Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101904
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,322.00
Summary
Next-Generation LIDAR with Novel Microresonator Frequency Combs. This project aims to develop the science that would enable a new low-cost laser radar (LIDAR) for imaging the world around us. LIDAR has applications in facial recognition, forestry and autonomous vehicles – our new device will uniquely offer the ability to work underwater thereby opening up new possibilities for maritime environmental and vehicle monitoring. Our approach exploits a new form of optical pulse propagation in precise ....Next-Generation LIDAR with Novel Microresonator Frequency Combs. This project aims to develop the science that would enable a new low-cost laser radar (LIDAR) for imaging the world around us. LIDAR has applications in facial recognition, forestry and autonomous vehicles – our new device will uniquely offer the ability to work underwater thereby opening up new possibilities for maritime environmental and vehicle monitoring. Our approach exploits a new form of optical pulse propagation in precisely shaped crystals to generate bespoke laser pulses that enable high-speed and precise ranging to targets of interest. The science behind these new types of optical pulses offers the ability for Australia to lead a new scientifically and industrially important field.Read moreRead less
Terahertz lasers in the fight against illicit substances. This project aims to investigate the application of cutting-edge terahertz laser technology with new spectroscopic methods, for detection of illicit substances. Using a collaborative approach, the project aims to bring together expertise in laser physics, spectroscopy, law enforcement and instrumentation, and seeks to develop new sources and detection protocols which will offer new capabilities to law enforcement, aiding in detection and ....Terahertz lasers in the fight against illicit substances. This project aims to investigate the application of cutting-edge terahertz laser technology with new spectroscopic methods, for detection of illicit substances. Using a collaborative approach, the project aims to bring together expertise in laser physics, spectroscopy, law enforcement and instrumentation, and seeks to develop new sources and detection protocols which will offer new capabilities to law enforcement, aiding in detection and identification protocols for illicit substances.Read moreRead less
Unshackling solitons through ultimate dispersion control. The project aims to generate and investigate several novel families of self-stabilising optical pulses by using a unique fibre laser we recently devised. By developing the associated theoretical models, the team will transform conceptual and experimental knowledge of nonlinear physics, providing deep insights into fibre lasers and the pulses they can emit. The expected outcomes are a complete understanding of entirely novel families of op ....Unshackling solitons through ultimate dispersion control. The project aims to generate and investigate several novel families of self-stabilising optical pulses by using a unique fibre laser we recently devised. By developing the associated theoretical models, the team will transform conceptual and experimental knowledge of nonlinear physics, providing deep insights into fibre lasers and the pulses they can emit. The expected outcomes are a complete understanding of entirely novel families of optical pulses, and of the degree to which the energy required to generate these pulses can be reduced. Reducing this energy means that these pulses can perform the same function at lower power, which will enable the emergence of new applications that will play powerful roles in the 21st-century economy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100509
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$436,482.00
Summary
Going Fourth: ruling light with pure-quartic solitons. This project aims to develop a novel integrated high-energy light source through the combination of nanoscience and optics. The core research of this project addresses the energy limitation inherent to the current technology which has hindered its use in real applications. Expected outcomes include new knowledge, with publication in world-class scientific journals, and disruptive technological capabilities in miniaturized photonics. The expe ....Going Fourth: ruling light with pure-quartic solitons. This project aims to develop a novel integrated high-energy light source through the combination of nanoscience and optics. The core research of this project addresses the energy limitation inherent to the current technology which has hindered its use in real applications. Expected outcomes include new knowledge, with publication in world-class scientific journals, and disruptive technological capabilities in miniaturized photonics. The expected benefit is to generate high-energy pulses from a battery powered micro-chip that could enhance spectroscopy sensing devices for real-world applications, outside laboratories. This project will strengthen Australian capabilities and expertise in cutting-edge nanotechnology and photonics.Read moreRead less
New biosensing strategies based on bipolar electrochemiluminescence. Chemical analysis is a vital activity in our society, which is to a large extent confined to scientific laboratories and carried out with complex instrumentation. The breakthrough technology envisioned in this proposal will pave the way for simple, low-cost tests which can be used by non-scientists. The development of small, portable sensors for applications ranging from pollution monitoring to health testing, will enable ordi ....New biosensing strategies based on bipolar electrochemiluminescence. Chemical analysis is a vital activity in our society, which is to a large extent confined to scientific laboratories and carried out with complex instrumentation. The breakthrough technology envisioned in this proposal will pave the way for simple, low-cost tests which can be used by non-scientists. The development of small, portable sensors for applications ranging from pollution monitoring to health testing, will enable ordinary people to gain knowledge about the concentrations of molecular compounds in their environments and in themselves. This will stimulate economic and social benefits related to environmental testing and early disease diagnosis and generate new commercial opportunities for the Australian biotechnology industry.Read moreRead less
