Advanced model-based control for ultra-fast and ultra-high-precision nanoscale positioning. Australia faces unique challenges due to its small population and distance from international markets. To maintain a high standard of living Australia needs to further develop its high-tech base particularly in emerging fields such as nanotechnology. This research program is aimed at placing Australia at the forefront of international research in nanoscale positioning systems by building a world-class tea ....Advanced model-based control for ultra-fast and ultra-high-precision nanoscale positioning. Australia faces unique challenges due to its small population and distance from international markets. To maintain a high standard of living Australia needs to further develop its high-tech base particularly in emerging fields such as nanotechnology. This research program is aimed at placing Australia at the forefront of international research in nanoscale positioning systems by building a world-class team of talented researchers and equipping them with world-class research infrastructure. The global market for nanotechnology is projected to be in the tens of billions of dollars by 2020. The proposed research will enhance Australia's competitive advantage through high-impact scientific and technological innovations in nanotechnology.Read moreRead less
Robust Control Design using Micro-Actuators. Recent advances in micro-actuators have enabled many new applications in complex systems. Examples include ultra-high density disk drives, low-cost vibration tables, and micro-robotic systems. However, control design for these systems is very challenging because the micro-actuators have severely limited dynamic ranges and strong couplings. The proposed project aims to study new control design approaches for these complex systems. The work will focus o ....Robust Control Design using Micro-Actuators. Recent advances in micro-actuators have enabled many new applications in complex systems. Examples include ultra-high density disk drives, low-cost vibration tables, and micro-robotic systems. However, control design for these systems is very challenging because the micro-actuators have severely limited dynamic ranges and strong couplings. The proposed project aims to study new control design approaches for these complex systems. The work will focus on both theoretical studies and experimental applications of such systems. The outcome of the project will help put Australia in a more advanced position in this niche area of leading age technology.Read moreRead less
Measurement of the spatial distribution of temperature and velocity in lakes using Acoustic Tomography. This project will investigate the use of acoustic tomography in lakes to continuously measure the lake-wide distribution of temperature and velocity. The challenges with lake acoustic tomography are the accuracy required in the travel time measurements over shorter distances, acoustic losses due to reflections and ensuring enough rays travel through the thermocline, the region of greatest inte ....Measurement of the spatial distribution of temperature and velocity in lakes using Acoustic Tomography. This project will investigate the use of acoustic tomography in lakes to continuously measure the lake-wide distribution of temperature and velocity. The challenges with lake acoustic tomography are the accuracy required in the travel time measurements over shorter distances, acoustic losses due to reflections and ensuring enough rays travel through the thermocline, the region of greatest interest in lakes. A pilot experiment in a deep lake will investigate the quality of travel time measurements computed from rays travelling through the thermocline of a strongly stratified lake. This has wide applications for the water quality management of lakes and reservoirs.Read moreRead less
Acoustic observation of Antarctic ice rifting and calving events using remote hydroacoustic listening stations. The calving activity of the Antarctic ice shelves is one of the major indicators of global climate change. Global warming induced by an increase in atmospheric CO2 will affect the Antarctic Ice Sheet, primarily in form of disintegration of the Antarctic ice shelves surrounding the continent. The processes of calving on the ice shelves may lead to a substantial increase of sea level aro ....Acoustic observation of Antarctic ice rifting and calving events using remote hydroacoustic listening stations. The calving activity of the Antarctic ice shelves is one of the major indicators of global climate change. Global warming induced by an increase in atmospheric CO2 will affect the Antarctic Ice Sheet, primarily in form of disintegration of the Antarctic ice shelves surrounding the continent. The processes of calving on the ice shelves may lead to a substantial increase of sea level around the world, with devastating effects on the continental coasts and low-lying islands. The method of remote acoustic observations investigated in this project is a new approach to the problem of creating an efficient and cost effective system to monitor rifting and calving of the Antarctic ice shelves. Read moreRead less
Investigation of vertical magneto-transport in infrared detector structures based on InAs/GaSb type-II superlattices. Infrared sensors and systems are finding increasing use in Australia's core industries: particularly defence, mineral exploration, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, homeland security, and medical diagnostics. Due to the reduced cooling requirements, the Infrared detector structures to be investigated in this project have the potential to deliver high performance in ....Investigation of vertical magneto-transport in infrared detector structures based on InAs/GaSb type-II superlattices. Infrared sensors and systems are finding increasing use in Australia's core industries: particularly defence, mineral exploration, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, homeland security, and medical diagnostics. Due to the reduced cooling requirements, the Infrared detector structures to be investigated in this project have the potential to deliver high performance infrared technology at a significantly lower cost and, hence, widening its applications. The new science proposed in this project, and new technological knowledge expected from its application, will allow Australian researchers to participate and significantly contribute to the international effort in this field and to exploit any developed intellectual property. Read moreRead less
