The Development of High Power Cryo-Cooled Lasers and Their Application to Remote Sensing and Other Satelite-based Data Acquisition. We shall develop high power cryo-cooled lasers which will contribute directly to the national research priorities in Frontier Technologies and Safe Guarding Australia. In particular it will contribute to photonics, to remote sensing of the environment and to space based defence and surveillance applications. It will establish Australia as a pioneer in the field and ....The Development of High Power Cryo-Cooled Lasers and Their Application to Remote Sensing and Other Satelite-based Data Acquisition. We shall develop high power cryo-cooled lasers which will contribute directly to the national research priorities in Frontier Technologies and Safe Guarding Australia. In particular it will contribute to photonics, to remote sensing of the environment and to space based defence and surveillance applications. It will establish Australia as a pioneer in the field and generate important IP. It will be of benefit to Australian and international laser and defence industry, and it will be an ideal project for educating young laser physicists and engineers, of which there currently is a serious shortage in Australia.Read moreRead less
Optical supercontinuum generation from high pulse-energy optical sources. The aim of this project is to develop a broadband and high brightness optical fibre source based on optical supercontinuum generation (i.e. low-coherence optical signals with octave or more bandwidth). Unlike similar sources demonstrated recently which rely on expensive bulk femtosecond pump lasers, this source will be pumped by a large pulse-energy optical fibre laser and use stimulated Raman scattering to seed the contin ....Optical supercontinuum generation from high pulse-energy optical sources. The aim of this project is to develop a broadband and high brightness optical fibre source based on optical supercontinuum generation (i.e. low-coherence optical signals with octave or more bandwidth). Unlike similar sources demonstrated recently which rely on expensive bulk femtosecond pump lasers, this source will be pumped by a large pulse-energy optical fibre laser and use stimulated Raman scattering to seed the continuum generation. The primary outcome will be a compact low-cost all-fibre supercontinuum source with a wide range of applications in areas such as optical metrology, optical coherence tomography, and high resolution non-contact position and motion sensing.Read moreRead less
Diamond lasers for precision applications. Diamond lasers for precision applications. The project aims to create single mode lasers of ultrahigh spectral brightness. Single-mode lasers could improve many areas of science and technology, but existing technologies do not meet all performance requirements. This project will harness the intrinsic properties of diamond Raman lasers to increase the wavelength reach, power and stability of single mode lasers. The expected outcome is laser technology th ....Diamond lasers for precision applications. Diamond lasers for precision applications. The project aims to create single mode lasers of ultrahigh spectral brightness. Single-mode lasers could improve many areas of science and technology, but existing technologies do not meet all performance requirements. This project will harness the intrinsic properties of diamond Raman lasers to increase the wavelength reach, power and stability of single mode lasers. The expected outcome is laser technology that satisfies the needs of emerging markets, for example in gas sensing and atom cooling.Read moreRead less
A wavelength-versatile visible laser for ophthalmic instrumentation. Treatment of a wide range of retinal disorders can be enhanced by a range of treatment modalities using laser beams of different colours. The outcome of this project will be a new laser technology for ophthalmic applications which is unique in its versatility while reducing size and cost. This will allow our partner, Opto Global, to gain a unique market position for its ophthalmic products with flow-on benefits to the Austral ....A wavelength-versatile visible laser for ophthalmic instrumentation. Treatment of a wide range of retinal disorders can be enhanced by a range of treatment modalities using laser beams of different colours. The outcome of this project will be a new laser technology for ophthalmic applications which is unique in its versatility while reducing size and cost. This will allow our partner, Opto Global, to gain a unique market position for its ophthalmic products with flow-on benefits to the Australian economy and ultimately benefits to the community through improved clinical efficacy and patient outcomes. The frontier technology represented by these new laser devices is also applicable to other industries including medical aesthetics, colour projection and display, and defence systems.Read moreRead less
Bright x-ray beams from laser-driven microplasmas. This project aims to develop a new generation of bright, laser-like x-ray sources for laboratory use. X-ray sources underpin key diagnostic techniques in materials science, advancing applications from structural engineering through to ore processing and energy storage. However, the limited brightness of present-day laboratory x-ray sources restricts the utility and range of these diagnostic techniques. This research intends to use intense lasers ....Bright x-ray beams from laser-driven microplasmas. This project aims to develop a new generation of bright, laser-like x-ray sources for laboratory use. X-ray sources underpin key diagnostic techniques in materials science, advancing applications from structural engineering through to ore processing and energy storage. However, the limited brightness of present-day laboratory x-ray sources restricts the utility and range of these diagnostic techniques. This research intends to use intense lasers to create microscopic plasmas and drive high harmonic generation. The high harmonic generation process is already used to create laser-like ultraviolet light. By optimising the characteristics of the plasma medium, the project aims to extend bright high harmonic generation to the x-ray regime.Read moreRead less
Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the fi ....Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the final finish is achieved. We will research this technique for application to unique Australian heritage materials that are important to the specific conservation needs of the Australian War Memorial, the RAAF, Navy and Army Museums, Artlab Australia, and the Art Gallery of NSW.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
Integrated Photonics for Secure Communication and Related Applications in Financial Transaction Data Analysis. The project includes excellent basic science, semiconductor device fabrication and applied mathematics with explicitly identified consequences for innovation. There is strong potential for national economic benefits through the manufacture of new integrated photonic devices, the application of these devices in secure communication systems, the research of advanced non-linear analysis pr ....Integrated Photonics for Secure Communication and Related Applications in Financial Transaction Data Analysis. The project includes excellent basic science, semiconductor device fabrication and applied mathematics with explicitly identified consequences for innovation. There is strong potential for national economic benefits through the manufacture of new integrated photonic devices, the application of these devices in secure communication systems, the research of advanced non-linear analysis protocols, and the implementation of these in financial transaction analysis. Professional development and research education of postgraduate students and early career researchers will be carried out in a multi-disciplinary research environment with ongoing uptake of the research in industry and commercial sectors.Read moreRead less
Advanced eyesafe Er:YAG short pulsed lasers for remote sensing applications. This project will develop state-of-the-art tunable pulsed Er:YAG laser systems that will represent a significant advance for eyesafe remote sensing and range finder technologies. It will render obsolete, current state-of-the-art systems for laser ranging and enable remote sensing of a critical greenhouse gas.
Removing the blur: Guidestar lasers for the space industry . The speed and quality of transferring information between earth and space can be greatly enhanced by adaptive optical systems that provide correction for atmospheric aberrations. The laser-generated guidestars that lie at the heart of these systems must be bright, preferably multi-coloured and with low background. By taking advantage of the unique optical properties of diamond, this project aims to develop lasers that produce these adv ....Removing the blur: Guidestar lasers for the space industry . The speed and quality of transferring information between earth and space can be greatly enhanced by adaptive optical systems that provide correction for atmospheric aberrations. The laser-generated guidestars that lie at the heart of these systems must be bright, preferably multi-coloured and with low background. By taking advantage of the unique optical properties of diamond, this project aims to develop lasers that produce these advanced features to fulfil the needs of the space industry sector. These outcomes are expected to create new services and products in the areas of space situational awareness, space debris management and satellite communications, and have major spin-off benefits to astronomy and defence.Read moreRead less