Project 104: Ultrafast Optical Investigation of Solid State Materials

Contact Information

Asso. Prof. Hao Chu

Project Description and Objectives

The electric properties of solids are intimately related to their optical properties (for example metals are usually reflective while insulators are transparent). When we shine a laser beam onto a semiconductor, charge carriers will be excited from the valence band to the conduction band, resulting in a modification of the optical reflectivity of the sample. The subsequent relaxation of the photo-excited charge carriers can be monitored via the reflectivity change of the sample. By shining a femtosecond laser pulse onto a semiconductor and monitoring its reflectivity change as a function of time, we can visualize the ultrafast photo-carrier relaxation dynamics in a semiconductor.

Eligibility Requirements

Expected candidates are in their 3rd year or 4th year of undergraduate studies, and should have some knowledge about solid state physics as well as equipped with good hands-on skills in the laboratory. Daily communication will be conducted in English.

Main Tasks

Learn to use a femtosecond ultrafast reflectivity set-up and use it to investigate the ultrafast photo-carrier relaxation dynamics as well as the coherent phonon dynamics of solid state materials.

Website

Lab: https://ultrafastandnonlinearopticslab.wordpress.com/

School: http://www.physics.sjtu.edu.cn/