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Focal Points
Happy New Year …
These words have been resounding in our corridors for the last two weeks or so.
But "Happy New Year" takes on a renewed meaning right now with the start of
the Chinese Year of the Ox, which coincides this year with Australia Day. We've
come a long way since 26 January 1788 and many Australians of Chinese origin
have been helping to build our country for more than 75% of that intervening
period (e.g., since our Gold Rush). They have had to endure much hardship and
discrimination – as with many of the other ethnic minorities that make up our
Australian melting pot. More recently, China has become even more prominent in
our community, through special economic ties with PRC and the many Chinese
members of the University (including numerous excellent HDR students and staff
in MQ Photonics) – not to mention our fondness of Chinese culture and cuisine! www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cny/
So I trust that we shall all be able to make the most of this special coincidence of Australia Day and
Chinese New Year next Monday and reflect on how far we have come, even in our own brief time as
members of the Australian community – and how far we still have to go!
… there are bound to be some changes
Issue 12 of our Newsletter displays the new Macquarie University logo, which is now politically correct. It
is just a superficial indicator of the many changes that we shall experience from this year on (whether we
like them or not!): new (and, so far, unfamiliar) administrative structures, with Faculties replacing
Divisions; supposedly SPAM-free G-mail; a robotic Library, making browsing an idle memory; a much
more compact Academic Senate until/unless the Macquarie University Act 1989 and its 2005 By-Laws are
changed to restore Senate's democratic/collegial character. Macquarie University has come a long way in
the 20 years since 1989 and even further in the 45 years since the original 1964 Act. I can remember how,
when I was a boy, Epping Road was a narrow country road (foreshadowing the Lane Cove Tunnel?), and
how I and my family drove out to El Rancho (now "The Ranch") to watch Queen's Birthday fireworks in
the market gardens where our campus is now located. I grew up at a fortunate time, commencing my
Leaving Certificate year in 1959, exactly 50 years ago, old enough to avoid Vietnam War conscription and
young enough to benefit from the university reforms introduced by the Menzies Government. Our Deputy
PM, Julia Gillard, summed up that era well last November when she delivered the annual Sir Robert
Menzies Oration < http://www.unimelb.edu.au/speeches/transcripts/gillard_menzies_oration_2008.doc >:
"Menzies was certainly no revolutionary when it came to education. But during his long prime ministership
tertiary enrolments more than tripled from a low base. His Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme provided
opportunities to tens of thousands of young Australians based on the idea of merit. Salaries for academics
increased to reflect their respected status. And the structures he established through the Australian Universities
Commission and the Martin Committee lasted in their essential forms until the late 1980s.
"Menzies was Prime Minister in a different era, when education was universally associated with progress. When
support for universities provoked bipartisan consensus. A time well before intellectualism came to be viewed in
some quarters with suspicion. Before 'elitism' became an insult. Before eloquence was met with mistrust."
It is hard not to be nostalgic and wish we could turn the clock back a bit! Ten years later, 40 years ago, I
took up a Lectureship at UNSW, just in time to benefit from the Australian Research Grants Committee
(ARGC – the precursor of the ARC) which had been set up in 1964 by John Gorton (who later became
PM). Although funding was meagre, we at least knew who we were dealing with and each applicant was
interviewed in an encouraging, supportive fashion by a small panel of travelling experts. As we approach
the annual round of ARC Discovery Project applications, etc. we could certainly do with a system that is
less impersonal than the modern ARC, as in the good ole days …
Brian Orr
–2–
Fresh vistas – research grants, etc.
Macquarie University Research Innovation Fund (MQRIF)
Closing Date: 30th January 2009
http://www.research.mq.edu.au/researchers/funding/internal/mqrif
Macquarie University Research Fellowships Scheme (MQRF)
To be open: February 2009
http://www.research.mq.edu.au/researchers/funding/internal/mqrf
Trip to the AAT and the Warrumbungles
It wasn’t looking good when we arrived, as we drove to
within 10 metres of the 200 tonne telescope, and still
couldn’t see it through the fog. Saturday and Sunday saw
sunshine, and an amazing tour of three of the main
telescopes at Coonabarabran, and a bushwalk of the
beautiful Warrumbungles. Combined with a couple of
barbecues and some beers watching sunsets and
kangaroos, the trip was rated a great success by any
measure (but particularly if measured by the number of
photos taken \\uuv\Coona or number of injured geckos
rescued).
