MRI: Acquisition of an Amplified Ultrashort Pulse Laser for Imaging and Spectroscopy

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This MRI acquisition will establish the first amplified ultrashort pulse laser facility for spectroscopy and energy science in the Four Corners region of the United States. The facility will be based at Fort Lewis College (FLC) in Durango, Colorado. The acquisition of this instrument will significantly boost the research and teaching capacity of the proposing investigators, the college and the region. This acquisition will directly increase the participation of underrepresented groups in scientific research. FLC is a Native American serving institution and ranks fourth in the nation in percentage of full-time Native American undergraduates but first in baccalaureate degrees and second in STEM degrees awarded to Native Americans. FLC students, along with students from collaborating schools (i.e., Colorado Mesa University and San Juan College) will perform research in a state-of-the-art facility. This acquisition will vastly improve the research infrastructure of the region in addition to facilitating closer ties with local industry, regional laboratories and colleges. This impact will extend to students throughout the region, and the community as a whole will benefit from a better prepared and diverse workforce. Finally, data generated will be disseminated to the wider research community leading to a lasting impact on the knowledge in spray breakup processes, nuclear cooling, energy transfer and liquid phase molecular dynamics and other research planned for the instrument. Ultrashort pulse amplified laser systems have evolved into robust, turnkey systems capable of generating coherent pulses with several millijoules of energy and, when combined with an optical parametric amplifier, wavelength ranges from the ultraviolet to the infrared. Ultrashort laser pulses provide unprecedented temporal resolution for a wide range of applications within biology, chemistry, engineering, and materials science. Many fundamental physical processes occur during ultrafast time scales, and ultrashort pulsed lasers have created a host of new and innovative ways of investigating such processes. This laser facility will be used in research programs focusing on combustion and propulsion science, Generation IV nuclear reactors, the dynamics of liquid phase molecular energy transfer, photoluminescence and surface morphology of porous silicon, laser patterning, laser assisted deposition, characterization of photovoltaic materials, photothermal therapeutics, materials characterization, and the development of innovative microscopy capabilities at Fort Lewis College. This award is co-funded by the CBET Division and CMMI Division.