B.A. St. Olaf College (1991)
M.A. Rice University (1994)
Ph.D. Rice University (1996)
I am an experimentalist working in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. My field is laser cooling and trapping, which uses lasers and magnetic fields to cool atoms to a fraction of a degree within absolute zero.
A recent project studied Feshbach Optimized photoassociation: ultracold atoms undergo resonant collision, where a photon binds them together into an excited-state molecule, allowing molecular spectroscopy inaccessible with any other method. Another project uses the ultracold atoms as a non-linear medium for a quantum optics experiment studying electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), a common method for precision spectroscopy. We study the process using Laguerre-Gaussian laser beams, which have orbital angular momentum.
A new project uses the ultracold atoms as a source for monochromatic ion beams for precision microscopy. We use the ultracold atoms to prepare ions with a very narrow energy width. These ions are used to spectroscopic studies of surfaces.
I also work in physics education, researching the effects of motivation and belonging with regards to retention physics and progress through STEM degrees.
