402-0528-12L Ultrafast Methods in Solid-State Physics
| Semester | Spring Semester 2012 |
| Lecturers | S. Johnson, Y. M. Acremann |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Abstract | This course provides an overview and a critical examination of currently active experimental methods to study the sub-nanosecond dynamics of solid-state materials in response to strong perturbations. |
| Learning objective | The goal of the course is to enable students to identify and evaluate experimental methods to manipulate and measure the electronic, magnetic and structural properties of solids on the fastest possible time scales. These "ultrafast methods" potentially lead both to an improved understanding of fundamental interactions in condensed matter and to applications in data storage, materials processing and solid-state computing. |
| Content | The topical course outline is as follows: 1. Mechanisms of ultrafast light-matter interaction - A. Dipole interaction - B. Displacive excitation of phonons - C. Impulsive stimulated Raman and Brillouin scattering - D. Scattering and Diffraction 2. Ultrafast optical-frequency methods - A. Ellipsometry - B. Broadband techniques - C. Harmonic generation - D. Fluorescence - E. 2-D Spectroscopies 3. THz-frequency methods - A. Mid-IR and THz interactions with solids - B. Difference frequency mixing - C. Optical rectification 4. Ultrafast VUV and x-ray frequency methods - A. Photoemission spectroscopy - B. X-ray absorption spectroscopies - C. X-ray diffraction - D. Coherent imaging 5. Electron based methods - A. Ultrafast electron diffraction - B. Electron spectroscopies |
| Lecture notes | Will be distributed. |
| Literature | Will be distributed. |
| Prerequisites / Notice | Although the course "Ultrafast Processes in Solids" (402-0526-00L) is useful as a companion to this course, it is not a prerequisite. |