Technical specifications
Laser systems
The facility manages many lasers with nanosecond to femtosecond pulses at high repetition rates (up to 100kHz) across the UV to IR. These lasers are grouped into the following laboratories:
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Facility overview
Ultra provides a range of laser spectroscopy instruments driven by UV to IR ultrafast lasers. Three key capabilities are available that allow time-resolved measurements from femtosecond to seconds, pumping and probing in a variety of ways:
- the excitation of samples vibrationally or electronically with femtosecond IR or UV-NIR pulses, or with energetic nanosecond IR pulses to generated temperature-jumps in the samples for studying thermally driven processes
- probing changes in a sample with Raman scattering or UV–IR absorption spectroscopies, as well as one of the more advanced techniques
- following time-resolved processes from femtoseconds to seconds, with no gaps on a single instrument, using single or multiple amplifier systems
Non-linear spectroscopies
Short pulses enhance advanced techniques such as Raman, sum-frequency generation and multi-dimensional spectroscopy.
Revealing hidden information by fast gating
Short pulses are used at the facility to reveal signals from strong backgrounds by ultrafast gating, using techniques such as Kerr-gated Raman spectroscopy to observe weak Raman signals often obscured by strong background fluorescence.
Applications
The facility supports a diverse range of applications across life and physical sciences. Examples of previous activities include:
Examples of research areas in health and biology include:
- DNA damage studies, following electronic and vibrational changes to DNA following direct excitation or through excitation of photosensitisers
- photoactive protein dynamics studies to follow how chromophore excitation leads to protein function
Examples of research areas in catalysis and surface science include:
- homogeneous photocatalysis studies to follow catalytic cycles, for fundamental chemistry studies as well as developing understanding on how to optimise industrial catalysts
- heterogeneous catalyst research into how chemistry at the surface and inside materials, such as Zeolites, enables catalysed chemical reactions
- surface science, with the ability to characterise interface species and their activity
Examples of research areas in clean energy research include:
- studies of battery or solar energy generating materials work through monitoring dynamics of molecules inside the materials or observing states of the materials as they operate
Ultra B’s capabilities include:
- 20kHz, 20W, <90fs, 1,030nm ytterbium amplifier (Pharos, Light Conversion)
- 4OPA source 210 to 16,000nm
- IR OPA sources 2000 to 16,000nm
Detectors
Ultra can:
- measure the spectrum of each pulse of the laser at 100kHz using a range of MCT, InGaAs and Silicon array detectors
- measure weak signals such Raman scattering or SFG light from samples using sensitive integrating detectors
Sample management
Ultra provides:
- sample preparation facilities with state-of-the-art laboratories enabling sensitive sample preparation across chemistry and biology
- a range of sample cells for temperature control, flow and various sample forms and quantities
Ultra publications
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