The Warwick Centre for Ultrafast Spectroscopy was established in 2017 and became an RTP in 2021. The use of cutting-edge ultrafast (femtosecond = 10-15 s) lasers allows for the observation of atomic and charge carrier motion. This is used to investigate novel materials and molecules from semiconductors to new sunscreen filters.
The RTP houses an ultrafast Ti:sapphire laser system (Newport Spectra-Physics Spitfire PA Pro) with four independently-compressible beam outputs. Through use of several optical parametric amplifiers (TOPAS, Light Conversion) the 800 nm fundamental of the Spitfire can be converted into any wavelength from the UV (235 nm) to the mid-infrared (20 microns), while we use custom non-linear effects to produce far-infrared (terahertz) pulses (75 to 600 microns). These sources serve four major beamlines in the facility: Transient Electronic Absorption, Transient Infrared Absorption, Optical Pump/Terahertz Probe and High Field Terahertz Spectroscopy. Additionally, the facility has a Cary60 UV-Vis absorption spectrometer, a Bruker 70V Fourier Transform IR spectrometer and a Horiba Fluorolog 3 fluorescence spectrometer, which performs time-resolved fluorescence measurements down to 1 ns time resolution over the 300nm to 1700nm wavelength range. We can run experiments in a number of environments, including air, dry N2 atmosphere and vacuum, and have a number of cryostats available to test samples from liquid helium temperatures to room temperature or above.
External users can be trained to use some of the simpler equipment (UV-Vis/FTIR/Fluorolog) for occasional use, or on the ultrafast system if they require long-term use. Measurements can be carried out as a service.
