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Brian Washburn’s Research Interests

I am a physics graduate student working in the Ultrafast Optics Laboratory of the Georgia Institute of Technology under Dr. Stephen Ralph in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. My research interests range from the ultrafast optical properties of III-V semiconductors to the intensity and phase characterization of ultrashort pulses that propagate through optical fiber. The recurring theme in my research is the study of material optical properties and the use of these properties towards applications in photonic/telecommunication devices.

I am very familiar with semiconductor optical measurements: absorption measurements, photoluminescence (PL), PLE, time-resolved PL, and pump-probe spectroscopy. My current research deals with the characterization of ultrashort (100 fs to 10 ps) laser pulses using frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG). However, the idea here is not just to characterize ultrashort pulse sources. The goal of my research is to use FROG to investigate the performance of ultrafast photonic devices and systems. This includes the characterization of ultrashort pulses generated by semiconductor laser diodes; the effect of fiber dispersion and nonlinearities on pulse propagation; and the optical nonlinearities associated with supercontinuum generation in a microstructure optical fiber. I have listed below some specific work that I have accomplished while working on my degree. I am always free to discuss my work and interests so feel free to contact me via email at gte093k@prism.gatech.edu.

Introduction to Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating (SHG-FROG)