Alan Bristow

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR / Associate CHAIR of physics and Astronomy

Condensed Matter Experiment / Photonics / Light-Matter Interactions

Biography

Prof. Bristow received his Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield in 2004. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto from 2003 to 2006, a Research Associate at JILA from 2006 to 2010 and an Adjunct Instructor at the Colorado School of Mines in 2009. He joined the department in 2010 and is currently serving as the Associate Chair (2019-2020).

Prof. Bristow was on sabbatical at the Technical University of Dortmund in 2017 and 2018. He has been an Associate at National Institute of Standards and Technology since 2017 and an Associate Editor for Optical Materials Express since 2018. He is a member of the Optical Society of America and the American Physical Society.

Courses

Prof. Bristow has taught the following courses:

PHYS-112 – University Physics II (with calculus)
PHYS-211 – Introduction to Mathematical Physics
PHYS-321 – Optics
PHYS-479/779 – Laboratory Research (in the Ultrafast Nanophotonics Group)
PHYS-771 – Introduction to Solid State Physics
PHYS-772 – Semiconductor Physics
PHYS-774 – Optical Properties of Solids
PHYS-791 (Special Topics) – Laser Physics and Quantum Optics

In addition to teaching lecture courses, Prof. Bristow mentors undergraduate and graduate students in research activities. He has graduated Ph.D. students whom have gone on to be postdoctoral researchers at top-tier research schools, visiting professors at liberal arts colleges, and employees in industrial and government lab positions.

Research

Prof. Bristow leads the Ultrafast Nanophotonics group, using short laser pulses to determine coherent and dynamic properties of electrons in condensed matter. Light-matter interactions provide insight into new physics at the nanoscale and are useful characterization tools for materials and structures that have potential for electronic, photonic, spintronic and energy-harvesting applications.

Book(s)

“Noble and Precious Metals: Properties, Nanoscale Effects and Applications,” M. S. Seehra and A. D. Bristow (Eds.) IntechOpen (July 4th 2018)

Selected Journal Publications (full list @ google scholar)

J. K. Wahlstrand, G. M. Wernsing, J. Paul, A. D. Bristow, “Automated polarization-dependent multidimensional coherent spectroscopy phased using transient absorption,” Optics Express 27, 31790 (2019).
H. P. Piyathilaka, R. Sooriyagoda, V. Dewasurendra, M. B. Johnson, K. T. Zawilski, P. G. Schunemann, A. D. Bristow, “Terahertz generation by optical rectification in chalcopyrite crystals” ZnGeP2, CdGeP2 and CdSiP2,” Optics Express 27, 16958 (2019).
S. Anghel, F. Passmann, C. Rupert, A. D. Bristow, M. Betz “Coupled exciton-trion spin dynamics in a MoSe2 monolayer,” 2D Materials 5, 045024 (2018).
H. Esmaielpour, V. R. Whiteside, H. P. Piyathilaka, S. Vijeyaragunathan, B. Wang, E. Adcock-Smith, K. P. Roberts, T. D. Mishima, M. B. Santos, A. D. Bristow, I. R. Sellers, “Original of inhibited hot carrier cooling in type-II InAs/AlAs1-xSbx quantum wells,” Scientific Reports 8, 12473-9 (2018).
D. A. Bas, R. A. Muniz, S. Babakiray, D. Lederman, J. E. Sipe, A. D. Bristow, “Identification of photocurrents in topological insulators,” Optics Express 24, 23583-23595 (2016).
J. Li, S. K. Cushing, F. Meng, T. R. Senty, A. D. Bristow, N. Wu, “Plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer for solar energy conversion,” Nature Photonics 9, 601-607 (2015).
B. L. Wilmer, F. Passmann, M. Gehl, G. Khitrova, A. D. Bristow, “Multidimensional coherent spectroscopy of a semiconductor microcavity,” Physical Review B 91, 201304(R) (2015).
S. K. Cushing, J. Li, F. Meng, T. R. Senty, S. Suri, M. Zhi, M. Li, A. D. Bristow, N. Q. Wu, “Photo-catalytic activity enhanced by plasmonic resonant energy transfer from metal to semiconductor,” Journal of American Chemical Society 134, 15033-15041 (2012).