Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100104
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Capability for the fabrication and characterisation of mid-infrared photonic materials. The proposed facility will support the development of new glass materials suitable for transmitting and generating light in the mid-infrared spectral region. This research will allow Australia to lead the world in developing new technologies that make use of the mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Particular applications that will flow from this research include the development of new optical ....Capability for the fabrication and characterisation of mid-infrared photonic materials. The proposed facility will support the development of new glass materials suitable for transmitting and generating light in the mid-infrared spectral region. This research will allow Australia to lead the world in developing new technologies that make use of the mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Particular applications that will flow from this research include the development of new optical fibre-based laser sources for defence and surgery, new technologies for detecting and treating cancer, and other in-vivo detection methods.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100161
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
Next generation of extrusion capability for the fabrication of advanced photonic structures. The cutting-edge extrusion capability will enable the development of novel optical fibres and photonic materials with a wide range of structures in high precision and reproducibility. These new materials will lead to breakthroughs in the emerging research areas of nanophotonics, quantum communication, biosensing and mid-infrared light sources.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346888
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$288,000.00
Summary
3-D Optical Surface Profiler. Establishing a state-of-the-science 3-D optical surface profiler will enable macroscopic, microscopic and nanoscopic profiling of surfaces over a very broad range of research programs including, laser cleaning and surface modification, laser precision microfabrication, surface, materials and device characterisation and optical physics applications. The importance and significance of these projects has already been established by the projects having competitive fundi ....3-D Optical Surface Profiler. Establishing a state-of-the-science 3-D optical surface profiler will enable macroscopic, microscopic and nanoscopic profiling of surfaces over a very broad range of research programs including, laser cleaning and surface modification, laser precision microfabrication, surface, materials and device characterisation and optical physics applications. The importance and significance of these projects has already been established by the projects having competitive funding. The instrument will undoubtedly support many additional research programs. It is similar to an Atomic-Force-Microscope or stylus profilometer but has significant additional capabilites. These include profiling much larger areas at sub-nanometre resolution and the non-contact nature of the technique. These features will enable surface characterisation that can not be achieved by other means.Read moreRead less
Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the fi ....Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the final finish is achieved. We will research this technique for application to unique Australian heritage materials that are important to the specific conservation needs of the Australian War Memorial, the RAAF, Navy and Army Museums, Artlab Australia, and the Art Gallery of NSW.Read moreRead less
Compact and versatile chip lasers for three-dimensional mine surveying. This project will bring together a world leading mine survey company, The University of Adelaide and Macquarie University researchers, to develop an 'eye-safe' micro laser for high resolution three-dimensional laser-mapping. The recently developed and patented 'chip' laser will allow the realisation of a compact, enhanced range laser-radar with unmatched resolution.
Paradigm Shift in Mid-IR Fibre Laser. This project introduces a paradigm shift in 3.5µm mid-IR fibre lasers. A new laser process will be investigated to obtain high-power, simple and robust mid-IR fibre laser design. We will use advanced spectroscopy to characterize the fibre laser dynamics, computer modelling to optimize the laser design, and demonstrate the concept experimentally. The new design will enable agile, high precision polymer processing tailored to the unique absorption lines of car ....Paradigm Shift in Mid-IR Fibre Laser. This project introduces a paradigm shift in 3.5µm mid-IR fibre lasers. A new laser process will be investigated to obtain high-power, simple and robust mid-IR fibre laser design. We will use advanced spectroscopy to characterize the fibre laser dynamics, computer modelling to optimize the laser design, and demonstrate the concept experimentally. The new design will enable agile, high precision polymer processing tailored to the unique absorption lines of carbon-hydrogen bonds in different polymers where there is currently a lack of high power, high brightness low-cost light sources. It will also open the door for very high-resolution laser assisted glass 3D-printing. The project will give Australia a new edge in advanced manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Untangling Complex Molecular Spectra with an Optical Frequency Comb. The exhaled breath is a rich source of information about the inner life of the human body - but untangling this complicated molecular mixture into a quantitative measurement of its constituent components is currently an unsolved problem. This project aims to develop a new instrument that leverages the Nobel Prize winning technology of the optical frequency comb to enable analysis of such mixtures. It is expected that by combini ....Untangling Complex Molecular Spectra with an Optical Frequency Comb. The exhaled breath is a rich source of information about the inner life of the human body - but untangling this complicated molecular mixture into a quantitative measurement of its constituent components is currently an unsolved problem. This project aims to develop a new instrument that leverages the Nobel Prize winning technology of the optical frequency comb to enable analysis of such mixtures. It is expected that by combining a frequency comb source, with an innovative detector and a highly sensitive sampling system, a real-time spectral signature of each sample will be generated. Computational techniques developed by the radio astronomy community will then be used to extract concentrations of individual molecular components at the parts-per-billion level.Read moreRead less
Ultrafast, near infrared laser sources using fibre-based optical parametric oscillators. This project will use microstructured optical fibres and nonlinear optics to create compact and cheap laser sources in the near infrared spectrum to replace the bulky and expensive devices in many spectroscopic and biophotonic applications today. The work will further enhance Australia's standing in the field of nonlinear optics and optical fibres.
Light-matter interactions using optical fibres. This program will allow Australia to build on established excellence in photonics to extend the impact of optical fibres beyond telecommunications to applications throughout the sciences. Pioneering work on materials and structures will form a platform technology enabling innovations in areas as diverse as water quality monitoring and corrosion detection. In addition, new optical fibres will be developed for the needs of the Australian Defence Forc ....Light-matter interactions using optical fibres. This program will allow Australia to build on established excellence in photonics to extend the impact of optical fibres beyond telecommunications to applications throughout the sciences. Pioneering work on materials and structures will form a platform technology enabling innovations in areas as diverse as water quality monitoring and corrosion detection. In addition, new optical fibres will be developed for the needs of the Australian Defence Force and associated industries. Fibre-based approaches to problems in biology will ultimately lead to an improved understanding of molecular structures and new tools for manipulating biomolecules.Read moreRead less
Laser Airborne Methane Sensor. Fugitive emissions of methane represent a significant economic loss to the natural gas industry. This project aims to develop a new laser based methane sensing platform for deployment on fixed wing aircraft. This aims to allow the spatial concentration of methane to be mapped rapidly over a broad area with unprecedented spatial resolution allowing sources to be rapidly identified and the gas captured for economic benefit. The testing of this system on an airborne p ....Laser Airborne Methane Sensor. Fugitive emissions of methane represent a significant economic loss to the natural gas industry. This project aims to develop a new laser based methane sensing platform for deployment on fixed wing aircraft. This aims to allow the spatial concentration of methane to be mapped rapidly over a broad area with unprecedented spatial resolution allowing sources to be rapidly identified and the gas captured for economic benefit. The testing of this system on an airborne platform is possible in this timeframe because of the plan to modify an existing system provided by the Partner Organisation.Read moreRead less