Ultrafast laser spectroscopy

The course introduces students to laser spectroscopy, with an emphasis on ultrafast spectroscopy. It deals with findamentals of instrumentation, data analysis and contemporary research in the field. The syllabus is as follows: Basics. Electronic absorption, fluorescence and phosphorescence. Fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes. Solvent effects. FRET, fluorescence anisotropy. Tools. Fundamentals of instrumentation. Photon counting vs. analog detection. Time correlated single photon counting, Fluorescence upconversion, Transient absorption, Stimulated Raman spectroscopy. Temperature and pH jump experiments. Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy. Applications. Ultrafast dynamics of the chemical bond, Solvation dynamics, Ultrafast dynamics of aqueous systems, Photoisomerization, Light harvesting antennae, Protein folding, Time resolved spectroscopic techniques in DNA sequencing, Ultrafast dynamics in nanomaterials and other novel fluorophores, Photoinduced electron transfer dynamics in Dye Sensitized Solar Cells. Time and space resolved spectroscopy of perovskites. INTENDED AUDIENCE : Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering PREREQUISITES : A basic course in Molecular Spectroscopy INDUSTRY SUPPORT : Not known

COURSE LAYOUT Week 1 : Introduction,Steady state spectroscopy,Spectrophotometers, Lab visit: Spectrophotometers Week 2 : TCSPC theory, Lab visit: TCSPC, TCSPC data analysis Week 3 : Streak Camera, Femtosecond Optical Gating,Lab visit: Femtosecond Optical gating Week 4 : Pump probe technique: Theory, Lab visit: Pump probe ,Impulsive Raman spectroscopy Week 5 : How are ultrashort pulses produced and amplified? (2 hours), Optical parametric Amplification (1 hour) Week 6 : Nonlinear optics (3 hours) Week 7 : Fluorescence depolarization and its time evolution: basics and application (3 hours) Week 8 : Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (3 hours) Week 9 : Application of ultrafast laser spectroscopy in basic science: How much time does it take for a bond to break? What is the mechanism of acid base reaction? (3 hours) Week 10: Solvation dynamics, Hydrogen bond dynamics Week 11: Ultrafast processes in materials science (3 hours) Week 12: Ultrafast processes in life sciences