Tyler Cocker
 

Tyler developed a senior physics undergraduate project (Phys 429) in our group in 2006. His project was to setup a Z-scan system to measure the third order nonlinear refractive index of materials. The Z-scan apparatus was used to measure the non-linear properties of CdS quantum dots immobilized in a polystyrene matrix. Nonlinear absorption was also observed from those samples, since a absorption band of CdS is within the two-photon energy of our femtosecond laser system (410 nm).  Tyler was able to determine the value for the average nonlinear properties of the CdS materials and his results were in good agreement with previous data available in the literature. Tyler apparatus will now be used in a systematic investigation of the nonlinear properties of quantum dots that will be carried out in collaboration with Dr. Matt Moffitt. Tyler is now a graduate student in physics at the University of Alberta