Microscopy has been a major theme in RCaH from the start. This area has largely been driven by the Central Laser Facility, with its Octopus facility developing and operating microscopy facilities for the research community.
Octopus is probably the largest suite of microscopy instrumentation in the UK, offering a wide range of fluorescence-based microscopy techniques for the research community. Over the last ten years, developments have focused on single molecule microscopy, ‘super-resolution’ microscopy, and correlative microscopy. The use of correlative microscopy is undergoing explosive growth, and RCaH is well placed to lead developments.
There is a constant exchange of ideas, methodology, and applications between the life and physical sciences. For example, astronomy methods are used to analyse single molecule data from cells and to improve the resolution of optical microscopes, and super-resolution techniques originally developed for the life sciences are now used to characterise designer materials and catalysts.
Artemis investigates ultrafast electron dynamics in condensed matter and gas-phase molecules, and for coherent lensless imaging.
The CLF is the UK’s national laser facility and offers access to advanced laser technologies. Two facilities, ULTRA and Octopus, are housed at RCaH.
We offer access to state-of-the-art spectrometers for photoelectron spectroscopy in our main laboratory based at RCaH.
Our research focuses on developing advanced Raman spectroscopy ‘through-barrier’ methods for non-invasive probing of turbid media.
Our research focuses on the X-ray imaging and computational simulation of materials at a microstructural level.
Our group focuses on the growth of quantum materials in the form of thin films and of nanostructures using molecular beam epitaxy, UHV sputtering and CVD.
