The One Beacon

In this project, a femtosecond laser at the University of Otago will use ultra-short pulses to make new kinds of optical micro resonators for medical imaging and astronomy. These are highly precise measurement tools. The resonators, or microcombs as they’re known, can generate microwave signals for remote sensing using LIDAR technology. Among other outcomes, the project will seek to optimise microcomb performance, test them at different frequencies in the UV spectrum and use them to construct a new type of radiometer for measuring the ozone layer. The project will benefit from collaborations with the University of Adelaide in Australia and the Australian Centre of Research Excellence in Optical Microcombs.

This project draws on DWC researchers’ ability to control and manipulate single atoms. It explores the properties of dysprosium, the most magnetic atom in the periodic table, using optical tweezer techniques to merge individually prepared atoms. This is expected to deliver insights into the quantum pairing mechanisms arising and the behaviour of the building blocks of matter, known as fermions.