David Spence
Photos: Alex Butler and Carlo Bradac
Publications
Recently published:
Fig. 1. Scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) images of Klarite substrate
with nanostructured arrays. The
nanostructured arrays consist of a
square lattice of inverted square
pyramidal pits with a pitch of 2 m.
The pyramid faces are oriented at an
inclination of 35.3º to the normal.
F Xie, K Drozdowicz-Tomsia and E M Goldys, “A method to assess modifications of fluorophore
radiative rate by plasmonic structures”, Chemical Physics Letters 466 (4-6), 186–188 (2008)
Abstract: We present a method for assessing radiative emission rates of the fluorophores by plasmonic metal
structures by using fluorescence lifetime and cathodoluminescence measurements. By using this approach we
identified and quantified the increased radiative rate of a Deep Purple fluorophore in inverted pyramidal pits of
gold nanostructured arrays (Klarite) compared with the radiative rate of the same fluorophore on planar gold.
This increased rate is attributed to the effect of localized surface plasmons preferentially concd. in the pits of
these arrays.
–3–
F V. Englich, Y He and B J. Orr, “Continuous-wave cavity-ringdown detection of stimulated Raman
gain spectra”, Applied Physics B 94 (1), 1–27 (2009)
Abstract: Cavity ringdown (CRD) spectroscopy, with its high sensitivity, provides a novel way to perform
continuous-wave (cw) stimulated Raman gain (SRG) spectroscopy, rather than by conventional optically
detected coherent Raman techniques. Tunable cw laser light at ~1544 nm is used to probe ringdown decay from
a rapidly-swept, high-finesse optical cavity containing a gas-phase sample of interest and itself located inside the
cavity of a cw single-longitudinal-mode Nd:YAG ring laser operating at ~1064.4 nm. This approach is used to
measure cw SRG spectra of the 1 fundamental rovibrational Raman band of methane gas at ~2916.5-cm–1. The
resulting SRG-CRD resonances have ringdown times longer than in the off-resonance case, in contrast to the
usual shorter ringdown times arising from absorption and other loss processes. Previously reported noise-
equivalent sensitivities have been substantially improved, by using a second ringdown cavity to facilitate
subtraction of infrared-absorption background signals. Moreover, by employing a ringdown cavity in the form of
a ring, the SRG-pump and CRD-detected Stokes beams can co-propagate uni-directionally, which significantly
reduces Doppler broadening.
An amazing coincidence – both of Florian Englich's papers on SRG-CRD appear on page 1!
D W Inglis, "Efficient microfluidic particle separation arrays", Applied Physics Letters 94, 013510 (2009)
Abstract: Microfluidic particle separation arrays are capable of passive sorting of microparticles or cells by size
while avoiding blockage. Despite the usefulness of boundaries for concentration and parallel integration of
arrays, separation efficiency is severely degraded in the areas adjacent to the boundaries due to the aberrant fluid
flow found there. This letter shows how to eliminate this problem by modifying the boundary interface. At each
row the boundary is moved by a specific amount to ensure a linear change in flux from row to row, which leads
to uniform flow patterns and improved separation characteristics throughout the array.
M Godlewski, S Yatsunenko, A Nadolska, A Opalinska, W Lojkowski, K Drozdowicz-Tomsia and E M
Goldys, “Nanoparticles doped with TM and RE ions for applications in optoelectronics”, Optical
Materials 31 (3), 490–495 (2009)
Abstract: Nanoparticles of wide band gap compounds when doped with rare earth or transition metal ions are pro-
spective candidates for efficient phosphors in a new generation of light sources for an overhead illumination, i.e.,
in compact fluorescence lamps and in semiconductor-based white light emitting diodes. Mechanisms of emission
enhancement in doped nanoparticles are discussed based on the relevant experimental results. Mechanisms
observed are due to carrier confinement, n-type co-doping, due to surface plasmon generation and superradiance.
–4–
M Ams, P Dekker, G D Marshall and M J Withford, “Monolithic 100 mW Yb waveguide laser
fabricated using the femtosecond-laser direct-write technique”, Optical Letters 34 (3), 247–249 (2009)
Abstract: A femtosecond-laser-written monolithic waveguide laser (WGL) oscillator based on a distributed
feedback architecture and fabricated in ytterbium-doped phosphate glass is reported. The device was lased at
1033 nm with an output power of 102 mW and a bandwidth of less than 2 pm when bidirectionally pumped at
976 nm. The WGL device was stable and operated for 50 h without degradation. This demonstration of a high-
performance WGL opens the possibility for creating a variety of narrow-linewidth laser designs in bulk glasses.
