Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Positron Physics

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Professor Peter Barker

I have a background in atomic and molecular laser spectroscopy, non-linear optics, and laser-induced phenomena in gases. Within the last six years my research has concentrated on the study of molecular manipulation and transport in optical fields. I also have expertise in developing applications from more basic optical physics research. I was awarded a PhD in Physics from the University of Queensland, Australia in 1996. From 1997 to 2001 I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate, and then a Research Scientist and Lecturer in the Applied Physics Group in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Princeton University. At Princeton, I began to study the manipulation of atoms and molecules in pulsed optical fields by studying coherent Rayleigh scattering from molecules trapped in optical lattices. During this time I was part of a multidisciplinary team of physicists and engineers from Princeton University, Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Livermore developing a new type of wind tunnel for accelerating gases to hypersonic speeds using lasers and electron beams. In 2001 I took up the position of Lecturer in the Physics Department at Heriot-Watt University and became a Senior Lecturer in 2004. In October 2006 I joined the AMOP group at UCL as a Reader and are currently an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow. I was promoted to Professor in October 2007 and continue to study the manipulation of molecules in intense optical fields with a particular emphasis on the creation of cold molecules by optical Stark deceleration.

Research interests

Research. New! PhD and Postdoc positions available.

AMOPP MPhil to PhD transfer information

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