MRI: Acquisition of a Streak Camera System for Time-resolved Photoluminescence Spectroscopy

Non-Technical Description:

Photoluminescence is light emission from a material after absorption of light in a different color with a shorter wavelength or a higher photon energy. The color of the emitted light provides important information about the material's electronic properties. A streak camera is a complex scientific instrument that measures the variation of the intensity of light pulses with respect to time with picosecond temporal resolution.

This major research instrumentation (MRI) grant adds a streak camera to an existing photoluminescence measurement system. The combined instrument enables time-resolved photoluminescence measurements to study the dynamics of the electronic relaxation processes in materials such as semiconductors, protein receptors, and DNA. The new equipment strengthens training of the graduate and undergraduate students at Brooklyn College.

The instrument is accessible to other institutions in the New York City area, and thus promotes broader collaboration and enhances research expertise. In addition, the educational benefit extends to local high school students who are involved in research projects at Brooklyn College. Technical Description:

The acquisition of a streak camera extends the time-resolved measurement capability in the current photoluminescence system at Brooklyn College. The instrument supports a research project on wide bandgap semiconductors for solid state single photon emissions. It helps understanding the underlying optical and electronic properties and carrier dynamics in the emission processes, which is necessary for photonic device application of such materials.

The addition of the streak camera also supports research on photodynamics of the cation-pi interaction and its role in protein function. It enables measurements of lifetimes in temporal resolution up to picoseconds with wavelengths ranging from the deep ultraviolet to the visible for continued progress in the spectroscopic characterization of cation-pi interactions.

The extended temporal and optical range of the combined instrument is also applied to a study of the dynamics of biological macromolecules: G-quadruplexed DNA.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.