Foundation technology for quantum measurement, sensing and computing. This project will advance quantum control of cold ions, atoms and diamond colour centres for application of quantum science to high-tech problems, from ion-based quantum computing to diamond-based quantum imaging inside living cells.
Optical technology for quantum science. This project aims to develop and commercialise optical cavity and frequency stabilisation technology to generate laser light at new and precise wavelengths. Australia plays a leading role internationally in quantum science, a burgeoning area of research where fundamental quantum mechanical principles underpin exciting new technological applications, such as ion-based quantum computing, ultracold atom sensing for geo-exploration and defence, and nanoscale i ....Optical technology for quantum science. This project aims to develop and commercialise optical cavity and frequency stabilisation technology to generate laser light at new and precise wavelengths. Australia plays a leading role internationally in quantum science, a burgeoning area of research where fundamental quantum mechanical principles underpin exciting new technological applications, such as ion-based quantum computing, ultracold atom sensing for geo-exploration and defence, and nanoscale imaging inside living human cells. This project aims to continue and develop this role.Read moreRead less
The Development of High Power Cryo-Cooled Lasers and Their Application to Remote Sensing and Other Satelite-based Data Acquisition. We shall develop high power cryo-cooled lasers which will contribute directly to the national research priorities in Frontier Technologies and Safe Guarding Australia. In particular it will contribute to photonics, to remote sensing of the environment and to space based defence and surveillance applications. It will establish Australia as a pioneer in the field and ....The Development of High Power Cryo-Cooled Lasers and Their Application to Remote Sensing and Other Satelite-based Data Acquisition. We shall develop high power cryo-cooled lasers which will contribute directly to the national research priorities in Frontier Technologies and Safe Guarding Australia. In particular it will contribute to photonics, to remote sensing of the environment and to space based defence and surveillance applications. It will establish Australia as a pioneer in the field and generate important IP. It will be of benefit to Australian and international laser and defence industry, and it will be an ideal project for educating young laser physicists and engineers, of which there currently is a serious shortage in Australia.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
Advanced eyesafe Er:YAG short pulsed lasers for remote sensing applications. This project will develop state-of-the-art tunable pulsed Er:YAG laser systems that will represent a significant advance for eyesafe remote sensing and range finder technologies. It will render obsolete, current state-of-the-art systems for laser ranging and enable remote sensing of a critical greenhouse gas.
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
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
Electronic and Optical Properties of Doped Titanium Dioxide. Titanium dioxide, is widely used as a white pigment, owing to its high refractive index, second, only after diamond. Yellowing of rutile pigment particles, observed on prolonged exposure to sunlight, is a serious problem that pigment manufacturers would like to overcome. It is proposed that aluminium-doping of rutile limits this discolouration by altering the electronic structure of the rutile particles. This project seeks to identify ....Electronic and Optical Properties of Doped Titanium Dioxide. Titanium dioxide, is widely used as a white pigment, owing to its high refractive index, second, only after diamond. Yellowing of rutile pigment particles, observed on prolonged exposure to sunlight, is a serious problem that pigment manufacturers would like to overcome. It is proposed that aluminium-doping of rutile limits this discolouration by altering the electronic structure of the rutile particles. This project seeks to identify the specific electronic cause of the yellowing process, the nature of the Al defect,it's effect on the electronic structure of rutile, and the electronic perturbations that may occur when other dopants are used.Read moreRead less
Low power optical limiting for laser receiver protection. This project will place Australia as one of the leaders in the world in both science and technology of soft glass Photonic Band Gap Fibres, which is an enabling field of research with enormous number applications in Medicine, Defence, communication, etc. The project will develop a critical component (receiver protection) for laser range finders, which are widely being used in defence industries, therefore having national benefit in terms ....Low power optical limiting for laser receiver protection. This project will place Australia as one of the leaders in the world in both science and technology of soft glass Photonic Band Gap Fibres, which is an enabling field of research with enormous number applications in Medicine, Defence, communication, etc. The project will develop a critical component (receiver protection) for laser range finders, which are widely being used in defence industries, therefore having national benefit in terms of safeguarding Australia. The project will also be an excellent vehicle for educating young physicists and engineers in Australia. This is of national importance in itself due to the current shortage of photonics physicists.Read moreRead less
Avoiding cryogenic solids formation in liquefied natural gas production. This project will determine how and under what conditions cryogenic hydrocarbon solids form during liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, which often cause expensive unplanned plant shutdowns. New sensors will be developed to understand and monitor the conditions which cause these blockages and will be deployed into LNG plants to avoid the critical conditions.