Tunable nonlinear photonic devices with liquid crystals. This project will help to initiate in Australia a systematic study of nonlinear properties of liquid crystals for applications in optical components. Taking the advantage of strong and tunable nonlinear response of liquid crystals and low threshold powers, it will analyse new opportunities for controllable light manipulation in nanoscale photonic devices, suggesting realistic designs for tunable photonic circuits. The project will promote ....Tunable nonlinear photonic devices with liquid crystals. This project will help to initiate in Australia a systematic study of nonlinear properties of liquid crystals for applications in optical components. Taking the advantage of strong and tunable nonlinear response of liquid crystals and low threshold powers, it will analyse new opportunities for controllable light manipulation in nanoscale photonic devices, suggesting realistic designs for tunable photonic circuits. The project will promote this attractive field and will facilitate the emergence of novel technologies. It will also lead to important international collaborations and bring important new expertise to Australia, complementing the core research program of the ARC Centre of Excellence CUDOS.Read moreRead less
Tunable shaping and switching of polychromatic light for integrated photonics. This project will help to promote in Australia novel field of polychromatic and white-light photonics, which is currently being very actively explored at the leading research centres around the globe. It will introduce and demonstrate innovative concepts for efficient manipulation of multi-color light in integrated photonic structures, which will keep Australia at the forefront of the international research and will c ....Tunable shaping and switching of polychromatic light for integrated photonics. This project will help to promote in Australia novel field of polychromatic and white-light photonics, which is currently being very actively explored at the leading research centres around the globe. It will introduce and demonstrate innovative concepts for efficient manipulation of multi-color light in integrated photonic structures, which will keep Australia at the forefront of the international research and will contribute to the uptake of frontier technologies by Australian industries. This project will lead to international collaborations which will bring important new expertise to Australia. It will also provide training for students in breakthrough applications of photonics and nanotechnology.Read moreRead less
NONLINEAR SURFACE MODES IN PHOTONIC AND PLASMONIC METAMATERIALS. This project will underpin the development of frontier technologies of manipulating light on subwavelength scale, which has a potential of delivering revolutionary advances in nanotechnology and photonics. The project is therefore of national benefit for its advances in the innovative cutting-edge research of nano-optics. The project will initialize collaboration with world leading experts in the area, bringing important expertise ....NONLINEAR SURFACE MODES IN PHOTONIC AND PLASMONIC METAMATERIALS. This project will underpin the development of frontier technologies of manipulating light on subwavelength scale, which has a potential of delivering revolutionary advances in nanotechnology and photonics. The project is therefore of national benefit for its advances in the innovative cutting-edge research of nano-optics. The project will initialize collaboration with world leading experts in the area, bringing important expertise to Australia. It will also strengthen Australia's international competitive ability and reputation in the field of nanophotonics.Read moreRead less
ARROW - the route to better Photonic Crystal Fibres. The Frontier Technology based on Photonic crystal fibres (PCFs) will be a vital component of next generation photonic networks and devices. Australia is among the 5 leading nations in PCF research. However we are now at a pivotal stage in the development of PCFs: their production is close to maturity, and it is now up to PCF designers to make the difference. The proposed project will provide the Australian scientific community as well as Austr ....ARROW - the route to better Photonic Crystal Fibres. The Frontier Technology based on Photonic crystal fibres (PCFs) will be a vital component of next generation photonic networks and devices. Australia is among the 5 leading nations in PCF research. However we are now at a pivotal stage in the development of PCFs: their production is close to maturity, and it is now up to PCF designers to make the difference. The proposed project will provide the Australian scientific community as well as Australian photonics companies with advanced PCF designing capabilities, giving Australia an opportunity to take a leading position in PCF development and commercialisation. Read moreRead less
Nonlinear photonic crystals. Photonic crystals have recently became very attractive for photonic technology, that uses light instead of slow electrons as the information carriers replacing electronics in communications and information management. This project has the purpose to develop the fundamental concept of nonlinear photonic crystals and demonstrate their possible applications analysing the properties of the nonlinearity-induced light localization, nonlinear transmission, and frequency co ....Nonlinear photonic crystals. Photonic crystals have recently became very attractive for photonic technology, that uses light instead of slow electrons as the information carriers replacing electronics in communications and information management. This project has the purpose to develop the fundamental concept of nonlinear photonic crystals and demonstrate their possible applications analysing the properties of the nonlinearity-induced light localization, nonlinear transmission, and frequency conversion in band-gap materials with the intensity-dependent optical response. This will allow the possibility realising in practice nonlinear switching even for sharply bent waveguides, providing an effective way to control the flow of light in band-gap photonic circuits.Read moreRead less
