Published Feb. 13, 2025, 4:16 p.m.
Unical and the University of Warsaw collaborate on an innovative project on special optical fibers
The study, funded by the "Canaletto Program," will involve the STAR infrastructure. The exchange of young researchers between Italy and Poland is also planned.
The Italian "Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale" (MAECI) and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) have announced the winners of the 2024 "Canaletto Program" call, which co-finances joint research projects and the exchange of researchers between Italy and Poland. Among the 16 selected projects is the study conducted by the research groups of the STAR Research Infrastructure at the University of Calabria and the Department of Physics at the University of Warsaw, led by Professor Vincenzo Formoso and Professor Ryszard Buczynski, respectively.
The project, titled "X-ray Characterization of Nanostructured Special Optical Fibers During Drawing," aims to develop techniques for real-time monitoring of the production of optical fibers made from unconventional materials (and therefore referred to as "special").
The Polish team will focus on manufacturing the special and nanostructured optical fibers in the laboratories of the Lukasiewicz Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics in Warsaw. The Italian group, which includes researchers Maria Caterina Crocco and Mario Ferraro (who recently received prestigious funding in the same field through the "Starting Grant" of the "Fondo Italiano per la Scienza"), will focus on their characterization using micro and nano-computed tomography and X-ray scattering.
The final goal is to study the feasibility and design a drawing tower for special optical fibers integrated with an X-ray monitoring system, thus opening new perspectives in the production and characterization of these innovative materials.
The project also includes the exchange of young researchers between Italy and Poland, with short- and long-term stays to promote scientific training and strengthen bilateral cooperation.
This initiative will not only lead to significant results in research and innovation but will also contribute to creating new collaboration opportunities at the European level. The partnership between the two universities is a concrete example of how international synergy can generate scientific and technological progress, laying the groundwork for future developments and shared projects.