Nonlinear Optics In Optical Waveguides: Can We Control Photons By Photons?

Controlling photons by photons (nonlinear optics) is an exciting field in optics with applications in optical signal processing, quantum computing and sensing.

At the University of Adelaide (Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing), we have a state of the art fabrication facility to fabricate fibres with high nonlinearity. We are also one of the pioneers in the field of the theory of nonlinear processes in optical waveguides and collaborate with several international groups.

We offer a suite of honours projects in the field of nonlinear optics in optical fibres. Depending on the background and the interest of students, each project can have different elements with different weighting of fabrication, theory/simulation and experiment.

Examples of projects:

• Third and one-third harmonic generation in optical fibres.
• Development of highly nonlinear composite fibres.
• Nonlinear polarisation switching in optical waveguides.
• Nonlinear pulse propagation in multimode-multicore fibres.
• Dispersion measurement in multimode fibres.
• Highly nonlinear optical fibres and cold atoms for nonlinear quantum applications.
• Development of microstructured optical fibres for signal processing.

The expertise of the supervisory team covers different elements for each project, providing extensive and efficient support for students. Interested students will have a meeting with the supervisory team in which they can discuss the students’ background and interest and possible projects.