High Repetition Rate Laser System for Advanced Spectroscopy of Functional Material Dynamics

• Subject Area: Condensed Matter Physics ; Chemical Solid State and Surface Research ; Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
• Term: Funded in 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 553574485

Sustainable generation, transformation and storage of energy remains a key global challenge. We have shown that discoveries of next-generation concepts for energy technologies can be achieved by insights into the ultrafast dynamics of novel and emerging functional energy materials. We unlock break-throughs from the investigation and explanation of fundamental mechanisms in such material systems for energy, such as photovoltaic light-absorbers, photonic light-emitters, electronic-ionic energy storage materials, or quantum materials for information processing. Our research connects aspects of physics, chemistry and material science to achieve a full picture of these material functions. A current focus in the AK Deschler are the ultrafast dynamics of electronic, magnetic and structural excited states that are underpinning key processes and mechanisms in hybrid metal-halide perovskites, low-dimensional magnetic materials, organic molecular semiconductors and metal-organic complexes. Our results and insights create impact on the design and efficiency for next generation energy applications, such as light-emitting diodes, information processing, and energy storage. We have facilities available in our labs to study materials in a range of structures, such as thin films, contacted devices or optical cavities, and at cryogenic temperatures, under electrical/magnetic fields, and in electrochemical environment, depending on the scientific questions we aim to answer. For insights into material photophysics, we employ transient photoluminescence/absorption, transient Faraday rotation or circularly-polarized spectroscopies, and we have made first progress in optical holographic and nearfield microscopy. Employing these powerful methods on materials, supported by national (DFG Emmy Noether, DFG GRK) and international (ERC StG) funding, we currently aim for breakthroughs in the areas of: i) Bright hybrid semiconductors for photonic applications ii) Magnetic hybrid materials for information storage iii) Mixed electron-ionic dynamics in energy storage materials iv) High-resolution techniques for advanced ultrafast spectroscopies. To investigate a regime of previously inaccessible coherent excited state dynamics and ultrafast mechanisms in functional energy materials, we now seek funding for a multi-component laser system for the generation of high-energy, phase-stabilized laser pulses at high-repetition rates, which will unlock the design of next-generation ultrafast spectroscopic techniques, with focus on microscopy, with the ambitious goal to eventually reach the regime of attosecond microscopy. Details of projects and studies on ultrafast spatio-temporal excitation dynamics are described in Section 3, together with justifications why these create an essential need for the novel instrumental capabilities of a state-of-the art multi-component laser system.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Lasersystem mit hoher Pulsrate für ultraschnelle Spektroskopie der Dynamik funktioneller Materialien
• Instrumentation Group: 5700 Festkörper-Laser
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Leader: Professor Dr. Felix Deschler