Ohio State University is home to cutting-edge research and education in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (AMOP), which primarily encompasses the study of the interaction light and matter. The research involves a wide variety of techniques that are used to address problems of fundamental importance as well as for ‘enabling’ applications as you can see by following the links to the faculty and research groups below. Here, you will find research at the extreme that involves some of the shortest and most energetic laser pulses in the world, the coldest form of matter, the most sensitive detectors, and radiation sources spanning the microwave to the X-Ray parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. The AMOP groups benefit by strong external funding from the Army Research Office, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, National Science Foundation, and Office of Naval Research.
Experimental AMOP students use state-of-the-art facilities for their research, while theoretical AMOP students use modern tools to tackle problems that are at the forefront of the field. Alumni follow a wide variety of career paths, including in academia, national laboratories, and companies of all sizes. There are also several other groups in physics, chemistry, and electrical and computer engineering whose research strongly overlaps with the AMOP group, making the research community broad and multidisciplinary.
Also, the Ohio State University Chemical Physics Program, The Institute for Optical Science, the student chapter of the Optical Society of America, the Wright-Patterson Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, OH, and the LCLS XFEL at SLAC, create additional opportunities for the community.
News Flashes!
The NSF is establishing a state-of-the-art attosecond user facility at OSU. The $9.5M grant will bring users worldwide to perform ultrafast measurements on materials relevant to quantum science and energy conversion.
https://physics.osu.edu/news/nsf-establishes-new-facility-within-institute-optical-science
Explore the AMOP faculty and research groups following the links below.
AMOP Physics Faculty and Research Scientists
- Dr. Eric Braaten, Professor, studies theoretically the behavior of quantum degenerate gases and is part of the Cold Atom Physics group.
- Dr. Louis DiMauro, Dr. Edward E. and Sylvia Hagenlocker Chair/Professor, studies experimentally and theoretically the interaction between atoms and intense laser pulses on an atomic timescale (attoseconds) and is associated with the Agostini – DiMauro Ultra-fast atomic physics laboratory.
- Dr. Richard Furnstahl, Professor, studies theoretically the behavior of quantum degenerate gases and is part of the Cold Atom Physics group.
- Dr. Daniel Gauthier, Professor, is developing quantum key distribution and quantum computing systems, studies experimentally the dynamics of classical networks, and leads the QuantInfo Laboratory.
- Dr. Tin-Lun (Jason) Ho, Distinguished Professor of MAPS, studies theoretically the behavior of quantum degenerate gases and is part of the Cold Atom Physics group.
- Dr. Gregory Lafyatis, Associate Professor, develops optical tweezers for medical applications, develops quantum key distribution and quantum computing systems, and is associated with the QuantInfo Laboratory.
- Dr. Alexandra Landsman, Assistant Professor of Physics, studies theoretically the dynamics of atoms interacting with ultrafast and ultraintense lasers.
- Dr. Mohit Randeria, Professor, studies theoretically the behavior of quantum degenerate gases and is part of the Cold Atom Physics group.
- Dr. Douglass Schumacher, Professor, studies experimentally and theoretically the interaction of high-energy-density laser pulses with matter and leads the High Energy Density Physics Laboratory and associated Scarlet Laser Facility.
- Dr. Nandini Trivedi, Professor, studies theoretically the behavior of quantum degenerate gases and is part of the Cold Atom Physics group.
AMOP Physics Faculty Emeriti and Adjunct
- Dr. Pierre Agostini, Professor Emeritus, studies experimentally and theoretically the interaction between atoms and intense laser pulses on an atomic timescale (attoseconds) and is associated with the Agostini – DiMauro Ultra-fast atomic physics laboratory.
- Dr. Frank De Lucia, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, studies experimentally the properties of molecules using advance molecular spectroscopy techniques and leads the Microwave Spectroscopy Laboratory.
- Dr. Richard Freeman, Distinguished Professor of MAPS Emeritus, studies experimentally the interaction of high-energy-density laser pulses with matter and is associated with the High Energy Density Physics Laboratory and the Scarlet Laser Facility.
- Dr. Linn Van Woerkom, Professor Emeritus, studies experimentally the interaction of high-energy-density laser pulses with matter and is associated with the High Energy Density Physics Laboratory and the Scarlet Laser Facility.
- Dr. Brenda Winnewisser, Adjunct Professor, studies theoretically the structure of complex molecules and the associated molecular spectra.
- Dr. Manfred Winnewisser, Adjunct Professor, studies theoretically the structure of complex molecules and the associated molecular spectra.
Associated Faculty
- Dr. Robert Baker, Associate Professor of Chemistry, uses soft X-Ray spectroscopy for charge transfer dynamics in a wide range of systems and leads the Ultrafast X-Ray Spectroscopy group.
- Dr. Enam Chowdhury, Assistant Professor (Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering), develops ultra-short pulse and ultra-intense and high energy lasers, studies experimentally the ultra-fast dynamics of solids, and leads the Femto-Solid Laboratory.
- Dr. Jay Gupta, Associate Professor of Physics, uses tip- and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for applications in experimental condensed matter physics and leads the gupta group laboratory.
- Dr. Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, Professor of Physics, uses ultra-fast lasers to study the intersection of the fields of spintronics, traditional magnetism and nanoscale science and materials and leads the JH group laboratory.
- Dr. Roland Kawakami, Professor of Physics, use ultra-fast laser microscopes to study the properties of spin and magnetism at the nanoscale and leads the Kawakami group laboratory.
- Dr. Ronald Reano, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, studies experimentally the manipulation of light at the micro- and nano-meter scales and leads the Integrated Photonics Laboratory.
- Dr. Dongping Zhong, Smith Professor of Physics, uses ultra-fast laser to study the dynamics of biological systems and leads the Zhong group laboratory.