Graduate overview
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Research
areas
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Photonics & Quantum
Electronics
Andersen, Boggess, Flatté,
Prineas, Smirl, Wohlgenannt
Photonics and Quantum Electronics is about lasers and how laser light is used. Research in the department covers a diverse range of topics. In our labs we grow semiconductor and organic photonic materials, and we study them using spectroscopy, in many cases with ultrafast lasers. Topics include: spin and exciton dynamics, nano-scale structures, optoelectronic devices, and nonlinear optical pulse propagation. Specialized courses are offered bi-annually, including Quantum Electronics, Laser Principles, Nonlinear Optics, Semiconductor Physics, Solid State Physics, and Optics. Students attend a weekly seminar and travel to national and international meetings.
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| Our department has expanded in recent years with an emphasis on this rapidly-growing field, with new faculty members and new labs. Our students use state-of-the-art equipment, and can choose from a wide range of experimental thesis projects. Our theory group works closely with our experimenters. We publish in the leading journals for physics and applied physics. More than ten labs are dedicated to this research area in the beautiful Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories (IATL) building, which was designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. There is a particularly wide job market for students trained in this area, with opportunities in industry, government labs, and academia. |
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David
Andersen |
Theoretical
and experimental nonlinear optics
- Parametric
solitons, nonlinear optical crossbar switch, passive and adaptive nonlinear
optical equalizer, 4-pi confocal nonlinear optical microscopy
- Applications
include long-haul telecommunications systems, embedded wireless communications
- Professor with
appointments in the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering
and in Physics and Astronomy
- Facilities include
1100 sq ft lab, with a 100 femtosec Ti:Sapphire laser system and other
sources for nonlinear optics
- Students also
interact with theoretical wireless group from Electrical Engineering,
medical group from Optical Science and Technology Center
- In most years,
grant support is available for an RA stipend and student travel to conferences
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Thomas
Boggess |
Experimental
optoelectronic device physics
- Optical
techniques used to measure semiconductor properties relevant to lasers,
detectors, and photovoltaic devices
- Measurements are
conducted in collaboration with device physicists at, e.g. MIT Lincoln
Laboratories, HRL Laboratories, the Air Force Research Laboratories,
and the University of Texas at Austin
- Major equipment
include high-speed lasers, a diode laser testing station, continuous-wave
and time-resolved photoluminescence facilities, all located in 2000
sq ft of laboratory space
- Students also
interact with other group members, including a postdoctoral scholar,
graduate students, and undergraduates
- In most years,
grant support is available for multiple RA stipends and student travel
to conferences
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Michael
Flatté |
Theory of semiconductors
- Theory
of manipulation of electron spin in semiconductors with strong laser
fields
- Applications
of research include quantum computing
- Computing facilities
dedicated to the group include a high-speed 60-processor linux cluster
- Students also
interact with other group members, including a postdocs and other students,
and with experimenters in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Chemistry
- Students develop
skills including analytical and numerical techniques and programming
C++
- Placement opportunities
for graduate students include industry participants in our research
- In most years,
grant support is available for multiple RA stipends and student travel
to conferences
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John
Prineas |
Experimental
photonics
- Optical
solitons in semiconductor quantum wells and superlattices; antimonide
materials growth for near- and mid-infrared optoelectronic devices;
and spintronics
- Interdisciplinary effort in developing optoelectronic sensors for medical applications
- Two labs, including
an ultrafast spectroscopy lab, and a cleanroom with two molecular-beam
epitaxy (MBE) machines equipped for II-V semiconductor growth
- Students also
interact with other members of the Optical Science and Technology Center
and participate in collaborations with the Max Planck Institute for
Solid State Research in Germany
- In most years,
grant support is available for multiple RA stipends and student travel
to conferences
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Arthur
Smirl |
Experimental
quantum optics
- Nonlinear
optical techniques with femtosecond time resolution used to measure
quantum mechanical phenomena and coherence in semiconductors
- Optical
methods used to control the direction and spin of carrier populations
and currents and to investigate the transport of carriers through quantum
wells and potential barriers
- Five laboratories
(5,000 sq. ft.) including femtosecond lasers
- 18 MS and PhD
graduates and 24 post doctoral fellows, all successfully employed in
industry, government labs or academia-eight in faculty positions
- In most years,
grant support is available for multiple RA stipends and student travel
to conferences
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Markus
Wohlgenannt |
Experimental
spectroscopy of organic semiconductors
- Light
absorption, reflection and emission, continuous wave photo-induced (nonlinear)
absorption
- Organic
dyes in unusual optical cavities, such as photonic crystals (crystal
lattice constant is equal to light wavelength) and Bragg-reflectors,
"random lasing"
- Facilities include
a new laboratory under construction beginning in 2002, with a spectroscopy
facility using a cw laser; fabrication of organic light-emitting diodes,
resonators and opals
- Students participate
in worldwide collaborations with semiconducting organics, chemistry
and electrical engineering departments
- Placement opportunities
gained from learning include semiconductor or fiber optics industry,
government labs, and academia
- In most years,
grant support is available for multiple RA stipends and student travel
to conferences
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