MRI: Development of an Ultrafast Fluorescence Microscope Based on Femtosecond Image Amplification in the Visible and Near-IR.

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。凭借来自主要研究仪器（MRI）项目的奖金，来自罗格斯大学纽瓦克分校的Piotr Piotrowiak和他的研究小组将开发一种超快荧光显微镜。该显微镜将超快激光技术与非线性光学检测相结合，产生分辨率低于100飞秒的图像。该显微镜将用于研究纳米和微结构材料。该项目将由一群不同的年轻科学家进行，从高中生到美国化学会的SEED项目，再到博士后科学家。新型显微技术开辟了新的研究途径。获得该奖项的仪器将使科学家能够研究纳米和微结构材料的快速物理过程。通过这种方式，对新材料的重要过程的更深入的理解将更快地发展。通常，体积测量不能提供科学家理解纳米和微观结构材料行为所需的答案，这只能通过对孤立粒子、缺陷或结构的微观测量来回答。这项技术所实现的研究在化学传感、催化、光伏开发和光电子学等领域都是重要的，这些领域都是对社会重要的尖端技术。此外，与Piotrowiak教授合作的研究人员将获得技术开发方面的宝贵培训，这是当今劳动力的一项重要技能。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, Piotr Piotrowiak and his research group from Rutgers University - Newark will develop an ultrafast fluorescence microscope. The proposed microscope will combine ultrafast laser technology with non-linear optical detection to create images with sub-100 femtosecond resolution. The proposed microscope will be used to study nano- and micro-structured materials. The project will be carried out by a diverse group of young scientists, from high school students through the American Chemical Society's Project SEED Program, through post-doctoral scientists.New kinds of microscopy techniques open up new avenues of research. The instrument developed with this award will allow scientists to study very fast physical processes in nano- and micro-structured materials. In this way, a deeper understanding of important processes in new materials will be developed more quickly. Too often, bulk measurements do not provide the answers that scientists need to understand the behavior of nano- and micro-structured materials, which can only be answered through microscopic measurements of isolated particles, defects, or structures. The research that is enabled by this technology is important in the fields of chemical sensing, catalysis, photovoltaic development and optoelectronics -- all cutting-edge technologies important to society. In addition, the researchers working with Prof. Piotrowiak will receive invaluable training in technology development, an important skill in today's workforce.