Acquisition of a solid-state pump laser for an ultrafast optics laboratory

Hamline University, Saint Paul MN

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal provides funds for the purchase of a solid-state, frequency-stabilized, single-mode cw laser system that will have several applications within the context of an undergraduate research and education program. The laser will be used to pump a 12 femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser for the research purpose of probing and modifying collective motion of atoms in solids using shaped pulses, ultra-short pulses, and optical control feedback techniques based on genetic algorithms. The educational applications focus on optical trapping and acceleration of particles via a laser-tweezer technique, interferometry, and non-linear optics.