Gelled electrolyte materials for toxic gas sensing. This project aims to develop and implement an alternative approach to the current methods of monitoring of oxygen and toxic gas levels. The aim is to use novel gelled electrolytes based on ionic liquids and polymers, combined with miniaturised sensor devices, to create a robust membrane-free and spill-less design. Amperometric gas sensors are commonly employed to monitor oxygen and toxic gas levels, but the technology used is still based on a ....Gelled electrolyte materials for toxic gas sensing. This project aims to develop and implement an alternative approach to the current methods of monitoring of oxygen and toxic gas levels. The aim is to use novel gelled electrolytes based on ionic liquids and polymers, combined with miniaturised sensor devices, to create a robust membrane-free and spill-less design. Amperometric gas sensors are commonly employed to monitor oxygen and toxic gas levels, but the technology used is still based on a 1950s design. The expected outcome of the project is to make fundamental advances in the design of materials that are not affected by humidity changes and which impart selectivity towards particular gases. This will provide the basis for a new generation of low-cost, miniaturised, selective sensors for use in applications such as wearable toxic gas sensors, and as leak detectors on hydrogen-powered vehicles.Read moreRead less
High-resolution optical studies of solids nucleation in cryogenic processes. During liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, low concentration impurities can freeze and block the cryogenic heat exchangers at the heart of the liquefaction process. Substantial knowledge gaps exist regarding the kinetics of these solids (i.e. the rate at which they form), especially at the part per million concentrations relevant to LNG. This project, in partnership with ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, will us ....High-resolution optical studies of solids nucleation in cryogenic processes. During liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, low concentration impurities can freeze and block the cryogenic heat exchangers at the heart of the liquefaction process. Substantial knowledge gaps exist regarding the kinetics of these solids (i.e. the rate at which they form), especially at the part per million concentrations relevant to LNG. This project, in partnership with ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, will use a proven high resolution optical technique to deliver new insight into solid nucleation and growth kinetics in the high-pressure cryogenic fluids that govern industrial blockage risk. The results will enable energy optimisation to increase liquefaction efficiency as well as tests of innovative blockage-remediation methods.Read moreRead less
Multidimensional Coherent Spectroscopy of Strongly Correlated Materials. By applying new types of spectroscopy, this project aims to address the gaps in our understanding of how remarkable macroscopic properties, such as superconductivity, emerge from the fundamental interactions in strongly correlated electron materials. This project will combine theory and experiment to develop a pathway by which multidimensional coherent spectroscopy can disentangle the competing interactions that make these ....Multidimensional Coherent Spectroscopy of Strongly Correlated Materials. By applying new types of spectroscopy, this project aims to address the gaps in our understanding of how remarkable macroscopic properties, such as superconductivity, emerge from the fundamental interactions in strongly correlated electron materials. This project will combine theory and experiment to develop a pathway by which multidimensional coherent spectroscopy can disentangle the competing interactions that make these materials so complex, but also potentially useful. By delivering an understanding of the interplay between different microscopic processes, the project will make it more feasible to control them. This will allow for the design new controllable quantum materials that can be the basis for future technologies.Read moreRead less
Hierarchically porous polymer monoliths for separation science. Understanding the molecular composition of biomarkers involved in cell-cell communication and the fate of nanoparticles in the environment is critical to improve our understanding of diseases and environmental processes. This project will develop a new approach for the design of separation media that will greatly improve the efficiency of techniques used to analyse these complex samples. The separation media will consist of a polyme ....Hierarchically porous polymer monoliths for separation science. Understanding the molecular composition of biomarkers involved in cell-cell communication and the fate of nanoparticles in the environment is critical to improve our understanding of diseases and environmental processes. This project will develop a new approach for the design of separation media that will greatly improve the efficiency of techniques used to analyse these complex samples. The separation media will consist of a polymer containing large flow-through pores as well as well-defined mesopores. This dual porous skeleton will allow for the size-based separation of biomarkers and nanoparticles. The new separation media will enable the development of new technologies with applications in areas such medicine and environmental science.Read moreRead less
How electric fields can facilitate reversible protein binding to surfaces. The aim of this project is to develop the first biosensors that prevent nonspecific protein adsorption and allow reversible protein binding. The project expects to achieve this using a combination of novel surface chemistry and pulsed electric fields that dynamically change a sensing interface. The impact of electric fields on the binding of proteins to this interface will be followed using a novel single molecule fluores ....How electric fields can facilitate reversible protein binding to surfaces. The aim of this project is to develop the first biosensors that prevent nonspecific protein adsorption and allow reversible protein binding. The project expects to achieve this using a combination of novel surface chemistry and pulsed electric fields that dynamically change a sensing interface. The impact of electric fields on the binding of proteins to this interface will be followed using a novel single molecule fluorescence microscope previously developed that can locate the position of proteins with 2 nanometer resolution. The expected outcomes of this project is a class of biosensor that can continuously monitor protein biomarkers for wearable sensors that provide information on a user’s wellness and nutrition.Read moreRead less