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DR ALEXIS I. BISHOP

Dr Alexis Bishop

Monash Research Fellow/Australian Postdoctoral Fellow

BSc(Hons I) Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 1994
PhD (Physics), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2002
Phone +61 (3) 9905 5936, +61 (3) 9905 3620, FAX +61 (3) 9905 3637

Email:Alexis.Bishop @sci.monash.edu.au

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dr Bishop's current research interests are in the field of molecular optics.
Neutral molecules and atoms can be accelerated, decelerated and aligned in the presence of high intensity, non-resonant laser pulses. Using these techniques, a current project is to demonstrate a prototype helium beam microscope which uses a focussed low-energy beam of neutral helium to provide a new form of surface-interaction specific imaging at resolutions on the order of 100 nm. In principle, atomic or molecular beams of any species can be focussed by the proposed technique, which would permit the development of species-specific imaging of a surface. Direct nanofabrication of structures using the focussed beams would also be possible.
Any species of neutral atom or molecule can be brought to rest using molecular optics techniques. Once stationary, they can be trapped and cooled, potentially eventually reaching the temperatures required for Bose-Einstein condensation.

Positions Available

Projects are available for students interested in pursuing an experimentally-based Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in the following areas:

  • Focusing of atoms and molecules for molecular-beam microscopy
  • Slowing and trapping of neutral molecules

Please contact for details.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Fulton R, Bishop AI, Shneider MN and Barker PF, Controlling the motion of cold molecules with deep periodic optical potentials, Nature Physics 2, 465-468, 2006

Fulton R, Bishop AI, Barker PF. Focussing ground state xenon in a pulsed optical field. Phys Rev A 71 043404, 2005.

Fulton R, Bishop AI, Barker PF. Optical Stark decelerator for molecules. Phys Rev Lett 93 (24): art. no. 243004, 2004.

Bishop AI, McIntyre TJ, Littleton BN, et al. OH concentration and temperature measurements by use of near-resonant holographic interferometry. Appl Optics 43 (35): 6384-6390, 2004.

Bishop AI, McIntyre TJ, Littleton BN, et al. Near-resonant holographic interferometry and absorption measurements of seeded atomic species in a flame. Appl Optics 43 (17): 3391-3400, 2004.

Bishop AI, Nieminen TA, Heckenberg NR, et al. Optical microrheology using rotating laser-trapped particles. Phys Rev Lett 92 (19): art. no. 198104 2004.
Also republished in the May 15, 2004 issue of the Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research.

Bishop AI, Nieminen TA, Heckenberg NR, Rubinsztein-Dunlop H, Optical application and measurement of torque on microparticles of isotropic nonabsorbing material, Phys. Rev. A., 68, 33802-33809, 2003.
Also appeared in, Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology 8(12) (2003).

McIntyre TJ, Bishop AI, Eichmann, Rubinsztein-Dunlop H. Enhanced flow visualisation using near-resonant holographic interferometry. Applied Optics, Vol. 42, No. 22, pp 4445-4451 2003