With support from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, Marcos Dantus and colleagues in the Department of Chemistry at Michigan State University will develop phase-modulated ultrashort laser pulse technology for probing molecular dynamics, optical switches and materials, and coherent control of multiphoton microscopy. The investigators will develop the necessary technology for two unique systems based on ultrashort femtosecond (fs) pulses with pulse characterization methods with unparalleled sensitivity that is directly linked to active phase and amplitude compensation. System A will be an ultrabroad-bandwidth sub-9 fs laser that will require a specially modified amplitude and phase modulator setup that minimizes dispersion and compensates third and fourth order phase distortions. This source will be used to achieve unprecedented selective excitation of molecular probes, as required for functional imaging, for example, using coherent laser control methods developed at Michigan State University and elsewhere. System B will be an amplified sub-20 fs laser source using a two-dimensional pulse shaper to achieve single-shot nonlinear optical excitation spectra of novel materials and nonlinear chromophores over a broad bandwidth. This will use binary pulse shaping technology combined with a novel two-dimensional optical phase modulator. This development will enhance the speed and accuracy of nonlinear optical spectroscopy by orders of magnitude.
A number of interdisciplinary scientific projects linked to biophysics, telecommunications, and advanced materials, will benefit from the development of these systems.
