Focussing on adventurous and potentially high impact research in optics, quantum and physical electronics the group's current research includes three main areas:
PhD Projects:
Supervisor: Professor Peter Kazansky
High-power ultrafast lasers enable the new technique of direct optical writing for patterning waveguides and nanostructures in three dimensions, to provide entirely new functionalities. Three-dimensional photonic structures will allow significant increases in the scale of integration in optical information processing and data storage opening tantalizing possibilities in the fields of photonics and information technology including recent demonstration of 5D data storage.
This project explores a variety of advanced ultrafast laser material processing techniques, the ultrafast physics of femtosecond photosensitivity and applications of 3D photonic structures.
Supervisor: Professor Peter Kazansky
Modern optical systems applied to key optical markets such as mobile and optical communications, healthcare, security, lighting and photovoltaics require complex optical surfaces to satisfy demand for enhanced performance at a reduced installation space. The projects aims to develop single-step printing technology of flat optical elements.
The research involves fundamental study of interaction of ultrashort light pulses with optical materials, in particular, recently discovered self-assembled nanostructuring of transparent materials by femtosecond laser direct writing and its applications for direct printing of geometrical phase optics elements. The printing technology will then be used to fabricate beam shaping optics for stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, high power fiber lasers and optical components for polarization imaging.
Supervisor: Professor Andy Clarkson
Co-supervisors: Dr Peter Shardlow and Professor Peter Kazansky
Laser modes with a doughnut-shaped beam profile can have many unique properties, including axially-symmetric polarisation (azimuthal or radial) or orbital angular momentum. As a result, these beams have a diverse range of applications from ‘laser tweezers’ and high resolution microscopy to laser processing of materials. However, direct generation of these beams in a laser at the power levels required for many of the applications continues to be very challenging. This project will explore novel approaches for generating hollow laser beams in fibre, bulk and planar lasers exploiting recent advances in fabrication techniques for ultra-low loss spatially-variant waveplates. The latter are two-dimensional arrays of microscopic waveplates written in silica glass by an ultrafast laser. This technology, invented at Southampton, offers the possibility of being able to directly select specific laser modes to achieve intensity profiles and polarisation distributions that are tailored to suit applications and with very high efficiency.
Our approach will target lasers operating in the two-micron wavelength band and routes to very high average power levels with real-time flexibility in mode of operation. The project will investigate the underlying physics of hollow-beam generation in lasers and the fundamental limits. Particular emphasis will be directed pulsed mode of operation, and the generation of high peak powers and high pulse energies where there is a wealth of exciting applications. The project will then explore the potential benefits that these sources can yield in a range of laser processing applications using our in-house laser processing facility.