MRI: Acquisition of a Composite Femtosecond Lasing System for Broadband Non-linear Static and Dynamic Optical Analysis of Organic and Semiconducting Systems

技术摘要：提案人的目标是获得一个复合的，超快宽带激光和通用检测系统，以服务于加州大学默塞德，在加州系统的第10个和最新的校园的研究和教学目标。所提出的仪器包括（a）多级级联激光系统，包括固态泵浦和种子激光器、再生放大器和两个同步光学参量放大器（OPA）。每个OPA将提供超快（150飞秒宽度）脉冲，其覆盖紫外、可见、近和远红外光谱区域的大部分，以及白色光连续体，以及（B）检测模块，其由耦合到软件控制的时间相关光子计数电子器件的超快雪崩光电二极管和成像光谱仪组成。这种收购将很容易重新配置为多个静态和动态应用，如瞬态吸收，四波混频，光致发光，磁光法拉第和克尔测量，等等。激光系统的宽光谱可调谐性加上其高时间分辨率提供了巨大的灵活性，以支持跨多个学科的各种实验研究，包括凝聚态物质，光学，生物工程和生物物理学。将涵盖的一些主题包括：半导体和绝缘体中电子和原子自旋极化和相干时间的研究;单个高纯度碳纳米管的光电动力学和管间能量转移机制;有机半导体液晶复合物中使用四波混频的辐射激子寿命;表面上的光致异构化，使单个分子能够执行分子级器件所需的复杂任务;通过新型光纤的脉冲光传播;共轭有机发色团的非线性光学响应的双光子吸收分析;以及使用双光子激发荧光显微镜在吞噬过程中的肌动蛋白动力学。提议者有明确的计划，将这一拟议的收购纳入教育，与这个新校园的发展同步。一个纳米技术未成年人的本科生已经计划，并将在2009年秋季开始提供。该未成年人的计划课程包括合成纳米材料的光学表征作为其实验室组成部分的重要组成部分。一个上师实验室课程也正在为物理专业设计，将于2009年春季首次提供，其中有一个广泛的光学组件。此外，加州大学默塞德的位置，其高度代表性的学生人口，提供了一种手段，以吸引和留住代表性不足的学生，科学和技术和几个PI和合作PI参与外展programmes.Non-technical摘要：光学技术提供了一种手段，既询问和操纵性能的有机和无机材料在广泛的能源和时间尺度。我们建议收购一个高度通用的激光和检测系统，这将允许跨多个学科的研究人员进行各种各样的光学和光电实验，从而服务于加州大学默塞德的研究和教学目标，这是加州大学的第10个也是最新的校园。将被研究的系统包括半导体、奇异磁体、纳米管、量子点、液晶和生物分子。 这些研究构成了高度跨学科的项目，将使大量的研究生受益于化学，物理，材料科学和电气工程。此外，PI有明确的计划，将这项拟议的收购整合到教育中，与这个新校区的发展同步。一个纳米技术未成年人的本科生已经计划，并将在2009年秋季开始提供。该未成年人的计划课程包括合成纳米材料的光学表征作为其实验室组成部分的重要组成部分。一个上师实验室课程也正在为物理专业设计，将于2009年春季首次提供，其中有一个广泛的光学组件。

Technical abstract: The goal of the proposers is to acquire a composite, ultrafast broadband laser and general purpose detection system to serve the research and teaching goals of UC Merced, the 10th and newest campus in the University of California system. The proposed instruments include (a) a multi-stage cascaded lasing system comprising a solid-state pump and seed laser, a regenerative amplifier and two synchronous optical parametric amplifiers (OPA). Each OPA will provide ultrafast (150 femtosecond width) pulses covering large portions of the ultraviolet, visible, near- and far-infrared spectral regions, and a white light continuum, and (b) detection modules consisting of ultrafast avalanche photodiodes coupled to software controlled time-correlated photon counting electronics, and an imaging spectrograph. This acquisition will be easily reconfigurable for multiple static and dynamic applications such as transient absorption, four-wave mixing, photoluminescence, and magneto-optical Faraday and Kerr measurements, among others. The broad spectral tunability of the laser system coupled with its high temporal resolution provides enormous flexibility to support a wide variety of experimental research across several disciplines, including condensed matter, optics, bioengineering and biophysics. Some topics to be covered are studies of electron and atomic spin polarization and coherence times in semiconductors and insulators; opto-electronic dynamics of individual high-purity carbon nanotubes and intertube energy transfer mechanisms; radiative excitonic lifetimes using four wave mixing in organic-semiconductor liquid crystal composites; photoisomerization on surfaces to enable single molecules to perform sophisticated tasks necessary for molecular scale devices; pulsed light propagation through novel optical fibers; two-photon absorption analysis of nonlinear optical responses of conjugated organic chromophores; and dynamics of actin during phagocytosis using two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy.The proposers have well-defined plans for integrating this proposed acquisition into education, synchronized with the growth of this new campus. A Nanotechnology minor for undergraduates has been planned and is to be offered starting in Fall 2009. The planned curriculum for this minor includes optical characterization of synthesized nanomaterials as an important part of its laboratory component. An upper division laboratory course is also being designed for the Physics major to be offered for the first time in Spring 2009, in which there is a extensive optics component. In addition, the location of UC Merced, with its high underrepresented student population, offers a means to attract and retain underrepresented students to science and technology and several PIs and co-PIs are involved in outreach programs.Non-technical abstract: Optical techniques provide a means to both interrogate and manipulate properties of organic and inorganic materials over a broad range of energy and time scales. We propose the acquisition of a highly versatile laser and detection system that will allow researchers across several disciplines to perform a wide variety of optical and opto-electronic experiments and hence serve the research and teaching goals of UC Merced, the 10th and newest campus of University of California. Systems which will be investigated include semiconductors, exotic magnets, nanotubes, quantum dots, liquid crystals and biomolecules. These studies constitute highly interdisciplinary projects and will benefit a large number of graduate students across chemistry, physics, materials science and electrical engineering. Additionally, the PIs have well-defined plans for integrating this proposed acquisition into education, synchronized with the growth of this new campus. A Nanotechnology minor for undergraduates has been planned and is to be offered starting in Fall 2009. The planned curriculum for this minor includes optical characterization of synthesized nanomaterials as an important part of its laboratory component. An upper division laboratory course is also being designed for the Physics major to be offered for the first time in Spring 2009, in which there is a extensive optics component.