An exceptionally versatile Ultrafast Optical Spectroscopic Laser/Optoelectronic laboratory instrumentation system, based on new developments in the state of the art technology, will be acquired and implemented during this project that is funded by the Major Research Instrumentation program. The research instrumentation utilizes compact all-solid state new laser technology based on titanium, which are integrated into a high performance tabletop ultrafast time-domain ellipsometric/photometric laboratory tool. Incorporating multichannel spectral analysis with significant real-time computational power, the instrumentation is configured for high precision measurements of time varying optical constants that are induced within a broad spectrum of photoexcitation experiments, with time resolution below 30 femtoseconds. The instrumentation features an integrated data processing capability, which will enable a rapid real-time analysis of the complex numerical problems in transient ellipsometry/photometry, such as occurring in heterogeneous optical media. The optical system also integrates a near-field optical microscope that will combine the ultrafast time resolution with submicron spatial resolution for femtosecond microscopy on small material structures. The two principal investigators on this project will be joined in close collaborative research by six other faculty co-investigators at Brown and by several industrial partners/collaborators. %%% The new instrumentation, which will be acquired from funding from the National Science Foundation's Major Research Instrumentation program, will provide an opportunity for postgraduate and postdoctoral training in state-of-the-art modern optical instrumentation and laser spectroscopy. In addition to the basic scientific content within the proposed project areas, this training reaches into areas of applied technology that are bridged by elements within the proposed research that look for active opportunities in the development of optoelectronic instrumentation development for advanced metrology and spectroscopy. ***
