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DOWNER, MICHAEL W

Michael W Downer

Professor
Department of Physics

Professorship in Physics #2 (Holder) | Distinguished Teaching Professor

Femtosecond spectroscopy in condensed matter and plasmas; surface nonlinear optics; plasma-based particle accelerators

downer@physics.utexas.edu

Phone: 512-471-6054

Office Location
PMA 10.320

Postal Address
2515 SPEEDWAY
AUSTIN, TX 78712

Ph.D., Harvard University, 1983

Research Interests

Femtosecond spectroscopy in condensed matter and plasmas; Semiconductor interface physics, surface nonlinear optics; Atomic, Molecular, Plasma physics at high light intensity, plasma-based particle accelerators

Selected Publications

137) X. Gao, A. V. Arefiev, R. C. Korzekwa, X. Wang, B. Shim, M. C. DOWNER, “Spatio-temporal profiling of cluster mass fraction in a pulsed supersonic gas jet by frequency-domain holography,” J. Appl. Phys. 114, 034903 (2013).

136) X. Wang, R. Zgadzaj, N. Fazel, Z. Li, S. A. Yi, X. Zhang, W. Henderson, Y. –Y. Chang, R. Korzekwa, H.-E. Tsai, C.-H. Pai, H. Quevedo, G. Dyer, E. Gaul, M. Martinez, A. C. Bernstein, T. Borger, M. Spinks, M. Donovan, V. Khudik, G. Shvets, T. Ditmire and M. C. DOWNER, “Quasi-monoenergetic laser-plasma acceleration of electrons to 2 GeV,” Nature Communications 4, 1988 (2013).

135) Y.An, J. Price, Ming Lei and M. C. DOWNER, "Role of photo-assisted tunneling in time-dependent second-harmonic generation from Si surfaces with ultrathin oxides," Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 051602 (2013).

134) Ming Lei, J. Price, Wei-e Wang, Man Hoi Wong, G. Bersuker and M. C. DOWNER, “Characterization of anti-phase boundaries in hetero-epitaxial polar-on-nonpolar semiconductor films by optical second-harmonic generation,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 152103 (2013).

133) B. S. Mendoza, J. Wei and M. C. DOWNER, “Blue-shift of E2 critical point resonance in optical second-harmonic spectrum of Si nanocrystals,” physica status solidi (b) 249, 1166-1172 (2012).

132) Ming Lei, J. H. Yum, S. K. Banerjee and M. C. DOWNER, “Band offsets of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 and HfO2 on Si measured by linear and nonlinear photoemission,” physica status solidi (b) 249, 1160-1165 (2012).

  • Fellow, Optical Society of America 2003
  • President's Associates Teaching Excellence Award 2002
  • Teaching Excellence Award, UT Coll. Nat. Sciences 2001
  • Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, UT-Austin 2000
  • cited in Who's Who Among America's Teachers 2000
  • Fellow, American Physical Society 1999
  • Awarded U. S. Patent 5,557,409* 1996
  • cited in Who's Who in Science and Engineering 1993
  • NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award 1988-1993
  • ONR Young Investigator Award 1988-1991
  • IBM Faculty Development Award 1987-89
  • General George C. Marshall Scholar, Oxford University 1976-78

Lasers

Center for High Energy Density Physics

Institute for Fusion Studies

Texas Materials Institute