Post (Mar 2021): Using FreeCAD for ultrafast spectroscopy lab part design
Post (Dec 2020): A Decade of Cresyl Violet
Post (Dec 2020): A 2D ES Distortion Calculator
Nonadiabatic Dynamics
Conical intersections—points where adiabatic potential energy surfaces are degenerate—have been a major focus in photochemistry since the 1990s, yet much remains unknown about their mechanistic role in photochemical processes. While theoretical and computational studies have succeeded at characterizing conical intersections, experimental progress has been hindered by the challenge of detecting their fleeting, subtle signatures. We use high-sensitivity femtosecond spectroscopy techniques to assist in the detection and study of conical intersections and, more broadly, nonadiabatic dynamics.
Semiconductor Nanostructures
Researchers are keen to develop optoelectronic devices based on semiconductor nanostructures. One prominent idea is to use colloidal nanocrystals. Our group studies the fundamental electronic states of these materials, and we are interested in testing the current models that describe the energies, lifetimes, and other properties of the states. Group members receive training in condensed-matter and many-body physics, as well as nonlinear optics.
Methods Development
The above studies cannot be performed with existing measurement techniques. Therefore, we develop new spectroscopic methods, including 2D electronic spectroscopy (2D ES), analogous to 2D NMR but at visible wavelengths. Group members receive training in the safe use of femtosecond lasers as well as ‘laser-like’ incoherent light sources.