Research Overview

Ralph Jimenez photograph.

Ralph’s interests are in experimental studies of dynamics in complex molecular systems. Over the years, he has worked on a wide range of areas where ultrafast spectroscopy is useful such as femtosecond dynamics of liquids, energy transfer in photosynthetic systems, protein-ligand interactions in antibodies, chromophore dynamics of fluorescent proteins. As part of his research, he has developed a number of optical and microfluidic technologies to advance experimental capabilities in liquid-phase chemical dynamics using time-resolved optical or laser-based x-ray techniques. Most recently he has been exploring applications of quantum optics to molecular spectroscopy.

In general, our research falls into two categories: Quantum Spectroscopy and Fluorescent Proteins.

Research Areas

  • Jimenez optics lab photo.
    Quantum Spectroscopy

    Our group is actively engaged at the interface of quantum optics with physical chemistry. In this research, we manipulate the properties of light at the single photon or few photon level.  By employing “quantum engineered” light for spectroscopy, we aim to harness the remarkable quantum mechanical properties such as entanglement, superposition, and coherence in order to increase the sensitivity and information content of spectroscopy. We are particularly interested in “real world” measurements on complex molecular and nano-materials systems in room temperature liquids, thin films, or…

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  • Jellyfish photo.
    Fluorescent Proteins

    Since the isolation of the first naturally fluorescing protein from jelly fish in the 1960s, fluorescent proteins (FPs) have become integral to a wide range of biological/medical applications, allowing visualization of biomolecules and processes in living cells and tissues to a much greater degree than was previously possible. Extensive molecular engineering of naturally occurring FPs has led to several families of recombinant proteins tailored to specific biophysical and imaging purposes. Fine-tuning of the activation and multimerization properties of FPs has helped to alleviate some…

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