Laboratory for Ultrafast Nanoscale Imaging and Spectroscopy

Overview

Our laboratory conducts research on nanoscale material processes at the fundamental length and time scales. The research facilities we are developing provide us the ability to generate snap-shot atomic-scale images to capture the defining moments of physical and chemical processes of significance to nanoscience and technology. Specifically, we would like to understand the mechanisms of phase transitions (atomic and electronic) in low-dimensional systems, the photogenerated hot electron dynamics at interfaces, and the far-from-equilibrium phenomena that involve multiscale, intercorrelated channels of atomic and electronic relaxations following the creation of an excited state in complex and mostly nanostructured solids.

The potential for directing the macroscopic phase and charge flow through photo-activation of atoms and electrons at the microscopic level in uniquely structured and composed materials accounts for a large body of technological applications, such as optical switching, data storage, nanoelectronics, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, as well as understanding basic sciences, such as generating mechanisms in functional materials exhibiting multoferroicity, superconductivity, macroscopic charge and spin orders, and exploring exotic phases of matter far-from-equilibrium.

These research efforts are intimately coupled with continuing development of ultrafast diffraction, imaging, and voltammetry techniques to provide the necessary resolutions and throughput to resolve the structural, electronic and charge dynamics on the femtosecond to nanosecond timescales.

Contact information:

Prof. Chong-Yu Ruan

Phone: (Office) 517.884.5655 (Labs) 517-8845691,517-8845584

Fax: 517.353.4500

E-mail: ruan[AT]pa[DOT]msu[DOT]edu

For shipping:

110 Biochemistry Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing
MI 48824-1319

For mailing:

Department of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
Biomedical Physical Sciences
567 Wilson Rd., Room 4226
East Lansing, MI 48824

Funding / Support provided by:

Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences

National Science Foundation through Division of Material Research

Michigan State University Foundation through Intramural Research Grant and Strategic Partnership Grant

American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund

Lab news

Aug. 2012, Electron-phonon coupling mechanisms in strongly correlated metal-insulator transition and 2D charge density wave materials are examined in Physical Review Letter and Physical Review B. Works in collaboration with Mahanti and Duxbury groups at MSU, Mercouri Kanatzidis group at Northwestern University, and Junqiao Wu group at UC-Berkeley.
June 2012 Ruan group teamed up with NSCL and MSU materials groups to study Materials under extreme conditions.
May 2012, Zhensheng received Zeits Research Endowment Fellowship.
Feb. 2012, Paper examining the space charge effect in the high-brightness electron beam systems is published in Journal of Applied Physics.
Dec 2011, Hilary received Bruce VerWest award.
Oct. 2011 MSU team founded to develop the next generation high-brightness electron diffraction and imaging systems through NSF MRI grant.
Sep. 2011, Methodology and applications of ultrafast electron diffractive voltammetry was laid out in a review article.
August 2010, Raman successfully defended his thesis, and joined Intel.
March 2010, Paper explores electronic effects in laser driven fragmentation of silver nanoparticles is published in Physical Review Letter.
December 2009, Ryan completed Ph.D. and will move to University of Washington in Seattle as a postdoc.
October 2009, Paper on imaging ultrafast photoelectron dynamics appear in Applied Physics Letter.
September 2009, Ruan group team up with Berz, Doleans, Crimp, Duxbury, & Dantus on SPG project to develop a mini-accelerator type nanoscale diffraction microscope.
August 2009, Chong-Yu receive Outstanding Researcher Award from OCPA.
July 2009, UEC review paper featured on the cover of the special issue of Microscopy and Microanalysis on Ultrafast Electron Microscopy and Ultrafast Sciences (Vol. 15, 323-337).
May 2009, Rick receive Carl Foiles Award
May 2009, Raman receive Zeits Research Endowment Fellowship
April 2009, Rick won the first place in poster competition in Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum at MSU
August 2008, Shaping up graphite with light. Paper appeared in Phys. Rev. Lett. and featured in Physical Review Focus.
June 2008, Measuring photovoltage at ultrafast speed. Paper appeared in Phys. Rev. B. and Virtual Journal of Ultrafast Science
May 2008, Rick won Bruce VerWest award of the Physics and Astronomy Department.
April 2008, Rick won the second place in poster competition in Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum at MSU
September 2007, Ruan teams up with Billinge, Kanatzidis, and Thorp's groups under NSF FRG for quantitative modeling for nanomaterials and studying complex materials
March 2007, Ultrafast meets ultrasmall
First paper is now online !

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