Dr. Alexei Sokolov
Texas A&M University
Femtosecond Laser Pulses Interacting with Molecules: Physics and Applications
102 Cardwell Hall
November 12, 2012
4:30 p.m.
Basic physics of interactions between matter
and short light pulses is of fundamental interest. Such interactions
generally involve coherence effects where all molecules of a sample “dance”
in unison. As an example, we have used molecular coherence to efficiently
generate short bursts of light that are automatically synchronized with
respect to the molecular oscillations. Furthermore, our work has shown that
an increased and cleverly manipulated molecular coherence enables
improvements in optical detection and sensing techniques. Short laser
pulses provide a unique tool for probing the environment. In particular,
femtosecond pulses, when powerful enough, will produce laser filaments that
have found intriguing remote-sensing applications, such as filament-induced
breakdown spectroscopy and sub-diffraction-limited imaging of remote
objects.
Refreshments in CW 119 at 4:15 p.m.