CAREER: Impulsive Molecular Modulation for Generating Broadly Tunable, Tailored Femtosecond Laser Pulses

0348068 Bartels这个职业建议的动机是建立一个综合的研究和教育计划，将研究脉冲分子调制（IMM）的基础科学，以提高超快激光技术，同时培养学生在超快光学科学（UOS）的基础。拟议工作的目标是开发IMM作为一种方法，创建一个定制的，飞秒光脉冲，连续可调从200到3000 nm的单一来源。为了实现这一目标，我们将研究IMM的物理特性，并将相干激发推向其基本极限。本提案中描述的研究将探索IMM的基础科学和局限性。我们还将研究在频率转换过程中，由IMM直接脉冲整形产生的非线性光学极化率的非时间平稳瞬态。这项技术将提供多个相位相干的，成形的，广泛可调谐的飞秒激光脉冲。 该光源的多功能性将允许同时激光控制分子中的核和电子运动，并在大光谱范围内测试相干控制技术。综合教育活动将侧重于为小学至研究生教育水平的学生提炼UOS和IMM的核心原则。为了鼓励少数民族学生参与科学，我将开发光学演示，阐明UOS的核心原则，并培养对光学的好奇心和兴奋。这些示范将用于招募潜在的少数民族学生在合作伙伴关系与现有的少数民族外展计划在科罗拉多州立大学和K-12外展。在本科工程课程中更严格的光学演示将阐明傅里叶变换理论和线性系统在当前光学研究中的应用。最后，为了提高科罗拉多的研究生光学培训，我正在开发一个共享的教育平台，用于科罗拉多高等教育机构之间的课程交流。该计划将在教师中分配教学，同时增加学生的课程可用性，并促进机构之间的研究发现快速传播到广泛的学生基础。

0348068BartelsThe motivation of this CAREER proposal is to establish an integrated research and educational program that will study the basic science of impulsive molecular modulation (IMM) to improve ultrafast laser technology while training students in the fundamentals of ultrafast optical science (UOS). The goal of the proposed work is to develop IMM as a method of creating a single source of tailored, femtosecond light pulses that are continuously tunable from 200 to 3000 nm. To achieve this goal, we will study the physics of IMM and push the coherence excitation to its fundamental limits. The research described in this proposal will explore the basic science and limitations of IMM. We will also study the non-time-stationary transients in the nonlinear optical susceptibility produced by IMM for direct pulse shaping during frequency conversion. This technology will provide multiple phase-coherent, shaped, broadly tunable fs laser pulses. The versatility of this source will allow simultaneous laser control over nuclear and electronic motion in molecules and the testing of coherent control techniques over a large spectral range. The integrated educational activities will be focused on distilling the core principles of UOS and IMM for students at grade-school through graduate educational levels. To encourage the participation of minority students in science, I will develop optical demonstrations that elucidate the core principles of UOS and develop curiosity and excitement about optics. These demonstrations will be used for recruiting of potential minority students in partnership with existing minority outreach programs at CSU and K-12 outreach. More rigorous optical demonstrations in undergraduate engineering courses will illuminate the use of Fourier transform theory and linear systems to current optics research. Finally, in an effort to improve graduate optics training in Colorado, I am developing a shared educational platform for course exchange between Colorado higher educational institutions. This program will distribute the teaching among faculty members while increasing course availability for students and facilitate rapid dissemination of research discoveries between institutions to a broad base of students.