High intensity laser-matter interactions

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The proposed research is about using nonlinear optics to change the characteristics of the laser pulse and to affect the structure of media.  We will start with short pulses in the near infrared of the spectrum and produce a rainbow of colours.  We will overlap the colours in time to make shorter, more intense pulses than the input. The ultrashort pulses will be used to explode molecules so that we can determine the positions of all the constituent atoms in the molecules. We will also use nonlinear optics to push the wavelength from the near infrared out to the mid-infrared, where the lower frequencies correspond to the vibration times of molecules.  The mid-infrared radiation can then measure or control the vibration. Finally, we will use the short near infrared pulses to create microscopic bubbles into the crystalline lens of the eye to determine if the bubbles can be made in such a way as to increase the elasticity of the lens and thereby possibly provide a cure for presbyopia.