Accepted:
A Anwer, S M Pernichery, S Velmupad, E M Goldys, “Distinctive autofluorescence of urine samples from
individuals with bacteriuria compared with normals”, accepted in Clinica Chimica Acta 13/11/2008, DOI
information: 10.1016/j.cca.2008.11.021
R Ibáñez-Peral, P L Bergquist, M R Walter, M Gibbs, E M Goldys, B Ferrari, “Potential Use of Quantum
Dots in Flow Cytometry”, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Special Issue "Quantum Dots: From
Synthesis to Applications in Biomedicine and Life Sciences", Accepted 10/12/2008
M A Sobhan, M Ams, M J Withford, E M Goldys, “Formation of collidal gold nanoparticles using
femtosecond laser ablation”, accepted in International Journal of Nanosciences
E M Goldys, “Quantitative characterization of different strains of Saccharomyces yeast by analysis of
fluorescence microscopy images of cell populations”, Journal of Microbiological Methods, accepted
15/01/2009
Submitted:
F Xie, N Calander, E M Goldys, I Gryczynski, K Gryczynski, “Depolarized light scattering from colloidal
gold nanoparticles”, submitted to Chemical Physics Leters, still undergoing revisions
K. Drozdowicz-Tomsia, F Xie, E Goldys, “Self-organised electroless deposition of silver dendritic
nanostructures on silicon for enhanced fluorescence”, submitted to Journal of Physical Chemistry
We read papers … but we are not mind-readers!
Do you have any recently submitted or published papers? Please send us details
(e.g., title, abstract, a figure, etc.), so that the Newsletter can spread the news.
People and Progress
Macquarie OSA Student Chapter Well done! – BJO
In late December, the Macquarie OSA student chapter was formally recognized and approved by the OSA.
The chapter has already managed to recruit 15 student members and a faculty advisor, Assoc. Prof.
Michael Withford. There are five positions of office in the chapter, which are filled as follows: Nemanja
Jovanovic, President; Luke Stewart, Vice-President; Eduardo Granados, Secretary; Christopher Miese,
Treasurer and Joshua Toomey, Outreach Coordinator. Congratulations to all the people listed above.
The goal of the chapter is to bring together students who are involved in the field of optics and to heighten
their research experience. The chapter meets on a monthly basis and will be organising outreach events
such as talks, lab tours, BBQs, visits to undergraduate classes and trivia nights. The chapter would like to
draw undergraduate students into the great atmosphere that postgrads enjoy on a day to day basis, so as to
increase the number of postgrads coming through. The chapter has already outlined a busy year of outreach
efforts and we look forward to seeing how they turn out.
Nemanja Jovanovic
–5–
Siemens Science Experience
Students in the Siemens Science Experience have been occupied in the Second year Physics and Physics
computer labs during 13-15 January working on Optics in a fish tank, and a Photonic simulator. They
worked with Helen Pask, Adam Joyce, Eduardo Granados, Josh Brown, and Judith Dawes. They seem to
have had a great time, and were very absorbed in their activities measuring the refractive index of water
using a laser beam, and modelling a virtual photonic communication system. They also got to see some
"magic" with a shattered glass rod miraculously repairing itself when placed in a jar of matching refractive
index vegetable oil! One student even sneaked back into the lab to finish off his communication network!
If you know high school students interested in science, please encourage them to get involved in the
Siemens Science Experience or the Young Scientists of Australia network.
Judith Dawes
Photo by: Eduardo Granados
New member - Simon Gross
Two weeks ago Simon Gross joined MQPhotonics as a new PhD student. He will
work within the CUDOS group on Photonic Device Fabrication using high
repetition-rate femtosecond laser pulses. Simon obtained his MSc in Vienna where
he was working on laser ignition of combustion engines. You can find him in E7B
165 and if you haven't already done so, please make him welcome.
Alex Fuerbach
Postscript: the Newsletter is a day or two late
It has been a bit of a struggle to get the first Newsletter of the year out, owing to a combination of factors:
summer holidays, the ARC DP treadmill, a few family pressures, and so on. Moreover, I suspect that we
have overlooked a few things – hopefully nothing too important! Let's see if we can be more comprehensive
in the next issue in 3½ weeks' time. Many thanks to Liz (as usual) for pulling things together!
Brian Orr
