreRead less
New photobioreactor to up-scale axenic cultures of microalgae. This project aims to deliver a scalable photo-bioreactor for the large scale axenic culture of microalgae to close the technology gap for research and development in the Australian algae biotechnology sector. Algae biotechnology is a rapidly emerging area, particularly in biofuel production. The project aims to test and demonstrate a photo-bioreactor for its applicability to produce sufficient algae biomass to study a low abundance p ....New photobioreactor to up-scale axenic cultures of microalgae. This project aims to deliver a scalable photo-bioreactor for the large scale axenic culture of microalgae to close the technology gap for research and development in the Australian algae biotechnology sector. Algae biotechnology is a rapidly emerging area, particularly in biofuel production. The project aims to test and demonstrate a photo-bioreactor for its applicability to produce sufficient algae biomass to study a low abundance photosynthetic protein complex to advance knowledge of coral bleaching.Read moreRead less
Application of ultra-high stability cryogenic sapphire oscillators to Very Long Baseline Interferometry. This project will develop a state-of-the-art commercial prototype of the cryogenic sapphire oscillator (CSO) optimised for use at remote sites. Proof of operation will be applied to the important niche market of Very-Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) radio astronomy, with improvements in image quality. The research will also significantly benefit the Australian bid for the SKA project, as ....Application of ultra-high stability cryogenic sapphire oscillators to Very Long Baseline Interferometry. This project will develop a state-of-the-art commercial prototype of the cryogenic sapphire oscillator (CSO) optimised for use at remote sites. Proof of operation will be applied to the important niche market of Very-Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) radio astronomy, with improvements in image quality. The research will also significantly benefit the Australian bid for the SKA project, as the CSO is the only technology capable of synchronising the outputs of the telescopes arrays to the required signal to noise to attain the required image quality. The project will further Australia's status in radio astronomy as a world leader and add to our exports of precision scientific instruments.Read moreRead less
Application of Femtosecond Light Sources to Generation of Low Noise Microwave Signals. The main goal of the research project is to develop prototypes of photonic oscillators capable of generating spectrally pure signals both at optical and microwave frequencies. The project is also aimed at understanding noise mechanisms affecting frequency stability of classical microwave oscillators based on sapphire loaded cavity resonators. By cryogenically cooling such resonators we plan to create a new fam ....Application of Femtosecond Light Sources to Generation of Low Noise Microwave Signals. The main goal of the research project is to develop prototypes of photonic oscillators capable of generating spectrally pure signals both at optical and microwave frequencies. The project is also aimed at understanding noise mechanisms affecting frequency stability of classical microwave oscillators based on sapphire loaded cavity resonators. By cryogenically cooling such resonators we plan to create a new family of extremely low noise and economically viable microwave signal sources. The research proposed will enrich the field of oscillator frequency control, give rise to new techniques for precision noise measurements and reinforce Australia's position at the forefront of microwave and photonic science.Read moreRead less