Nonlinear Spectroscopy and Structured Matter
We use ultrafast, high-intensity laser pulses to investigate nonlinear light–matter interactions in spatially structured and complex materials.
We combine femtosecond lasers, nonlinear frequency conversion and intense terahertz (THz) pulses to study soft and condensed matter. Nonlinear optical techniques provide sensitivity to surfaces and interfaces and reveal material dynamics across a broad spectral range.
Research lines
Surface and interface spectroscopy
We exploit second-order nonlinear processes, including second-harmonic generation, to probe surface and interface properties with sub-nanometre sensitivity.
Broadband terahertz generation
We use two-colour four-wave mixing in air to generate intense, broadband, single-cycle terahertz pulses for time-resolved spectroscopy.
Nonlinear THz phenomena
We investigate nonlinear responses driven by intense THz fields, including coherent THz hyper-Raman spectroscopy, in which the material response is read out optically.
Structured ultrafast fields
We develop spatially structured ultrafast pulses and study how their tailored amplitude, phase and polarization influence light–matter interactions.
Materials and systems
Our studies span heterostructures of strongly correlated transition-metal oxides, ultrathin ferroelectric films, laser-treated diamond for THz applications and ionic liquids.
Explore SLAM
This group is part of SLAM, a cluster of three independent research groups with shared scientific interests and resources.