9602856 Nees This collaboration between The Center for Ultrafast Optical Science (CUOS) at the University of Michigan and MEDOX Electro-Optics, Inc. will address the fundamental barriers to the dynamic range of picosecond and subpicosecond streak cameras. The research effort will concentrate on the reduction of jitter in streak cameras to allow accumulation of the data from several ultrafast events. By using linear photoconductive switching technology to generate the voltage ramp in the streak tube a jitter-free voltage ramp can be generated. The photoconductors used to generate this ramp will be characterized and the effect of laser amplitude fluctuations on the absolute timing of the signal will be studied. Several experiments involving optoelectronically swept streak cameras will then be performed to ascertain the effectiveness of the jitter-reduction method and to understand the remaining limitations on dynamic range and temporal resolution. This activity is supported jointly by the Division of Physics and the office of Multidisciplinary Activities of the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and is funded under the NSF "Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry" (GOALI) Program. ***
