RUI: Ultrafast Optical Studies of Nanoscale Acoustic and Thermal Transport

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Non-Technical:This project is an experimental investigation of the propagation of heat and ultrasound in nanoscale materials that are of technological relevance. An ultrafast laser (with light pulses of less than 1 millionth of 1 millionth of a second) will be used to, both, produce and detect heat and sound waves in thin films. The materials that will be studied first are nanocomposite thin films composed of carbon nanotubes suspended in a polymer medium. Recently developed fabrication methods may result in films having superior thermal transport, and their investigation is of the immediate priority. The study of the transmission of extreme ultrasound (1000 times higher in frequency than ultrasound) in nanoscale thin films and crystalline substrates is the second problem that will be addressed. It is envisioned that such sound waves could be used for 2-D and 3-D imaging of buried nanostructures with improved clarity. A significant portion of the research will be performed by undergraduate students at Vassar College, a four-year liberal arts college in partnership with researchers at New Mexico State University. The undergraduate students exposed to the laser techniques and the nanoscale physics will draw an enormous educational benefit that will prepare them for careers in biology, medicine, physics, optics, and quantum computations. Through their participation in professional conferences, the students will have an opportunity to develop an international network of colleagues and collaborators.Technical: This project is an experimental investigation of thermal and acoustic transport in thin films and nanostructures. An ultrafast table-top optical experiment and molecular simulations will be developed for this purpose. The first priority is the study of thermal conduction in nanocomposite thin films of carbon nanotubes suspended in a polymer host. Recently developed fabrication methods, by researchers at New Mexico State University, for such films are likely to exhibit superior thermal transport. The second topic to be investigated is the study of coherent acoustic phonons (picosecond ultrasonics) in thin films and crystalline substrates. It is envisioned that acoustic phonons in the 0.1 to 1 THz range could be used for 2-D and 3-D imaging with improved spatial resolution of buried nanostructures. A significant portion of the proposed research will be performed by undergraduate students at Vassar College, a four-year liberal arts college. The undergraduate students, through exposure to the ultrafast optical techniques and the nanoscale solid state physics, will enormously benefit from this project.