Diamond Voltage Microscopy: A new tool for neuroscience. This project aims to develop an optoelectronic voltage imaging microscope that can capture the sub-cellular electrical dynamics of neuronal networks. This will be achieved by leveraging the team’s technological breakthrough in the production of near-surface fluorescent defects in semiconducting diamond, which can optically detect local changes in electric potential. The expected outcomes of the project are a new microscopy modality and exp ....Diamond Voltage Microscopy: A new tool for neuroscience. This project aims to develop an optoelectronic voltage imaging microscope that can capture the sub-cellular electrical dynamics of neuronal networks. This will be achieved by leveraging the team’s technological breakthrough in the production of near-surface fluorescent defects in semiconducting diamond, which can optically detect local changes in electric potential. The expected outcomes of the project are a new microscopy modality and experimental framework which enables in vitro electrophysiological stimulation and recording at network scale and with single-synapse resolution. This will provide a much-needed tool to understand mechanisms underlying learning, memory formation and recall, and cognitive decline.Read moreRead less
Novel devices for spatial light transformation. The aim of this project is to develop new optical instrumentation for spatially transforming light. This research expects to find solutions to problems that have thus far been out of reach by replacing what would traditionally be a human optical systems designer with computer algorithms. The expected outcomes include the development of three new devices as well as a set of design, fabrication and characterisation procedures that offer higher perfor ....Novel devices for spatial light transformation. The aim of this project is to develop new optical instrumentation for spatially transforming light. This research expects to find solutions to problems that have thus far been out of reach by replacing what would traditionally be a human optical systems designer with computer algorithms. The expected outcomes include the development of three new devices as well as a set of design, fabrication and characterisation procedures that offer higher performance, increased robustness and scalability. This should improve accessibility of this technology and provide benefits to a wide range of applications, including astronomical and biomedical imaging, telecommunications, as well as quantum and classical optical signal processing.Read moreRead less
Time reversed optics. The development of technology to precisely control how light travels through space and time yields the ability to deliver light through objects in ways which would not traditionally be possible and hence opens new applications. This project aims to develop new programmable optical systems for transforming the spatial and temporal properties of light, leveraging recent advances in optical beam shaping. Expected outcomes of this project include the construction and testing of ....Time reversed optics. The development of technology to precisely control how light travels through space and time yields the ability to deliver light through objects in ways which would not traditionally be possible and hence opens new applications. This project aims to develop new programmable optical systems for transforming the spatial and temporal properties of light, leveraging recent advances in optical beam shaping. Expected outcomes of this project include the construction and testing of two new types of optical systems. This should provide significant benefits in the areas of biomedical imaging, telecommunications, advanced manufacturing and both classical and quantum optical information processing.Read moreRead less
Parallel Lines: Ultra-dense optical systems for extreme data-rates. The project aims to explore methods to significantly expand global internet data rates, by using emerging ultra-dense optical technologies. The project plans to discover how novel existing and emerging tiny photonic chip devices may enable the use of new, unused optical spectral bands, and then enable 1000s of channels to be supported by exploiting newly available parallelism in both wavelength and space. Success in the project ....Parallel Lines: Ultra-dense optical systems for extreme data-rates. The project aims to explore methods to significantly expand global internet data rates, by using emerging ultra-dense optical technologies. The project plans to discover how novel existing and emerging tiny photonic chip devices may enable the use of new, unused optical spectral bands, and then enable 1000s of channels to be supported by exploiting newly available parallelism in both wavelength and space. Success in the project aims may enable speeds of up to 100 times greater than achievable today, in a variety of fibre optic systems. Connectivity is key to our society, so benefits may arise in both future-proofing key Australian data infrastructure, and in providing a roadmap to support exponential capacity growth over the coming decades.Read moreRead less
Investigating spatio-temporal instabilities in next-generation lasers. This project aims to decipher the transient spatio-temporal dynamics of lasers with an emphasis on investigating chaotic instabilities whose fundamental laws are unknown and whose effects impair laser performance in applications with a billion-dollar aggregate value. This project seeks to solve the problem by unravelling the evolving beam's structure on picosecond timescales using an optical device that dissects the beam in s ....Investigating spatio-temporal instabilities in next-generation lasers. This project aims to decipher the transient spatio-temporal dynamics of lasers with an emphasis on investigating chaotic instabilities whose fundamental laws are unknown and whose effects impair laser performance in applications with a billion-dollar aggregate value. This project seeks to solve the problem by unravelling the evolving beam's structure on picosecond timescales using an optical device that dissects the beam in space and time. The expected outcome is a suite of tools capable of guiding global efforts to develop next-generation lasers. The discoveries would propel Australia to become a characterisation nexus of the laser industry and usher in the era of faster telecommunication, enhanced sensors and high-precision manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Shedding Light on the Proton Radius Puzzle with Ultracold Helium. This project aims to shed light on an outstanding discrepancy in