Placement Information
Year you started your placement
2014
Placement period
May – August
Supervisor’s name
Markus Sondermann
Project Details
Overview
I am part of the 4piPAC (photon atom coupling) group. As the name suggests, the primary goal of this group is to achieve a higher coupling efficiency between light and matter. The project that I am working on attempts to do this by trapping ions in a parabolic mirror and exciting these atoms with a spatially and temporally shaped laser pulse. The shape of this pulse is a linear dipole wave that is the reversal of the ion’s spontaneously emitted photon from an excited state. This linear dipole can be created by reflecting a “donut” laser mode off the parabolic mirror.
Project objectives
My project deals with the creation of the donut modes used to excite the atoms in the parabolic mirror. The parabolic mirror used in this experiment is unfortunately not perfect and introduces phase front aberrations to the incoming dipole wave. These aberrations severely decreased the quality of the dipole wave and lower the coupling efficiency. It is my goal to use a phase only spatial light modulator (SLM) to both create the donut modes and correct for any imperfections of the parabolic mirror and other optical components.
The creation of the donut modes has been previously attempted using similar methods and is well documented. The more difficult task will be to correct for any phase aberrations in the optical system. Since all the incident light is focused on an ion, it is not possible to observe the quality of the wavefront after reflection off the parabolic mirror. The only parameter that can be measured during the experiment is the fluorescence of the ion, making it difficult to use traditional optimization methods like the Gerchberg-Saxton Algorithm. Instead, a genetic algorithm will be used to optimize the wavefront correction performed by the SLM.
Research outcomes
Most of my first few months were spent calibrating the SLM and creating a program to interface with it. Using this program, the SLM is able to create different Laguerre-Gaussian modes including the donut mode required for this experiment. A measurement of the Stokes polarization parameters showed a combined overlap (including intensity, polarization direction, and polarization ellipticity) of approximately 90% with an ideal donut mode. This is a promising result as phase aberration correction has not yet been implemented.
Project status
Completed
Expected completion date
12/19/2014
ConnorVandenberg – 2014 – Presentation
My Co-op Experience at MPI
Why did you apply for a placement with Max Planck Institute?
There were several reasons that led me to apply for this position. For this co-op term I was looking specifically for a job abroad since it was an experience that I really wanted to have before I graduated. The Max Planck jobs in particular caught my interest since it is known for being one of the leading research institutes in the world and some of the jobs were relevant to areas in which I was interested (optics). In addition to this, the idea of working in Germany really appealed to me since I had previously considered the possibility of working there after graduation.
What recommendations do you have for students who wish to participate in MPI-UBC exchange program?
As far as the job itself, it is very important to get to know everyone in your lab and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Although I was really interested in optics I had relatively little experience with it when I started at Max Planck. It was almost overwhelming at times since I was the only bachelor’s student there and everyone else was a PhD student or post-doc. However, by watching others work in the lab and asking lots of questions I was able to get the hang of things fairly quickly.
There are also many free seminars and colloquiums offered at both the university and the institute. Don’t hesitate to attend if you seen one that interests you as they are usually quite informative. Depending on where you are, some of these lectures may even be mandatory.
Outside of work life, the obvious recommendation is to make good use of your free time and travel lots. Germans (and by extension co-op students in Germany) generally have much more holiday time that someone in Canada would. Work hard, but don’t be afraid to ask for time off for some bigger trips. Even if you don’t travel far, I have found that there always seems to be some festival or event happening in a local town. These have easily been just as fun as some of the bigger trips I’ve done and could offer a less touristic and more traditional German experience.
Tell us about your travels and cultural experiences in Germany and the rest of the Europe
As I mentioned above, I really enjoy all the local German “Volksfests” and other events. They are amazing to attend even just to see the number of people that show up – I can’t think of anything similar in Canada. For example, a festival in my town of 100,000 people attracted more than 5 million visitors over the course of 10 days! I also attended a huge bratwurst competition where I could try sausages made by butchers throughout the region and vote for my favorites (hard to decide as they were all so good!).
It is also incredibly easy to do longer trips here without spending too much money. There are many good deals to be found with budget airlines or even trains if you book far enough in advance. This has been my first time in Europe so it’s been really eye opening just to travel to nearby countries and experience some of the local culture. So far I have been to London, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Bern, Utrecht, Berlin, Munich and many more smaller cities. Next month I will be heading to Morocco and Eastern Europe the month after (I am on an 8 month co-op and halfway done as of writing this).
