Realisation of an ultra-stable local oscillator using an ultra-low vibration pulse-tube cryocooler. This project will complete the development of a new type of ultra-low-noise ultra-stable microwave oscillator cooled with an ultra-low vibration cryostat and cryocooler. The resulting oscillator will have wide application, but especially to atomic fountain clocks and to very high frequency Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) radio astronomy.
Understanding graphitization: developing a model for activated carbons. For over 60 years it has remained a puzzle why some carbons graphitise under heating while others do not. The question is of practical importance as oxidation of non-graphitising carbons produces activated carbon, a product of high value with industrial, medical and environmental applications. Using computational and experimental techniques the project will study the graphitisation process and pinpoint the structural element ....Understanding graphitization: developing a model for activated carbons. For over 60 years it has remained a puzzle why some carbons graphitise under heating while others do not. The question is of practical importance as oxidation of non-graphitising carbons produces activated carbon, a product of high value with industrial, medical and environmental applications. Using computational and experimental techniques the project will study the graphitisation process and pinpoint the structural elements which inhibit it. Based on these findings the project aims to develop a nanoscale atomistic model for activated carbons. This is expected to be an important contribution to the field of chemical engineering in which current models of activated carbon neglect either curvature in the network or the presence of oxygen.Read moreRead less
Nano-optics: Colour matching on-a-chip. Nano-optics: Colour matching on-a-chip. This project aims to develop a small, lightweight and low cost chip for accurate spectral measurements, using recent advances in nano-optics. Optical spectrometers are widely used in science and industry but are large, heavy and expensive. The new chip could enable hand-held devices with performance comparable to large laboratory instruments. It could be revolutionary for colour matching, i.e. determining the colours ....Nano-optics: Colour matching on-a-chip. Nano-optics: Colour matching on-a-chip. This project aims to develop a small, lightweight and low cost chip for accurate spectral measurements, using recent advances in nano-optics. Optical spectrometers are widely used in science and industry but are large, heavy and expensive. The new chip could enable hand-held devices with performance comparable to large laboratory instruments. It could be revolutionary for colour matching, i.e. determining the colours of materials, offering unprecedented accuracy and robustness to illumination conditions given the size, weight and cost of the device. This technology is anticipated to foster the development of new products using the chip; and make Australia a leader in nano-optics research.Read moreRead less
Harnessing optical metasurfaces for reconfigurable optoelectronic devices. This project aims to demonstrate ultra-thin optical components known as metasurfaces, to demonstrate a new class of reconfigurable optoelectronic devices. This project expects to generate new knowledge in optics and photonics, a field whose impact upon modern society ranges from telecommunications to computing, green energy technologies, the arts, healthcare, and basic science. Expected outcomes of this project will be el ....Harnessing optical metasurfaces for reconfigurable optoelectronic devices. This project aims to demonstrate ultra-thin optical components known as metasurfaces, to demonstrate a new class of reconfigurable optoelectronic devices. This project expects to generate new knowledge in optics and photonics, a field whose impact upon modern society ranges from telecommunications to computing, green energy technologies, the arts, healthcare, and basic science. Expected outcomes of this project will be elucidation of the fundamentals underpinning optical metasurfaces. Such devices will permit optical systems with drastically smaller footprints, contributing to continued progress of the field of optics and photonics, and its ensuing benefits to society.Read moreRead less
Optical tweezers as a micro-rheological probe of soft surfaces. Biomembranes are more than soft containers - their dynamic flexibility plays an important role in cell function, but measurements of mechanical properties of soft surfaces are non-existent. This project develops and applies a new optical tweezers method to measure the flexibility of membranes and its effects upon the friction of nearby particles.
