Moving-beam phase retrieval - a route to better microscopy! This research will benefit the nation by improving the quality of x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy techniques available to Australian scientists. It will make it possible to examine microscopic structures in more detail and therefore gain more information about the atomic positions in these structures. This will greatly benefit research that depends on finding the structure of very small objects. Such research areas include ....Moving-beam phase retrieval - a route to better microscopy! This research will benefit the nation by improving the quality of x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy techniques available to Australian scientists. It will make it possible to examine microscopic structures in more detail and therefore gain more information about the atomic positions in these structures. This will greatly benefit research that depends on finding the structure of very small objects. Such research areas include nanomaterials, biological engineering, medical science and materials science. The work is also expected to have industrial applications and to make an important contribution to the development of the synchrotron science industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100009
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$455,000.00
Summary
Ultra-precision cutting and polishing machines for fabricating high-Q crystalline resonators. The proposed facility will equip Australian researchers with the capability to machine and polish optical crystalline materials down to atomic-level smoothness. The availability of this technology will enable the fabrication of ultra-sensitive metrological sensors, state-of-the-art photonic components, and quantum devices. Precision metrology is an integral component of many industries and it underpins ....Ultra-precision cutting and polishing machines for fabricating high-Q crystalline resonators. The proposed facility will equip Australian researchers with the capability to machine and polish optical crystalline materials down to atomic-level smoothness. The availability of this technology will enable the fabrication of ultra-sensitive metrological sensors, state-of-the-art photonic components, and quantum devices. Precision metrology is an integral component of many industries and it underpins a modern, technically advanced society. With this facility Australian researchers will lead the world in the fabrication of optical crystalline devices for a broad range of industrial and research applications.Read moreRead less
Ringed photonic crystal fibres for broadband nonlinear optics. The technology developed from this project will enable organic molecules to be detected, identified and quantified. Because the technology is compact, easily engineered and low cost, it will lead to a dramatically increased capability for infrared spectroscopic measurement throughout biology and medicine, with specific benefits in agriculture, the food industry and defence.
Quantum opto-mechanics with whispering gallery modes in crystalline materials. Deep understanding and fine control of quantum phenomena will be increasingly important in 21st century technology. This Discovery Project aims to develop cutting edge expertise in ultra-precision machining for the realization of crystalline ring resonators that have very high optical and mechanical Q-factors. These structures will enable novel experiments in non-linear optics, quantum state generation, precision met ....Quantum opto-mechanics with whispering gallery modes in crystalline materials. Deep understanding and fine control of quantum phenomena will be increasingly important in 21st century technology. This Discovery Project aims to develop cutting edge expertise in ultra-precision machining for the realization of crystalline ring resonators that have very high optical and mechanical Q-factors. These structures will enable novel experiments in non-linear optics, quantum state generation, precision metrology and quantum opto-mechanical coupling. Results of our investigations will lead to compact devices for quantum information technologies, new geometries for single atom detection, and a deeper understanding of meso-scale quantum mechanical systems.Read moreRead less
Band gap engineering of novel (In,Ga)SbN epitaxial semiconductors for high-performance long-wavelength optoelectronic devices. This proposal is at the forefront of a number of important fields, and therefore the outcomes are expected to be of great interest to a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including national defence, health care, environment and manufacturing. This novel material system could create new high technologies for various infrared devices. The outcomes of this project will pos ....Band gap engineering of novel (In,Ga)SbN epitaxial semiconductors for high-performance long-wavelength optoelectronic devices. This proposal is at the forefront of a number of important fields, and therefore the outcomes are expected to be of great interest to a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including national defence, health care, environment and manufacturing. This novel material system could create new high technologies for various infrared devices. The outcomes of this project will position Australian researchers among the pioneering groups in this area and will be beneficial to several major technology-related fields: global warming and associated environmental monitoring, security systems, thermal-imaging systems for night vision, and healthcare with the emphasis on disease diagnosis and treatment.Read moreRead less
