JILA Thesis Defense

Abstract: High harmonic generation is a unique short wavelength light source with high spatial and temporal coherence, enabling ultrafast pump-probe studies of dynamics in chemical reactions, biological systems, and technologically relevant materials. For soft x-ray generation, this requires ultrafast lasers operating at high pulse energy and high repetition rate in the mid-infrared spectral region, which remain a challenging technology.

Reception in the h-bar following the defense. 

Reception in the h-bar following the defense.

With reception in the h-bar afterwards. 

Abstract: Mechanical resonators based on stressed silicon nitride have both exemplary optical and mechanical properties. Through targeted shaping of the resonator geometry, the dissipative properties of these resonators can be enhanced, yielding micromechanical devices that maintain coherence for up to billions of oscillation periods.

Abstract: Neutral atoms trapped in optical tweezer arrays have emerged as a promising platform for quantum computing, and for the analog simulation of various spin models. In this work, we apply the programmable control provided by optical tweezer arrays to new domains in quantum science by means of interfacing optical tweezers with a Hubbard-regime optical lattice, and extending the optical tweezer toolbox to new atomic species (namely alkaline earth atoms).

Abstract: Riboswitches are important RNA structures in bacteria and some eukaryotes that can bind a ligand to toggle between conformations that allow or terminate transcription, translation, or splicing. We study folding kinetics and thermodynamics in the B. subtilis and T. maritima lysine riboswitches via single molecule TIRF microscopy. We show that riboswitch folding is exothermic with a large entropic cost, which we attribute to increased binding pocket rigidity upon lysine binding.

Abstract: 

Meeting ID: 941 8240 9828

Passcode: nano

Abstract: 

We explore ionization processes ranging from the single photon x-ray and ultraviolet limit to the opposite adiabatic infrared limit where large numbers of photons are required for ionization. The breakdown of perturbation theory and key aspects of the non-perturbative theory will be discussed.