Institute of Materials Science

IMS Annual Newsletter 2017

The issue is filled with inspiring stories of breakthrough research, landmark achievements, and numerous other accomplishments of IMS students, alumni, faculty and staff members.

Visit the UConn-Thermo Fisher Scientific Center for Advanced Microscopy and Materials Analysis.
Watch the video.

Upcoming Events

Jun 27 PhD Dissertation Defense12:00pm
Jul 2 Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Seminar2:00pm
Aug 11 Morning Tea with Mr. Darwin10:00am
Oct 26 Katzenstein Lecture 20184:00pm

PhD Dissertation Defense

Wednesday, June 27th, 2018

12:00 PM - 02:00 PM

Storrs Campus
P121

Dale L Smith,
Department of Physics,
University of Connecticut

Velocity Map Imaging of the Single Ionization of
Molecular Iodine

Single ionization in molecules is a critical first step in many higher order process such as high harmonic generation. However, single ionization remains poorly understood even in simple diatomic systems. We have found that molecular iodine, I2, has a complicated ionization processes which does not originate from valance orbitals, as would be expected, but from more tightly bound inner orbitals comprised of 5s electrons. I will discuss two experiments which use ultrafast lasers to investigate the ionization of diatomic I2. Ultrafast laser pulses have a duration in the tens of femtoseconds (fs). Since the vibrational period of I2 is â180 fs, we are able to ionize the molecule before it dissociates. Velocity map imaging allows us to observe the kinetic energy release (KER) of charged fragments from dissociation after single ionization. In the first experiment, we have performed a wavelength study from 800 to 400 nm. We have found in the I + I+ dissociation channel (which we denote as the (1,0)) the KER of the fragments was mostly inconsistent with ionization to the X-, A-, or B-states of I2+ which implies ionization through deeper orbitals. A pump-probe Fourier technique also showed that modulation in the cation products only occurs below 0.2 eV, which is consistent with dissociation through the B-state and ionization of high-lying molecular orbitals. This rules out a two-step process through the X- and A-states for much of the observed KER. Employing intensity-, polarization-, and wavelength-dependent experiments we were able to eliminate bond softening, electron rescattering, and photon mediation through the X- or A-states. In the second experiment, we performed a detailed wavelength analysis of I2 around its one-photon B-state resonance at 530 nm where we have identified a strong enhancement in the (1,0) channel. The resonance enhancement is found in both ionization from outer orbitals through the B-state as well as ionization from inner orbitals. Interestingly, the branching ratio for inner orbital ionization reaches over 98% at 519 nm and the peaks in the branching ratios of the two channels occur at slightly different wavelengths. For double ionization into an excited state of I2+ we find that the branching ratio closely follows the branching ratio of the single ionization of deeply bound inner orbitals. This implies that excitation of molecules comes about through inner orbital ionization. The finding of these experiments are inconsistent with current tunneling ionization theory which postulates that ionization arises through the least bound, outer orbital electrons.

Contact Information: Prof. G. Gibson

Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Seminar

Monday, July 2nd, 2018

02:00 PM - 03:00 PM

Storrs Campus
Physics Building, P121

Dr. Peter Walter, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

The TMO Instrument: Opportunities and Plans for Time-resolved Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science at LCLS-II

The unique capabilities of LCLS, the worldâs first hard X-ray FEL, have had significant impact on
advancing our understanding across a broad range of science, from fundamental atomic and molecular
physics, to condensed matter, to catalysis and to structural biology.

A major upgrade of the LCLS facility, the LCLS-II project, is now underway. LCLS-II is being developed
as a high-repetition rate X-ray laser with two simultaneously operating, independently tunable
FELs. It features a 4 GeV continuous wave superconducting linac that is capable of producing
uniformly spaced (or programmable) ultrafast X-ray laser pulses at a repetition rate up to 1 MHz spanning the energy range from 0.25 to 5 keV.

The Time resolved AMO (TMO) instrument, one of the four new LCLS-II instruments, will support AMO science, strong-field and nonlinear science, and a new dynamic reaction microscope. TMO will support
many experimental techniques not currently available at LCLS and will locate two experimental endstations. A new reaction microscope endstation will house a COLTRIMS type spectrometer to accommodate extreme vacuum, sub-micron focus spot size, and target purity requirements as dictated by coincidence experiments. The accumulation of data will be performed on an event-by-event basis using the the 1MHz full repetition rate of LCLS-II. A second TMO
endstation will be optimized for performing high energy, high resolution, time- but also angular-resolved
photoelectron spectroscopic measurements. By leveraging its existing suite of spectrometers (i.e. high
resolution iTOF, eTOF, LAMP double-sided VMIs, Kaesdorf spectrometers) a high resolution, high throughput, hemispherical electron analyzer will also be available. The photon fluence at TMO should reach up to 10^22 photons/cm^2, thus allowing to be tailored to specific experimental needs.

This talk will present some of the important science opportunities, new capabilities and instrumentation being planned for NEH 1.1 (TMO) at LCSL-II.

