Metamaterials for control of acoustic radiation forces. This project aims to investigate how sound waves exert forces on objects, and how these forces can be controlled by artificially engineered structures known as acoustic metamaterials. The project is expected to lead to a new understanding of acoustic radiation forces, and how they can be efficiently manipulated with high resolution. The expected outcome is a new capability for the measurement of delicate mechanical structures, which avoids ....Metamaterials for control of acoustic radiation forces. This project aims to investigate how sound waves exert forces on objects, and how these forces can be controlled by artificially engineered structures known as acoustic metamaterials. The project is expected to lead to a new understanding of acoustic radiation forces, and how they can be efficiently manipulated with high resolution. The expected outcome is a new capability for the measurement of delicate mechanical structures, which avoids the cost, complexity and side-effects of existing systems. This should benefit many high-tech areas, including inflatable space structures, micro-mechanical sensors and actuators and precise optical components, as well as biological areas such as the study of insect flight and communication.Read moreRead less
Fluid-Structure Interactions in Flows through Flexible-Walled Channels. This project seeks to deliver a definitive understanding of the behaviour of steady and pulsating fluid flow through compliant-walled channels and pipes. Novel theoretical stability-analyses and experimental investigations, complemented by targeted numerical simulations, will be developed and used to identify and categorise fluid- and wall-based wave-disturbances and their interactions. This can underpin the development of t ....Fluid-Structure Interactions in Flows through Flexible-Walled Channels. This project seeks to deliver a definitive understanding of the behaviour of steady and pulsating fluid flow through compliant-walled channels and pipes. Novel theoretical stability-analyses and experimental investigations, complemented by targeted numerical simulations, will be developed and used to identify and categorise fluid- and wall-based wave-disturbances and their interactions. This can underpin the development of technologies that control these flows to advantage in both engineered fluid-flow and biologically occurring systems. Robust design guidelines will emerge to safeguard and enhance the use of compliant liners and flexible panels for drag and noise reductions, or to protect surfaces exposed to fluid flows. Read moreRead less
Analysis and application of a Lagrangian turbulence model for smoothed particle hydrodynamics. The project will use a new turbulence model to improve the predictions of chaotic motions that include plunging waves, fast flows carrying sediment and the mixing of pollutants.
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
Turbulent cascades in superfluid Flatland. This project aims to answer open questions in turbulence by stirring many tiny whirlpools (vortices) into a superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate. It seeks to determine how vortex dynamics redistribute energy across broad length scales in superfluids, how turbulence arises from instabilities, and how turbulence redistributes energy in multicomponent superfluids. The outcomes of this project will elucidate the links between quantum and classical fluids, an ....Turbulent cascades in superfluid Flatland. This project aims to answer open questions in turbulence by stirring many tiny whirlpools (vortices) into a superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate. It seeks to determine how vortex dynamics redistribute energy across broad length scales in superfluids, how turbulence arises from instabilities, and how turbulence redistributes energy in multicomponent superfluids. The outcomes of this project will elucidate the links between quantum and classical fluids, and provide unambiguous tests of theoretical models in real-world systems. These results will be beneficial to the understanding of the physics of quantum superfluids, and will inform the engineering of quantum-enhanced devices that utilise trapped superfluid media for precision sensing.Read moreRead less
Optical wireless communications: solving the spectrum crunch. This project aims to make optical wireless communication to handheld mobile receivers a reality by developing systems which combine holographic filters and microsystems to realise a new form of receiver. This will be based on analysis of all of the complex interactions of transmitter, receiver and channel properties. The new receivers will exploit the narrow field of view of holographic optical filters. This project will generate know ....Optical wireless communications: solving the spectrum crunch. This project aims to make optical wireless communication to handheld mobile receivers a reality by developing systems which combine holographic filters and microsystems to realise a new form of receiver. This will be based on analysis of all of the complex interactions of transmitter, receiver and channel properties. The new receivers will exploit the narrow field of view of holographic optical filters. This project will generate knowledge in the fields of communications theory and on the use of holographic filters and microsystems. This solution to the lack of available radio frequency spectrum which conventional wireless face will provide significant practical and commercial benefits.Read moreRead less
Accurate position estimation using intensity-modulated optical signals. Accurate information about the position of a person or device is essential in many situations. However, despite extensive worldwide research, there is still no positioning system suitable for many important indoor applications. The widespread introduction of energy efficient white light emitting diodes (LEDs) for indoor lighting provides an unprecedented opportunity to solve this problem by using these LEDs to transmit signa ....Accurate position estimation using intensity-modulated optical signals. Accurate information about the position of a person or device is essential in many situations. However, despite extensive worldwide research, there is still no positioning system suitable for many important indoor applications. The widespread introduction of energy efficient white light emitting diodes (LEDs) for indoor lighting provides an unprecedented opportunity to solve this problem by using these LEDs to transmit signals from which a receiver can calculate its position. However the theory underlying the design and analysis of position estimation using modulated optical signals does not exist. This project aims to develop this fundamental theoretical basis and apply it to create the accurate indoor positioning systems of the future.Read moreRead less