Dr. Yin Song
Assistant Research Scientist
My research interests focus on developing innovative spectroscopic tools and studying charge transfer in light harvesting systems. Working with colleagues in the Ogilvie group, I have developed multispectral multidimensional spectroscopy (MMDS) with a wide spectral window spanning ultraviolet to mid-infrared and a wide time window from femtoseconds to 100 s (Review of Scientific Instruments 90 (1), 013108 (2019)). This powerful tool provides a wealth of spectroscopic data to provide a more complete structural and dynamical picture of a wide range of systems in chemistry, physics, and materials research.
Illustration of existing and conceivable multispectral multidimensional spectroscopies spanning the THz-UV. The dashed box indicates capabilities of the MMDS instrument.
Sources and overall spectral range available for multispectral multidimensional spectroscopy with the MMDS. The UV, WL continuum, and NOPA are generated using a SpectraPhysics Spitfire Ace, while the DOPA and mid-IR spectrum are generated using a Solstice Ace amplifier.
Taking advantage of the newly developed MMDS, I have also focused on studying photoexcited dynamics crucial to the energy conversion in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs).
MMDS studies of organic photovoltaics
MMDS has enabled us to uncover the charge generation pathway via hole transfer which is often obscured by the electron-transfer dynamics within a single spectral window (read about this work here).
MMDS reveals vibronic structure
Using polarized multispectral 2DES, I have also uncovered detailed vibronic structure of two important photosynthetic pigments, an important prerequisite to understanding photosynthetic complexes (read about this work here).
More work on OPVs and photosynthetic reaction centers is in progress where I am using the mixed-frequency capabilities of MMDS, combining visible/near-IR (i.e. probing electronic transitions) and mid-IR probes (i.e. probing vibrational transitions).