Recent advances in laser technology now enable the combination of multiple high-quality lasers into a single high-power beam. This project aims to investigate such 'coherently-combined' laser systems within the context of Earth-to-Space laser transmission. Applications of this technology include space debris tracking, free-space optical communications, and propulsion of light-sails for interstellar travel, such as Breakthrough Starshot.

The project aims to develop methods to improve the sensitivity of optical metasurfaces for the detection of chemical and biological markers. By tailoring a high-precision optical interferometric sensing solution to the optical properties of a metasurface under-test, the project will improve the sensitivity of these devices, developing a new range of targeted ultra-precise metasurface sensors.

By leveraging hybrid digital-optical methods, we develop new distributed and quasi-distributed fibre-optic acoustic sensors. These acoustic sensors aim to measure vibration, strain and displacement all while localising the signal source along an optical fibre.

High precision optical measurement requires the development and deployment of highly stable laser sources. The first step towards stabilising a laser is tracking and measuring it's phase noise. This project aims to develop new signal processing and optical methods to track and stabilise cheap noisy lasers for precision measurement.