Webinar: Laser Spectroscopy with Optical Frequency Combs - Konstantin Vodopyanov (CREOL), Hosted by Laser Focus World
2025-07-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
Event: Webinar hosted by Konstantin Vodopyanov and presented by Laser Focus World

Title: Laser Spectroscopy with Optical Frequency Combs: From Terahertz to Ultraviolet

Summary: Optical frequency combs--recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005--are laser sources comprising hundreds of thousands of equally spaced spectral lines, serving as ideal "light rulers" for measuring frequency with extreme precision. These powerful tools have revolutionized spectroscopy, enabling applications ranging from fundamental physics tests and trace gas sensing to astronomical observations and the search for life on exoplanets. In this talk, Konstantin Vodopyanov will present recent work on extending frequency combs into both the infrared-terahertz and the visible-ultraviolet spectral regions.

This advancement has enabled measurements of spectral 'signatures' of molecules relevant to exobiology, many of which had never been previously explored with such precision. Also, development of frequency combs in the UV range opens the door to studying the recently unveiled ultranarrow optical transition in the 229-Thorium isotope near 148 nm--a potential foundation for a novel type of optical timekeeping device: the nuclear clock.

About the Speaker: Konstantin Vodopyanov is an Endowed Chair and Professor of Optics and Physics at CREOL, the College of Optics & Photonics at the University of Central Florida. He earned his undergraduate degree from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (PhysTech) and a Ph.D. from the Lebedev Physical Institute, where he worked in the Oscillations Laboratory led by Nobel Laureate Alexander Prokhorov. Prior to joining CREOL in 2013, he held academic positions at Imperial College London and Stanford University, and co-founded several technology companies in the U.S. Konstantin Vodopyanov is internationally recognized for pioneering work in mid-infrared sources and their spectroscopic applications. These include ultra-broadband frequency combs enabling high-resolution dual-comb spectroscopy for parallel detection of trace molecules and isotopologues in complex gas mixtures. His group recently demonstrated high-precision dual-comb spectroscopy from the mid-IR to THz range, achieving real-time acquisition of 250,000 comb-line-resolved data points and surpassing previous spectral resolution of several important molecules relevant to exobiology by a factor of 400. He also led the development of UV frequency combs based on harmonic generation containing one million comb lines, resolved via dual-comb spectroscopy.

Virtual Location URL: https://www.laserfocusworld.com/webinars/webinar/55296128/laser-spectroscopy-with-optical-frequency-combs-from-terahertz-to-ultraviolet
Registration Link: https://www.laserfocusworld.com/webinars/webinar/55296128/laser-spectroscopy-with-optical-frequency-combs-from-terahertz-to-ultraviolet
