Near-infrared photomultiplier detector

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Funds are requested to replace a 15-year old and now inoperable near-infrared photomultiplier (NIR-PMT), which is an essential detector for all the measurements between 400 and 1700 nm of my research programme. It has now become a matter of the greatest urgency because the NIR-PMT has been dead since May this year. This demise is totally normal for this optical device given its age and heavy use; it has served me well over the years. My research programme will be seriously compromised without this detector. My international reputation has been built around the optical properties of the trivalent lanthanide ions, in particular those that emit in the near-infrared, which includes the telecommunication window between 1400 and 1700 nm. This research was initiated with one PhD student in The Netherlands, but has really taken off since my arrival in Victoria in 2002. The majority of more than 100 publications since have data in them that were obtained through this NIR-PMT. The unique optical and magnetic properties of the trivalent lanthanide ions remain fascinating and their relevance for our society keeps increasing. They find applications from catalysis, to lighting, to (bio)labelling, to MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), to ultrastrong magnets, to name just a few.