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The JILA MONSTR
The JILA MONSTR (Multidimensional Optical Nonlinear SpecTrometer) is used by researchers at JILA to study the coupling of multiple excitons--hydrogen-like, quasi particles consisting of negatively charged electrons bound to positively charged "holes" in semiconductors--in semiconductor quantum wells. Semiconductors are materials whose electrical conductivity increases when light shines on them and quantum wells are extremely thin layers of semiconductor materials. These layers are so thin that tiny particles in them exist as waves and their behavior is dominated by quantum mechanics. Consequently, quantum wells are ideal for studying the strange properties of quantum physics, including some unexpected particle couplings.
This research was conducted by the Cundiff group at JILA, who investigate the interactions of ultra-short pulses of light with matter, including semiconductors and atomic vapors. JILA is a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. For further information about this research, see Adventures in coupling. (Date of Image: January 2009)
Credit: Greg Kuebler, JILA
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