Broadly-tunable Illumination Facility for Research, Outreach, Scholarship and Training (BIFROST)
Abstract
We propose a broadly tunable fiber-distributed light source configured as a user facility, to be used in a multidisciplinary program of DoD-relevant research, education, and training. The heart of this system is is an "optical swiss army knife": a titanium:sapphire laser with second-harmonic and difference-frequency generation modules, capable of producing tunable narrowband spectroscopy-grade light at wavelengths ranging from the visible to the mid-infrared. The light from this source will be delivered by optical fiber to eight user stations, consisting of educational and research labs within the UC Santa Barbara physics building. End users at those locations will reserve instrument time and remotely request desired wavelengths using a web interface. The light will be used to advance a wide variety of DoD educational and research priorities, including new modules for undergraduate laboratory classes, terahertz science, solid-state defect studies, ultracold atomic physics, single-molecule biophysics, molecular spectroscopy, and solid-state cavity quantum electrodynamics. The flexibility and accessibility of the proposed system will greatly broaden the access of UC Santa Barbara students and researchers to tunable spectroscopy-grade light, opening up a variety of new opportunities in training, education, and research. As a top-ten physics department in a minority-serving institution, and one of the five largest physics bachelor s programs in the United States, the UC Santa Barbara physics department is in a unique position to positively impact the training of the next generation of researchers. The proposed system s name, Broadly-tunable Illumination Facility for Research, Outreach, Scholarship, and Training (BIFROST), reflects its multispectral and connective character, alluding to the rainbow bridge Bifrost which links earth and Asgard in Norse mythology.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 11, 2018
- Source ID
- W911NF1710496
Entities
People
- David M. Weld
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- University of California, Santa Barbara