Ultra

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Ultra is a time-resolved spectroscopy facility, offering a range of pump–probe techniques. Key focuses are on vibrational spectroscopies, non-linear spectroscopy and femtosecond to second timescales measurements.

Parts of the Ultra and Artemis facilities are currently undergoing a major upgrade called HiLUX.

Read about the HiLUX upgrade to Ultra and Artemis facilities here.

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:

Health and biology

Catalysis and surface science

Clean energy research

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

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

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

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:

Ultra B

20kHz, 20W, <90fs, 1,030nm ytterbium amplifier (Pharos, Light Conversion)