Schumacher This research consists of a series of experiments that will use coherent control methods to manipulate the generation of short pulse laser radiation and electronic states in atoms. The project will focus on three areas: (a) the use of pulse shaping to implement a novel pulse generation technique based on continuum generation in noble gases; (b) the study of the strong response coherent control method of adiabatic passage via closely spaced Rydberg states and continua; and (c) the implementation of a novel version of the coherent control method of interfering pathways in the strong response regime.
