This is a past event.

Carter Mashburn from NIST-University of Colorado Boulder will present at this week's Physics Colloquium.

Mashburn's presentation is titled "Dual-Frequency Comb Spectroscopy: An Emerging Tool for Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy."

The seminar will be presented in person at 4 p.m. on Thursday (Apr. 4) in Fisher 139.

ABSTRACT:

Ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy of electronic transitions is an essential tool in chemistry, biology, and materials science. Grating-based spectrometers are typically used to measure absorption spectra in the ultraviolet-visible from 200-750 nm using incoherent lamps, but are generally limited to spectral resolutions of >100 GHz. In applications requiring both high spectral resolution (~100 MHz) and broad spectral bandwidths (100’s of THz), other spectroscopic modalities must be considered. One candidate is dual-frequency comb spectroscopy; an emerging technique that offers intrinsic advantages in resolution and precision over existing spectroscopic methods. However, using dual-frequency comb spectroscopy in the visible and ultraviolet across comparable bandwidths as conventional spectrometers faces the challenging task of efficiently generating broad bandwidth frequency comb light into the ultraviolet. In this talk, I will describe the fundamentals of mode-locked frequency comb lasers and how they are used in dual-frequency comb absorption spectroscopy. I will further discuss some challenges in achieving continuous spectral coverage of the ultraviolet-visible region with dual-frequency comb spectroscopy and our recent/ongoing efforts to overcome them.

BIO:

Carter Mashburn received his BS in Physics from Michigan Technological University in 2021 and his MS in Physics from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2024: where he is now pursuing his Ph.D. His current research is in the generation of vacuum-ultraviolet, ultraviolet, and visible frequency combs for applications in precision atomic and molecular spectroscopy. More broadly, he is interested in the development of novel spectroscopic instrumentation and techniques for addressing both fundamental and practical problems in science and engineering.