Stimulating light scattering in periodic structures: How slow can it go? Proof-of-concept experiments have already proven that it is possible to reduce and control the speed of light within the laboratory. This fundamental change in our understanding of light properties generated a frenzy of scientific interest and we now have a basic understanding of the physical processes involved in slowing light. What we do not have, however, is a method of doing so that can be harnessed into useful applic ....Stimulating light scattering in periodic structures: How slow can it go? Proof-of-concept experiments have already proven that it is possible to reduce and control the speed of light within the laboratory. This fundamental change in our understanding of light properties generated a frenzy of scientific interest and we now have a basic understanding of the physical processes involved in slowing light. What we do not have, however, is a method of doing so that can be harnessed into useful applications outside of the lab. Our proposed approach offers a low power solution that can be readily incorporated into a myriad of engineered devices.Read moreRead less
Optomechanical refrigeration of electronic circuits. The project aims to apply laser light to reduce the temperature of electronic circuits. This aims to greatly suppress electronic noise, and enable a new class of technologies for future telecommunication systems. By developing new techniques to confine light, electric fields and vibrations at sub-micron scale on a silicon chip, devices such as ultralow noise amplifiers, clocks and radio frequency receivers will be realised, along with ultra-ef ....Optomechanical refrigeration of electronic circuits. The project aims to apply laser light to reduce the temperature of electronic circuits. This aims to greatly suppress electronic noise, and enable a new class of technologies for future telecommunication systems. By developing new techniques to confine light, electric fields and vibrations at sub-micron scale on a silicon chip, devices such as ultralow noise amplifiers, clocks and radio frequency receivers will be realised, along with ultra-efficient optical modulators. In future, these technologies could reduce energy consumption and improve reliability in telecommunication networks. They could improve the range of satellite communication, robustness of GPS against cosmic radiation, and performance of surveillance systems such as radar and sonar.Read moreRead less
Catching the fast waves: high speed RF sensing using Brillouin scattering. This project aims to develop a room temperature approach to fast sensing of microwave electromagnetic waves by harnessing stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS), simultaneously achieving high frequency range, high resolution and high-speed performance. This project expects to generate new knowledge in microwave photonics and SBS, specifically elucidating the transient temporal response of SBS. Expected outcomes of this pro ....Catching the fast waves: high speed RF sensing using Brillouin scattering. This project aims to develop a room temperature approach to fast sensing of microwave electromagnetic waves by harnessing stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS), simultaneously achieving high frequency range, high resolution and high-speed performance. This project expects to generate new knowledge in microwave photonics and SBS, specifically elucidating the transient temporal response of SBS. Expected outcomes of this project include a proof of concept RF sensor that has multi-Gigahertz real-rime instantaneous bandwidth with high-resolution that can be miniaturized on to a chip. This compact RF sensor, will play a vital role for situational awareness in space, defence and communications applications. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100116
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
100 Gbit to 1 Terabit per second optical communication test bed facility. This facility will develop and demonstrate novel optical technologies that will underpin the generation and transmission of a higher-speed Ethernet at 100 Gb/s to 1Terabit/s, and will lead to better broadband and more energy efficient internet. At the foundation of this research will be a test bed with multiple signal sources at data rates above 50 Gbaud.
Exploding solitons. This project builds on previous work in which the existence of exploding solitons was confirmed. Explosions occur regularly in a variety of systems with continuous supply and dissipation of energy. Exploding solitons are more common than ordinary dissipative solitons and occupy large areas in the parameter space. They can be generated relatively easily, however the phenomenon is highly complex. This project aims to further understand exploding solitons so that the phenomeno ....Exploding solitons. This project builds on previous work in which the existence of exploding solitons was confirmed. Explosions occur regularly in a variety of systems with continuous supply and dissipation of energy. Exploding solitons are more common than ordinary dissipative solitons and occupy large areas in the parameter space. They can be generated relatively easily, however the phenomenon is highly complex. This project aims to further understand exploding solitons so that the phenomenon can be used for the generation of pulses with wide spectral output similar to `supercontinuum’ radiation. Research in this direction will provide the basis for building powerful laser sources with wide spectral output.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100714
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,000.00
Summary
Shaping light – new frontiers in big fast data. This project aims to address the need for new technologies to tackle the bandwidth overload. Because of the basic human desire to communicate and interact, our society has an exponentially growing Internet data demand. The data capacity crunch is imminent. Data demand is rapidly approaching the nonlinear Shannon limit which governs the maximum data capacity of single-mode optical fibres. Bandwidth limitations may have severe implications for societ ....Shaping light – new frontiers in big fast data. This project aims to address the need for new technologies to tackle the bandwidth overload. Because of the basic human desire to communicate and interact, our society has an exponentially growing Internet data demand. The data capacity crunch is imminent. Data demand is rapidly approaching the nonlinear Shannon limit which governs the maximum data capacity of single-mode optical fibres. Bandwidth limitations may have severe implications for society and economy. This project aims to develop chip-scale mode-multiplexers based on innovative 3D integrated photonics and combine them with optical gain to shape light for space-division multiplexed optical communication networks. This is designed to break through the data capacity limit that currently prevents growth in Internet data rates.Read moreRead less
Producing optimally short pulses at long wavelengths. This project aims to make the fluoride glass fibre platform the preferred material for generating ultrashort pulses at 2.8 nm and beyond. High power and efficiency from simple device architectures are essential for industry, medicine and defence. Modern sources of short pulses of light emitting mid-infrared wavelengths are complicated and inefficient. This project will improve fibre sources emitting short pulses and create the essential build ....Producing optimally short pulses at long wavelengths. This project aims to make the fluoride glass fibre platform the preferred material for generating ultrashort pulses at 2.8 nm and beyond. High power and efficiency from simple device architectures are essential for industry, medicine and defence. Modern sources of short pulses of light emitting mid-infrared wavelengths are complicated and inefficient. This project will improve fibre sources emitting short pulses and create the essential building blocks for future all-fibre arrangements that will be more robust. The sources are expected to have applications in non-linear optics and materials modification.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the ultraviolet. This project will develop a new class of ultra-short-pulse and broadly tunable laser with performance in the ultraviolet that is unobtainable from current infrared-based laser technologies. Our invention will unlock the elusive ultraviolet part of the spectrum to allow new discoveries in fundamental science and to drive twenty-first-century technologies.
A versatile optical wavelength and mode switching device for future telecommunication networks. This project will develop a next generation switching device for future fibre optical communication networks that will divide their information among several modes of specialty fibre. This device will be a key component for allowing network operators to move to these novel mode-multiplexed networks in order to overcome the looming capacity crunch.
Optics at the nanoscale: physics, devices and applications. This project aims to harness light-matter interactions at the nanoscale for the development of new photonic devices for imaging and optical manipulation. Novel photodetectors that operate from visible to infrared wavelengths will be developed, enabled by sub-wavelength nanostructures. These could form the basis for digital cameras with multispectral imaging capabilities, for example, for biomedical imaging, food quality control and remo ....Optics at the nanoscale: physics, devices and applications. This project aims to harness light-matter interactions at the nanoscale for the development of new photonic devices for imaging and optical manipulation. Novel photodetectors that operate from visible to infrared wavelengths will be developed, enabled by sub-wavelength nanostructures. These could form the basis for digital cameras with multispectral imaging capabilities, for example, for biomedical imaging, food quality control and remote sensing. Nanostructures will be developed that concentrate light to nanoscale spots, enabling the trapping of single molecules and nanoparticles. This project aims to educate the next generation of Australian optical scientists and engineers, building the human infrastructure for future advances in this field.Read moreRead less