Photon-sorting nanopixels for multispectral & polarisation-resolved imaging. Recent years have seen staggering growth in the prevalence of digital cameras. Conventional digital cameras are designed to mimic the response of the human eye, and therefore record the intensities of three spectral channels: red, green and blue (RGB). This project aims to harness recent advances in nano-optics for the realisation of a new generation of digital cameras. Rather than performing simple colour (RGB) imaging ....Photon-sorting nanopixels for multispectral & polarisation-resolved imaging. Recent years have seen staggering growth in the prevalence of digital cameras. Conventional digital cameras are designed to mimic the response of the human eye, and therefore record the intensities of three spectral channels: red, green and blue (RGB). This project aims to harness recent advances in nano-optics for the realisation of a new generation of digital cameras. Rather than performing simple colour (RGB) imaging, these will be capable of multispectral and polarisation-resolved imaging, whose richer information will be beneficial for applications from medical diagnostics to industrial quality control. These capabilities will be enabled by optical nanostructures that deflect light in a wavelength- and polarisation-dependent manner.Read moreRead less
Surface forces and confinement of anisotropic particles. Advanced materials assembled from engineered particles found in next generation solar cells, nano-electronics, photonic materials, and nano-sensors have experienced an explosion in research interest over the past decade. This is in large part due to improving techniques for the synthesis of anisotropy in particle shape to form rods, plates, iso-hedra and nano-prisms and material properties such as janus particles used for self-assembly. Ho ....Surface forces and confinement of anisotropic particles. Advanced materials assembled from engineered particles found in next generation solar cells, nano-electronics, photonic materials, and nano-sensors have experienced an explosion in research interest over the past decade. This is in large part due to improving techniques for the synthesis of anisotropy in particle shape to form rods, plates, iso-hedra and nano-prisms and material properties such as janus particles used for self-assembly. However, there is a lack of methods to measure the interactions that control the assembly process. This project aims to develop a novel method to quantify the particle-particle and particle-surface interactions for anisotropic particles to enable predictive approaches to particle assembly for advanced materials.Read moreRead less
Study of a turbulent boundary layer over 2D and 3D rough walls. The project is aimed at resolving critical issues related to turbulent flows over rough walls, which hinder the engineer's ability to model these flows. The research will provide key answers to these issues and lead to more realistic models as well as strategies for controlling drag, sedimentation and heat transport.
Algorithms for multi-scale problems in science and engineering. This project aims to develop theoretical formulations and algorithms for modelling fundamental problems in molecular electrostatics, dispersion force theory, acoustics and electromagnetic scattering in applications where current approaches may be useless. Many engineering applications, from microelectronics to bioengineering devices, need to operate across dimensions from a few millimetres down to a million times smaller. This large ....Algorithms for multi-scale problems in science and engineering. This project aims to develop theoretical formulations and algorithms for modelling fundamental problems in molecular electrostatics, dispersion force theory, acoustics and electromagnetic scattering in applications where current approaches may be useless. Many engineering applications, from microelectronics to bioengineering devices, need to operate across dimensions from a few millimetres down to a million times smaller. This large range of length scales means traditional modelling tools and computational techniques will rapidly become intractable. This project will meet this need to strengthen the Australian technological skill base and contribute to innovations in areas ranging from bioengineering to nanotechnology.Read moreRead less
Modelling of soft multi-scale systems. This project develops realistic physical models and efficient computational methods as the platform technology for giving highly accurate predictions of the complex behaviour of soft deformable systems. The outcomes will add to our understanding of the mechano-biology of living cells and artificial soft body tissues, the cellular uptake of nutrients and drugs, the energy-efficient processing of high value pharmaceutical emulsions and the design of functiona ....Modelling of soft multi-scale systems. This project develops realistic physical models and efficient computational methods as the platform technology for giving highly accurate predictions of the complex behaviour of soft deformable systems. The outcomes will add to our understanding of the mechano-biology of living cells and artificial soft body tissues, the cellular uptake of nutrients and drugs, the energy-efficient processing of high value pharmaceutical emulsions and the design of functional polymers and proteins using molecular models. The new knowledge will advance the frontier of material design and characterisation of soft complex materials.Read moreRead less