CAREER: Spatio-Temporal Imaging and Spectroscopy of Ultrafast Electron and Vibration Dynamics on the Nanoscale

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In this award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Markus Raschke and his group at the University of Washington are studying fundamental questions about the electron and vibration dynamics of nanoconfined systems. To achieve simultaneous ultrahigh temporal and nanometer spatial resolution, Professor Raschke and his group combine femtosecond time resolved spectroscopy with optical near-field microscopy techniques. The local optical field enhancement of scanning probe tips provide the necessary spatial field confinement. The proposed work includes probing the electron dynamics in individual plasmonic nanocrystals to provide insight into the time scale and efficiency of different relaxation channels and their correlation with structural parameter. In addition the study of vibrational dynamics will allow to distinguish spatial and temporal decoherence in molecular nanostructures. This interdisciplinary research program with its combination of optical spectroscopy, scanning probe techniques, and material science, provides a broad learning environment for graduate and undergraduate students. In addition to laboratory research, this award supports the development of a new nanooptics and spectroscopy graduate course and of nanoscience modules for the undergraduate curriculum in physical chemistry. The examination of the femtosecond dynamics on the mesoscopic length scale (1 -100 nm) contributes to a fundamental understanding of the underlying optical excitations that is necessary for the targeted design of functional optical materials, for the production of nanophotonic devices, for improved understanding of signal transduction, and for improved methods of molecular sensing. The educational aspects of this award provide integrated open source teaching materials, course readers, free online encyclopedia entries, and a summer internship for students from educationally disadvantaged schools districts in Seattle.