CAREER: Impulsive Molecular Modulation for Generating Broadly Tunable, Tailored Femtosecond Laser Pulses

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0348068BartelsThe motivation of this CAREER proposal is to establish an integrated research and educational program that will study the basic science of impulsive molecular modulation (IMM) to improve ultrafast laser technology while training students in the fundamentals of ultrafast optical science (UOS). The goal of the proposed work is to develop IMM as a method of creating a single source of tailored, femtosecond light pulses that are continuously tunable from 200 to 3000 nm. To achieve this goal, we will study the physics of IMM and push the coherence excitation to its fundamental limits. The research described in this proposal will explore the basic science and limitations of IMM. We will also study the non-time-stationary transients in the nonlinear optical susceptibility produced by IMM for direct pulse shaping during frequency conversion. This technology will provide multiple phase-coherent, shaped, broadly tunable fs laser pulses. The versatility of this source will allow simultaneous laser control over nuclear and electronic motion in molecules and the testing of coherent control techniques over a large spectral range. The integrated educational activities will be focused on distilling the core principles of UOS and IMM for students at grade-school through graduate educational levels. To encourage the participation of minority students in science, I will develop optical demonstrations that elucidate the core principles of UOS and develop curiosity and excitement about optics. These demonstrations will be used for recruiting of potential minority students in partnership with existing minority outreach programs at CSU and K-12 outreach. More rigorous optical demonstrations in undergraduate engineering courses will illuminate the use of Fourier transform theory and linear systems to current optics research. Finally, in an effort to improve graduate optics training in Colorado, I am developing a shared educational platform for course exchange between Colorado higher educational institutions. This program will distribute the teaching among faculty members while increasing course availability for students and facilitate rapid dissemination of research discoveries between institutions to a broad base of students.