XLAB lecturer Dr. Carsten Nowak led the participants of his course from the basics of laser physics to the in-depth study of laser applications, particularly in research.
During a laboratory tour on the topic of "Ultrafast Transmission Electron Microscopy" in Professor Ropers' working group at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Göttingen, Jan-Wilke Henke from the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Natural Sciences introduced the participants to the research and development of this method in Göttingen, which is being carried out as part of the SFB 1073. Our ultrafast TEM is the first in Germany, and it is the first time-resolved TEM worldwide that uses the localized photoemission from a field-emission tip to create an extremely high laser-triggered electron beam quality.
The participants used their new findings to implement various projects in small groups. They took their ideas from the theory and practice of the previous days. Dr. Nowak encouraged them to push the boundaries of what had been tried and tested, advising and guiding them. The group was first successful with the goal of changing the wavelength of the laser. This was followed by the measurement of the speed of light, the construction of a Nd:YAG laser system and the construction of a nitrogen laser. The unanimous opinion of the participants on this challenge: “If you only keep one thing, it should be the individual projects.”