Natalia M. Dushkina

Assistant Professor of Physics, Ph.D.

Research Interests

• Optics, Lasers and Material Science
• Optical properties of semiconductors: characterization of II-VI compounds semiconductors and thin CdS films formed by laser ablation by photocurrent, photoluminescence, bistability in photoluminescence, reflection and transmission measurements. Study of the hybrid bistability in CdS crystals and the optoelectronic properties of thin film p-InP/n-CdS heterostructures.
• Femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy: studing the third-order optical nonlinearities in polymer and semiconducting layers by pump-probe technique using 120 fs pulses from a Ti:sapphire laser and novel Sagnac interferometer.
• Photorefractive effect in crystals and polymers. We have proposed a new method for incoherent to coherent optical conversion based on the non-stationary amplification of the holographic recording in doped BSO crystals, which gives a positive coherent replica of the incoherent image.
• Total internal reflection, Diffraction gratings, Holography. Experimental and theoretical study the behavior of diffraction gratings working under total internal reflection of light and their applications for measurement and control of the optical characteristics of thin solid films and small quantity of liquids. Experience also in holographic recording of diffraction gratings and holography with evanescent waves.
• Diffraction gratings: work on modelling and simulation of diffraction gratings using commercial ray tracing packages such as PC Grate of Optometrics USA, Inc., and Zemax of Focus Software, Inc.
• Birefringence effect and applications: Birefringence measurements of optical disk materials using the phase shifting technique.
• Nano-materials, Photoluminescence from nanoparticles, Self-assembled nanostructures,
• Holography; Laser applications,
• Industrial laser systems, Laser processing of thin foils and semiconductor wafers; Water-jet guided laser technology;
• Physics Education and Physics Education Research.