Structural Characterization of Ion Beam Synthesized Metallic Nanocrystals using Advanced Synchrotron based Analytical Techniques. Metallic nanocrystals formed by ion implantation represent a highly relevant class of nanomaterials with significant potential applications in communication technology. A detailed understanding of the structure of such crystals, as proposed in the project, will yield considerable information for efficient utilization of ion beam synthesized nanocrystals. This will enh ....Structural Characterization of Ion Beam Synthesized Metallic Nanocrystals using Advanced Synchrotron based Analytical Techniques. Metallic nanocrystals formed by ion implantation represent a highly relevant class of nanomaterials with significant potential applications in communication technology. A detailed understanding of the structure of such crystals, as proposed in the project, will yield considerable information for efficient utilization of ion beam synthesized nanocrystals. This will enhance Australia's strength in nanotechnology and materials science and create the potential for technical innovation. Furthermore, this project will produce significant know-how in synchrotron based analytical techniques which is invaluable with respect to future research at the forthcoming Australian synchrotron facility.Read moreRead less
Integrated microresonator based quantum technology. We will develop new 21st century physical technologies able to control the microscopic quantum world. These quantum technologies will build off world leading techniques to confine and manipulate light on a silicon chip, and have broad ramifications for future computing, medical, and sensing systems. New quantum architectures will be developed for information science, promising vast improvements over current systems; and new biological sensing s ....Integrated microresonator based quantum technology. We will develop new 21st century physical technologies able to control the microscopic quantum world. These quantum technologies will build off world leading techniques to confine and manipulate light on a silicon chip, and have broad ramifications for future computing, medical, and sensing systems. New quantum architectures will be developed for information science, promising vast improvements over current systems; and new biological sensing systems with world leading sensitivity will be implemented with important applications in the early detection of debilitating diseases. This research will raise Australia's profile as a world leader in science and technology, building on our already significant presence in quantum technology.Read moreRead less
Development of a new wideband feed for a cylindrical reflector antenna. The aim of this project is to design and build a wideband feed to operate at the line focus of a cylindrical reflector antenna, over the frequency range 300 MHz to 1500 MHz. The development of a low cost wideband feed will give Argus Technologies a competitive edge in the expanding telecommunications industry because they will have a single device that will satisfy many specialist antenna requirements, which can be economic ....Development of a new wideband feed for a cylindrical reflector antenna. The aim of this project is to design and build a wideband feed to operate at the line focus of a cylindrical reflector antenna, over the frequency range 300 MHz to 1500 MHz. The development of a low cost wideband feed will give Argus Technologies a competitive edge in the expanding telecommunications industry because they will have a single device that will satisfy many specialist antenna requirements, which can be economically manufactured. There will also be potential application for this array in radar and navigation systems and for the next generation radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array.Read moreRead less
Effective Microfluidic Cell Sorting using Synergistic Acoustic and Optical manipulation. The fluorescence-activated cell sorting technique alone represented a US$860 million market in worldwide diagnostic and life science research devices for 2004. The development of a faster and cheaper device with similar efficacy, as per the objective of this work, has the potential of supplanting immunological methods of cell sorting and thus yield substantial economic returns to the nation. The research act ....Effective Microfluidic Cell Sorting using Synergistic Acoustic and Optical manipulation. The fluorescence-activated cell sorting technique alone represented a US$860 million market in worldwide diagnostic and life science research devices for 2004. The development of a faster and cheaper device with similar efficacy, as per the objective of this work, has the potential of supplanting immunological methods of cell sorting and thus yield substantial economic returns to the nation. The research activities in this project will strengthen Australia's research standing in the fields of microfluidics and lab-in-a-chip technologies. On a broader platform, it will contribute to Australia's high standing in the field of biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Novel silicon photonic devices harnessing new leakage behaviour. The continuing advance of microprocessor performance requires vast quantities of data to be transferred between on-chip processor cores and to the outside world. The transfer of data via metal wires cannot meet this demand due to limited bandwidth and astonishing heat generation. Low-loss photonic transport integrated onto the silicon chip offers a solution. With this project we will explore harnessing a newly discovered phenomenon ....Novel silicon photonic devices harnessing new leakage behaviour. The continuing advance of microprocessor performance requires vast quantities of data to be transferred between on-chip processor cores and to the outside world. The transfer of data via metal wires cannot meet this demand due to limited bandwidth and astonishing heat generation. Low-loss photonic transport integrated onto the silicon chip offers a solution. With this project we will explore harnessing a newly discovered phenomenon in silicon photonics to achieve devices such as electrically pumped lasers and wavelength routers. The project will collaborate closely with researchers in the USA, but will focus on research of designs that can be created in Australia and licensed to major industry across the globe.
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