Ultrafast optical techniques provide powerful probes of different states of matter, using light pulses that have femtosecond duration. In Warwick our activities span a number of areas:
studying the dynamics of the light-matter interaction in novel compounds and nanomaterials via terahertz spectroscopy and pump-probe methods,
performing terahertz medical imaging and spectroscopy,
developing methods and components for terahertz imaging and terahertz spectroscopy.
Group facilities
The Group has labs across the campus, in the main Physics building, Materials and Analytical Sciences, and Millburn House. Read more about our experimental capabilities in terahertz science and technology. We also run the Research Technology Platform.
We make use of a wide range of Warwick's excellent materials analysis equipment, including , Raman spectroscopy, and .
Join the group!
PhD positions are available for UK students and potentially for exceptional international students. Please get in touch if you are interested in PhD or MSc by Research topics in the group. We also support postdoctoral researchers to apply for independent fellowship schemes - let us know if that appeals.
Group, Theses & Photos
Contact details for our current and our photo gallery. For recent theses from the group, please see here.
Research areas
Nanomaterials
We use pump/probe spectroscopy to study how light and matter interact on femtosecond to nanosecond timescales. Using visible probes we can track electronic processes, while infrared radiation lets us study vibrational states of molecules and atomic-scale defects in semiconductors.
Performing in vivo studies of the THz properties of skin is a major initiative in the group, supported by the EPSRC Terabotics Programme GrantLink opens in a new window. We develop robust measurement protocols and test them on a statistically significant number of patients, cross-checking with other methods.
A major strand of our research is to improve our knowledge of the fundamental science underpinning new semiconductor materials, such as metal-halide perovskites, which are often attractive for photovoltaic applications.
We develop new THz devices and integrate them into novel systems designs that can perform THz imaging and THz spectroscopy faster, and with increased capabilities (e.g. polarisation control; robot-controlled probes).
A. Currie, J. Liu, J.M. Woolley, and J. Lloyd-Hughes, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. - - (Apr 2026)
Phonon engineering has improved charge transport in semiconducting organic molecules by introducing high mass side chains, which ameliorate harmful transient localization. The influence of these side chains on thermal energy transfer and dynamic disorder has not been fully explored. In this work, we first use low temperature X-ray diffraction to probe thermally induced structural changes in functionalized acene molecular semiconductors, combined with low temperature IR spectroscopy to track changes to their vibrational energy landscape. Furthermore, time-resolved IR pump–IR probe spectroscopy is employed to measure IR absorption kinetics associated with the high mass side chains of molecules, revealing intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution pathways. Alkyne groups in the side chains are shown to act as vibrational energy traps, remaining hot for time scales of >2 ns. The results reveal nonequilibrium vibrational pathways associated with side chains that may influence the phonon manifold relevant to dynamic disorder.
Jake D. Hutchinson, Marcin Giza, Nathaniel P. Gallop, Benjamin Vella, Edward Butler-Caddle, Shaoyang Wang, James Lloyd-Hughes, Pablo Docampo and Rebecca L Milot
Adv. Optical Materials 13 e02011 (Dec 2025)
The incorporation of Ruddlesden–Popper (RP)/3D perovskite heterostructures into photovoltaic cells has been shown to increase both the efficiency and stability of the devices. Here, a series of methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI3) thin films treated with varying 2-phenylethylammonium (PEA) concentrations are investigated with static and ultrafast spectroscopic techniques to reveal the mechanisms of the observed performance benefits. Transient absorption spectroscopy is employed to elucidate the effect of a surface RP layer on the excited state of the MAPbI3 films and reveal that several different RP structures are formed and participate in the charge-carrier dynamics. The passivation effects of PEA are investigated with optical pump–terahertz probe (OPTP) experiments using a variety of excitation conditions to simultaneously probe the surface and bulk recombination dynamics. Fitting models to the OPTP data for each excitation scheme allows the material parameters that govern the ultrafast dynamics to be quantified. It is found that as the PEA concentration increases, the surface recombination velocity exhibits a monotonic decrease, suggesting the RP layer is effective at passivating surface traps. Furthermore, the bulk monomolecular recombination rate is also found to decrease with the addition of PEA, indicating that the benefits of this passivation approach are not limited to the upper surface of the MAPbI3 films.
T.J. Keat, J. Zhao, J.M. Woolley, P. Malakar, G.M. Greetham, X. Wu, J.P. Goss, R.J. Cruddace, C.B. Hartland, M.W. Dale, V.G. Stavros, M.E. Newton and J. Lloyd-Hughes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 135 216902 (Nov 2025)
We investigated ultrafast defect-lattice dynamics in diamond using the Ns:贬鈭扖0 defect, an analog of bond-centered hydrogen in semiconductors. Combining synthesis, ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy, and ab initio calculations, we show that excitation of the defect鈥檚 stretch mode leads to the generation of localized phonons and the formation of a hot ground state, where the interatomic potential is transiently modified. Our results reveal unexpected nonequilibrium phonon effects despite diamond鈥檚 exceptionally high thermal conductivity, with implications for quantum defect engineering.
J. Lloyd-Hughes, N. Chopra, J. Deveikis, R. Pandya and J. Woolley J. Infrared mm THz 46 34 (May 2025)
Electro-optic sampling allows the electric field of THz, mid-infrared and visible light pulses to be measured directly as a function of time, with data analysis often performed in the frequency domain after fast Fourier transform. Here, we review aspects of Fourier theory relevant to the frequency-domain analysis of light pulses recorded in the time domain. We describe a 鈥渂est practise鈥� approach to using the discrete Fourier transform that ensures consistency with analytical results from the continuous Fourier transform. We summarise a phenomenological time-domain model of THz pulses, based on carrier and envelope waves, and show that it can reproduce a wide variety of experimental single- to multi-cycle THz pulses, with exemplary data from lab-based sources (photoconductive antennae, optical rectification, spintronic emitters) and a THz free-electron laser. A quantitative comparison of the spectral energy density of these distinct sources is enabled by the amplitude-accurate discrete Fourier transform. We describe a method that ensures the accurate calculation of the absolute spectral phase (valid for arbitrary sampling windows in the time domain) and summarise how the carrier-envelope phase, pulse arrival time, and chirp can be obtained from the phase. Our aim with this overview of THz pulse analysis is to highlight algorithms and concepts that are useful to newcomers to time-domain spectroscopy and experts, alike.
