News
2023/24 Group Photo
Front row: Ben Hoffer, Hatim Saeed, Liz Houser, Dilara Sen, Frank Peiris, Olivia Fairlamb
Back row: Hunter Strah, Owen Peterson, Sam Kovach
Optical Properties of Scandium Nitrite Published in Applied Physics Letters 123, 112102 (2023)
Physics Department Poster Session December, 2023
Hatim Saeed, Liz Houser, Sam Kovach and Hunter Strah presenting their work.
Our Work is Published in Nature Photonics
In collaboration with Professor Jariwala’s group at UPenn, we examined the optical properties of FePS3, a van der Waals antiferromagnetic insulator that shows enhanced linear dichroism properties.
Nature Photonics, 16, 311 (2022)
Celebrating with 2022 Graduates- Advisees & Lab Students
Game of tap-rugby & dinner afterwards
Photoionization Experiments
We are now able to mount a Linkam Stage into the ellipsometer and perform photoionization experiments on organic thin films. These films consisting of azobenzene molecules which undergo structural changes when a laser is directed on them. These changes are manifested in the index of refraction.
Game of Cricket with Summer Science Students
APS March Meeting 2019, Boston
Ellipsometry + Reflectivity
We now have a method to determine the dielectric functions down to ~10 meV by combining ellipsometry and FTIR.
By combining these two techniques, we can obtain the dielectric functions of materials in the far-IR regions where their phonons influence the dilectric functions.
Kenyon Poster Session, 2017
Oliver Vandenberg & Vincent Lewis presenting their work
Summer Cricket
Ellie Holmgren trying to bowl-out Ryan Muzzio while he cleverly offers an unorthodox defensive shot. Vicent Lewis is thinking of baseball while at the non-striker's end. Kendall Vanderhoof is the wicketkeeper.
Breathalyzer
Using a silica-based mesoporous film, synthesized using a self-assembled method, a breathalyzer-like device was produced. Because ethanol gets incorporated into the pores of the film, the original optical reflectivity undergoes a conspicuous shift, as shown. When the ethanol is flushed out, the original spectrum is recovered.
APS March Meeting 2017, New Orleans
Ellie Crawford '17 wins Goldwater
Exploring the physics of surface plasmons, Ellie has mapped out optical signatures associated with protein-protein binding using spectroscopic techniques.
Bio Sensor
Ellipsometry was used to detect the protein-protein binding that occurs on a gold surface. The surface alterations can be detected by monitoring the changes to the surface plasmon resonance.
Students Performing 'cool' Exps
Low-temperature ellipsometry measurements
