MRI: Acquisition of a Time-Resolved Spectrometer Spanning Ultraviolet to Terahertz Spectral Range for Materials Research

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Non-Technical Description:A broadband time-resolved laser spectrometer supports a wide range of research and educational activities in materials science, photonics, optoelectronics and functional biomaterials for therapeutic applications. It enables multiple cross-disciplinary research by providing a window into light-matter interactions across the spectral range that spans the ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and terahertz. These research activities drive innovative technologies that rely on harnessing and engineering optical processes in materials: from lasers and light emitting diodes, to solar energy, optical sensing and communications, to new biocompatible materials. The spectrometer is located at WPI Laboratory for Education & Application Prototypes, which is a part of the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics and operates in collaboration with Quinsigamond Community College. It supports photonics and related technology sectors in central Massachusetts through an open-access-facility and service-center model and by training a diverse workforce. The instrument enhances education of graduate, undergraduate and community college students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and partner institutions by strengthening the research infrastructure and enabling new and previously unmet research directions.Technical Description:The broadband, time-resolved spectrometer facilitates, in a single system, investigations of phenomena that occur in a variety of materials upon their interaction with light in the spectral range spanning the ultraviolet to terahertz, over sub-picoseconds to microseconds time scales. By integrating three complementary ultrafast spectroscopic techniques (time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy, time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy and transient absorption spectroscopy), each providing complementary information, it allows constructing a more complete understanding of photoexcitations in emerging photonic, photovoltaic, photoelectrochemical, flexible optoelectronic and biologically-inspired materials. This work benefits research efforts by WPI scientists and regional partners in these fields and fosters unique collaborations as a result of bringing this multidisciplinary expertise together.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.