Improved fibre Bragg grating sensors for detection of structural hot spots. Structural integrity monitoring, to anticipate and prevent failure, is a multi-billion dollar effort worldwide. Detailed assessment of the capability of fibre Bragg gratings to measure strain profiles along the grating length, i.e. intragrating sensing, and thereby detect structural ?hot spots? before failure is essential for effective systems. They will be used to determine strain gradients similar to those found in com ....Improved fibre Bragg grating sensors for detection of structural hot spots. Structural integrity monitoring, to anticipate and prevent failure, is a multi-billion dollar effort worldwide. Detailed assessment of the capability of fibre Bragg gratings to measure strain profiles along the grating length, i.e. intragrating sensing, and thereby detect structural ?hot spots? before failure is essential for effective systems. They will be used to determine strain gradients similar to those found in common problem areas, such as the tips of elliptic notches and disbonding at the ends of composite joints. Additionally, grating refractive index profiles will be characterised using imaging techniques, to assess performance and possible changes to gratings after prolonged use.Read moreRead less
Nonlinear photonic crystal fabrication in a high refractive index lithium niobate crystal. The method proposed in this project is a very promising and versatile method to achieve 3D nonlinear PhCs in a high refractive index material. This project will expand the national knowledge in the area of nonlinear PhCs. The successful compensation of the spherical aberration will advance the optical microfabrication technique. It is expected that the project will provide many chances for postgraduate stu ....Nonlinear photonic crystal fabrication in a high refractive index lithium niobate crystal. The method proposed in this project is a very promising and versatile method to achieve 3D nonlinear PhCs in a high refractive index material. This project will expand the national knowledge in the area of nonlinear PhCs. The successful compensation of the spherical aberration will advance the optical microfabrication technique. It is expected that the project will provide many chances for postgraduate students to become involved. Some newly developed devices based on nonlinear PhCs may find their commercial applications and we have a chance of securing the intellectual property related to these applications. In a long term, nonlinear PCs may be widely used in daily life and provide some opportunities to the industries.Read moreRead less
Solitons and localised structures in nonlocal nonlinear media. Solitons - localised waves existing in nonlinear media may propagate without changing their shape and interact with each other as real particles. They are ubiquitous in nature - exist in any system exhibiting dispersion and nonlinearity. This project aims to study theoretically and experimentally properties of beams and solitons in non-local nonlinear systems. It will lay out theoretical foundations of the nonlocal solitons and d ....Solitons and localised structures in nonlocal nonlinear media. Solitons - localised waves existing in nonlinear media may propagate without changing their shape and interact with each other as real particles. They are ubiquitous in nature - exist in any system exhibiting dispersion and nonlinearity. This project aims to study theoretically and experimentally properties of beams and solitons in non-local nonlinear systems. It will lay out theoretical foundations of the nonlocal solitons and demonstrate experimentally their unique features. This research will have an impact on understanding of the soliton phenomena in many fields including optics and matter waves, providing knowledge which may be subsequently transferred to practical technologies, such as in formation of optical circuits.Read moreRead less
Improving optical data storage and micromachining technology through better modelling and characterisation of their laser beams. The laser sources generally do not have simple (Gaussian) distributions. The applicant has recently developed a model, describing free propagation of complex (non-Gaussian) laser beams. This project seeks to develop a comprehending model for laser beams propagation through complex optical systems. The effects of various optical elements will be defined employing a no ....Improving optical data storage and micromachining technology through better modelling and characterisation of their laser beams. The laser sources generally do not have simple (Gaussian) distributions. The applicant has recently developed a model, describing free propagation of complex (non-Gaussian) laser beams. This project seeks to develop a comprehending model for laser beams propagation through complex optical systems. The effects of various optical elements will be defined employing a novel method known as SAFE (Stable Aggregate of Flexible Elements) which is a compromise between geometrical and physical optics. Applying this model to micromachining and optical data storage (ODS), which need high beam quality (low divergence and good focussibility), enable accurate predictive capability critical to the optimisation of micromachining and ODS designs.Read moreRead less
Active Control of Light for Nonlinear Photonic Devices. In free space, light travels in a straight line, but since ancient times mankind has always sought to direct its propagation. Controlling light is an enduring problem in modern photonic technologies. The ultimate goal is to actively manipulate light propagation in space and time with a great accuracy. With this project we will investigate the fundamental science of active control of light in periodic structures and will provide a unique pla ....Active Control of Light for Nonlinear Photonic Devices. In free space, light travels in a straight line, but since ancient times mankind has always sought to direct its propagation. Controlling light is an enduring problem in modern photonic technologies. The ultimate goal is to actively manipulate light propagation in space and time with a great accuracy. With this project we will investigate the fundamental science of active control of light in periodic structures and will provide a unique platform for exploration of ground breaking optical physics, ensuring Australia remains a world leader in the field. Precision manipulation of light will form the basis of new techniques for all-optical signal processing and computing, with great impact on Australian photonic and defense industries.Read moreRead less