Capabilities & Funding
Center capabilities are a direct result of the funding from our grant sponsors including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the State of Colorado, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
| PI/Sponsor | Title |
| Neeves - NIH (Challenge Grant) | Use of Microfluidics in Determining Hemostatic Phenotypes |
| Squier - NIBIB/NIH EB003832 (BRP) |
Optical Manipulation of Neuronal and Vascular Tissue with High-Energy Ultrashort Pulses |
| Marr/Squier/Jimenez - NSF DBI-0852868 |
Collaborative Research: Development of a High Speed Cell Mechanical Property Testing Cytometer |
| Marr/Eggleton - NIAID/NIH 1R01-AI079347 |
High-Throughput Cell Mechanical Property Testing for Label-Free Assaying |
| Squier - AFOSR STTR - Phase II |
Highly Parallel, High Speed Femtosecond Micromachining of Microfluidic Devices |
| Squier/Marr - State of Colorado Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade |
Portable Microfluidics for a Complete Blood Count Analysis |
| Jimenez/Palmer - NIH R01-GM084027-01 |
Genetically Encoded Sensors Shed Light on Zn+2 Homeostasis |
| Jimenez/Palmer - NIH R01-GM083849-01 |
Microfluidics-based Selections for Optimization of Red Fluorescent Proteins |
Our capabilities center around a world-class ultrafast optical science laboratory, featuring three state-of-the-art, high-intensity chirped pulse amplification systems and a large array of femtosecond laser oscillators for imaging and spectroscopy. Such femtosecond optical capabilities require significant infrastructure, facilities not readily available at most institutions. These sources are capable of generating and controlling electromagnetic radiation spanning from the x-ray regime to millimeter waves (terahertz).
| Laser Source | Specifications |
| TW Ti:sapphire kilohertz Chirped Pulse Amplification system (Terawatt arm) | This laser is designed to produce 20-fs, 15 mJ pulses at a repetition rate of 1 kHz, for a peak power of ~1 TeraWatt. |
| TW kilohertz (Millijoule arm) | This low intensity arm of the kilohertz system is presently operational and routinely used for experiments. It produces 40 fs pulses, 300 µJ per pulse. |
| Extended Cavity Ti:sapphire Oscillator system | In daily use, it produces 300 mW average power at a repetition rate of 19 Mhz, and a pulse duration of 30 fs. |
| Diode-pumped, femtosecond Nd:Glass oscillator | In daily use. The laser produces up to 100 mW average power at a 100MHz repetition rate, 150 fs pulses at a central wavelength of 1064 nm. |
| Diode-pumped KGW lasers | Single beam extended cavity Yb:KGW laser oscillator : 50 MHz,
2.7 W average power 250 fs pulses |
| 5 TW Ti:sapphire Chirped Pulse Amplification system | System produces 100 mJ, 20 fs pulses at a 20 Hz repetition rate. |