Contact Information: Prof. N. Berrah

Morning Tea with Mr. Darwin

Saturday, August 11th, 2018

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Storrs Campus
Biology/Physics Building, Room 130

The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History at UConn presents âMorning Tea with Mr. Darwin: Darwin and Women.â The lecture will be held on Saturday, August 11, 10 am at the Biology/Physics Building, Room 130, UConn.

Mr. Darwin was a man of his times. By todayâs standards, his thinking and actions would not be tolerated. Even in his own day, there were some men, including his older brother Erasmus, whoâs attitudes were more modern. He was quite charming around women and those close to him loved him very much. His attitudes about womenâs place in society developed through a combination of his upbringing and his study of the differences between the sexes in nature. He was the first to suggest that Natural Selection sometimes manifested itself among animals in the form of what he called Sexual Selection. The female animal frequently chose the male based on his apparent suitability for siring healthy, competitive offspring. He thought that humans did the same thing as a result of their animal nature. Of course, Victorian mores came into play in his thinking as well. This presentation will explore all these features of his life as well as describe the changing roles of women in Victorian England. Join us for this exploration of Darwinâs world. Mr. Darwin will be portrayed by professor Kenneth Noll of UConnâs Department of Molecular and Cell Biology.

Presented by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, part of the UConn Office of Public Engagement.

Contact Information: david.colberg@uconn.edu

Katzenstein Lecture 2018

Friday, October 26th, 2018

04:00 PM - 05:00 PM

Storrs Campus
PB-36

Prof. Rainer Weiss,LIGO Scientific Collaboration, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017 Nobel Laureate in Physics.

"Exploration of the Universe with Gravitational Waves"

The observations of gravitational waves from the merger of binary black holes
and from a binary neutron star coalescence followed by a set of astronomical measurements is an example of investigating the universe by âmulti-messengerâ astronomy. Gravitational waves will allow us to observe phenomena we already know in new ways as well as to test General Relativity in the limit of strong gravitational interactions â the dynamics of massive bodies traveling at relativistic speeds in a highly curved space-time. Since the gravitational waves are due to accelerating masses while electromagnetic waves are caused by accelerating charges, it is reasonable to expect new classes of sources to be detected by gravitational waves as well. The lecture will start with some basic concepts of gravitational waves. Briefly describe the instruments and the methods for data analysis that enable the measurement of gravitational wave strains of 10-21 and then present the results of recent runs. The lecture will end with a vision for the future of gravitational wave astrophysics and astronomy.

Contact Information: Prof. Philip Mannheim

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Industrial Affiliates Program Short Course

MSE-IMS Students Win at 2018 Electronic and Advanced Materials
The Electronic and Advanced Materials Conference (EAM) is geared towards engineers, technologists, researchers and students with an interest in science, engineering and the applications of electroceramic materials. Several MSE students and faculty attended this year’s EAM Conference held in Orlando, FL. MSE Associate Professor and Director for Undergraduate Studies, Serge Nakhmanson, co-organized a symposium at […]

Xingxu Lu Wins Graduate Student Speaker Contest
The student chapter of the Materials Research Society recently announced Xingxu Lu, a second-year graduate student in Professor Pu-Xian Gao’s research group, as the winner of the Graduate Student Speaker Contest. The award recognizes his presentation entitled “Microwave-assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis and Manufacturing of TiO2 Nano-array Integrated Catalytic Converters,” as judged by a panel of students. […]

UConn MSE Featured Prominently at US-Japan Seminar
The US-Japan Seminar on Dielectric and Piezoelectric Ceramics has occurred once every two years for almost 4 decades, bringing together ~100 scientists and technologists from industry, academia and government laboratories. It is one of the premier venues for the exchange of scientific ideas on ceramic materials for electronics and serves to foster relationships between experts […]

UConn Engineers Develop Ceramic/Metal 3D Printing Solution for Navy
The US Navy is a big proponent of additive manufacturing technology, and its use of 3D printers on ships offers self-sustainability in remote areas, allowing sailors and officers to make and repair their own tools, parts, and components on board while out at sea, rather than having to go back in to port. It is […]

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The Institute of Materials Science (IMS) supports over 100 graduate students in three primary fields of study, Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Science, and Materials Science. In addition, graduate students in affiliated departments use IMS facilities to perform materials-related research.

IMS provides superior graduate research education in the interdisciplinary fields of materials science and engineering, and provides materials-related technical outreach to Connecticut’s industries. IMS operates and maintains extensive state-of-the-art instrumentation including a wide range of laboratories. Support facilities include an electronics shop and an instrument and machine shop.

Over 100 faculty members from twenty departments including the UConn Health Center are affiliated with IMS, contributing to the Institute’s interdisciplinary research programs. Primary disciplines represented are chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, polymer science, pharmacy, molecular and cell biology, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, biomaterials, and biosciences.

The Institute is also home to the Industrial Affiliates Program, an industry outreach program which assists Connecticut companies in their research and development efforts to improve new and existing products. The Industrial Affiliates Program provides many benefits for member companies, including access to facilities and faculty at UConn, short courses, and other resources that can assist in materials-related problem solving for industry.

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