MRI: Acquisition of Vis-NIR Tunable Femtosecond Mode-Locked Laser System for Nanophotonic Devices and Materials Research

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助。MRI：收购可见-近红外可调谐飞秒锁模激光系统的纳米光子器件和材料研究博伊西州立大学（BSU）提出，以获得一个宽波长可调谐（400？2500 nm），锁模，飞秒激光源和测量系统，使工程学院和艺术与科学学院的多学科研究。所提出的收购包括由简并放大，锁模钛：蓝宝石激光器和基于CCD的泵浦-探测瞬态spectrometer泵浦的光参量放大器（OPA）。广泛的光谱可调谐性加上高的时间分辨率提供了显着的灵活性，以支持各种各样的研究课题，代表了一个统一的主题的纳米光子材料和器件。将涵盖的主题是：（1）超紧凑，超快速的DNA纳米面包板上的光学处理，（2）光子晶体慢波器件，（3）光热癌症治疗，（4）使用光子辅助隧道多层高k值的表征，和（5）超快蛋白质构象变化动力学。这一资本设备的收购提供了一个基本的基础设施，在此基础上将建立一个核心的研究仪器组。收购还对研究生和本科生教育以及推广活动产生了更广泛的影响。这些目标将通过以下方式实现：共同努力建立量子光学和纳米技术研究生课程;重点关注本科生参与跨学科研究;通过指导努力确保参与的本科生考虑科学或工程研究生学习;通过涉及激光系统的新本科生和研究生学习模块;以及与爱达荷州探索中心合作的几项外展活动。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).MRI: Acquisition of Vis-NIR Tunable Femtosecond Mode-Locked Laser System for Nanophotonic Devices and Materials ResearchBoise State University (BSU) proposes to acquire a wide-wavelength-tunable (400?2500 nm), mode-locked, femtosecond laser source and measurement system to enable multidisciplinary research in the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences. The proposed acquisition consists of an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) pumped by a degeneratively-amplified, mode-locked Ti:Sapphire laser and a CCD-based pump-probe transient spectrometer.The broad spectral tunability coupled with a high temporal resolution provides remarkable flexibility to support a diverse array of research topics that represent a unifying theme of nanophotonic materials and devices. The topics to be covered are: (1) ultra-compact, ultra-fast optical processing on a DNA nanobreadboard, (2) photonic crystal slow wave devices, (3) photothermal cancer therapy, (4) characterization of multilayer high-k dielectrics using photon-assisted tunneling, and (5) ultrafast protein conformational change dynamics. This capital equipment acquisition offers a basic infrastructure upon which a core group of research instrumentation will be built.The acquisition also has a broader impact on graduate and undergraduate education, as well as outreach activities. These goals will be pursued by a concerted effort to build a quantum optics and nanotechnology graduate program; by a focus on the involvement of undergraduates in cross-disciplinary research; by a mentoring effort to ensure involved undergraduates consider graduate study in science or engineering; by new undergraduate and graduate learning modules involving the laser system; and by several outreach activities in collaboration with the Discovery Center of Idaho.