physics known as the proton radius puzzle, first seen in hydrogen but now being studied in helium. Capitalising on existing international collaboration between experiment and theory to exploit the advantages of ultracold helium, this project aims to determine the isotopic nuclear charge radius difference with unprecedented precision, using our state-of-the-art quantu ....Shedding Light on the Proton Radius Puzzle with Ultracold Helium. This project aims to shed light on an outstanding discrepancy in physics known as the proton radius puzzle, first seen in hydrogen but now being studied in helium. Capitalising on existing international collaboration between experiment and theory to exploit the advantages of ultracold helium, this project aims to determine the isotopic nuclear charge radius difference with unprecedented precision, using our state-of-the-art quantum electrodynamic theory. This will not only answer fundamental questions about helium atomic structure, but may also reveal new physics beyond the current Standard Model. The validation of atomic structure theory should provide benefits in applications including the realisation of more accurate atomic clocks.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100964
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,354.00
Summary
Precision Rulers for the Visible - Chip Scale Optical Frequency Combs. This project aims to create a photonic chip technology that generates hundreds of coherent laser lines in the visible spectrum from a single chip for accurate sensing, imaging unknown objects and measuring gas emissions. The project expects to introduce this new capability in the current photonic chip technology, which currently only operates with infrared light. The expected outcomes are inexpensive, stable and energy-effici ....Precision Rulers for the Visible - Chip Scale Optical Frequency Combs. This project aims to create a photonic chip technology that generates hundreds of coherent laser lines in the visible spectrum from a single chip for accurate sensing, imaging unknown objects and measuring gas emissions. The project expects to introduce this new capability in the current photonic chip technology, which currently only operates with infrared light. The expected outcomes are inexpensive, stable and energy-efficient devices the size of a fingernail that will enable measurements with unprecedented accuracies. This should allow these devices to be mounted on drones, satellites, and robots, making them attractive for defence, information security, imaging, autonomous vehicle, and sensing applications.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science. ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science. This Centre aims to explore the society wide transformations that will flow from optical frequency combs - thousands of highly pure light signals precisely spaced across the entire optical spectrum - by leveraging and building upon the latest breakthroughs in physics, materials science and nanofabrication. It expects to generate a wide new base of know ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science. ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science. This Centre aims to explore the society wide transformations that will flow from optical frequency combs - thousands of highly pure light signals precisely spaced across the entire optical spectrum - by leveraging and building upon the latest breakthroughs in physics, materials science and nanofabrication. It expects to generate a wide new base of knowledge in fields as diverse as astronomy, spectroscopy, chemical sensors, and precision measurement. Expected outcomes include the capability to realise complete comb systems on a chip the size of a fingernail, tailored to specific applications, with significant benefits spanning from imaging live cells to autonomous vehicles, satellite communications, and the search for exoplanets.Read moreRead less
Designing a spectrometer to search for life on extrasolar planets. Finding indicators of life on extrasolar planets is one of the greatest science questions of our time. Astronomers have found rocky, earth-like exoplanets; now we need powerful spectrometers to search for biomarkers in their atmospheres, detecting the faint imprints from molecules associated with life in the colour spectrum of stars. This project will develop the instruments and technologies required to enable spectroscopy with m ....Designing a spectrometer to search for life on extrasolar planets. Finding indicators of life on extrasolar planets is one of the greatest science questions of our time. Astronomers have found rocky, earth-like exoplanets; now we need powerful spectrometers to search for biomarkers in their atmospheres, detecting the faint imprints from molecules associated with life in the colour spectrum of stars. This project will develop the instruments and technologies required to enable spectroscopy with massively multiplexed telescopes. A spectrometer design with large spectral bandwidth and high resolution, optimised for a facility consisting of thousands of small telescopes, and novel optical fibres to link them, will open the door for breakthrough science requiring an entirely new class of telescope.Read moreRead less
Ion-atom collision data for fusion energy, hadron therapy and astrophysics. This project aims to combine experimental and theoretical efforts to generate accurate data required for the development and maintenance of fusion reactors, treatment planning in hadron therapy of cancerous tumours, and modelling astrophysical phenomena. Hadron therapy has been used successfully worldwide for over a decade with Australia’s first such facility, the Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy, currently under construc ....Ion-atom collision data for fusion energy, hadron therapy and astrophysics. This project aims to combine experimental and theoretical efforts to generate accurate data required for the development and maintenance of fusion reactors, treatment planning in hadron therapy of cancerous tumours, and modelling astrophysical phenomena. Hadron therapy has been used successfully worldwide for over a decade with Australia’s first such facility, the Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy, currently under construction. Fusion reactors are a source of abundant green energy. Immense progress is being made in their construction and underlying technology. Currently, there is an urgent demand for accurate data on ion-beam collisions with atoms and molecules for the aforementioned applications. This project intends to meet this demand.Read moreRead less