Femtosecond dynamics of electronic motion in nanostructures

We monitor the coherent motion of the polymer and fullerene molecules, which act in our sample as an electron donor and acceptor, by the use of high time-resolution pump-probe spectroscopy. Another application is photoemission of electrons from metallic nanotips illuminated by femtosecond laser pulses. Electron emission is localized to the nanometer-sized apex and may be remotely triggered via adiabatic nanofocussing. Therefore, metallic nanotips provide an ultrafast, nano-localized electron source for application in time-resolved electron microscopy.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Lienau is the head of the “Ultrafast Nano-Optics” group at the University of Oldenburg. It is his interest to probe the motion of charges, spins and nuclei in solid state and biological nanostructures on ultrasmall length and ultrashort time scales. In-depth knowledge about such motions is necessary to decipher the interplay between structure and function of technologically and biologically relevant nanostructures. To gain such knowledge, his group develops, implements and applies spectroscopic techniques providing nanometer spatial and atto- to femtosecond temporal resolution.

Ephraim Sommer is a PhD student in the group of Prof. Lienau with the focus on time-resolved pump-probe and 2D-spectroscopy, a technique that allows to reveal coherent coupling effects on femtosecond timescales.

PhD student Jörg Robin holds a DFG scholarship and investigates ultrafast dynamics of molecular mechanisms in organic und metallic nanostructures.