Robert Baker (Chemistry)
The Baker group focuses on understanding surface electron dynamics and interfacial charge transfer in catalytic systems. Much more is currently known about molecular photophysics and photochemical reaction dynamics compared to surface photochemistry due to the challenge of probing surfaces selectively with sensitivity to oxidation state, spin state, carrier thermalization, lattice distortions, and charge trapping at defect states. Femtosecond soft x-ray reflectivity developed in our group is now enabling such studies with the goal of advancing the field of surface chemical physics.
Christopher Ball (ElectroScience Laboratory)
Dr. Ball develops sensor and communication technology across the electromagnetic spectrum, from RF to X-rays and everything in between. Recent examples include a near infrared spectroscopic sensor to assess the quality of food and agricultural products, an X-ray communication system for high data rate spaceborne communications, infrared detector technologies that enable remote lidar and imaging sensing for Earth science and military applications, laser imaging to detect and characterize methane leaks, and sub-millimeter wave spectroscopic sensor to detect formaldehyde and other carbonyls in ambient air.
Michael Chini (Physics)
Mike Chini’s group focuses on the development and application of next-generation laser-based attosecond light sources and field-resolved spectroscopic tools to study electron dynamics in atoms, molecules, and solids. They use ultrafast lasers to generate coherent few-cycle light sources, covering terahertz to exahertz regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and apply them using time-domain optical and photoelectron spectroscopies. The goals of the research are to probe the dynamic electronic structure of materials driven strongly out of equilibrium by an intense laser field, and to investigate the physics of electron wave packet coherence and electron correlation on extreme time scales.
Daniel Gauthier (Physics)
Dr. Gauthier is an experimental Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physicist who studies the physics of information. He is developing systems for achieving secure communication between two parties, known as quantum key distribution, and has achieved record-setting rates for key exchange. In collaboration with Prof. Gregory Lafyatis, he is also developing superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors for applications in quantum optics and quantum computing and studies photonic approaches for quantum computing and quantum machine learning. On the classical information side, he uses Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to study the dynamics of large networks with applications to information processing, artificial neural networks, and artificial intelligence.
John Herbert (Theoretical Chemistry)
Research in the Herbert group aims to develop theoretical methods and software for computational spectroscopy. We are interested in quantum chemistry (broadly defined), and our group is amongst the leading developers of the Q-Chem software package.
Alexandra Landsman (Physics)
Our theoretical group studies the ensuing dynamics when ultrashort intense light shines on atoms, molecules and condensed matter systems. These ultrashort flashes of light are on a time scale of attoseconds (10^(-18) seconds) to femtoseconds (10^(-15) seconds), which is comparable to the time-scale of the electron motion inside matter. The ultimate goal of this field is accurate imaging and control of electron dynamics on the attosecond time-scale.
Jinghua Li (Materials Science and Engineering)
A key innovation in Li’s research is the emphasis on addressing the biochemical dimension within the realm of bio-integrated electronics and optoelectronics. In contrast to the well-established and commercialized systems for monitoring biophysical signals such as electrophysiology and oximetry, the exploration of biochemical signals is still in its early stages in current research endeavors. Achieving optimal functionality in these sensing schemes demands a holistic understanding of biochemical interfaces, transducers, and their electrochemical coupling strategies with optoelectronics. Centered on electrochemistry, Li has developed advanced analytical methods that connect solution-sensor interfaces (enzymes, aptamers, ion-selective membranes) with thin-film materials/electronics (diodes, field-effect transistors, fuel cells) to quantify biochemical signals. Her research outcomes have resulted in a broadly applicable biosensing framework at Ohio State, enabling her and her colleagues to conduct diverse biosignal assessments tailored to specific scenarios. Li's research group has demonstrated integration schemes for creating bio-integrated electronics, such as neural probes and sweat patches, that interact with biomarkers, including metabolites, ions, and neurotransmitters, in both animal models and human subjects. These systems successfully address long-standing limitations related to form factor mismatch at the biotic-abiotic interface and have been proven to reliably capture biochemical information continuously. By exploring various modalities, including transient and long-term, static and dynamic, wearable and implantable, her research will ultimately result in the development of engineering tools for monitoring multiple bio-signals through stable integration with biosystems.
David Nippa (ElectroScience Laboratory)
Dr. Nippa is a research scientist specializing in the development of cutting-edge technologies across a wide range of applications involving the electromagnetic spectrum. With expertise in integrated optics, he has designed and tested advanced planar lightwave circuits for high-speed modulation, photon pair generation through spontaneous parametric down-conversion, and sensor systems. Additionally, he has worked on microwave photonic systems that leverage photonic technologies to enable high-data-rate communication at millimeter-wave frequencies. His background also includes the creation of computational electromagnetics simulation software, applied to fields such as passive radar, directed energy, and GPS receivers.
Steven Olmschenk (Astronomy/Physics)
Steven Olmschenk does research in experimental atomic physics and quantum information with laser-cooled, trapped ions. Trapped atomic ions are one of the leading platforms for applications in quantum information due to their long trapping times, good coherence properties, and the precise control of quantum states enabled by microwave and laser radiation. Dr. Olmschenk is pursuing methods to directly interface trapped ions with infrared, telecom-compatible photons, where the attenuation in optical fiber is minimized. Interfacing ions with infrared photons is expected to be advantageous for protocols that utilize atom-photon entanglement, including quantum networks for applications in secure communication and distributed computation.
Ronald Reano (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Reano's research activity is in the area of integrated optics and photonics. Integrated optics involves the manipulation of light at the micrometer and nanometer scales. It is analogous to integrated electronics. Instead of electrons, however, photons are guided and controlled on the surface of an optical chip. Thin-film technology is applied to realize optical circuits and devices for the purpose of achieving high-performance optical systems with advantages in efficiency, miniaturization, mechanical stability, and economies of scale. Applications span sensors, communications systems, and computing.
Rengasayee Veeraraghavan (Biomedical Engineering)
The Nanocardiology lab's long-term research goal is to elucidate the dynamic relationship between the nano-scale structural milieu of ion channels and macroscopic electrophysiology of excitable tissues in health and disease. Of particular interest to my laboratory are the structural underpinnings of cardiac electrical impulse propagation – specifically, the role of specialized nanodomains within cardiac myocytes in the process. Our approach to this problem utilizes a diverse array of imaging techniques, ranging from super-resolution nanoscopy (STORM, STED, Minflux) to whole heart optical mapping, in conjunction with innovative, high throughput image analysis approaches. Thus, we divide our efforts between developing novel imaging and image analysis tools and applying them to advance our life science research.
Wes Walter (Physics)
Wes Walter does research in experimental atomic, molecular, and optical physics. In collaboration with Dr. Dan Gibson, he uses lasers, OPOs, and synchrotrons to study negative ions with main goals of expanding the physical chemistry database and better understanding the role of electron correlation in atomic and molecular structure and dynamics. Recent work has focused on high-precision measurements of atomic electron affinities, photodetachment spectroscopy of negative ion bound and quasibound excited states, and studies of electronic and radiative decay dynamics in negative ions. Dr. Walter conducts experiments both on campus at Denison University and at scientific user facilities including the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the DESIREE ion storage ring at Stockholm University, Sweden