Self-organised complex ionised gas systems for ordered nanometre-scale assemblies. This proposal is to develop the physical principles of nano-scale assembly processes in complex plasmas. Novel approaches for tailoring the plasma-grown building blocks and controllable deposition of ordered nanoparticle arrays on nanopatterned solids are targeted. The fundamentals of the multi-scale dynamic processes will be elucidated and existing techniques for developing new materials and electronic/photonic d ....Self-organised complex ionised gas systems for ordered nanometre-scale assemblies. This proposal is to develop the physical principles of nano-scale assembly processes in complex plasmas. Novel approaches for tailoring the plasma-grown building blocks and controllable deposition of ordered nanoparticle arrays on nanopatterned solids are targeted. The fundamentals of the multi-scale dynamic processes will be elucidated and existing techniques for developing new materials and electronic/photonic devices will be advanced. The expected outcomes are highly relevant for the nano-materials and optoelectronic technologies, rapidly emerging areas of high-tech industries worldwide.Read moreRead less
Super-resolution in microscopy and optical recording. The classical resolution limit imposes severe restrictions on the performance of optical instruments, especially in optical microscopy and optical recording. Improved understanding of the fundamental principles involved in super-resolution should allow substantial increases in resolution to be achieved. We aim to explore theoretically and experimentally the performance of different super-resolution schemes alone and in combination, including ....Super-resolution in microscopy and optical recording. The classical resolution limit imposes severe restrictions on the performance of optical instruments, especially in optical microscopy and optical recording. Improved understanding of the fundamental principles involved in super-resolution should allow substantial increases in resolution to be achieved. We aim to explore theoretically and experimentally the performance of different super-resolution schemes alone and in combination, including optical masks, near-field optics, detector arrays, multi-photon imaging and digital deconvolution. Selected methods will be demonstrated with practical examples in multi-photon microscopy. Applications in super-high density optical recording will also be studied.Read moreRead less
Design and Construction of Novel Thermal Interferometers. This project aims to invent thermal interferometers, which take advantage of the interference effect of thermal waves to display standing temperature interference fringes on a surface of prism. Two coherent thermal waves are input from two other surfaces of the prism in a similar way as an optical interferometer does. By inventing such a device, the project will demonstrate a new instrumentation mechanism which may lead to its applicati ....Design and Construction of Novel Thermal Interferometers. This project aims to invent thermal interferometers, which take advantage of the interference effect of thermal waves to display standing temperature interference fringes on a surface of prism. Two coherent thermal waves are input from two other surfaces of the prism in a similar way as an optical interferometer does. By inventing such a device, the project will demonstrate a new instrumentation mechanism which may lead to its application in medical technology. Furthermore, the principle of temperature localisation due to thermal interference may provide new insights to account for the cause of conformational changes of proteins that result in diseases.Read moreRead less
Exploring Synergies between Frontier Microphotonics and Advanced Time and Frequency Technology. Recently scientists have developed the means to manufacture objects that are on the same microscopic scale as light itself. These structures can deliver exquisite control of the properties of the light beams. Our existing research has been aimed at developing some of the world's most precise measurement tools based on clocks and the pure colours generated by lasers. By combining these two technologie ....Exploring Synergies between Frontier Microphotonics and Advanced Time and Frequency Technology. Recently scientists have developed the means to manufacture objects that are on the same microscopic scale as light itself. These structures can deliver exquisite control of the properties of the light beams. Our existing research has been aimed at developing some of the world's most precise measurement tools based on clocks and the pure colours generated by lasers. By combining these two technologies, both of which lie at the extreme limit of precision, we will develop a new generation of technology for fundamental science objectives as well as for industrial needs.Read moreRead less
Narrowband coherent light sources for spectroscopic sensing. The project will develop optical instruments and sensing techniques based on novel high-performance tunable optical parametric oscillator devices. These laser-like devices will be designed to monitor gases in a highly sensitive, molecule-specific way and thus indicate the presence and concentration of particular species with characteristic spectroscopic signatures. Useful applications will include optical sensing in science, industry ....Narrowband coherent light sources for spectroscopic sensing. The project will develop optical instruments and sensing techniques based on novel high-performance tunable optical parametric oscillator devices. These laser-like devices will be designed to monitor gases in a highly sensitive, molecule-specific way and thus indicate the presence and concentration of particular species with characteristic spectroscopic signatures. Useful applications will include optical sensing in science, industry, medicine, agriculture, community security, and the environment. In addition to making significant scientific discoveries and technological advances, the project will provide training for postgraduate research students and will develop intellectual property that may be of commercial benefit.Read moreRead less