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John Hepburn

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Research and Teaching Interests

Our group uses a variety of experimental techniques to study and control atomic and molecular dynamics with ultra-short laser pulses. In particular, we develop methods of quantum coherent control in which the coherence of laser light, the wave-like nature of matter, and the phenomenon of quantum interference are used to enhance or suppress certain physical and chemical processes. Among those processes are: photo-ionization of atoms, photo-fragmentation of molecules, Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering, atomic and molecular nano-deposition, and others. We also use lasers to create and study ion-pair molecular states, detect and characterize aerosol particles, and look at chemical reactions on solid surfaces.

Contact

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Email: 
Office Room Number(s): 
Room 224 - 6328 Memorial Road
Office Phone Number: 
604-822-1995
Fax Number: 
604-822-6295

Curriculum Vitae

B.Sc., University of Waterloo (1976); Ph.D., University of Toronto (J.C. Polanyi, 1980); NATO Postdoctoral Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Y.T. Lee, 1980-82); A.P. Sloan Foundation Fellow (1988-90); Professeur Associe, Universite Paris-Sud (1988, 1990, 1992); Noranda Award (1992); Rutherford Medal (Physics, 1992); Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada (1992); Canada Council Killam Fellowship (1995-97); Fellow of the American Physical Society (1999); Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2005)

Publications

2009

Konorov, S. O. ; Xu, X. J. G. ; Hepburn, J. W. ; Milner, V. Narrowband Spectroscopy By An All-Optical Correlation Of Broadband Laser Pulses. Physical Review A 2009, 79, 4.
Konorov, S. O. ; Xu, X. J. G. ; Hepburn, J. W. ; Milner, V. Characterization Of Transient Molecular Vibration Excited With Shaped Femtosecond Pulses. Journal of Chemical Physics 2009, 130, 5.
Zhdanovich, S. ; Shapiro, E. A. ; Hepburn, J. W. ; Shapiro, M. ; Milner, V. Complete Transfer Of Populations From A Single State To A Preselected Superposition Of States Using Piecewise Adiabatic Passage: Experiment. Physical Review A 2009, 80, 8.

2008

Zhang, Q. ; Hepburn, J. W. ; Shapiro, M. Observation Of Above-Threshold Dissociation Of Na-2(+) In Intense Laser Fields. Physical Review A 2008, 78, 4.
Zhdanovich, S. ; Shapiro, E. A. ; Shapiro, M. ; Hepburn, J. W. ; Milner, V. Population Transfer Between Two Quantum States By Piecewise Chirping Of Femtosecond Pulses: Theory And Experiment. Physical Review Letters 2008, 100.
Xu, X. J. G. ; Konorov, S. O. ; Hepburn, J. W. ; Milner, V. Background-Free Coherent Raman Spectroscopy By Detecting The Spectral Phase Of Molecular Vibrations. Optics Letters 2008, 33, 1177-1179.
Xu, X. G. ; Konorov, S. O. ; Hepburn, J. W. ; Milner, V. Noise Autocorrelation Spectroscopy With Coherent Raman Scattering. Nature Physics 2008, 4, 125-129.

2007

Xu, X. J. G. ; Konorov, S. O. ; Zhdanovich, S. ; Hepburn, J. W. ; Milner, V. Complete Characterization Of Molecular Vibration Using Frequency Resolved Gating. Journal of Chemical Physics 2007, 126.

2006

Hu, Q. J. ; Hepburn, J. W. Energetics And Dynamics Of Threshold Photoion-Pair Formation In Hf/df. Journal of Chemical Physics 2006, 124, 10.
Hu, Q. J. ; Zhang, Q. ; Hepburn, J. W. Threshold Ion-Pair Production Spectroscopy Of Hcn. Journal of Chemical Physics 2006, 124, 5.
Suits, A. G. ; Hepburn, J. W. Ion Pair Dissociation: Spectroscopy And Dynamics. Annual Review of Physical Chemistry 2006, 57, 431-465.

2005

Hu, Q. J. ; Hepburn, J. W. Dynamics And Energetics Of Photoion-Pair Formation In Hf/df. In DR2004: Sixth International Conference on Dissociative Recombination: Theory, Experiments and Applications; Wolf, A. ; Lammich, L. ; Schmelcher, P. ; DR2004: Sixth International Conference on Dissociative Recombination: Theory, Experiments and Applications; Iop Publishing Ltd: Bristol, 2005; Vol. 4, pp. 267-271.

2003

Hu, Q. J. ; Melville, T. C. ; Hepburn, J. W. Threshold Ion-Pair Production Spectroscopy Of Hcl/dcl: Born-Oppenheimer Breakdown In Hcl And Hcl+ And Dynamics Of Photoion-Pair Formation. Journal of Chemical Physics 2003, 119, 8938-8945.