Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102352
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Three-dimensional structural imaging in optical microscopy and tomography. This project will develop fundamentally new strategies for looking inside live cells to determine their internal structures. Such capability will permit a better understanding of diseases, the link between diabetes and heart failure for example, opening the door for new diagnostic techniques and treatments.
Insight from Darkness: Nanophotonics for real-time phase imaging. This project aims to develop ultrathin surfaces patterned on the nanoscale for extracting information from optical wavefields. These devices can be designed to provide real-time phase contrast imaging of transparent objects. This capability would open up the possibility of live-cell imaging with no expensive optical components and no, or minimal, computational post-processing. The planar configuration is designed to be compatible ....Insight from Darkness: Nanophotonics for real-time phase imaging. This project aims to develop ultrathin surfaces patterned on the nanoscale for extracting information from optical wavefields. These devices can be designed to provide real-time phase contrast imaging of transparent objects. This capability would open up the possibility of live-cell imaging with no expensive optical components and no, or minimal, computational post-processing. The planar configuration is designed to be compatible with next-generation lab-on-a-chip technologies and permit rapid throughput diagnostics with potential applications in biomedicine and materials science. Expected project outcomes may also underpin fundamental advances in understanding the interaction of light with nanostructures.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100624
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,529.00
Summary
The impact of structural dynamics on three-dimensional bioimaging with X-ray free-electron lasers. X-ray lasers can potentially determine the structures of biological molecules that are inaccessible to existing techniques. Intense ultrafast pulses encode the structure via diffraction faster than damage processes rip the molecule apart. In fact, damage processes begin during diffraction and remain problematic. It is not known if damage will prevent the determination of molecular orientations, a c ....The impact of structural dynamics on three-dimensional bioimaging with X-ray free-electron lasers. X-ray lasers can potentially determine the structures of biological molecules that are inaccessible to existing techniques. Intense ultrafast pulses encode the structure via diffraction faster than damage processes rip the molecule apart. In fact, damage processes begin during diffraction and remain problematic. It is not known if damage will prevent the determination of molecular orientations, a critical step in the experimental design. This project will solve this problem with a statistical theory, probing the feasibility and accuracy of the technique. The newly developed theory will enable us to perform experiments capable of measuring the effects of damage in biological molecules, paving the way for new methods of structure determination.Read moreRead less
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
Nanophotonic resonators: Metamaterials, extraordinary transmission & sensing. This project brings together Australia's strengths in nanotechnology, photonics and sensor technology and complements existing national research programs in nanophotonics. Research into new optical materials, developing novel insights and demonstrating the performance of new devices, will contribute to Frontier Technologies, while innovation in sensor technology falls under the Safeguarding Australia national research ....Nanophotonic resonators: Metamaterials, extraordinary transmission & sensing. This project brings together Australia's strengths in nanotechnology, photonics and sensor technology and complements existing national research programs in nanophotonics. Research into new optical materials, developing novel insights and demonstrating the performance of new devices, will contribute to Frontier Technologies, while innovation in sensor technology falls under the Safeguarding Australia national research priority. This project will enhance Australia's international reputation in science and ensure we remain at the leading edge of one of the newest and most vibrant areas of physical optics. It will capitalise on the expertise of the investigators and gain leverage from Australia's investment in nanofabrication infrastructure. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101504
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Nano-resolution hard x-ray diffraction imaging with conventional laboratory sources. The project will combine advanced optics and algorithms for diffraction imaging to develop a desktop hard x-ray microscope. The system will display ultra-high resolution and will be highly complementary to electronic and optical microscopies for diverse applications in materials engineering, nanofluidics and cell biology.
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
Advanced X-ray Optical Systems: From innovative idea to intelligent implementation. This project combines advances made in x-ray optics by the x-ray physics group at the University of Melbourne with sophisticated microfabrication techniques developed at Swinburne University of Technology and at the Argonne National Laboratory synchrotron. This fusion gives us immediate access into a major space science initiative - an x-ray telescope for the International Space Station. At the same time we will ....Advanced X-ray Optical Systems: From innovative idea to intelligent implementation. This project combines advances made in x-ray optics by the x-ray physics group at the University of Melbourne with sophisticated microfabrication techniques developed at Swinburne University of Technology and at the Argonne National Laboratory synchrotron. This fusion gives us immediate access into a major space science initiative - an x-ray telescope for the International Space Station. At the same time we will be building a kernel of excellence, based on new approaches to x-ray imaging, that will be strategically placed to become an integral part of the development of experimental facilities for the Australian Synchrotron.Read moreRead less
Nanophotonic metamaterials as anti-counterfeit devices in Australian banknotes. This project will demonstrate the application of novel materials as the basis for next generation security features on banknotes. Such elements play a key role in maintaining the integrity of Australia's currency since they present a significant barrier to counterfeiting.