The Centre for Lasers and Applications at Macquarie University, Sydney Australia is one of the leading institutions in the world for lasers and photonics research. We are seeking three candidates for postgraduate research scholarships (PhD) in the field of novel solid-state lasers. You will explore both experimental and theoretical development of new types of laser sources as a part of a young and dynamic research team.
Three projects are available, described below – please contact Dr David Spence (dspence@ics.mq.edu.au) and visit www.ics.mq.edu.au/gen/person/dspence.html for more details. To apply, please supply a detailed CV and the email addresses of two academic referees.
Mode locking using Raman crystals: Recently self mode locking of a cw fibre Raman laser has been observed, which we have identified as a new form of mode locking. We will investigate the formation of ultrafast pulses, performing a wide range of experiments using pulsed as well as recently demonstrated cw crystalline Raman lasers. Numerical models will be developed to explain results and guide new experiments.
Ultraviolet continuous wave lasers: We will develop the first tunable CW laser operating in the ultraviolet region based on cerium-doped laser crystals, a relatively new widely-tunable solid
state laser material. Using a combination of experimental work and numerical modeling, we will use high-repetition-rate picosecond pump lasers to achieve smooth CW operation of both cerium lasers in the UV region and Ti:Sapphire lasers in the IR region.
Short Pulse and Tunable Microchip Lasers: Microchip lasers are solid-state lasers where the laser mirrors are directly coated on a thin piece of laser material. We propose to design and build a new class of microchip lasers that are broadly tunable. We will use Ti:Sapphire and cerium laser crystals and incorporate wedge etalon tuning elements. Systems for generating very short pulses (down to few 10’s of ps) will also be investigated, including novel master oscillator-power amplifier techniques. We will also use these lasers for nonlinear optics including nonlinear microscopy.
