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Selected PublicationS

Ultrafast lasers, with pulse durations shorter than 10–13 s — less time than it takes for atoms to move — have

already led to Nobel Prizes in Chemistry and Physics. These lasers are ideal for probing and controlling chemical reactions.

Our group has three well-funded thrust areas of scientific leadership:

(a) Control of strong-field laser matter interactions: Exploring molecular dynamics at energies ranging from 1015 to 1020 W/cm2.

(b) Biomedical imaging and sensing: Label free biomedical imaging and explosives detection.

(c) Source development: New laser sources, pulse shapers, and technology combining both.

Progress in these three areas requires fundamental scientific advances, often questioning established dogmas and accomplishing what others have determined to be impossible.

Control of strong-field laser matter inter-actions: Ultrafast lasers can exert enormous pressures and temperatures on the top few nanometers of materials on a time-scale that is faster than atomic motion. Studying chem-

ical changes induced by these strong fields in gas, liquids, and solids is of great interest. We are partic-ularly intrigued by intensities at which the response of the electrons to the field becomes relativistic. At this intensities,

the electrons ‘push-back’ on the pulse causing compression and wavelength shifts towards the x-ray regime. We plan to take advantage of our unique laser sources to explore this exciting regime. Our projects include exotic chemical reactions, chemical transformations, and explor-ing relativistic pulse compression to achieve high efficiency conversion of femtosecond pulses into attosecond pulses. Our work combines state of the art laser systems, with innovative ‘reaction microscope’ setups that are used to detect both ions and electrons following laser irradiation. Data analysis often includes collaborations with colleagues that work in electronic structure the-ory, molecular reaction dynamics and nonlinear optical spectroscopy.

Biomedical Imaging and Sensing: Whether the goal is to detect cancer or the trace quantities of explosives, the challenge is one of chem-ically resolved imaging. Our group has been pioneering laser technology for unstained

imaging and for standoff detection of explosives. In both areas , developments from our group are leading world efforts thanks to our combination

of fundamen-tal scientific advances with source devel-opment. We routinely col-laborate with a number of medical centers and with DOD agencies.

Source development: Our group has revolu-tionized how ultrashort pulses are measured and compressed (technology patented, com-mercialized, and used around the world). The fundamental science behind this breakthrough technology is based on coherent control of quantum mechanical process. The tech-nology is known as Multi photon Intra pulse Inter ference Phase Scan, and it has allowed

the generation of intense (0.5 mJ) sub-two cycle pulses (2008), as well as record per-formance from ultrafast fiber lasers. Our work on source devel-opment includes nonlinear optics studies in partic-ular self-action

processes (when the pulse modifies the material and the material modifies the pulse). We are also working on novel combinations of spatial and temporal shaping of ultrafast laser pulses. Our work in source development fuels advances in many of our other research directions, for example standoff detection of explosives.

Ultrafast Science, Sources, and ApplicationsMSU FoUndation ProFeSSorand

UniverSity diStingUiShed ProFeSSor oF CheMiStry and

adjUnCt ProFeSSor oF PhySiCS (b. 1962)

B.A. & M.A., 1985, Brandeis Univ.;

Ph.D., 1991, California Institute of Technology;

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 1991-93, California Institute of Technology.

517-353-1191

Marcos Dantus

Quantifying noise in ultrafast laser sources and its effect on nonlinear applications, V.V. Lozovoy, G. Rasskazov, D. Pestov, and M. Dantus, Optics Express 2015, 23, 12037-12044.

Femtosecond Nanoplasmonic Dephasing of Individual Silver Nanoparticles and Small Clusters, R. Mittal, R. Glenn, I. Saytashev, V. V. Lozovoy and M. Dantus, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2015, 6, 1638–1644.

LIBS and ablation threshold analysis using a megahertz Yb fiber laser oscillator, G. J. Parker, D. E. Parker, B. Nie, V. V. Lozovoy and M. Dantus, Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy 2015, 107, 146-151.

Investigating the Role of Human Serum Albumin Protein Pocket on the Excited State Dynamics of Indocyanine Green Using Shaped Femtosecond Laser Pulses, M. Nairat, A. Konar, M. Kaniecki, V. V. Lozovoy and M. Dantus, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2015, 17, 5872-5877.

Polyatomic Molecules under Intense Femtosecond Laser Irradiation, A. Konar, Y. Shu, V.V. Lozovoy, J.E. Jackson, B.G. Levine, and M. Dantus, J. Phys. Chem. A 2014, 118, 11433-11450.

Vortices in the wake of a femtosecond laser filament, A. Ryabtsev, S. Pouya, M. Koochesfahani, and M. Dantus, Optics Express 2014, 22, 26098-26102.

Ultrafast Temporal Shaping Is Coming of Age, M. Dantus and K. Monro, Biophotonics 2014, 21, 24-28.

Multi-photon molecular tagging veloci-metry with femtosecond excitation (FemtoMTV), S. Pouya, A. Van Rhijn, M. Dantus, M. Koochesfahani, Experiments in Fluids 2014, 55, 1.