Archana Raja

Bio:

Dr. Raja uses optical spectroscopy and microscopy in conjunction with other advanced characterization techniques to understand electronic, excitonic and vibrational properties of nanoscale materials. Ultrafast dynamics and nonlinear processes occurring at nanometer length scales are investigated using femtosecond laser pulses. Current materials of interest prepared in Dr. Raja’s group include atomically thin two-dimensional materials like graphene and transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers. These ultrathin layers are further microscopically assembled into van der Waals heterostructures and devices. The properties of such systems are very sensitive to the local environment and using this as a means to non-invasively engineer new functionalities for energy, charge and information transport is a topic of study in the group.