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About the Group

The Ultrafast Terahertz Spectroscopy (UFTS) group at IISER Kolkata explores ultrafast phenomena in quantum and condensed matter materials using a range of time-resolved optical and terahertz techniques. Our experimental tools include femtosecond pump–probe transmission and reflection spectroscopy, picosecond acoustic strain pulse spectroscopy, nonlinear optical probes such as second harmonic generation, and time- and frequency-domain terahertz (THz) spectroscopy. The pump and probe pulses span wavelengths from the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared to the terahertz regime.

Research Interests 

Our research seeks to understand how charge, spin, lattice, and excitonic degrees of freedom evolve and interact on ultrafast timescales in quantum materials. Current interests of the group include layered and van der Waals magnetic materials, topological materials, low-dimensional systems, strongly correlated materials, and functional materials. A central theme of our work is the use of femtosecond and terahertz spectroscopy to probe phase transitions, collective excitations, and nonequilibrium dynamics in condensed matter. Another area of interest is the possible effects of intense THz pulses on biological systems, as well as THz imaging of biological systems and superconductors.

Group Leader: Prof. N. Kamaraju

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”  — Albert Einstein